Hardware What happens when the battery is fully charged?

[ltylty]

Lets say the battery is fully charged and my 3ds is still plugged to the ac adapter. When i play a game, does it
1. drain power from the ac only, leaving the battery intact?
2. drain from the battery while charging the battery at the same time?
Just wondering if i should keep the ac plugged or unplug after battery is fully charged. Will want to prolong my battery lifespan.

 

[fatcat1413]

I don't think it really matters as you're still using power any way you look.

 

[ltylty]

From what i understand,
If its 1, keeping the 3ds plugged will not reduce the charge cycle of the battery.
But if its 2, keeping the 3ds plugged will generate additional heat on the battery, reducing its lifespan?

 

[fatcat1413]

http://techforums.nintendo.com/message/63351

 

[ltylty]

Thanks! Seems like the answer is 1.
http://www.gamefaqs.com/3ds/997614-nintendo-3ds/answers?qid=280860

 

[tbgtbg]

I don't know that I'd trust "some dude on gfaqs" to have posted the right answer, and the conclusion there doesn't seem to be supported by anything he says he did. So the power didn't drop while plugged in? That proves nothing. The power wouldn't drop regardless if it was type 1 or 2.

But, that said, it really doesn't matter. #1 means you're not affecting the battery life, while with #2 you'd be affecting the battery life, but no more so than unplugging the thing, playing, then plugging it back in when you're done.

So at worst, you're only putting normal wear on the system playing it plugged in.

 

[migles]

when the battery gets fully charged the 3ds "turns off the charger" and it uses the battery... unless you use a power cradle it will discharge with the wire connected, because the power cradle will connect to the side pins...

so i think answer is 3: drain power from battery, and doesn't charge it until you plug the wire again...


source: my experience...

 

[Arras]

when the battery gets fully charged the 3ds "turns off the charger" and it uses the battery... unless you use a power cradle it will discharge with the wire connected, because the power cradle will connect to the side pins...

so i think answer is 3: drain power from battery, and doesn't charge it until you plug the wire again...


source: my experience...

That's not true. You can leave it plugged in and play for hours on end without the battery level ever going down. If you would need to replug the wire to make it start charging again it would at least be half empty at that point.

 

[migles]

That's not true. You can leave it plugged in and play for hours on end without the battery level ever going down. If you would need to replug the wire to make it start charging again it would at least be half empty at that point.

i noticed if i leave my charger plugged while i play for 1 hour for example, the battery will last 1 hour less..

ho wait, i think this only happens with my nintendo ds lite...

 

[joeschmoe]

Batteries have a lifespan of x number of charge/discharge cycles. Playing while plugged in with a full battery should enable trickle charging. I'm not sure how that affects the lifespan. If you leave a laptop plugged in all the time, the battery gradually loses its capacity and won't keep the unit on very long. But my Black & Decker lawn equipment with lithium-ion batteries says I can leave a battery on the charger all the time and this won't hurt the battery. I don't trust that, because their batteries are expensive. I guess it comes down to whether the power is managed or allowed to apply its full voltage constantly to the battery. Source: general battery knowledge

 

[Foxi4]

Most contemporary hardware stops charging batteries when they reach a full charge - this is done not only to conserve battery cycles but also to prevent overcharging or overheating the battery which in case of Lithium-based battery packs can be dangerous. Once the battery is fully charged, the system likely switches to using solely AC power until the "smart circuitry" of the battery informs the system that the level of charge has dropped below full charge.

Trickle charging mentioned above by joeschmoe (usually) does not apply to Lithium-based batteries which are very sensitive and susceptible to overcharging.

You can find more general information about charging Lithium-Ion batteries here, this information applies to most devices using Lithium-Ion battery packs, including the 3DS.

 

[pwsincd]

they are charged to 80% of capacity at full current , then trickle charged the rest of the way , the last 20% taking longer than the first 80 . That 20 is the part that eventually reduces leaving you with a battery that only lasts 4/5 of the original batteries charge cycle. It;ll lose a little of its capacity every time you completely drain the battery . Leaving the power attached wont effect anything , lith ion tech is designed to cut out at full charge usually a thermal interupt for obvious reasons. Best not to drain a battery and leave drained also , keep at least 40% or so of your battery power if the device tends to sit unused for a period as a fully drained and left battery will lose its capacity to fully charge.