Shelf life of LiON batteries?

[phaeton]

I recently bought a digital camera. It's very nice!


The salesweasel at Best Buy was explaining that most cameras they make
these days will last a good long time, but the reason that most people
buy new ones are because the 1) the battery dies in them and 2) the
replacement batteries aren't made anymore.


So if I were to buy a replacement LiON battery for my camera NOW, while
they're available, would it be just as good in an unopened package in a
few years as it is today?

Thanks.

 

[Phil Allison]

"phaeton"

So if I were to buy a replacement LiON battery for my camera NOW, while
they're available, would it be just as good in an unopened package in a
few years as it is today?

** The short answer is no.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_battery#Shelf_life



...... Phil

 

[Steve in Herts]

"phaeton" <blahbleh666@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:8mA9l.1739$FM6.749@flpi143.ffdc.sbc.com...

I recently bought a digital camera. It's very nice!


The salesweasel at Best Buy was explaining that most cameras they make
these days will last a good long time, but the reason that most people buy
new ones are because the 1) the battery dies in them and 2) the
replacement batteries aren't made anymore.


So if I were to buy a replacement LiON battery for my camera NOW, while
they're available, would it be just as good in an unopened package in a
few years as it is today?

Those batteries start deteriorating the moment they come off the production
line (capacity gradually diminishes).

 

[Chris Jones]

phaeton wrote:

I recently bought a digital camera. It's very nice!


The salesweasel at Best Buy was explaining that most cameras they make
these days will last a good long time, but the reason that most people
buy new ones are because the 1) the battery dies in them and 2) the
replacement batteries aren't made anymore.


So if I were to buy a replacement LiON battery for my camera NOW, while
they're available, would it be just as good in an unopened package in a
few years as it is today?

Thanks.

That's why I make sure that my appliances take AA cells (NiMH). Not the
smallest or lightest, but I can afford to have a few spares charged and
ready, and I will be able to get them in 10 years' time.

If you ever do try to store a Lithium rechargeable battery, remember that
they will be permanently ruined if they ever get completely flat - the
internal chip will refuse to charge the battery if the voltage goes below a
certain threshold, for "safety" reasons. The chip in the battery pack will
gradually flatten the battery due to its own power consumption, so if you
leave it stored for a year or so, it will probably be permanently disabled
afterwards. On the other hand, if you keep the battery fully charged, it
will deteriorate faster than if it is at a medium state of charge. I have
read the recommendation that it is best to charge the battery to 40% state
of charge before storage, and then every few months (or more often if the
chip in the pack is especially thirsty) top it up to 40% state of charge.

If you can measure the voltage then you can tell when it needs topping up.
With my bare lithium cells that I store, I check the voltage regularly and
charge them if they get below 3.00 Volts (per cell). It is possible to
float charge these cells too, but read the cell manufacturer's
recommendations about this.

Chris

 

On Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:29:16 -0600, phaeton <blahbleh666@hotmail.com>
wrote:

I recently bought a digital camera. It's very nice!


The salesweasel at Best Buy was explaining that most cameras they make
these days will last a good long time, but the reason that most people
buy new ones are because the 1) the battery dies in them and 2) the
replacement batteries aren't made anymore.


So if I were to buy a replacement LiON battery for my camera NOW, while
they're available, would it be just as good in an unopened package in a
few years as it is today?

Thanks.

Get the battery, determine how the manufacturer recommends storing it
(fully harged, partially charged, etc), put it in the proper state,
seal in doubled freezer bags, place in fridge. The cold will slow
down deterioration.

Or do what a lot of people do - keep both batteries charged so you
always have a fresh battery and replace the camera every 5-6 years...

John

 

[Garth Oor-Tael]

On Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:29:16 -0600, phaeton wrote:

I recently bought a digital camera. It's very nice!


The salesweasel at Best Buy was explaining that most cameras they make
these days will last a good long time, but the reason that most people
buy new ones are because the 1) the battery dies in them and 2) the
replacement batteries aren't made anymore.


So if I were to buy a replacement LiON battery for my camera NOW, while
they're available, would it be just as good in an unopened package in a
few years as it is today?

Thanks.

From what I've read & past experience I do a combination of what was
suggested here. I store my li-ion packs in the refrigerator (usually in a
zip-lock bag to keep it safe) and with 40% charge. Every other month or
so I check the voltage to make sure it doesn't drop too much, and if need
be I charge it back to 40%.
For the batteries I very rarely use, I will cycle them (charge,
discharge, charge to 40%) once in a while (6-12 months).
I have a laptop battery I got in early 2002 that still can hold around
35% what it used to do new, which is quite a bit for an almost-7 year old
battery.

I recall a while back seeing a page that reported how battery lasted in
the long-run depending on charged & temperature of storage. It was on
Asus' EEE PC web page, you could always try to find this if you want some
numbers.

Garth