Aluminum PowerBook (15-inch) Battery Update 1.0

[jaseone]

I just saw this pop up in my Software Update, it didn't have much of a description something like "Allows the battery to use it's full capacity" or similar. I've installed it and restarted without any visible problems although it did take a while to reboot.

It isn't listed on http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/ yet though.

[stoid]

Fascinating.

I thought I read awhile back that the 15 inch PowerBook batteries could hold a 4600 mah charge, but Apple had firmware limited to filling to 4400 mah for some reason, perhaps this lifts that restriction?

[jaseone]

On further investigation it seems to have installed a new utility "PowerBook G4 Battery Updater" that has the following blurb upon launch:

The PowerBook G4 Battery Updater improves the performance of batteries that may develop short run times. The update process will take about 15 minutes and must not be interrupted.

To upgrade the firmware on your battery, read through the instructions below. When you're ready, click Update.

The PowerBook G4 Battery Updater is installed in Applications/Utilities.

During the update process your PowerBook G4 needs to be running, the power adapter must be plugged into a working power source and the battery should not be removed. Your battery will appear to have no charge and will not power your computer until the update process has been completed.

If the update is interrupted retry the update process again until successful. If you have more than one battery to update be sure to complete the update process before starting to update another battery.

1. Click Update to start the update process. The status bar shows the progress of the update.

2. Wait until the update is complete. When complete a dialog will show that your battery was successfully updated.

3. Remove your battery, then put your battery back into your PowerBook G4 for it to be recognized.

4. Repeat the calibration process for your battery, to get the longest running time possible.

For more information, go to www.apple.com/kbnum/n303035

That link 404's though so no further information is available at the moment.

Now do I run it or do I not? :D

EDIT: I went ahead and hit Update but apparently the reason it took a while to reboot after the Software Update was that it was running the Firmware update for the Battery, now to dig around in the .app to see if there are any more hints to what exactly it does...

[WildCowboy]

Same deal here...took a while to reboot after the update (and also turned my screen brightness way down). Running the battery updater just gives a message that my battery doesn't need to be updated.

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)

Now in Software Update for affected PowerBooks:
This update aids the 15-inch Aluminum PowerBook battery in performing at full capacity.
It installs a PowerBook G4 Battery Updater utility, used to update battery firmware to "improve the performance of batteries that may develop short run times."

[Kwyjibo]

mine doesn't need an update yet either but the battery has been acting pretty strange for me ..

[clayj]

Mine came up as "update not needed". So much for my uptime... ;)

[cazlar]

I just wish they brought one out for my 12"PB (revB)

[aristobrat]

Same deal here...took a while to reboot after the update (and also turned my screen brightness way down). Running the battery updater just gives a message that my battery doesn't need to be updated.
I ran the update and rebooted while on battery power and it (obviously) didn't do anything.

Plugged the AC back in and immediately was notified to run the update in the Utilities folder.

[wHo_tHe]

If this is anything like the Bluetooth updater, then no thanks. That piece of crap sludged my Bluetooth just before a big business trip. Shame on me for trusting Apple the way I thought I could!

[D3LM3L]

Hey is this update working on any April 2004 PowerBooks? Mine installed the update but keeps telling me that my battery does not need it when I run the updater app. Thanks!

[jono_3]

do you think the update would do anything on a 1.33(is that rev b?) 12inch pb?

[buttercup]

So far so good. It appears to think it has more life but it hard to tell. I am waiting for it to die so I can calibrate it now.

[jaseone]

Hey is this update working on any April 2004 PowerBooks? Mine installed the update but keeps telling me that my battery does not need it when I run the updater app. Thanks!

Did you restart after the Software Update? If so then it is already installed. :)

[thejadedmonkey]

that's an odd update...

[applekid]

Don't be fooled!

It's a distraction from MWSF '06! :eek:

:D

[puckhead193]

4. Repeat the calibration process for your battery, to get the longest running time possible.
Does this mean unplugging and draining the battery.... :confused:

When i ran it, this comes up... :confused:

[vasaz]

How long is a "while" for the restart? Mine has been stuck at the blue screen for ~10 min...

[puckhead193]

How long is a "while" for the restart? Mine has been stuck at the blue screen for ~10 min...
min took longer but def. not 10 mins...maybe a min longer then what i'm used to.. weird...maybe it froze... :confused:

[D3LM3L]

Did you restart after the Software Update? If so then it is already installed. :)

Yes, I did... I thought it had to flash the firmware afterwards though (like Bluetooth updates).

