Is it true that you should let the battery of something die COMPLETELY before recharging?

Question

Just wondering.. my Zune and PSP have a really short battery life and I'm thinking I must have done something wrong.

Answer 1

No, absolutely not.  Unless the battery is a NiCad type, there is no need to discharge the battery before recharging it.  Even with a NiCad, you don't want to COMPLETELY discharge it.  Discharging a NiCad below 1 volt per cell could easily damage it.  Other types of batteries like NiMH and Li-Ion don't need to be discharged at all before charging.  If you've discharged the battery too deeply it could have damaged the battery and be the reason for the short run time.  Another reason is by using the wrong charger and getting the battery too hot.  This causes gas to leak out of the battery and reducing its capacity.  

Answer 2

Only true for the first charge.  Let the battery go almost completely dead, then charge the battery completely full.  Also, keeping your battery electronics (like ipod, psp, laptop) in a very warm area for a long period of time will shorten your battery's future life.

Answer 3

You should the first time you get it, then charge it overnight.  but maybe you've been charging it too long, after your initial charging, you shouldn't over-charge it because it shortens the battery's life over time