Charging

[WintryRacoon52]

I don't like keeping my stuff charging overnight so I was wondering if it could keep my phone and laptop plugged into their chargers with both the devices and their chargers switched off until timer switches the charger on a few hours before I wake up so that they are ready for me when I need them that day.

 

I for some reason am under the impression that if the device and its charger are both connected but both switched off the battery in the device would slowly drain.

 

can someone tell me if this is the case or not please.

 

am aware that if it was going to drain it would only drain 1% or less and that the charger switching on would recover that battery and overall make no difference in any way. im just curious about this belief ive had for ages.

 

thanks for your time

[Bombastinator]

All Batteries do very very slowly spontaneously drain.  In most situations it’s far less than th 1% you describe though.  Liion batteries for example become in rechargeable if they drop below a certain charge level (2.5-2.75v iirc) They are shipped half charged and expected to have a shelf life of several years even in that state.  The more a battery wears the higher it’s spontaneous discharge rate.  Very low quality batteries can also have a higher discharge rate.  Spontaneous Discharge rate is one way to detect battery wear in lithium batteries.  If a battery is spontaneously discharging too fast it should be recycled and replaced.

[danomicar]

32 minutes ago, WintryRacoon52 said:

I don't like keeping my stuff charging overnight so I was wondering if it could keep my phone and laptop plugged into their chargers with both the devices and their chargers switched off until timer switches the charger on a few hours before I wake up so that they are ready for me when I need them that day.

 

I for some reason am under the impression that if the device and its charger are both connected but both switched off the battery in the device would slowly drain.

 

can someone tell me if this is the case or not please.

 

am aware that if it was going to drain it would only drain 1% or less and that the charger switching on would recover that battery and overall make no difference in any way. im just curious about this belief ive had for ages.

 

thanks for your time

nearly all modern batteries are perfectly fine to be left on the charger for extended periods. Charging your phone or laptop overnight falls well within the boundaries of "normal use." I implore you to save yourself from the hassle and worry of your batteries being "overcharged." 

 

If you were leaving them on the charger for months on end it would probably effect battery performance a bit. But as long as you use them on a somewhat regular basis you have nothing to worry about. 

[NineEyeRon]

I agree, charging overnight is fine. 

[LogicalDrm]

The simple timers can be bought from any hardware store, right next to power strips etc. The tech in those is super simple.

 

Oh, and modern devices stop charging at 100%. In past letting devices overcharge was the reason batteries died fast. Still its not recommended to have battery powered device on charger all the time.

[WintryRacoon52]

thank you for all your replies