[arturo]

Mine came up as "update not needed". So much for my uptime... ;)

I also got this, update not needed, mine is a 1.5Ghz PowerPC G4

[D3LM3L]

I also got this, update not needed, mine is a 1.5Ghz PowerPC G4

Actually my friend told me it's unnecessary. His battery was at 64% before the update, and was at 82% after he restarted. Clearly Apple simply installed the update, and the updater app at the same time. Everything is updated after you restart!

[dornball]

Actually my friend told me it's unnecessary. His battery was at 64% before the update, and was at 82% after he restarted. Clearly Apple simply installed the update, and the updater app at the same time. Everything is updated after you restart!

how do you figure out the percentage you battery is currently, of the original 100%. mine seems like 50% of what it used to be (2 years ago), but i would love to know the actual %, if there is some sort of test.

btw, i ran the updater, and it said it didn't need to be updated. i guess it couldn't already ran itself, like others here are talking about, btu my battery doesn't seem to be lasting any longer than it did before.:(

-dornball

[mrwilly123]

how do you figure out the percentage you battery is currently, of the original 100%. mine seems like 50% of what it used to be (2 years ago), but i would love to know the actual %, if there is some sort of test.

btw, i ran the updater, and it said it didn't need to be updated. i guess it couldn't already ran itself, like others here are talking about, btu my battery doesn't seem to be lasting any longer than it did before.:(

-dornball

Try coconutBattery (http://www.coconut-flavour.com/coconutbattery/). It's pretty snazztastic.

[bigandy]

Try coconutBattery (http://www.coconut-flavour.com/coconutbattery/). It's pretty snazztastic.


i was just going to suggest that!

my batteries aren't doing so good- one's 50% through it's life, the other is 43%

:eek: :(


really need a new powerbook. don't just want batteries, want new machine! *fingers crossed for tomorrow*

[dornball]

Try coconutBattery (http://www.coconut-flavour.com/coconutbattery/). It's pretty snazztastic.

thanks, mr. willy
i ran the cocnut app, and it says my battery is at 1997 mAh, and that the original battery capacity was 4200mAh, so mine is currently at around 45%, which is crap in my opinion.

so i ran that battery utility, and it didn't improve anything. wtf!!!:(

-dornball

[D3LM3L]

how do you figure out the percentage you battery is currently, of the original 100%. mine seems like 50% of what it used to be (2 years ago), but i would love to know the actual %, if there is some sort of test.

btw, i ran the updater, and it said it didn't need to be updated. i guess it couldn't already ran itself, like others here are talking about, btu my battery doesn't seem to be lasting any longer than it did before.:(

-dornball

You should recalibrate it. If you don't know how to do it, you simply charge your battery to 100% and then use it until it dies (forces the powerbook into sleep mode). That should fully recalibrate it, and then see if the update made a difference.

[mrwilly123]

thanks, mr. willy
i ran the cocnut app, and it says my battery is at 1997 mAh, and that the original battery capacity was 4200mAh, so mine is currently at around 45%, which is crap in my opinion.

so i ran that battery utility, and it didn't improve anything. wtf!!!:(

-dornball

I doubt that the updater can physically change your battery capacity, but it can probably change how efficiently it handles what it's got.

[TheMonarch]

Safari feels snappier™

Kidding!... I don't even have a 15" PB

[aristobrat]

You should recalibrate it. If you don't know how to do it, you simply charge your battery to 100% and then use it until it dies (forces the powerbook into sleep mode). That should fully recalibrate it, and then see if the update made a difference.
FWIW, "PowerBook G4 (15-inch Double-Layer SD)" have slightly different calibrating instructions:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86284
The battery calibration for the PowerBook G4 (15-inch Double-Layer SD) has been updated because of a new battery released with this computer. With these computers, follow these steps to calibrate your battery:

1. Plug in the power adapter and fully charge your PowerBook's battery until the light ring on the power adapter plug changes to green and the onscreen meter in the menu bar indicates that the battery is fully charged.
2. Allow the battery to rest in the fully charged state for at least two hours. You may use your computer during this time as long as the adapter is plugged in.
3. Disconnect the power adapter with the computer still on and start running the computer off battery power. You may use your computer during this time. When your battery gets low, you will see the low battery warning dialog on the screen.
4. Continue to keep your computer on until it goes to sleep. Save all your work and close all applications when the battery gets very low, before the computer goes to sleep.
5. Turn off the computer or allow it to sleep for five hours or more.
6. Connect the power adapter and leave it connected until the battery is fully charged again.

Tip: When the battery reaches "empty", the computer is forced into sleep mode. The battery actually keeps back a reserve beyond "empty", to maintain the computer in sleep for a period of time. Once the battery is truly exhausted, the computer is forced to shut down. At this point, with the safe sleep function introduced in the PowerBook G4 (15-inch Double-Layer SD) computers, the computer's memory contents have been saved to the hard drive. When power is restored, the computer returns itself to its pre-sleep state using the safe sleep image on the hard drive.

