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Battery life of the C2D mbp?
- Thread starter Carguy172
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after I fully charged my laptop and let it sit for two hours (for the battery calibration) i unplugged it, turned the brightness down to 3 clicks and turned off air port. it then read 4 hours of battery time. Not sure about the actual time though.
i'm finishing up the battery calibration and waiting for it to fully charge again. i'll post more results in a bit.
-mike
i'm finishing up the battery calibration and waiting for it to fully charge again. i'll post more results in a bit.
-mike
To calibrate your battery:
1. Plug in the power adapter and fully charge your MacBook Pro battery until the light on the power adapter plug changes to green and the Battery icon in the menu bar indicates that the battery is fully charged.
2. Allow the battery to rest in the fully charged state for two hours or longer. You may use your computer during this time as long as the adapter is plugged in.
3. Disconnect the power adapter with the MacBook Pro on and start running it from the battery. 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 turned on until it goes to sleep. Save your work and close all applications when the battery gets low and before the system goes to sleep.
5. Turn off the computer or allow it to sleep for five hours or longer.
6. Connect the power adapter and leave it connected until the battery is fully charged again.
1. Plug in the power adapter and fully charge your MacBook Pro battery until the light on the power adapter plug changes to green and the Battery icon in the menu bar indicates that the battery is fully charged.
2. Allow the battery to rest in the fully charged state for two hours or longer. You may use your computer during this time as long as the adapter is plugged in.
3. Disconnect the power adapter with the MacBook Pro on and start running it from the battery. 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 turned on until it goes to sleep. Save your work and close all applications when the battery gets low and before the system goes to sleep.
5. Turn off the computer or allow it to sleep for five hours or longer.
6. Connect the power adapter and leave it connected until the battery is fully charged again.
Question: For number 4-5, do you save everything, then wait for it to sleep and shut it off, or just shut if off when the battery is low before it goes to sleep? Also, how do you shut it down when sleeping, hold the power button for 5 seconds and force shut down?
Basically you want to get the battery low enough so that the computer can't run in any mode but sleep. From there you just let it sleep away until it completely drains the battery.
But it says "Turn off the computer or allow it to sleep for five hours or longer," so if I'm reading that correctly you can just turn it off at that point instead. I'm just wondering because I have a new Macbook Pro coming, and I don't want to waste 5 hours watching it sleep
But it says "Turn off the computer or allow it to sleep for five hours or longer," so if I'm reading that correctly you can just turn it off at that point instead. I'm just wondering because I have a new Macbook Pro coming, and I don't want to waste 5 hours watching it sleep
You have to watch it sleep for 5 hours, as it falls to sleep when theres about 5% of power left and you want it to get to 0%.
As I've said in another thread, I've never once calibrated any of my PB batteries, and I get almost 5 hours still on my 1.67 17" g4 with no airport and screen brightness down and low cpu loads. I've gotten over 6 with the backlight off (taking blind notes in class).
??? Your thread isn't just about you - it's helping others too. For example, I had no idea that I didn't need to calibrate these new types of batteries...!!!
Be patient. You'll get an answer soon, I'm sure
??? Your thread isn't just about you - it's helping others too. For example, I had no idea that I didn't need to calibrate these new types of batteries...!!!
Be patient. You'll get an answer soon, I'm sure
The comment was probably made because the MBP doesn't use lithium-polymer batteries.
It uses Lithium-Ion batteries, which per Apple should be calibrated.
The comment was probably made because the MBP doesn't use lithium-polymer batteries.
It uses Lithium-Ion batteries, which per Apple should be calibrated.
Actually it does use Lithium-polymer batteries.
Battery and power
15-inch MacBook Pro
60-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery (with integrated charge indicator LEDs) providing up to 5 hours of battery life(1)
17-inch MacBook Pro
68-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery (with integrated charge indicator LEDs) providing up to 5.5 hours of battery life
Taken from http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/specs.html
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86284
This article states interestingly enough that Macbook Pros do run on a Lithium Ion Battery and that you "should" calibrate them. However the above stated information shows Lithium Polymer as the battery type for both the 15inch and the 17inch.
Because I am a noob when it comes to Batteries I did a bit of research and according to this snippet from an article I found using google, Lithium Polymer batteries are just one type of Lithium Ion batteries. Article here.
What is a Lithium-Ion battery?
A lithium-ion (Li-Ion) battery pack is made of multiple cells connected in series and in parallel based on the voltage and current requirements of the device. HP notebooks use 3 different types of Li-Ion battery cells: cylindrical, prismatic, and polymer.
