ThinkPad A20m and A22 Battery Information

Rechargeable batteries use chemicals to maintain charge, in this case it is Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) and capacity changes due to temperature, unused storage period, load condition, and number of cycles.  It is normal for batteries to lose capacity over time, but if you are still into the first year and your battery is having trouble holding a charge, you may need to condition your battery.  A battery counts cycles ( or number of times charged 80% or more).  For example, if you let your battery get to 20% and you charge it to 100%, that is one full cycle.  Or if you let it get to only 60% twice and recharge it to 100% that is also considered a full cycle.

To view the number of cycles that your battery has gone through, click on the battery icon on your taskbar, Choose Battery Information, and click on the Status Detail tab.  There will be an entry for the number of cycle counts.

Tips to Maintain Your Battery Life

Once you have started charging your battery, do not use it on only the battery until it is fully charged.

If your battery is new, charge the battery to full capacity and activate all of the chemicals inside the battery by doing the following:
           1) Cycle the battery (fully charge, then discharge) three times, also recommended if the battery has been stored for a
               few months.
           2) Do not charge the battery pack until all of its power is used.  Partial charging or discharging causes lack of uniformity
               of activated chemicals and may cause performance degradation.

It is also recommended that you deep discharge every few months, or run the system on battery until it goes into hibernation, then at this point plug in the A/C adapter and charge it to 100%

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