[nagromme]

It said no update needed for me--and I have the very first 15" AlBook model.

[frome]

its helped my freinds 15" powerbook batery. I don't get why it works for some and others it wont install... :confused:

[thomasp]

I've got a 15" 1.5GHz Al PB (previous generation), and the update doesn't show up in Software Update :(

Could it be because I'm still running OSX 10.4.2?

[G4scott]

I believe this update is ONLY for the new 15" DL SuperDrive, 1440 x 960 screen PowerBooks. There seemed to be battery issues with these PowerBooks, and I guess Apple figured a software fix was cheaper than sending new batteries to everyone with the problem. That's the only reason I can see as to why this update doesn't work on all PowerBooks.

On another note, I have experienced this new "super sleep" mode. I thought it was kinda weird, but very useful if you run completely out of power. I haven't seen it on any other model Apple laptop, so I guess it's a new feature with the latest batch...

Now that they've fixed the battery issue, maybe they'll do something about the freakin screen...

[jwmacwannabe]

Just used this update to solve the power problems my girlfriend had with her 15" Dual Layer Powerbook. The PB had started having problems like not working without the AC adapter plugged in, not appearing to charge the battery, not waking from sleep, etc.. I had already reset the power manager, reset the NVRAM and PRAM, but none of these solved the problem. I checked for system updates and of course found Battery Update 1.0. I installed it, ran it, removed the battery and reinstalled it. It took a while to update the firmware, and it took a while for the battery to be calibrated after it was reinserted, but now the PB is working properly again, it can sleep and wake correctly, the AC adapter can be removed, etc..

This update may just be for the latest batteries or the latest 15" PB's, I don't know, but it was certainly timely and saved a trip to the Apple store tomorrow.

[wasimyaqoob]

Thats interesting, Im gonna install it, they must of bought it out for a reason.

[cait-sith]

Wrong. I'm on the 2nd last PB 15" revision (bought in June 05) and software update wants me to install it.

Probably not a good idea to do this before work... :D

[aussie_geek]

Meh,

I might skip this one for now. Firstly because my PowerBook's battery is fine. Secondly, having to reboot will destroy my 26 day uptime :p


aussie_geek

[jobberwacky]

I downloaded the fix via SW Update and rebooted.

I had (and have) the power adapter plugged in. Didn't get any message that my PB 1.25GHz didn't need the update.

Everything's running normal, but the menu is telling me that the battery (which was at 0% before running the installer two hrs ago) is now at 54% but still needs 7:28 hrs until full. (When I started typing this message it said 52% and 6:41 hrs). Normally, charging the battery would take around 2 hrs.

Weird, weird, weird

[halenger]

I believe this update is ONLY for the new 15" DL SuperDrive, 1440 x 960 screen PowerBooks. There seemed to be battery issues with these PowerBooks, and I guess Apple figured a software fix was cheaper than sending new batteries to everyone with the problem. That's the only reason I can see as to why this update doesn't work on all PowerBooks.

On another note, I have experienced this new "super sleep" mode. I thought it was kinda weird, but very useful if you run completely out of power. I haven't seen it on any other model Apple laptop, so I guess it's a new feature with the latest batch...

The super sleep thing is new? Ah, I thought so. It's a fabulous feature. I so frequently forget to plug in the power between the 10 minute warning and the power out (must adjust timings). It rocks.

On to the far more important thing. THANK YOU APPLE! :D I had just convinced myself to call my friend in Apple and arrange my new battery but this fixed it. One day after charging it read as 30 minutes remaining at 100%. Then with each subsequent charge it fell further and further. It hit 8 minutes at one time. Then finally it wouldn't switch on at all even when the battery read as 100%. I'd read it was an issue with some new batteries (some other forum I found from Google). This is perfect though.

I'm not sure I'd call it 'a software fix'. A firmware upgrade is a good deal more than just a typical patch but that's me nitpicking. ;) I was just happy to see my 100% battery in hours, not minutes.

[halenger]

I downloaded the fix via SW Update and rebooted.

I had (and have) the power adapter plugged in. Didn't get any message that my PB 1.25GHz didn't need the update.

Everything's running normal, but the menu is telling me that the battery (which was at 0% before running the installer two hrs ago) is now at 54% but still needs 7:28 hrs until full. (When I started typing this message it said 52% and 6:41 hrs). Normally, charging the battery would take around 2 hrs.

Weird, weird, weird

Did you remove the battery and reinsert it? Mine read 0% during the update. Then I took it out and put it back in again and it needed 5 minutes to fill (I guess there was power hidden in there somewhere and some charge put in during the install etc).

