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[jbullfrog]

What is the best way to conserve my dsl's battery life?

Do I charge it when it is about to die?

Do I leave it always connected to the charger?

(This is what I usually do.  I am guessing that the battery is not being used)

Do I charge it when the battery is half drained?

Please help!

[Altor]

Ideally:

Only plug it in to charge when it's below 30% battery life (orange light comes on).  You can leave it plugged in at all times if you want... I think.  I'm pretty sure that it draws power directly from the AC when the battery is fully charged, but I'm not totally sure.

The absolute worst thing to do is plug your DS in when you've only had it running for an hour or something.  Doing that on a regular basis will dramatically reduce your battery's ability to hold a charge in no time.  A friend of mine, he plugs his cell phone in every night when he gets home, even though its battery was designed to last a week of moderate usage - well, guess what.  Now it only lasts about 12 hours per charge without even making/receiving any calls.  Something else you really want to avoid is using it in an excessively hot environment.  Don't use them in California, haha.

For reference, IIRC the only kind of battery that's safe to be constantly charging/discharging is lead acid, the kind you use in a car.  They can last for like 10 years in most cases, despite tens of thousands of charge cycles.

edit:

Wikipedia article (I'm not sure that it's totally accurate... it claims there's "no" memory effect whatsoever)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_ion_battery

edit again:

Aha!  Here you go:

Guidelines for prolonging Li-ion battery life

   * Unlike Ni-Cd batteries, lithium-ion batteries should be charged early and often. However, if they are not used for a longer time, they should be brought to a charge level of around 40%. Lithium-ion batteries should never be "deep-cycled" like Ni-Cd batteries.[3]
   * Li-ion batteries should be kept cool. Ideally they are stored in a refrigerator. Aging will take its toll much faster at high temperatures. The high temperatures found in cars cause lithium-ion batteries to degrade rapidly.
   * Lithium-ion batteries should never be depleted to empty (0%).
   * According to one book[7], lithium ion batteries should not be frozen. Note that most lithium-ion battery electrolytes freeze at approximately −40 °C, which is much colder than the lowest temperature reached by most household freezers.
   * Li-ion batteries should be bought only when needed, because the aging process begins as soon as the battery is manufactured.[3]
   * When using a notebook computer running from fixed line power over extended periods, the battery can be removed and stored in a cool place so that it is not affected by the heat produced by the computer.[3] However, a notebook computer's battery prevents sudden loss of the data in memory during power failures and voltage drops. Reasonable alternatives are the use of an older lithium ion battery or an external uninterruptible power supply.

[jbullfrog]

thanks so much!  I guess that the best method is to leave it unplugged, and then just plug it in when the red light turns on.

[Kaphis]

there is so much misconception about li-ion batteries...

your guidelines and wikipedia is correct...
There is really no reason for you to keep playing until the orange light shows...

Like mentioned, there is no memory in Li-ion batteries, and it is evident that the DS stops charging once the battery is full. I live my DS on charge whenever I can, there have been no difference in play time. In truth, I would rather have a DS that I can play with when I want to instead of a DS that runs out of power on me when I actually want to play. Companies recommand recharging li-ion batteries whenever you can, don't fully deplete your li-ion battery, and keep it in low temperatures. The DS doesn't over heat so you won't have a problem with heat, just make sure you dont' fully deplete your li-ion battery and you will be fine.

[kompact]

I have to disagree completely (from my experience). The battery in the DS does develop a memory if you do not drain it to roughly 20% before charging. With my first DS (phat) I would plug it in at random times  - sometimes when I had only used it for an hour after a full charge and other times when it was nearly drained. After 4 months of that the thing would only hold a charge for 45 min before the low battery indicator would come on. This was both with the original battery and a spare I bought at a local store.

6 months ago I got a DSL and I drain the battery almost completely before charging it all the way and it has developed no memory whatsoever.

[Kaphis]

That is not the battery running out, that is what they call digital memory. Unlike old batteries, Li-Ion batteries rely on electronic components to regulate and report the charge on the battery. What happen is that the "fuel gauge" isn't correctly reporting the charge inside the li-ion. Letting the battery deplete itself once every 30 charge should correct this problem. Once again, it is not "memory" that is causing your DS to show that its runnign out of power. It is the "fuel gauge" that is telling the DS to turn on the low battery indicator and also the "fuel gauge" that is telling the DS to stop charging the battery.

Like I said, to fix that, just run it flat (in terms of playing it or leaving it so that the DS turns itself off, not running it flat as in using a discharging device because Li-Ion batteries need some charge in it for it to recharge). And then charge it again once every month or so and you are good to go.

[Altor]

I think they also say that your first couple of charges are bound to last less time than ones that come after that.  Apparently it's very important to let it really run itself down the first couple times.

[Kaphis]

I haven't really heard much about that. ^^;; In truth, from what my experiences and information on the internet, it all depends on the manufacturers (sp?). I mean if they have a crappy battery gauge that doesn't properly show and report how much battery is left then its going to charge incorrectly eventually mimicing a dead battery because it shuts the charger off when its not even full yet.

One thing is true is that lithium ion batteries do not have "memory" problems like the old batteries simple because of the technolog behind lithium ion batteries. To really make sure you get to use your DS for as long as you can before getting a replacment battery, never ever fully deplete lithium-ion batteries. Running until your DS shuts itself off is fine, turning it back on after it shuts itself off again and again just cause you wanna play FF3 is not ^^;;

If you feel better using the DS battery until it shuts itself off, thats okay, its not going damage the battery or the DS, it does however suck if you run out of battery when you are on the train or the long 3 hour bus ride.

[Hi]

Sort of off-topic, but what about Nihm batterys (That's what my camera uses.)

[jelbo]

Running until your DS shuts itself off is fine

That's what I've been doing since I got my DS Lite in April. So, that's perfectly fine then? Because of that Wikipedia warning to not fully drain it..

[Devil_Spawn]

when it shuts off it isnt _fully_ drained its just close. if you left it for a month after it turns itself off the battery would be pretty much dead permenantly

[jelbo]

when it shuts off it isnt _fully_ drained its just close. if you left it for a month after it turns itself off the battery would be pretty much dead permenantly

Wow, didn't know that. Great advice in this topic, I'm going to pay attention to what I do with my battery from now on