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Mac Forum / General / Portable Macs / March 2007



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Battery worsens...

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timothydavie@gmail.com - 27 Feb 2007 06:23 GMT
I've had my 12" PowerBook G4 (1.5 GHz, 512 Mb RAM) for about two
years, and just recently the battery has been acting quite strangely.
When I run on battery-only, after about 40 minute (varies quite widely
though), the computer will shut off completely (not sleep, and the
system clock resets)!

Does anyone know how to fix this problem? Will a new battery do the
trick, or is there some confused hardware/software?

If you have any ideas, please respond to this string and/or email me
at timothydavie@gmail.com.

Thank you!
Gregory Weston - 27 Feb 2007 11:34 GMT
> I've had my 12" PowerBook G4 (1.5 GHz, 512 Mb RAM) for about two
> years, and just recently the battery has been acting quite strangely.
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> Does anyone know how to fix this problem? Will a new battery do the
> trick, or is there some confused hardware/software?

Issue #1: If that's your original battery, it's almost certainly due for
replacement. The life on that battery should be, I think, about 500
discharge cycles. Even if your machine is plugged in almost all the
time, the battery will degrade.

Issue #2: One bit of notebook maintenance that I think Apple should call
more attention to is that the time estimate needs to be recalibrated
every so often to remain useful. That happens by unplugging the machine
and running the battery into the ground once or twice a year. If you've
ever done this, it's possible that the system is reporting more time
remaining than is realistic (and may itself not be planning properly).

G

Signature

The best intentions in the world don't make a flawed argument magically valid.

timothydavie@gmail.com - 27 Feb 2007 17:42 GMT
> In article <1172557420.375334.312...@t69g2000cwt.googlegroups.com>,
>
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
> --
> The best intentions in the world don't make a flawed argument magically valid.

It is impossible for me to "run by battery into the ground", because
the computer simply shuts off after about 30 minutes of being
unplugged. When I plug it back in, the battery shows 87% or so
charged. Could it be that there is some miscommunication going on
between the battery or power-related hardware and the OS?

Thanks.
nospam - 27 Feb 2007 18:10 GMT
> It is impossible for me to "run by battery into the ground", because
> the computer simply shuts off after about 30 minutes of being
> unplugged. When I plug it back in, the battery shows 87% or so
> charged. Could it be that there is some miscommunication going on
> between the battery or power-related hardware and the OS?

sudden shutoff is a sign of one (or more) of the internal battery cells
failing.  

there's no miscommunication occurring. it is time to replace the
battery.
John Johnson - 27 Feb 2007 18:31 GMT
> > It is impossible for me to "run by battery into the ground", because
> > the computer simply shuts off after about 30 minutes of being
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> there's no miscommunication occurring. it is time to replace the
> battery.

I agree. The OP's battery is shot and a new one is in order. Apple and
NewerTech are brands with good (if not flawless, at least better than
any alternatives that I've ever seen) reputations.

Signature

Later,
John

johajohn@indianahoosiers.edu

'indiana' is a 'nolnn' and 'hoosier' is a 'solkk'. Indiana doesn't solkk.

Shawn Hirn - 02 Mar 2007 06:42 GMT
> > It is impossible for me to "run by battery into the ground", because
> > the computer simply shuts off after about 30 minutes of being
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> there's no miscommunication occurring. it is time to replace the
> battery.

I agree, and two years is not out of reason for this type of thing.
 
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