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ntrigue

macrumors 68040
Jul 30, 2007
3,805
4
Clarification

Can I close my lid when draining the battery or must the computer stay 'awake' from 100%-0% and then close the lid and sleep for five hours?
 

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,545
943
Can I close my lid when draining the battery or must the computer stay 'awake' from 100%-0% and then close the lid and sleep for five hours?
Read step 4 in the CALIBRATION section of the Battery FAQ I posted.
 

ntrigue

macrumors 68040
Jul 30, 2007
3,805
4
Read step 4 in the CALIBRATION section of the Battery FAQ I posted.

Seems open to interpretation. When I close the lid my Air is still ON but in sleep. I'll presume the ideal way is to keep the laptop awake and at full brightness until it sleeps itself then wait five hours to plug-in.

FTR, I've been doing it the correct way just seems like a pain so I sought clarification.
 

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,545
943
Seems open to interpretation. When I close the lid my Air is still ON but in sleep. I'll presume the ideal way is to keep the laptop awake and at full brightness until it sleeps itself then wait five hours to plug-in.

FTR, I've been doing it the correct way just seems like a pain so I sought clarification.
"On" in this context is as opposed to shut down or in sleep mode. If you put it to sleep before it drains enough to sleep automatically, the calibration process takes much longer, since it only drains about 1% for every hour of sleep. A good method is to time it so it's almost drained by the time you go to sleep at night. Leave it running overnight, allowing it to shut down or sleep and remain that way for 5+ hours. Also be aware that if you have a newer model with a built-in battery, regular calibration is not required.
 

md301

macrumors member
Sep 24, 2011
30
0
hi

hi i wouldnt bother draining it. 3-4 years from now there will be new mbp that i could switch from here.
 

RightMACatU

macrumors 65816
Jul 12, 2012
1,423
1,132
192.168.1.1
OK, lot's of info in here about batteries. Here's what I retain from all the good stuff provided by GGJstudios and others, and correct me if I’m wrong:

The simplest way of understanding a charge 'cycle' is to view it as water where a fully 100% charged battery would equal 100 litres of water.

- If you charge from a 75% point, you're adding 25 litres of water (or 25% of one cycle). Do this four days in a row and you've added 100 litres of water or the equivalent of a full charge cycle.

- It doesn't matter from where you start the charge with Li-Ion batteries. You don't have to wait until the battery goes down to 5% or you don't care if the battery is already at 90%.

- There are no optimal or less optimal points to start a charge cycle.
 

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,545
943
OK, lot's of info in here about batteries. Here's what I retain from all the good stuff provided by GGJstudios and others, and correct me if I’m wrong:

The simplest way of understanding a charge 'cycle' is to view it as water where a fully 100% charged battery would equal 100 litres of water.

- If you charge from a 75% point, you're adding 25 litres of water (or 25% of one cycle). Do this four days in a row and you've added 100 litres of water or the equivalent of a full charge cycle.

- It doesn't matter from where you start the charge with Li-Ion batteries. You don't have to wait until the battery goes down to 5% or you don't care if the battery is already at 90%.

- There are no optimal or less optimal points to start a charge cycle.
That is correct. The only limitation is your battery won't charge if it's already around 93% or higher, as stated below.
 

Interstella5555

macrumors 603
Jun 30, 2008
5,219
13
That is correct. The only limitation is your battery won't charge if it's already around 93% or higher, as stated below.

I'm always impressed by you, you could have written a book for all the info you've given over the last two years on this alone.
 

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,545
943
I'm always impressed by you, you could have written a book for all the info you've given over the last two years on this alone.
LOL! People ask a lot of questions, don't they? And a lot of those questions get repeated a LOT of times! I guess if they just read what's already been posted, there would be very few new questions asked! :)
 

Interstella5555

macrumors 603
Jun 30, 2008
5,219
13
LOL! People ask a lot of questions, don't they? And a lot of those questions get repeated a LOT of times! I guess if they just read what's already been posted, there would be very few new questions asked! :)

Ahhh, but then everyone would miss you!! :)
 

Dangerous Theory

macrumors 68000
Jul 28, 2011
1,984
28
UK
OK, lot's of info in here about batteries. Here's what I retain from all the good stuff provided by GGJstudios and others, and correct me if I’m wrong:

The simplest way of understanding a charge 'cycle' is to view it as water where a fully 100% charged battery would equal 100 litres of water.

- If you charge from a 75% point, you're adding 25 litres of water (or 25% of one cycle). Do this four days in a row and you've added 100 litres of water or the equivalent of a full charge cycle.

- It doesn't matter from where you start the charge with Li-Ion batteries. You don't have to wait until the battery goes down to 5% or you don't care if the battery is already at 90%.

- There are no optimal or less optimal points to start a charge cycle.


I believe it is more detrimental to keep running the battery down, especially to very low %. The ideal option would be to keep it on AC fully charged while using it.
 

whiteonline

macrumors 6502a
Aug 19, 2011
631
461
California, USA
I believe it is more detrimental to keep running the battery down, especially to very low %. The ideal option would be to keep it on AC fully charged while using it.

Exactly. Lithium batteries should rarely be deep discharged because it reduces their lifespan. Shallow charges and low heat prolong the lifespan.

Though, as another poster stated -- just use the computer. Batteries are replaceable.
 

RightMACatU

macrumors 65816
Jul 12, 2012
1,423
1,132
192.168.1.1
Observation:

Over the last two years or so, I've been using an external monitor with a MiniDisplay Port to DVI adapter and noticed that in StandBy Mode, power cable unplugged of course, that my battery drains in the ballpark of 1-2% per hour.

If I repeat the experiment while unplugging the MiniDisplay Port adapter I will loose 1 or 2% over 24 hours
 

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,545
943
Observation:

Over the last two years or so, I've been using an external monitor with a MiniDisplay Port to DVI adapter and noticed that in StandBy Mode, power cable unplugged of course, that my battery drains in the ballpark of 1-2% per hour.

If I repeat the experiment while unplugging the MiniDisplay Port adapter I will loose 1 or 2% over 24 hours
That's because with the display attached, you're not in Standby Mode.

http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT4392
 
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