[jobberwacky]

Did you remove the battery and reinsert it? Mine read 0% during the update. Then I took it out and put it back in again and it needed 5 minutes to fill (I guess there was power hidden in there somewhere and some charge put in during the install etc).
No, I didn't remove the battery. But now (i.e. some 10 mins after my previous post) ist says 'battery is charged').

I've just removed the plug to see what capacity the fully charged battery has. I'm getting 1:53, roughly the same (crappy) level as before. Was never really any better than that right from the beginning. I'll let it fully discharge now and then recharge it again to see if things improve in any way.

[halenger]

No, I didn't remove the battery. But now (i.e. some 10 mins after my previous post) ist says 'battery is charged').

I've just removed the plug to see what capacity the fully charged battery has. I'm getting 1:53, roughly the same (crappy) level as before. Was never really any better than that right from the beginning. I'll let it fully discharge now and then recharge it again to see if things improve in any way.

You have to remove and re-insert it to complete the install process. (I'm fairly sure that's what it said)

Calibrating it couldn't really hurt either. Mine was pretty good I've gotta say. It read over 5 hours when I turned the brightness down and wasn't doing much. Idled in 4 hours or so until I hammered it by starting firefox and having it load all my tabs. :p

[jobberwacky]

You have to remove and re-insert it to complete the install process. (I'm fairly sure that's what it said)
I didn't get any dialogue at all, neither one telling me what to do with the battery nor one telling me that a reinstall wasn't necessary for my machine.

What model do you have?

[halenger]

I didn't get any dialogue at all, neither one telling me what to do with the battery nor one telling me that a reinstall wasn't necessary for my machine.

What model do you have?

Well I was the sharp knife in the drawer and forgot to have my battery IN the Powerbook while running the installer. So I dropped it in at the end. After the reboot it said I need to run the tool in /Applications/Utilities and that had all the instructions when I ran it. Took about 15 minutes (as it said) to redo the firmware on it.

I've the latest revision 15" Powerbook.

[jobberwacky]

After the reboot it said I need to run the tool in /Applications/Utilities and that had all the instructions when I ran it.
I've the latest revision 15" Powerbook.

Thanks, I never got that message telling me that I had to start the update manually. Have done that now though, but only to learn that my battery doesn't need to be updated. So I'll have to live with the crappy capacity.

Well, in a few hours I'll know whether to buy a 2nd battery in isolation or whether I should get one surrounded by a brand new PB.

[Toadstool]

I have two batteries, and one was in that battery recall issue. I'm not sure which one is which, but one of mine has 4400 mAh max charge, and the other is 4200 mAh. Since the 4400 mAh has still has maximum charge, I guess it's the one I bought for a high price as my 2nd battery and the 4200 mAh is from the Apple Recall since I imagine they would try and save some $$$. The 4200 mAh only has a 3432 mAh max charge though. :mad:

[marknjones]

The Battery Updater is insisting that my power adapter is not plugged in. It is - I can see it lit up and everything. Anyone else seeing this problem, or know a way to persuade the computer of what is bloody obvious to me?

[Nereus]

This is surely a stupid question, but did you turn off your PB to remove the battery or did you remove while it was on? :confused:

[Sunrunner]

The Battery Updater is insisting that my power adapter is not plugged in. It is - I can see it lit up and everything. Anyone else seeing this problem, or know a way to persuade the computer of what is bloody obvious to me?


The problem is with a short in the power supply from the plug getting routed to the battery. Dirty connector in the battery housing perhaps? In Apple PBs the juice goes through the battery before getting to the computer, plugged in or not.

[Nereus]

I downloaded the software, rebooted and ran it. Now it keeps telling me to remove and reinsert the battery - I have done that, but the program keeps "popping up" in the dock, even though I've rebooted again. Hmm...what should I do?

[revisionA]

I ran it... but towelie is too high to remove a battery.

$

[iDM]

How long is a "while" for the restart? Mine has been stuck at the blue screen for ~10 min...

Approx. 10 mins. is a "while"

I have got a Rev A Pb(15") with the battery original capacity at 4200 with a maximum charge now of 1211(28%) with coconutbattery. I feel like if anyone could gain from this update it would probably be me except I am a little concerned with this update since it involves firmware, batteries and changing holding capacities. I feel like this update for once might really fry my comp, anyone know for a fact otherwise?

[cephoto]

My 15 PowerBook gets 70-80 minutes at the MOST on a full charge and when I saw the Apple Battery Update I was really excited. But when I ran the update, it said my battery didn't need the update. Doesn't need the update!! What the hell is up with a "battery update" that ignores those in the most need?
I think the Update message should read:
"You don't need the update, you're screwed and we don't care. Just like your iPod battery sucker."
Apple lost that suit but is fighting it so they don't have to replace those lousy batteries.
As a lonnng time Apple devotee, I'm really disappointed in Apple's lack of ethics on these issues.

