Smartphones, laptops, medical tablets, and other devices play central roles in today’s highly technological society. All draw their power from the nearest outlet or batteries (non-rechargeable and rechargeable). 

Those batteries have a limited amount of power. While a phone running out of juice in the middle of a call can be annoying, the loss of power in circumstances like during surgery can be life-threatening. Today’s article provides advice on saving battery power, from power-saving settings on your device to caring for the batteries themselves. 

Computer Settings to Extend Device Battery Life

Extending a battery’s life brings numerous benefits to the electronics user. 

  • You don’t have to worry about running out of power when you need it most (the above surgical example). 
  • You won’t need to charge your device as often, which can be convenient if you’re constantly on the move (for example, an RN pushing a workstation on wheels from patient to patient).
  • There’s less of a need to carry a power bank with you.
  • Prevent interruptions in usage, such as stopping what you’re doing to charge the device. 
  • Reduce wear and tear on the charging port of your device. 

Accessing various settings on your electronic device, such as a medical panel PC, can drastically increase its battery life. Three settings to be considered include:

Screen brightness: The brightness of your electronic device’s screen is one of the greatest drains on its battery. Lowering the brightness may shave off minutes to even hours between charges. The trick is choosing the right brightness setting that conserves battery power without affecting the view of the screen without eyestrain. 

Smart power management: Various features allow users to optimize their device’s power use. 

  • A “hibernation mode” found in many computers is a well-known example. This puts the computer in a low-power state when not in use, conserving power. 
  • App usage shows how particular programs are used on a device, such as a smartphone. Users can determine which ones use the most power and disable or turn them off, which can save energy. 
  • Managing the computer’s cache can be a form of smart power management. Devices use less energy when pulling images and other data from the cache instead of repeatedly redownloading them from a website.  

Connectivity: Features that allow you to connect to a network or the cloud, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and LAN, can drain your device’s battery even if they are not currently in use. Consider turning them off when you don’t need them (for example, in areas without wireless reception). 

Battery Life Device Management

Unsurprisingly, how you care for your device’s battery can extend its life. Tips for your consideration include:

Single-use batteries

As their name implies, these non-rechargeable batteries power your devices once and then are discarded. Use the above techniques to extend their usefulness as long as possible. 

Storage also plays a crucial role in getting single-use batteries’ most extended life. When storing new ones, especially, do the following: 

  • Keep away from direct sunlight or heat sources.
  • Store away from each other. Don’t let their positive and negative ends touch; this can discharge their power and drain the batteries. Mixing old and new batteries this way can be especially incredibly draining. 
  • Keep the batteries away from metal, as it can cause a discharge in the battery and make it overheat. 

Rechargeable batteries

Able to hold a charge, discharge it, and be recharged with power, these batteries require additional means to maximize their longevity. 

Slower charge cycles: A “charge cycle” is how often a device’s battery can be completely discharged and recharged, with today’s batteries ranging between 300 and 1,000 on average. To maximize your device’s battery life, don’t start recharging until around 20 percent and stop when it reaches 80 percent. Also, avoid using fast chargers excessively or keeping your device plugged in 24/7, as they’ll wear down the battery capacity much faster. 

Battery age and replacement: As the chemicals of rechargeable batteries age, they can’t hold as much of a charge as when new. Also, their “peak power” or ability to deliver maximum instantaneous performance may diminish. After a certain point, the battery or batteries no longer function. It’s best to talk to your device manufacturer about battery replacement programs. 

Certain devices and equipment, such as powered and non-powered medical carts, may have additional “best of care” instructions for their batteries: avoid areas of high heat and high humidity, which are common. Some may even use fans to keep those batteries cool and extend their use in such settings. Since such fans can break down and effectively shut down the device, look for batteries cooled by fanless means.

Extend Your Device’s Battery Life in 2024 with Cybernet

Batteries play a pivotal role in keeping today’s devices up and running. Since they have limited power, they have developed ways to extend battery life and usefulness, such as power-saving features.  

Are you looking to extend the battery life of your devices? Contact the team at Cybernet Manufacturing! Team members will happily discuss power-saving features such as fanless design and ENERGY STAR certification of our All-In-One computers and tablets. 

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