Power banks are very practical tools that have opened their place among those who constantly use smart phones or tablets and other digital devices. These devices have batteries inside their bodies that are charged by city electricity and when necessary, they transfer the stored energy to the phone or tablet battery. Due to the type of batteries used in power banks, the power of these devices gradually decreases and they no longer have the original capacity.
In this article, we are going to review the average lifespan of power banks and then we will mention some tips to increase the lifespan of these devices so that if you are planning to buy a power bank or if you have a power bank in your possession, you can know how to use it correctly. Get to know the increase in lifespan and efficiency. So stay with Datis Mart.
Does the lifespan of a power bank depend on its battery type?
Power bank battery type
The batteries used in all types of power banks and phones are lithium-ion or lithium-polymer batteries, and their capacity decreases over time with successive charging and discharging. (Normally, after 200 to 1000 times of charging, a percentage of the power bank’s storage power is reduced, which is related to the quality of the battery cells and its chemical composition).
What factors are effective in power bank battery life?
The bigger the battery, the less you charge it, and ultimately the battery life will be longer. Phones need to be charged daily, and for this reason, power banks with low capacity have a shorter lifespan. Therefore, it can be said that power banks with higher capacity have a longer lifespan due to less frequent charging and discharging.
In general, power bank batteries are made of chemicals, and if you do not use the power bank, the internal battery of the power bank will degrade over time. The maximum time a power bank battery can be kept from the moment of production is 3 years.
The successive charging and discharging of the power bank is also effective during the battery life of the power bank. The more times the power bank is charged and discharged, the shorter the battery life.
How long can the power bank hold a charge when not in use?
The answer to this question depends on the model of the power bank, its internal components and the quality of its construction. For example, a power bank with a charge cycle of 500 times can be used for 1.5 years to charge different devices every day, and after that, its ability to hold a charge for a long time is lost, depending on how it works, power banks Better and more expensive ones last longer, and cheaper and smaller power banks may have a shorter lifespan. Power banks are not used on a daily basis, they are able to work for more than 18 months in real world usage pattern.
The second case is related to the quality of the control circuit and the battery cells of the power bank. A good power bank has the ability to maintain the charge for 3 to 6 months with minimal loss. Low-quality power banks may not hold a useful charge for more than 4 to 6 weeks. However, you should pay attention to how you spend. If you need a charger with a long life, you must have enough budget to ensure the quality and efficiency of the power bank. Most power banks lose their charge over time, to some extent the environmental conditions have an effect on this. For example, placing the power bank in a car with high temperature changes will shorten the life of the charger.
What if we don’t use the power bank?
Just like the battery of smart gadgets and the battery of a mobile phone, even if it is not used, the battery of the power bank will rot and its life will decrease. Of course, non-standard charging and discharging also reduces the life of the power bank.
Some people use the power bank only when traveling, it is strongly recommended for these people not to leave the power bank without charge for a long time and to help the useful life of the power bank by charging and discharging it once in a while.
What to do with the inflated power bank?
The battery inside the power bank is the main component of it. The material of this battery is lithium polymer, which is actually effective both in terms of appearance and weight in the construction of the power bank.
One of the symptoms of power bank failure is its appearance changes, such as changing the shape and increasing the volume of the power bank. The swelling of the battery inside the power bank indicates the end of its life, and the following factors influence this:
– Temperature changes, especially extreme heat and direct sunlight
– Non-standard charging and discharging
– Use of non-standard cable and adapter
– Physical trauma
How to increase the life of the power bank battery?
Do not use the power bank in high and low temperatures
The first thing we check and you have probably faced it in laptops is that when the laptop and especially its battery heats up, the next thing that happens is the laptop hangs. This also happens in power banks. Many of the power banks that exist are of lithium type and have a cellular structure, and heat and cold affect the battery cells and cause damage and reduce their lifespan.
Creating ventilation for the power bank
Some power bank manufacturers have written the temperature of its use based on the condition that the power bank is located in an environment that is well ventilated, so note that it is important to prepare a well ventilated environment for using the power bank.
Many people put the power bank and the phone that is being charged by the power bank inside the bag, which loses proper ventilation for the power bank. This causes the power bank to heat up and damage its cells and reduce the life of the power bank.
Use the power bank only to charge devices that are capable of it.
Next, we come to the item that is related to the voltage and current that the device needs for charging. A power bank usually charges different devices with a voltage of 5 volts and a current of 1 ampere and 2 ampere. Usually, the output of one ampere is used to charge different phones, but in some devices, we see that the current intensity of 2 amps is used to reduce the charging time and increase the charging speed. The current output of 2 amps is usually used to charge devices such as laptops and other equivalent devices. It is possible to use a power bank to charge all devices. But this action causes serious damage to the power bank and the phone, so don’t do this. This case is more important when the power bank does not have the possibility of protection against overcharging or discharging. Therefore, it is suggested to choose a power bank that can protect against the mentioned cases. Modern power banks available in the market have both these protections and more protections, and they can be easily prepared and used safely.
Recharge your power bank when it is not fully charged
Many people have doubts about this and for a long time there was a false idea that you should completely discharge the battery first and then charge the battery. This is completely wrong. Especially when the battery is lithium (ion or polymer). Currently, many batteries used in various devices such as mobile phones, tablets, power banks, etc… are of this model. When the power bank is charging different devices successively, as the charge amount of the power bank decreases, its voltage also decreases. When its voltage reaches less than 2.4 volts, carbonization occurs in the power bank, which means that the battery life of the power bank will decrease. Therefore, we recommend that you charge your power bank when approximately 20% of its charge is left, and if you do not use the power bank for a few days, it is better to check its charge level and make sure that the power bank has enough charge. It is true that you don’t use the power bank for a few days, but it is possible that the internal circuits of the power bank consume a lot of energy, and if this continues, the power bank will be completely discharged.
Never fully charge the power bank
The next thing that increases the life of the power bank battery is to not fully charge it and leave it charged at around 95-100%. When you charge the power bank up to 95-100%, you have increased the charging cycle of the power bank.
Do not use the power bank while it is charging
Power bank battery life
When you simultaneously play with your phone or listen to music and the phone is charging, the phone heats up faster. It is the same with power banks. Operating such devices at high temperature damages them and there is a possibility of their explosion. This may never happen, but it is better to be careful.
Do not bend the charging cable of your power bank.
Is your power bank charging cable long? Do you fold your cable when you use it? Probably, this work is done a lot, but it is better not to repeat it because by bending the cable, it is possible to stop the energy and the temperature rises, so it is better to have the cable completely open.
Suitable tools for charging the power bank battery
To charge the power bank, try to use high-quality and non-copy chargers that have an output voltage of 5 volts and an output current of 1 or 2 amps. Do not charge the power bank with the USB port of the computer, especially the front ports of the power bank case. Because these ports do not have a proper output and the charging time of the power bank becomes long and causes excessive heating and eventually the internal cell swells. New batteries are lithium polymer or lithium ion. In this model of batteries, there is a smart circuit that is responsible for cutting off the current after the battery is fully charged. So don’t worry about connecting the power bank to the charger after it is fully charged.
Leave a Reply