[revisionA]

The update is best suited to revision E powerbooks.

- If you are using external drives or usb devices that do not have their own power, you are reducing battery time by powering them.

I get that kind of battery performance if I am using my usb dj controller (unpowered) and firewire audio interface (powered) while using full brightness and djing a set. Barely enough power for one CD length performance.

Turning off airport saves power too... just a thought.

$

[cephoto]

yea, I considered turning off Airport, removing any and all non powered devices, lowering processor speed down till it crawls, not running any programs, turning the screen brightness down so I need to go into a dark closet to see it... but I thought sitting there starring at the desktop would be so boring.

[MacRumorUser]

Damn Apple...

I rang Apple AfterSales Care on 8th to complain about battery performance on my new 15" DL PB

They then arrange not a replacement battery, but a whole replacement PB!!! TNT collected my PB yesterday evening and apple confirmed new PB order...

Then 24 hours later I find out this update exists which probably would have sorted out the problems I was having....

How come tech support didn't have a clue that these updates were going to be online shortly...

So now I'm without PB for probably 2 weeks whilst they build & ship me a new PB from China.

Hopefully I'll at least get a decent screen this time, but i'm not counting on it :rolleyes:

[aristobrat]

My 15 PowerBook gets 70-80 minutes at the MOST on a full charge
How old is your laptop + battery? Do you use the coconutBattery thing? How many cycles has your battery been thru?

[cephoto]

my PB 1.5 is 18 months old or so but even new never gave me more than 2.3 hrs(approx) of charge and has been giving me less than 1.5 hrs for some time. I'm a pro, all digital, photog and so I have more experience with recharging batts than most. Frankly, they're all grossly over rated(my Nikon D1x and Kodak SLRns were some of the worst) and the industry needs a new, more honest standard when it comes to hours of PRACTICAL use. Like, what's the hours of use if you're actually using the computer, can see the screen, and have normal things running, like Airport?
I just purchased a NuPower Batt for it and am hoping to at least be able to get thru a 3 hour flight using my PB.
Unfortunately, Coconut is for 10.4 and I have 10.3.9

[plasticparadox]

This is surely a stupid question, but did you turn off your PB to remove the battery or did you remove while it was on? :confused:

Yeah, can someone clear this up?

[revisionA]

I would turn it off just to be safe... i know its supposed to allow you to change batteries without shutting down but I dont trust that kind of reasoning. Powered stuff off before you start futzing...

$

[plasticparadox]

I would turn it off just to be safe... i know its supposed to allow you to change batteries without shutting down but I dont trust that kind of reasoning. Powered stuff off before you start futzing...

$

Thanks!

[Daedalus256]

Update applied without problems here, Boots up fine and everything.

[madmaxmedia]

My 15 PowerBook gets 70-80 minutes at the MOST on a full charge and when I saw the Apple Battery Update I was really excited. But when I ran the update, it said my battery didn't need the update. Doesn't need the update!! What the hell is up with a "battery update" that ignores those in the most need?
I think the Update message should read:
"You don't need the update, you're screwed and we don't care. Just like your iPod battery sucker."
Apple lost that suit but is fighting it so they don't have to replace those lousy batteries.
As a lonnng time Apple devotee, I'm really disappointed in Apple's lack of ethics on these issues.

All rechargeable batteries lose capacity over time. Your problem is likely due to that, not software or firmware or something that can be easily fixed.

If your PowerBook is relatively new and the battery life has dropped abnormally fast, then it's something that Apple would probably cover under warranty.

But if it's just the battery running out over time, that's how all batteries work (Apple or non-Apple.)

[madmaxmedia]

Damn Apple...

I rang Apple AfterSales Care on 8th to complain about battery performance on my new 15" DL PB

They then arrange not a replacement battery, but a whole replacement PB!!! TNT collected my PB yesterday evening and apple confirmed new PB order...

Then 24 hours later I find out this update exists which probably would have sorted out the problems I was having....

How come tech support didn't have a clue that these updates were going to be online shortly...

So now I'm without PB for probably 2 weeks whilst they build & ship me a new PB from China.

Hopefully I'll at least get a decent screen this time, but i'm not counting on it :rolleyes:

It might have fixed the problem, or might not have. I don't think it's absolutely clear what the software update does, or who it's for.

I have a 1.25 GHz 15" PB, and when I ran software update this morning it installed the battery update.

[buttercup]

I removed it while it was on with no problems..

It does seems to be estimating more battery life this morning after I had calibrated it.

