It really only affects automated charge/discharge systems. When the system is repeatedly discharged to exactly the same point by a microcontroller, then recharged from that exact point, you get a blip in the discharge right there http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/acer/batbcl11.htm which makes the controller think the battery is _dead_ low if it gets to that point. If you use it to varying levels, no such blip develops, and even if one did, (as long as no precise voltage monitoring controller is involved), you'll probably ride right through the blip. The battery doesn't stop working, it just develops a slight change that persuades some control circuits it has discharged. It still provides current, and the voltage doesn't change enough for most devices to care.
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It really only affects automated charge/discharge systems. When the system is repeatedly discharged to exactly the same point by a microcontroller, then recharged from that exact point, you get a blip in the discharge right there http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/acer/batbcl11.htm which makes the controller think the battery is _dead_ low if it gets to that point. If you use it to varying levels, no such blip develops, and even if one did, (as long as no precise voltage monitoring controller is involved), you'll probably ride right through the blip. The battery doesn't stop working, it just develops a slight change that persuades some control circuits it has discharged. It still provides current, and the voltage doesn't change enough for most devices to care.