How long should you charge a lithium battery for the first time?
The idea of needing a first extended charge goes back to NiMh batteries. These batteries were shipped out without a charge. And unlike lithium ion, NiMh have a high self-discharge rate, and there's no clear sign they're full. So when you got the battery, it probably needed a long trickle charge before it was up for a full charge, and the charger couldn't really tell you how long. Part of that was the fact that NiMh charging is pretty simple, so no one tried to get too sophisticated anyway. |