[ifjake]

i only downloaded the update and never ran the utility (other than the supposed automatic running on restart if that even happened) and coconutBattery is saying that my curret battery capacity is 74 mAh over my original battery capacity. so... it's cool but ... what the heck?

[kretzy]

I installed it a while ago - reboot took a bit longer than usual. Haven't had a chance to test it yet, but I doubt there'll be much difference.

[ifjake]

i'm not sure how active this thread is anymore, but i was curious about how the number of loadcycles (according to what coconutBattery gives me) affect battery performance. is more better or less better or is it not as simple as that? my laptop is about 5 months old, and i really like to use it not plugged in to the wall. i get about 3 hours with wifi on so it's not bad yet, i'm never using it for more than maybe 30 minutes at a time even. but could constantly using my battery down till it gives me that 9 minute warning be detrimental to the lifespan of my battery?

[Tomaz]

I have a Powerbook plugged in and I wanna start the update and I get an error message saying (sorry, picture is in german):

"Your Powerbook needs to be connected to a 65 Watt Power source during the update"

It's plugged in, the light around the connector is on, the energy indicator in the top right menu says "loading"....

Strange...

[cmfire]

I got this from my system information:
Please compare the mperage(mA)
Before update:
Battery Installed: Yes
First low level warning: No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 4385
Remaining Capacity (mAh): 4329
Amperage (mA): 407
Voltage (mV): 12565
Cycle Count: 19

After update:
Battery Information:

Battery Installed: Yes
First low level warning: No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 4385
Remaining Capacity (mAh): 4297
Amperage (mA): -1679
Voltage (mV): 12259
Cycle Count: 19
:confused: :confused:

[DSL Steve]

I got this from my system information:
Please compare the mperage(mA)
Before update:
Battery Installed: Yes
First low level warning: No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 4385
Remaining Capacity (mAh): 4329
Amperage (mA): 407
Voltage (mV): 12565
Cycle Count: 19

After update:
Battery Information:

Battery Installed: Yes
First low level warning: No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 4385
Remaining Capacity (mAh): 4297
Amperage (mA): -1679
Voltage (mV): 12259
Cycle Count: 19
:confused: :confused:


It looks like you have to calibrate.

[thedude110]

I'm on the 2nd last PB 15" revision (bought in June 05) and software update wants me to install it.


I'm on the same machine (with superdrive), and installed without a problem. It has done nothing to improve my PB's god-awful battery performance.

I love my PB, but it's so freaking thirsty ...

[Multimedia]

Fascinating.

I thought I read awhile back that the 15 inch PowerBook batteries could hold a 4600 mah charge, but Apple had firmware limited to filling to 4400 mah for some reason, perhaps this lifts that restriction?
Mine says 2505 mAh Max Full Charge Capacity. Where did you get that much higher capacity number?

Battery Information:

Battery Installed: Yes
First low level warning: No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 2505
Remaining Capacity (mAh): 2423
Amperage (mA): 0
Voltage (mV): 12255
Cycle Count: 34

Why are my numbers so different?

[Multimedia]

It looks like you have to calibrate.
How do we calibrate? :confused:

[madru]

I have a Powerbook plugged in and I wanna start the update and I get an error message saying (sorry, picture is in german):

"Your Powerbook needs to be connected to a 65 Watt Power source during the update"

It's plugged in, the light around the connector is on, the energy indicator in the top right menu says "loading"....

Strange...

Hmm... I have the same problem. My battery isn't fully charged neither. I wounder if that would make the difference?

[JCNC]

Hi all,

Just to share my experience with Battery Update ... Maybe it can
be of help.

2 Weeks ago my new generation (Oct 05) Powerbook 15"'s battery stopped working.

The battery was OK and showed fully charged at all times. When not, it would charge up to full. But I just couldn't use it! If I disconnected the
power cable the powerbook would disconnect abruptly and then I would have to reboot it from scratch, taking extra time for the fscks, and losing the time and date.

If I tried to boot with the battery (no power) I would just hear the dong and in the middle of it the computer would turn itself off.

So in summary, the battery was good, charged, but the logic in the computer wouldn't use it.

I was almost taking the computer to the Apple shop when yesterday I installed the battery update for it.

Et voila, the battery is live again :)

So I guess, amongst other things, this update solves this problem in the new powerbooks. If you have one and haven't experienced this problem you might
want to install the update just so that you don't run into it.

[DSL Steve]

How do we calibrate? :confused:

Depending on your PowerBook revision level and your operating system, one of these documents should give you an explanation of how to calibrate. Its also in your owners manual.

http://search.info.apple.com/?search=Go&lr=lang_en&kword=&type=&q=calibrate%20battery

[comictimes]

The update is best suited to revision E powerbooks.

