As the school year comes to a close, it’s important to properly store charging carts, stations and devices to ensure their longevity and usability for the following school year. The steps below provide some best practices for summer break:

Charging Carts and Stations

1. Charge devices so batteries are at least 80% full*, then remove them from the cart/station (if devices remain in the cart or station, they should not be plugged in). The batteries will slowly, slightly discharge during long periods of inactivity. Once or twice through the summer/break, the batteries should be charged again—essentially you want to avoid batteries dropping to 0% power. The term for this action is referred to as exercising the batteries.
2. Carts and stations should be unplugged or powered down via the master power switch.
3. Clean the carts/stations: Before storing it’s a good idea to clean them. Use a damp cloth to wipe down the cart/station, paying close attention to the charging ports and cables. This will prevent dust and dirt from accumulating during weeks of non-use.
4. Store carts, stations and devices (if they are not in the carts/stations) unplugged in a cool, dry place to prevent damage from moisture and heat. Avoid storing in direct sunlight or areas with high humidity.

Chromebooks

This is the ideal way to store Chromebooks, reducing battery discharge and keeping the devices in a more stable state.

1. Charge devices so batteries are at least 80% full*—to ensure they don’t fully run out of power.
2. Once charged, you will need to put the Chromebooks into a battery disconnect state: Connect each device to a charger and turn on (The charger must be plugged into a USBC port on the same side as the charging light).
3. Hold Refresh and Power keys at the same time.
4. While holding those keys, remove the power cable from the device and release the keys. The device should shut down and remain off. (NOTE: The Chromebooks will not power back on until each device is connected to a charger and power source prior to the new school year—this gets them out of the battery disconnect state.)
   
   

If you cannot put your model of Chromebooks into the battery disconnect state, charge the battery(s) to at least 80%, turn off the device(s), unplug from power source and store in a cool, dry place.

eCharger and SideKick Battery Packs

The process is similar to carts/stations above:

1. Charge the eCharger and powerpacks to at least 80% full*—to ensure they don’t fully run out of power.
2. Remove battery packs and eCharger system from power and store in a cool, dry place.
3. Periodically check the power level of the eCharger hub as well as the powerpacks and charge them if the percentage is very low. They key is to avoid getting to 0% of a charge before you need to deploy your charging systems for the new year.
   
   

By following these tips, you can ensure that your technology investments are properly stored during the summer break, and will be ready to fully power back up and use when the new school year begins.

—-

*To maximize the usable life of lithium-ion battery packs when they sit idle for long periods of time, it is recommended that devices’ batteries be fully charged and disconnected from charging sources.