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I've bought a second hand Garmin Edge 800 for a while ago. So far, I'm nothing but delighted about the device and the battery life. However, since I have to plug it in in order to upload my rides, it usually gets charged when plugged in so my battery level almost never gets under 50-60 percent, sometimes not even so.

That makes me wonder if I'm doing the right thing. About batteries, sometimes I hear that it's better to empty the battery and then fully charge it. What are your opinions about this? Do you do anything to extend your device's battery life? Or do you worry at all?

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  • Is it a lithium ion battery? They don't like being stored empty (or completely full in some variants) but don't suffer from the memory effect you seem to be thinking of. Even Nimh aren't as bad as the old NiCd rechargeables for memory effects (NiCd needed draining and recharging fully quite frequently) . Basically you don't need to worry about it so long as you don't store it empty. – Chris H May 31 '15 at 19:10
  • This is more of a question for electronics.se, not bicycles.se. – Batman May 31 '15 at 19:44
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    @Batman I think it should be on topic in both places, since it's electronic cycling equipment. As some questions could be on topic for any of physics, astronomy, and space exploration. – andy256 Jun 1 '15 at 0:16
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From my research, the Garmin Edge 800 uses a 1Ah lithium ion battery.

In general, these do not have a memory effect like older rechargeable batteries. But some care is still worthwhile, for example storing the battery completely charged (in a hot environment) or completely discharged is damaging.

Partial discharge cycles are generally seen as good for them. A full discharge and recharge every 30 uses is recommended by some sites.

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