mbp - odd behaviour: battery care...

[atomiser]

so i want to try to keep the battery on my new mac in tip top condition. i thought the process went like this:

use the mac disconnected from the mains until you are warned about being on reserve power... then, continue to use until the mac goes into sleep mode... let the white light pulse on and off for up to 5 hours, at which point the battery should be completely dead.

then, connect to the mains and charge until the magsafe adaptor turns green... continue to charge for a further 2 hours, and then you are good to go - battery nicely conditioned. rinse and repeat every month to keep things in good nick.

so... i appear to be failing at the first hurdle... a while after being informed im running on reserve power my mac just dies completely. i don't get any sleep mode pulsing on and off... if i charge the battery completely, when powering the mac back on it 'resumes' rather than booting from scratch.

what am i doing wrong? cheers.

 

[UnknownSouljer]

You're doing everything correctly.
What is the Health % on your battery?

Long story short, this behavior sounds like (based upon the information you gave) your battery is dying. I had a similar problem on my 2008 MBP before I replaced the battery.

If your MBP is still under warranty, I would recommend going to an Apple store and describing the behavior and see if you can get a battery replacement. It's technically not covered by the warranty, but they have replaced it for me several times before.

 

[atomiser]

the mac is brand new, i've only had it for two weeks. i doubt the battery is on it's way out since the battery life is phenominal. the battery was (according to coconutbattery) at 94%.

i gave the mac the benefit of the doubt in terms of it not appearing to 'go to sleep' once reserve battery power was used up and left it overnight... charged it the following day and left it for 2 hours past when the magsafe adapter turned green.

the battery health (again, according to coconutbattery) is now back up at 97%. so, i think everything is working correctly, and i'm just a mac noob.

thanks for the reply though

 

[cbags101]

yeah, batteries are tricky. I'd like to see someone link to a good credible source that says cycling the battery all the way dead and charging it back up once a month actually prolongs the life. I haven't done much research on it, but have never really seen good sources on the matter.

 

[ryken]

yeah, batteries are tricky. I'd like to see someone link to a good credible source that says cycling the battery all the way dead and charging it back up once a month actually prolongs the life. I haven't done much research on it, but have never really seen good sources on the matter.

i was under the impression that the cycling was to keep the battery meter correct. I've come to what I believe is the only reasonable conclusion with laptop batteries: no matter what you do, the thing is gonna crap out when it craps out, and by then you'll either a) be under warranty b) fork over the $100 or c) want a new machine anyway. I just stopped worrying about it and accepted that it is going to degrade over time and I'll replace it when it doesn't last as long as I need it to.

 

[badcaps]

i was under the impression that the cycling was to keep the battery meter correct. I've come to what I believe is the only reasonable conclusion with laptop batteries: no matter what you do, the thing is gonna crap out when it craps out, and by then you'll either a) be under warranty b) fork over the $100 or c) want a new machine anyway. I just stopped worrying about it and accepted that it is going to degrade over time and I'll replace it when it doesn't last as long as I need it to.

That's a very sane philosophy to be sure. You just have to use the device as required by your use case, and deal with problems as they arise. Don't "baby" a gadget to the point that it's inconvenient.

In terms of Apple's current laptop batteries, I believe they're rated for 1000 cycles before reaching the 80% capacity roll-off. Your battery is very likely to outlast your other components, not to mention the usefulness in terms of power and architecture. Just use your device and enjoy it!

 

[Terpfen]

yeah, batteries are tricky. I'd like to see someone link to a good credible source that says cycling the battery all the way dead and charging it back up once a month actually prolongs the life. I haven't done much research on it, but have never really seen good sources on the matter.

How about Apple's support documents?

Calibrating your battery ensures you get the longest possible running time from it. Calibrate your battery during the first week you own it, and then recalibrate it every two months. If you use your computer infrequently, it’s best to recalibrate it at least once a month.

Atomiser, you appear to have the two hour period in reverse: you're supposed to leave the laptop plugged in for 2 hours before you unplug and begin draining, not after discharging and recharging the battery. But I don't think that would screw up the process or the battery. If you're getting close to the rated life of the battery, that's the best you can ask for, really.

 

[TechyTech]

Yeah I used to go with the calibration method and I went through 2 batteries doing everything perfect for the months I had them. Now I have had my current battery 2+ years and I keep it plugged in 95% of the time and in my mac health thing it's at 95% health. So I kinda think the calibration thing is a lot of bs. I range from 94-100% on my battery meter and after 2+ years I'm going to stick with what I'm doing. I'm just glad I got my 3rd battery since the 2nd on crapped out under warranty.