[Surface 2] Left plugged in reports 99% not charging?

[usmaak]

Hi,

We have two Surface 2 tablets in our family. They both charge just fine. When they get fully charged, they say that they're fully charged. But on one of them, if it's left plugged in for a day or two, it will say, "99% Plugged In Not Charging". After a couple of days, it will drop to 98%. If I take it off the charger, use it, and then plug it back in, it does it all over again. The other surface can be plugged in for a few days, and never does this.

I've searched around, and all I find are references to battery issues with the Surface Pro that are caused by a software update. I haven't found anything much on this.

Is this normal behavior?

Thanks.

 

[mjrtoo]

I would never leave them plugged in like that. It ruins the battery, normal charge cycles are important for batteries.

 

[usmaak]

Good deal. Just wondering why it does this. I was thinking that it was some kind of way that Microsoft kept it from ruining the battery. But it only happens on one of them. The other one happily stays at 100% the entire time.

Both of these devices lose about 10 percent battery per day, just sitting there doing nothing. That's why I leave them plugged in. I'm in the middle of a move, and don't have a lot of time for the electronic devices in my life. I'm not sure if they're not staying in standby, or if there's something else going on there.

Also, just leaving the one sitting there doing nothing loses about 6 or 7 percent per hour. That's just with the screen on and nothing else happening.

The good thing is that they do charge very quickly.

 

[kristalsoldier]

Good deal. Just wondering why it does this. I was thinking that it was some kind of way that Microsoft kept it from ruining the battery. But it only happens on one of them. The other one happily stays at 100% the entire time.

Both of these devices lose about 10 percent battery per day, just sitting there doing nothing. That's why I leave them plugged in. I'm in the middle of a move, and don't have a lot of time for the electronic devices in my life. I'm not sure if they're not staying in standby, or if there's something else going on there.

Also, just leaving the one sitting there doing nothing loses about 6 or 7 percent per hour. That's just with the screen on and nothing else happening.The good thing is that they do charge very quickly.

Actually, I am not sure if that is accurate. I think - though I could be wrong - that if your device is on AND is NOT on flight mode, then the device is in standby mode (even with the screen off). This means that it will update mails and maybe some Live Tiles and other background services, which accounts for the drop in battery percentages. However, if the device is in Flight Mode then the battery drain is less. I also believe - again I could be wrong - that if a device is shut off, but the battery remains inside the battery, the battery will continue to drain though at miniscule amounts. Eventually, such a device - if not charged - will go dead (i.e., the battery will go flat) over time.

The above being given, the drainage of 10% per day is - in my opinion - still quite high for a device doing nothing but background and mail services etc. I am comparing this to the iPad (I have both the Surface 2 and the iPad 4) and the iPad is much better in this respect. I think some more optimization of the Surface 2 is needed/ possible in this specific context (well, aside from the Tegra 4 drivers problem that people are reporting).

 

[Reflexx]

Not sure about the 99% thing. Do you have some sort of battery monitoring app on one but not the other? Or different battery monitoring apps on them? You battery never truly fully charges. It just looks like it. Certain 3rd party apps might be able to see this and report it to you. Completely charging the battery reduces its lifespan, so most modern chargers stop before a true dull charge.

As for standby drainage... that sounds about right to me. Maybe try shutting off WiFi. What I do when I won't be using my tablet for a few days is Shut Down.

 

[iampwd]

My Surface 2 also stops at 99% just so you know you're not alone.

 

[usmaak]

Not sure about the 99% thing. Do you have some sort of battery monitoring app on one but not the other? Or different battery monitoring apps on them? You battery never truly fully charges. It just looks like it. Certain 3rd party apps might be able to see this and report it to you. Completely charging the battery reduces its lifespan, so most modern chargers stop before a true dull charge.

As for standby drainage... that sounds about right to me. Maybe try shutting off WiFi. What I do when I won't be using my tablet for a few days is Shut Down.

Thanks.

My Surface 2 will charge to 100%. After remaining plugged in for a day or two, it then says "99% Available, Plugged In Not Charging". Sometimes it's less than a day.

This thing is pretty much stock. I haven't set up email on it, and I don't have any apps that are doing any syncing that I'm aware of.

 

[Gergolos]

I would never leave them plugged in like that. It ruins the battery, normal charge cycles are important for batteries.

Why is that? I have my Surface sitting on my desk and use it with an external monitor. So my Surface is plugged in all the time. If what you are saying is true I should probably change something

 

[BaritoneGuy]

I would never leave them plugged in like that. It ruins the battery, normal charge cycles are important for batteries.

I believe this is not correct and it also explains the other behavior. Modern charging circuitry is built to turn off when finished charging. If you leave the device plugged in it may not reactivate until the device charge level goes below 95% or so. I used to have software on my Vaio laptop to control this, but it is now built in.

Also, with Lithium Polymer batteries there are no more issues with the charge cycles. They are normally rated for about 300-400 full charge/discharge cycles. Running it down to 75% and then recharging only counts as 1/4 of a cycle. Additionally with these types of batteries running them down to 0% is not a good idea.

 

[BaritoneGuy]

Why is that? I have my Surface sitting on my desk and use it with an external monitor. So my Surface is plugged in all the time. If what you are saying is true I should probably change something

You are fine, see my other post.

 

[Gergolos]

Thanks for clearing this up, Baritone

I was confused because of the battery report clearly showing that the power supply is not the battery but the cord...so I kind of assumed my surface would know when to use what...

Thanks again

 

[xandros9]

I had a Palm Pre and when charging I'd sometimes check in to see how its going. When full it stops then bounces between 100% and 95%

 

[tencents]

Thanks.

My Surface 2 will charge to 100%. After remaining plugged in for a day or two, it then says "99% Available, Plugged In Not Charging". Sometimes it's less than a day.

This thing is pretty much stock. I haven't set up email on it, and I don't have any apps that are doing any syncing that I'm aware of.

I guess its a security feature to prevent the battery from overcharging ?

 

[realwarder]

I guess its a security feature to prevent the battery from overcharging ?

Continuously charging a battery is a bad thing. Charger will stop when charged and only resume when the battery is below some threshold. My ThinkPad used allow this to be configured. Doing this prolongs the battery life.