- If you are using external drives or usb devices that do not have their own power, you are reducing battery time by powering them.

I get that kind of battery performance if I am using my usb dj controller (unpowered) and firewire audio interface (powered) while using full brightness and djing a set. Barely enough power for one CD length performance.


I have the same issue as cephoto. At BEST I get 1.5 hours, and that's if my brightness is way down, only one app open, no airport, etc. And, of course, the battery updater says I have no issues. Rather aggravating.

[realityisterror]

Ugh.
I installed this update on my PB (last G4 revision, high-res :o ) two days ago.
Before the update, coconutBattery reported 4468mAh (more than original) with 51 load cycles. After the update, it's showing me 4290mAh with 52. I've calibrated my battery perfectly and yet I lost 200mAh from an update? WTF?

I'm sort of hoping my computer will just screw up now so I can complain with my AppleCare and get it replaced with something more... MacBookish...

Anyone else lose life from this update?
reality

edit: 2 hours later, it's showing 4253mAh. I'm pretty pissed.

[xPismo]

I have the same issue as cephoto. At BEST I get 1.5 hours, and that's if my brightness is way down, only one app open, no airport, etc. And, of course, the battery updater says I have no issues. Rather aggravating.

Yep. Rev A Powerbook (in sig) said I do not need an update. So it still looks like its time for me to drop some cash into a new battery. :(

Still, 2x runtime for $129? :D

[cofbaum]

After I installed the Battery Updater, the computer won't function at all without the AC adapter. I called Apple, and they are checking with "the experts" and say they'll get back to me in 2-3 days with a possible solution. Anyone else have ideas for what to try?

[benspratling]

i'm not sure how active this thread is anymore, but i was curious about how the number of loadcycles (according to what coconutBattery gives me) affect battery performance. is more better or less better or is it not as simple as that? my laptop is about 5 months old, and i really like to use it not plugged in to the wall. i get about 3 hours with wifi on so it's not bad yet, i'm never using it for more than maybe 30 minutes at a time even. but could constantly using my battery down till it gives me that 9 minute warning be detrimental to the lifespan of my battery?

Um... yes, using rechargeable batteries makes them not work anymore, alternatively, not using them also makes them not work. So, in that sense you're stuck between a rock and a hard place. I design electrical systems for satellites, and from that experience I can tell you there are four main fators that decrease the capacity of a lithium ion battery:
1) Time since manufacture. Lithium-ion batteries loose a certain percentage of their remaining capacity each (insert your favorite time unit here, day month, year) So after about two years, it doesn't matter if you've used it or not, it won't be working well. This is why we still use Nickel based stuff on long-term missions.
2) The number of "cycles." A cycle is a complete discharge and recharge of the battery. So if you discharge to 80%, you've discharged 20% of the capacity, do this five times and that's one cycle. Satellites budget their power so they do not exceed 20-30% discharged. Most lithium-ion batteries will get around 500-1000 cycles before they reach half capacity.
3) Leaving the battery completely charged will also cause stress on the chemistry. So you need to use it from time to time. If you want to store it on a shelf, get it to about 50% charged for maximum preservation.
4) Temperature - cold batteries don't work, hot batteries don't work well. For one project developing a tiny satellite, we couldn't use lithium-ion-polymer because they pretty much quit working below 0 ºC, and that was the projected average temperature for this tiny satellite. But it was a short mission and mass was at a premium, so we went with lithium-ion. Incidentally, we got the highest energy density batteries we could find, and Apple's seem to be much higher, so apparently they've got special contracts.

So why do we use rechargeable batteries, or specifically lithium-ion batteries?
1) Price - what? Yeah a rechargeable battery costs way more than a "primary battery" (or non-rechargeable) but you get to use the rechargeable again, so its price is split in half, then you use it a third time and it's 1/3, then it keeps droppping until it is way cheaper than replacing a primary battery everytime.
2) No mass transfer - you do not transfer any mass into or out of the battery when you recharge it, conversely, for a primary battery you have to physically disconnect it, remove it, and then put another one in.
3) Energy density - lithium-ion (and now lithium-ion polymer) have the highest energy density of any rechargeable batteries. Energy density is the amount of energy (Joules) that can be stored per unit mass (kilograms). Nickel-based batteries have significantly lower energy densities. Interestingly enough, primary batteries have an order of magnitude higher energy density than do lithium, but think about that second discharge of the rechargeable, you'd have to have twice the mass of the primary to acheive that one. This compounds the same way price does.
4) No memory effect - This is for lithium-ion only. Nickel-based batteries have a "memory effect" they should be completely discharged before being recharged. Lithium can be recharged at any time, before they are discharged enough to explode, that is. This does not mean lithiums don't remember how many cycles they've been through, but it does mean that if your laptop is at 30% and you've got an hour before you leave for your 3 hour plane flight that you don't have to watch a DVD for twenty minutes before you can start rechargeing.

