Can a long, deep discharge destroy my Lithium-based battery?

By Werner Ruotsalainen, Submitted Monday, October 17, 2005

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http://www.smartphonemag.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=18761

Q: Can a long, deep discharge destroy my Lithium-based battery? A: Yes. This is what the Battery University says about this situation: The internal protection circuit of lithium-based batteries is known to cause some problems after a long storage. If the battery is left discharged after use, the self-discharge will further drain the pack and eventually drip the protection circuit at about 2.5 volts per cell. At this point, the charger will no longer recognize the battery and the pack appears dead. Advanced battery analyzers (Cadex) feature the Boost program that activates the protection circuit to enable a recharge. If the cell voltage has fallen below 1.5V/cell and has remained in that state for a few days, a recharge should be avoided for safety reasons.