Battery storage temperature? Charged: 50%.

[cosurgi]

Hi, I ordered an extra battery, and I need to store it somewhere. I already know, that it must be charged 50% to preserve capacity during long storage periods. Now I would like to know what should be the storage temperature. I had put it on the bottom of a fridge, around +5 C.


thanks for help.

 

[cosurgi]

Now I see where I did get this fridge thing from: http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?/topic/41682-maintaining-battery-lifespan/


But, they are talking "freezer" actually. So what is a good temperature range?

 

[levi]

AIUI, the colder the better. You're trying to slow down the battery chemistry spontanoeusly reacting. But the problem with taking it close to freezing is condensation. I'd say if you could suck out almost all the air, and allow any moisture to evaporate when taking it out (which shouldn't be a problem as it's not a good idea sticking frozen batteries into warm electronic devices anyway) it ought to be okay.


Of course, I'm too lazy to do that. I've never stored my batteries anywhere colder than about 12 degrees C on purpose.

 

[craigix]

I'd say you could just keep it anywhere within reason, I just found my original Pandora prototype while building the recycled units, it had not been powered on for over a year.


The battery still had 35% charge.


I had just left it in an unheated room all that time.


Some people say to keep them in freezers etc. but I think all this goes back to old battery tech in some regards, I'd say you could keep the modern Pandora battery in a drawer and it would be fine.

 

[cosurgi]

thanks

 

[sverm]

What about stuffing a little sachet of silica gel in with it? Those are often used in packaging for many electronics. That should absorb any moisture in the air around it.

 

[levi]

Some people say to keep them in freezers etc. but I think all this goes back to old battery tech in some regards, I'd say you could keep the modern Pandora battery in a drawer and it would be fine.

I don't think so - first time I heard it, it was talking about LiIon (or possibly LiPo) laptop batteries. Problem there of course is that slapping them next to a hot CPU and a hot GPU quietly cooks them, especially while the machine is on the mains (as many laptops are most of the time) which knackers them in rather short order. Phones do better because they don't get as hot, and people tend to let them run down to 10-20% before putting them on to charge again, so they use their full range of charge often. The Pandora even in use is more like that latter case.

I do suspect you're right in that when you get below about 25 degrees, the law of diminishing returns takes effect (which is why I've never bothered chilling any of my batteries). Pop it in a drawer and it'll be fine.

 

[maplesugarlover]

Is that in Celsius or Fahrenheit ?

 

[Asiyura]

Is that in Celsius or Fahrenheit ?

Celsius… Don't freeze your batteries.

IIRC the stockage temperatures for LiPo is between 5° and 25° celsius and 40 to 60% of charge.

 

[maplesugarlover]

I just ask because I live the us. We use Fahrenheit and the customary system over here.

 

[levi]

Ah, sorry about that. In the UK we switched over from Fahrenheit to Celcius/Centigrade at some point in the last 40 years or so, but weather forecasts were made in both units for a good ten or so years after. Some people still haven't got used to the new numbers, but personally I can't handle the 'old' units!


All I meant by 25 degrees (celcius) was normal room temperature plus a bit. If you've got air conditioning, it shouldn't get anywhere near that hot.

 

[maplesugarlover]

Don't apoligize The U.S. is the only industrialized nation that does not mainly use the metric system .(we use it in science, medicine, aviation, government, and various sectors of industry.) Ironically many U.S. customary units are defined in terms of the metric meter.