2015 15: rMBP Battery Dilemma...

[Bazzy]

Hi All,

Last year, I had my A1398 Mid 2015 rMBP Battery replaced by a colleague who repairs Apple Stuff. Sadly, despite it being an genuine/original battery (made by SMP who I believe Apple use & with the very exact same markings as the original factory installed one) there were issues from the very start. The full battery calibration was done but the battery could never ever be run for more than a few minutes without going dead & the "Battery Needs Servicing" message was present.

Both my speakers also went so despite being a total novice, I ordered a set of brand new speakers & the exact same brand new battery again (I got caught up on wanting a genuine/original one). I am a complete computer novice with poor eyesight & shaky hands & had to for the very first time follow a step by step guide to get the Logic Board, Port Boards, Fans, Cabling etc all out & in again to get to the speakers to replace them. I also then replaced the battery, added new thermal paste & ensured that when re-assembling things, that all connectors & cables etc were seated true - It took me over 10 hours!

The Macbook started as normal (which was huge relief) & upon checking the battery, my heart literally sank. It was again, showing as "Battery Needs Servicing". This has happened twice now & I just cannot understand why - this brand new battery installed literally minutes ago also lasts a couple of minutes (even charged to 100%) before it then dies.

Did I do something wrong? Is there a battery diagnostic or check that can be done to verify battery state or condition? I ask as these were brand spanking new & the same issue on both. I am hoping it might just be a settings issue, a system glitch or something like that which can be reset.

(To really darken my day & make me beyond despondent is the brand new speakers do not work either so now I have to go back & take everything apart all over again).

If anyone can shed any light on this battery issue, I would be immensely grateful.

The only good thing out of all this is that the inside of my MBP is now super, super clean!

Many Kind Thanks,

 

[MacCheetah3]

Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac - Apple Support

Apple Diagnostics, formerly known as Apple Hardware Test, can check your Mac for hardware issues.

support.apple.com

View attachment 2607384

View attachment 2607385

It does appear to be the correct model number and specs.

A1618 Apple Replacement Battery for MacBook Pro 15

<h2>A1618 Laptop Battery for MacBook Pro 15" Retina Mid 2015 NEW</h2> <ul> <li><strong>Where used: </strong>MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)</li> <li><strong>Model #: </strong>A16

www.dvwarehouse.com

A1618 Battery for MacBook Pro 15" Retina A1398 (Mid 2015)

Replace a 8800 mAh battery compatible with a MacBook Pro 15" Retina (Mid 2015). 99 Watt Hours (Wh), 11.26 Volts (V.)

www.ifixit.com

The full battery calibration was done

To confirm, you’ve performed this process at least once (though twice consecutively is better):

For optimal results, fully charge the new battery to 100% and continue charging for at least two more hours. Then use your device until it shuts off due to low battery, and finally charge it uninterrupted back to 100%. This helps the system to accurately measure battery capacity. Find more information on battery calibration here.

The full battery calibration was done but the battery could never ever be run for more than a few minutes without going dead & the "Battery Needs Servicing" message was present.

Also from the iFixit FAQ:

Will I see a battery warning in macOS after replacing it?​

Generally, compatible batteries will function without a warning message or other issues when installed in a Mac laptop. A small percentage of users, however, have experienced issues with aftermarket (non-Apple) batteries failing to be recognized properly in devices running Mac OS X El Capitan (10.11.x) or Sierra (10.12.x). If your system does not operate properly with our replacement battery, it can be returned for a full refund.

With this notice especially, I say you should, if possible, change where you are sourcing the battery.
Or, unfortunately, accept “I tried, but it appears time to fully upgrade my Mac."

 

[startergo]

I have tried many cheap batteries and had to return them for exactly the same reason. These sellers reset the controller , but after that the controller is no good. Ever since I started buying REWA batteries I have no issues.

 

[MacMorrison]

Have you tried resetting NVRAM and the SMC?

