This neat trick instantly reveals if a battery is charged or dead

Hey PCWorlders! Today I want to show you a neat trick. As you no doubt understand, getting dead batteries in any device can be a real drag. To stop that happening I frequently swap my batteries out with fresh ones before they go totally flat.

As to the old ones, I usually store them in a bag to recycle later — or to use in a pinch. But on the odd occasion I forget to swap out my battery, get a flat in my device, and have no spares left, I have to rifle through that bag and test out each battery to find one with enough charge left in it.

Correction: That’s what I used to do. Now I have a method that saves me a bunch of time…

What to do

• Find a flat, firm surface, like a table or a book — this will be your test surface.
• Now drop the battery vertically onto that surface from a height of roughly 8 inches (20cm). Watch what the battery does.
• A fully charged battery will tend to tip over and stay put. A flat battery, however, often bounces back up a few centimeters so you know it’s not worth using.

We cover battery tips and explainers like this on PCWorld from time to time. For example, I found this one about whether fast charging your phone’s battery causes any damage to be interesting.

Best of luck with the battery testing, and if you want more awesome tips like this one delivered into your inbox twice a week, every week, be sure to sign up to our Try This newsletter!