Thanks
@Mr. Me2, I looked at the grasshopper as well but figured the Crafty would be a better long term investment for my needs. Again, hopefully all of us get the the life out of the product we expect.
I've been reading this thread & still uncertain on the best charging practices, whether it makes sense to charge after every use like some users are doing or whether it makes sense to let the battery deplete first?
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries
This is the most comprehensive article I have seen on charging a lithium-ion type battery.
I have read it a few times and I think I know what not to do but I am not sure that I totally
get what the correct strategy would be.
My guess would be. Don't let it drop below 20% before charging. Don't charge it while being
in use as that can confuse the programming and could lead to overcharging or perhaps some other
not so good outcome. Also it is probably a good idea to take it off the power once it is fully charged (not a rule but a good practice). If you are going to store the battery for a long time a charge about 40% is optimum (this rule is a little vague).
I charge the battery from about 40% to 90%. I look at the chart and it seems that this gives
me a very long life but I am not sure given the chart what is the optimum charge pattern.
Look at chart in how to prolong life of lithium based batteries at battery university.