Hardware 3DS batteries years from now

[CoolMe]

You just need a $3 cable that has a USB A plug on one end and a 3ds power plug on the other. Any usb charger will work. I use them for my DS, 3DS, PSP, etc. No mods required and more convenient than carrying around a bunch of separate chargers.

Here’s one: https://www.amazon.com/Armor3-USB-Charge-Cable-New-nintendo/dp/B01N78TA7C/

You can get ones with multiple system connectors as well.

Ah, i see.. I thought when you said USB, you were talking about some mod that uses micro usb cable to charge instead of the proprietary one...

 

[ghjfdtg]

Regarding storage charge:
5̵0̵%̵ ̵i̵s̵ ̵t̵o̵o̵ ̵l̵o̵w̵.̵ ̵Y̵o̵u̵ ̵w̵a̵n̵t̵ ̵8̵0̵%̵. The reason is that at 8̵0̵%̵ the lithium ions are equally distributed to both cathode and anode which results in the best stability and less reactions.

I can't find the article about storage charge right now but i believe they have one as well. On how to generally increase lifetime see this:
https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-808-how-to-prolong-lithium-based-batteries

edit:
And i almost forgot. If you are ok with sacrificing form factor you could always build a battery pack out of 18650 cells of which a single one will outperform any of the official batteries. Then add protection and a 3D printed enclusure.

edit2:
I stand corrected. 50% is about right. Or alternatively 3.8V.

 

[KleinesSinchen]

Regarding storage charge:
50% is too low. You want 80%. The reason is that at 80% the lithium ions are equally distributed to both cathode and anode which results in the best stability and less reactions.

I can't find the article about storage charge right now but i believe they have one as well. On how to generally increase lifetime see this:
https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-808-how-to-prolong-lithium-based-batteries

edit:
And i almost forgot. If you are ok with sacrificing form factor you could always build a battery pack out of 18650 cells of which a single one will outperform any of the official batteries. Then add protection and a 3D printed enclusure.

Batteryuniversity is an excellent source albeit a bit overkill (one can spend several hours reading on that site).

@JGSM Regarding the Gamepad: Frequent deep discharge every few weeks is pretty bad. Having it sit discharged for months or even years might drop the voltage of the battery below the safe range (self discharge after the protection circuit shuts the Gamepad down).

Disconnect it when not in use. This takes just some seconds.

Bottom line is, if you don't plan on using a device again for a long time but you want the battery to stay good, you must make sure it's charged up to 60%-80% before you put it away, and you must check on the battery charge every 6 months to make sure the battery level hasn't dropped too much, and charge it up to 60%-80% again if necessary. As long as you do this, the battery should still be good decades later if it hasn't gone through a lot of charge cycles.

I've different experiences. No matter if used or not, even under optimal storage conditions li-ion age and fail. Common consumer cells aren't made for lasting, but maximum capacity while maintaining cheap price.

 

[zoogie]

Ask yourself, do current 20 year old consoles still have batteries made for them?

Answer:
https://www.amazon.com/Game-Boy-Advance-Replacement-Battery-Pack/dp/B000QJ1NS8

So I don't think you have much to worry about in 20 years (especially the oft-reused CTR-003 that 1/2 3ds models have and even switch accessories).
50 years, 75 years frpm now, you may have an issue, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

 

[LVG]

Last year I bought a couple of spare N3DSXL batteries straight from Nintendo. I haven't used them at all at the moment (the original ones are still good).
Should I check the new ones (insert in console) and apply the 60 to 80% rule with them, or should I just leave them stored away?
I'm not sure what to do with unused batteries...

Thank you @zoogie for giving us hope

Thank you all for the great advice! (I'm not too sure about putting the spares in the fridge though, I'm scared of the humidity, and temperature variations : I would need a more consistent fridge...)