Reset NVRAM: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102539

Reset SMC: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102605

 

[Bazzy]

Hi All,

Thanks for the replies so far. I omitted to mention previously that I had done an Apple Hardware Test & it also concluded that the battery needed replacing & I had done a NVRAM & PRAM Reset but no joy.

With this new battery, I did the calibration twice.

Something strange but wonderful has now happened. Although I was fully sure that the battery connectors etc were all fully seated when I installed the new battery, out of desperation, I thought let me just check again & opened the MBP up again. Yes, I was correct - the battery connector was firmly & fully seated to the logic board - there was no room or gap between the connector & logic board.

I then just pressed the connector down a bit - no idea why I did that as if that would change anything & then just resigned myself to the fact that I would need yet another new battery & screwed the bottom case back on & restarted the computer.

I could not believe it - everything was now showing fine - all the Battery warning messages disappeard & the battery is now showing Normal. I was still suspicious so I ran the Macbook on battery power alone a couple of times & it did in fact run for a few hours from 100% rather than the 2 or 3 minutes like last time before it went to zero.

I have no idea & cannot explain why this has happened - complete mystery to me. Makes me think that the last exact same battery that I replaced with this new one also maybe was then fine too - too bad now that I chucked it out.

Maybe one of you Mac-Jedi experts can explain why non it suddenly works as I am stumped!

Many Kind Thanks!

 

[chown33]

Your latest description sounds like one of the connectors is faulty, or at least intermittent.

It could be the connector on the battery, or the connector on the Mac. There's no reliable way to tell, except by trying different connectors. On the battery side, a simple way to do that is to try different batteries. If they all behave the same, i.e. if they all charge and behave badly, but are suddenly cured by pressing hard to seat the connector, then that suggests the faulty connector is on the Mac. If they behave differently, then that suggests the faulty connector is on the battery.

This isn't a definitive diagnostic method by any means. It could be that the actual problem is the battery connectors are all out-of-spec, and are sourced from the same crappy supplier, so they all fail the same way when connected to the Mac. The Mac's connector could actually be perfectly fine, but all the crappy connectors fail identically, such as by not making solid electrical contact with the Mac logic-board's contacts.

I'm not a Mac Jedi, or even a battery Jedi, just someone who has years of experience in working with electronics. Bad connectors are a well-known source of intermittent problems, and diagnosing exactly what's wrong can be difficult.

The problem could come and go. If the connector gets warm and expands, it could worsen the electrical contact. Any vibration, such as travel or just moving the MacBook around, could worsen the electrical contact. Or it could work just fine for years.

 

[Bazzy]

Your latest description sounds like one of the connectors is faulty, or at least intermittent.

It could be the connector on the battery, or the connector on the Mac. There's no reliable way to tell, except by trying different connectors. On the battery side, a simple way to do that is to try different batteries. If they all behave the same, i.e. if they all charge and behave badly, but are suddenly cured by pressing hard to seat the connector, then that suggests the faulty connector is on the Mac. If they behave differently, then that suggests the faulty connector is on the battery.

This isn't a definitive diagnostic method by any means. It could be that the actual problem is the battery connectors are all out-of-spec, and are sourced from the same crappy supplier, so they all fail the same way when connected to the Mac. The Mac's connector could actually be perfectly fine, but all the crappy connectors fail identically, such as by not making solid electrical contact with the Mac logic-board's contacts.

I'm not a Mac Jedi, or even a battery Jedi, just someone who has years of experience in working with electronics. Bad connectors are a well-known source of intermittent problems, and diagnosing exactly what's wrong can be difficult.

The problem could come and go. If the connector gets warm and expands, it could worsen the electrical contact. Any vibration, such as travel or just moving the MacBook around, could worsen the electrical contact. Or it could work just fine for years.

Hi,

Thanks for that & will take on board your comments! Hopefully things will run fine for the most part - I am planning to finally get a newer machine sooner or later as mine is now 11 years old but for the most part, still works absolutely fine & does what I need it to do!

Not sure whether to stump up the massive cost with additional Apple Tax for more SSD & RAM for a new, latest version one or get a used one like M3/M4 & save some money that way!