Apple provides much of this information at www.apple.com/batteries.

So for those who complain about rechargeable batteries, keep in mind that you'd be paying for a lot more going to the drug store everyday to buy yourself a pack of $20 energizers or duracells to take their place. Keep in mind that these lithium-ions mean you don't have to run your compy down to zero everytime you want to charge. So if you want your battery to last longer, get a degree in chemistry and go work at JPL where the guy who invented lihtium-ion is.

The short answer to your question about the 9 minute warning is "only do it when you need to."

[wasimyaqoob]

Mine is fine.

[DSL Steve]

Ugh.
I installed this update on my PB (last G4 revision, high-res :o ) two days ago.
Before the update, coconutBattery reported 4468mAh (more than original) with 51 load cycles. After the update, it's showing me 4290mAh with 52. I've calibrated my battery perfectly and yet I lost 200mAh from an update? WTF?

I'm sort of hoping my computer will just screw up now so I can complain with my AppleCare and get it replaced with something more... MacBookish...

Anyone else lose life from this update?
reality

edit: 2 hours later, it's showing 4253mAh. I'm pretty pissed.

Yes, I saw about the same (~4480) after performing the new update and calibrating our latest rev PB. However, before this update, when the PB was new (Dec 16, 2005) I saw about the same numbers (~4480) after the very 1st calibration. And since that first cal, the capacity has slowly increased to ~4560...and then we did this new update (back to ~4480). Hopefully we'll see it increase again over time.

[aussie_geek]

How do we calibrate? :confused:


Easy.

1.Plug in and charge battery until full

2.Disconnect power cord and use Powerbook until it turns off automatically when its battery runs out. You will get a 10 minute warning saying the battery will go flat soon. When you get it, quit all your apps just incase it just drops out when you are saving a file etc. Just wait for it to sleep itself automatically.

3.Plug adapter into PowerBook and charge fully. You can use it whilst doing these steps.

4.When fully charged, your battery is calibrated.


aussie_geek

[MacFan26]

Not positive this hasn't been posted (but I did search), um, has anyone had the program crash when they try to run it? Mine won't work...but keeps telling me I need to run it. Should I just try to redownload it from Apple's site?

[DSL Steve]

Easy.

1.Plug in and charge battery until full

2.Disconnect power cord and use Powerbook until it turns off automatically when its battery runs out. You will get a 10 minute warning saying the battery will go flat soon. When you get it, quit all your apps just incase it just drops out when you are saving a file etc. Just wait for it to sleep itself automatically.

3.Plug adapter into PowerBook and charge fully. You can use it whilst doing these steps.

4.When fully charged, your battery is calibrated.


aussie_geek


Different version PowerBooks require different calibration procedures.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86284

[DSL Steve]

After the latest battery firmware update (and calibrating), I noticed a loss of about ~160mAh. The PB is about a month old and before the update we saw ~4560mAh max capacity. That was about a month after doing a calibration (when it was a few days old). Now after the latest update I see ~4400mAh max capacity.

When it was new I did notice that after the first cal it slowly gained capacity (mAh) so maybe its too soon to judge this update if the same increase is going to happen again.

________________
15" PowerBook (High Res, X2DVD) Mac OS X (10.4.4)

[jessica.]

I installed and still my battery while plugged in says it's at 99%.
Bastards!

[cofbaum]

After I installed the Battery Updater, the computer won't function at all without the AC adapter. I called Apple, and they are checking with "the experts" and say they'll get back to me in 2-3 days with a possible solution. Anyone else have ideas for what to try?

This G4 was sent in to the factory via Apple Care and parts were replaced to correct this problem. Just FYI.

[inkhead]

Besides the fact that everyone here mucking around with their battery needs to get a life.

4560mAh max capacity. That was about a month after doing a calibration (when it was a few days old). Now after the latest update I see ~4400mAh max capacity.

You need to get a life. This actually has no bearing on how long your battery lasts. But if you knew anything about electronics you probably would know this. Ask any of your friends (provided you have any) who are EEs about your battery life.

Next, delete coconut battery. 2. Go to your calendar and mark down 365 days from today. and buy a new battery on this day. END OF STORY



Second stop using coconutbattery. If your battery life sucks and you've had your powerbook for 12 months it's TIME FOR A NEW BATTERY

I can't believe the people complaining "i get 70 minutes" waaaah my powerbook is 2 years old.

Buy a new battery you CHEEP asses. Computers require maintaince just like everything. A new battery once a year is a good investment.