Best way to keep the battery performance on an MS surface? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Beamin
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 11, 2021, 12:29:13 am
content: I'm on my third surface in two uears, first stopped charging but I dont suspect it was the battery as the detachable keyboard has its own battery pack doubling battery life when you are using it as a notebook, good idea microsoft! But the charging port has been an issue you cant open the computer so you cant fix it. If you are out of your 12 month warranty which I was by 2 month, I found out the hard way no computer store could fix it and the only way to fix any issue no matter how small is to pay microsoft 650$ for a refurbished one! So I paid the 650 and with in two month same charging problem and the key board lost that really nice feel it has. So under warranty I got a third one. This one has a charging issue but they sent me a new charger and seems to work. I paid the 1400$ for this because I was sick of having to buy a new PC every year and wanted something to last with a 4k screen. The color on the screen is the best I have ever seen and battery life is great.Anyways, how can I keep the liIon battery lasting as long as it can since I cant replace the battery(s)? I know dendrites are li ion killers so I keep it plugged in all the time at 100% battery running off ac power. I dont need to take it on the go so leaving it plugged in all the time is not an inconvenience. Is this the best way to keep the li ion in top performance? Or would it be good to cycle the battery some times, or all the time?

author: JohnnyMalaria
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 11, 2021, 02:04:02 am
content: Enable the Battery Limit feature:https://surfacetip.com/enable-battery-limit-feature-on-surface-devicesEDIT: My laptop has a similar feature. It stops charging at 80% and will only start charging when the level drops below 75%. It is recommended not to keep it always charged to 100% especially if, like me, you rarely unplug it.

author: JohnnyMalaria
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 11, 2021, 02:45:12 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on January 11, 2021, 02:28:44 amIf you almost never use the battery, enable the Battery Limit feature.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 12, 2021, 03:58:28 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on January 11, 2021, 02:28:44 amCould it have to do with a thermal design issue? I had a cheap portable AP where the battery failed in just a few months because it was right up against the hot CPU.

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 12, 2021, 11:17:07 pm
content: Quote from: JohnnyMalaria on January 11, 2021, 02:04:02 amWhat laptop has this feature?Is the limit adjustable? 40% is the best for long life...

author: JohnnyMalaria
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 13, 2021, 12:17:36 am
content: Quote from: SilverSolder on January 12, 2021, 11:17:07 pmMy Lenovo Yoga 14 and Lenovo T495.Image is fromhttps://www.lenardgunda.com/thinkpad-battery-charging-thresholds/

author: Beamin
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2021, 12:47:15 am
content: WOW thanks!!!! didnt know that existed. Im on my third surface (the one with the detachable screen think its called surface book 3, first one stopped charging just out of warrenty by 2 months (14 months total) I didnt realize they made ones without detachable screens) Those instructions will work for this computer correct? Right now Im having charging issues with this again! So they are sending me a new power supply to replace the PSU they sent me last month.I'm hoping its a bad power supply so this one is duct taped to the machine as a precaution and left at 100% charge incase it decides randomly to stop charging and I have to do an emergency back up .So I'm going to try and do this when the new PSU comes in a week.But I have a feeling its the computer because the screen has its own charging port and when the keyboard charging port doesnt charge neither does the screen so it not like its a dirty connector its a 2 month old lap top with a 1 month old PSU with contacts I whipped with alcohol. Some times rebooting the computer then plugging in will get it to recharge, so is that software or firm ware? I have a feeling Im going to be on my fourth computer before the warranty runs out in march. I trade bitcoins so losing a computer means being out of work. (I just found an old wallet with 500$ in ETH in it that I have been growing and reinvesting!!!!EDIT:The surface never gets hot and I have never heard a fan, the outside is AlMg Alloy that acts as a huge heat sink never heard a fan come on. It got warm once when I had about 40 windows open I closed them and it cooled down. Bottom half feels cold like metal, becareful how you pick it up, I bent my keyboard by the usb ports thinking it was made tougher.