[SOLVED] Charging a cellphone right next to a NAS with an array of hdds

Jan 21, 2020
9
0
10
I tend to leave my phone to charge overnight on top of my Synology NAS. This works for a few reasons: the phone stays outside my bedroom, and there is a generous number of spare plug points near where my NAS is.

My question is - will this do anything to adversely affect my disks. Sounds unlikely, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to just ask...
 
Solution
It will do nothing. But you're killing your phone battery by charging overnight. You should avoid leaving the phone on charge after it's already 100% and the best practice is not to charge to 100% at all.

Don't keep it plugged in when it's fully charged

According to Battery University, leaving your phone plugged in when it's fully charged, like you might overnight, is bad for the battery in the long run.

Once your smartphone has reached 100 percent charge, it gets 'trickle charges' to keep it at 100 percent while plugged in. It keeps the battery in a high-stress, high-tension state, which wears down the chemistry within.

Battery University goes into a bunch of scientific detail explaining why, but it also sums it up...
It will do nothing. But you're killing your phone battery by charging overnight. You should avoid leaving the phone on charge after it's already 100% and the best practice is not to charge to 100% at all.

Don't keep it plugged in when it's fully charged

According to Battery University, leaving your phone plugged in when it's fully charged, like you might overnight, is bad for the battery in the long run.

Once your smartphone has reached 100 percent charge, it gets 'trickle charges' to keep it at 100 percent while plugged in. It keeps the battery in a high-stress, high-tension state, which wears down the chemistry within.

Battery University goes into a bunch of scientific detail explaining why, but it also sums it up nicely: "When fully charged, remove the battery" from its charging device. "This is like relaxing the muscles after strenuous exercise." You too would be pretty miserable if you worked out nonstop for hours and hours.


In fact, try not to charge it to 100 percent

At least when you don't have to.

According to Battery University, "Li-ion does not need to be fully charged, nor is it desirable to do so. In fact, it is better not to fully charge, because a high voltage stresses the battery" and wears it away in the long run.

That might seem counterintuitive if you're trying to keep your smartphone charged all day, but just plug it in whenever you can during the day, and you'll be fine.

Plug in your phone whenever you can

It turns out that the batteries in our smartphones are much happier if you charge them occasionally throughout the day instead of plugging them in for a big charging session when they're empty.

Charging your phone when it loses 10 percent of its charge would be the best-case scenario, according to Battery University. Obviously, that's not practical for most people, so just plug in your smartphone whenever you can. It's fine to plug and unplug it multiple times a day.

Not only does this keep your smartphone's battery performing optimally for longer, but it also keeps it topped up throughout the day.

Plus, periodic top-ups also let you use features you might not normally use because they hog your battery life, like location-based features that use your smartphone's GPS antenna.
 
  • Like
Reactions: valrama
Solution