Battery or AC when using as Hi-Fi player?

[Chuffy]

Hi folks,
I use my ZVM as my main music player for my hi-fi now having ripped all my CD's. I was wondering whether it is best to let it run on the battery until it drains and then re-charge it or to have it connected to the AC adaptor all the time?

In other words what is more likely to shorten the battery life, constant re-charging or having the AC connected all the time?

Cheers

[CrowdAds]

[Almoxil]

Since the ZV:M uses a Li-Ion battery, you should use and recharge it constantly. I'm not sure about keeping it hooked to the AC adapter all the time, but fully charging and fully draining these batteries isn't recommended.

[ZenChick]

I haven't had any problems with leaving my player plugged in for extended periods, but in all honesty, it's best to kind of mix it up a bit.

[Chuffy]

Ok folks, thanks for the replies, 'mix it up' I will.

[keybowvio]

once the player fully charges, it displays the "Plug" icon.

this means that the player is running on ac power only, and bypasses the battery.

While this is good, since it's prolly not good to keep rechargin your player constantly, the downside is that the battery never gets any use, and if this occurs for months at a time, could damage the battery

Think of it like putting the ZVM in storage, you're supposed to have the battery half full (or empty lol). So, if you have it plugged in all the time, it's essentialy like having the battery in "storage." Which we all know, is not the intention for these wonderful little gadgest.

So...

use the battery once in a while just to gve the battery some use, but you can use ac most of the time.

Oh and...
dont plug in and plug out the ac charger a lot either, as then the player starts to charge itself again, and trying to charge a full battery puts undue wear on the battery.

[Almoxil]

Originally Posted by keybowvio

once the player fully charges, it displays the "Plug" icon (...)

Right.

Originally Posted by keybowvio

(...) this means that the player is running on ac power only, and bypasses the battery (...)

Yes, right.

Originally Posted by keybowvio

(...) it's prolly not good to keep rechargin your player constantly, (...)

Not quite true for Li-Ion batteries: they "prefer" constant use and frequent recharges. They don't like being deeply discharged between charge cycles. Actually, deep discharging Li-Ion batts beyond a certain charge level may render them unusable. What you said is true for NiMH and NiCd batteries, though.

Originally Posted by keybowvio

(...) Think of it like putting the ZVM in storage, you're supposed to have the battery half full (or empty lol) (...)

Yeah, 40% of charge to be exact, but the battery indicators on these gadgets aren't that precise, anyway...

More on this topic can be found here. Especially useful is the "Guidelines for prolonging Li-ion battery life" section.