| In the XXI century the laptop has become number 1 device extensively deployed by students, business people, travellers etc. It is portable and can be taken aboard a ship to watch business presentations or send/receive messages from co-workers or business partners. Nonetheless, the laptops cannot run 24/7 non-stop. Every now and then its battery requires to be re-charged. Barely has anyone thought, when the first laptop battery was produced and what it was like.
In fact, the history of laptop batteries is an exciting one. They have already come along way, but they still have a long way ahead to perfection. When we think of batteries for laptops, many of us consider the rechargeable ones that we use today. However, several decades ago AA batteries were extensively deployed in laptops. It took a number of AA batteries to run a laptop. More than that, it could not run for long. Some people remember the heavy-weight lead acid based batteries that did not only last long, but also made a laptop very heavy.
The manufacture of laptop batteries has changed since then. Lighter nickel cadmium batteries (NiCd) replaced lead acid based ones. Still, these batteries were not deployed much, because there appeared nickel metal hydride batteries (also called NiMH). They lasted much longer and were lighter. Their major drawback was that they had the so-called memory defect. If not discharged completely, the NiMH battery remembered it and its output was lower.
A great step towards advancement in laptop batteries manufacture was taken when lithium ion batteries (LiON) appeared on the market. These batteries are light and do not produce any memory effect. They are used in technically advanced laptops.
Although LiON laptop batteries run for several hours non-stop, they need re-charging. As more and more people get laptops every year, the demand for longer lasting batteries is rapidly growing. Surely, there will be further improvements until batteries that never die are made. No matter what you deploy your laptop for, you know that you require a battery with a longer life. You have to know that you can rely on the battery when you need your laptop most of all. |