Cylindrical cells are approximately 18 mm (0.7 in) in diameter by 65 mm (2.6 in) in length, and they are commonly referred to as 18650 cells. These cells are frequently used in battery packs that are about 20 mm (0.8 in) thick.
Prismatic cells have a slim, rectangular form factor; the most common types are 6-cell and 8-cell Li-Ion battery packs that are about 12 mm (0.5 in) thick, such as HP MultiBay and tablet PC batteries.
Polymer cells are thinner than prismatic cells. They are often used in products such as the IPAQ Pocket PC and some ultra-portable PCs, which require battery packs less than 10 mm (0.4 in) thick.
So, according to that information I suppose, Apple does suggest you Calibrate your Macbook Pro batteries using the below mentioned process.
PowerBook G4 (15-inch Double-Layer SD), MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Pro (17-inch)
The battery calibration for the PowerBook G4 (15-inch Double-Layer SD) and any model of MacBook or MacBook Pro has been updated because of a new battery released with this computer. With these computers, follow these steps to calibrate your battery:
Plug in the power adapter and fully charge your PowerBook's battery until the light ring or LED on the power adapter plug changes to green and the onscreen meter in the menu bar indicates that the battery is fully charged.
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.
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.
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.
Turn off the computer or allow it to sleep for five hours or more.
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.
Hope this helps. I don't have my new 17in MBP 2.33 ghz, 2gigz ram, 100gig 7200rpm HD yet so I sadly cannot answer the OP's question. Durn shipping delays on the 17s
15-inch MacBook Pro
60-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery (with integrated charge indicator LEDs) providing up to 5 hours of battery life(1)
17-inch MacBook Pro
68-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery (with integrated charge indicator LEDs) providing up to 5.5 hours of battery life
Taken from http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/specs.html
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86284
This article states interestingly enough that Macbook Pros do run on a Lithium Ion Battery and that you "should" calibrate them. However the above stated information shows Lithium Polymer as the battery type for both the 15inch and the 17inch.
Because I am a noob when it comes to Batteries I did a bit of research and according to this snippet from an article I found using google, Lithium Polymer batteries are just one type of Lithium Ion batteries. Article here.
What is a Lithium-Ion battery?
A lithium-ion (Li-Ion) battery pack is made of multiple cells connected in series and in parallel based on the voltage and current requirements of the device. HP notebooks use 3 different types of Li-Ion battery cells: cylindrical, prismatic, and polymer.
Cylindrical cells are approximately 18 mm (0.7 in) in diameter by 65 mm (2.6 in) in length, and they are commonly referred to as 18650 cells. These cells are frequently used in battery packs that are about 20 mm (0.8 in) thick.
Prismatic cells have a slim, rectangular form factor; the most common types are 6-cell and 8-cell Li-Ion battery packs that are about 12 mm (0.5 in) thick, such as HP MultiBay and tablet PC batteries.
Polymer cells are thinner than prismatic cells. They are often used in products such as the IPAQ Pocket PC and some ultra-portable PCs, which require battery packs less than 10 mm (0.4 in) thick.
So, according to that information I suppose, Apple does suggest you Calibrate your Macbook Pro batteries using the below mentioned process.
PowerBook G4 (15-inch Double-Layer SD), MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Pro (17-inch)
The battery calibration for the PowerBook G4 (15-inch Double-Layer SD) and any model of MacBook or MacBook Pro has been updated because of a new battery released with this computer. With these computers, follow these steps to calibrate your battery:
Plug in the power adapter and fully charge your PowerBook's battery until the light ring or LED on the power adapter plug changes to green and the onscreen meter in the menu bar indicates that the battery is fully charged.
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.
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.
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.
Turn off the computer or allow it to sleep for five hours or more.
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.
Hope this helps. I don't have my new 17in MBP 2.33 ghz, 2gigz ram, 100gig 7200rpm HD yet so I sadly cannot answer the OP's question. Durn shipping delays on the 17s
does anybody else have feedback on battery life yet?
with everything set to minimum i can count on ~3 hours with a full battery charge. this seems pretty bad. I think i'm going to try to calibrate it again, the first time i messed up one of the steps: during the discharge I let it go to sleep; oops!
cheers,
Mike
with everything set to minimum i can count on ~3 hours with a full battery charge. this seems pretty bad. I think i'm going to try to calibrate it again, the first time i messed up one of the steps: during the discharge I let it go to sleep; oops!
cheers,
Mike
calibration
Here is how I calibrated my battery (w/o 5 hours waiting for sleep mode) :
1) run things until battery was out and computer shut down by itself (sleep)
2) try to power on again and use it until shuts off (I couldn't do that so I went to step 4)
3) repeat 2)
4) put the magsafe adapter, press power, computer starts, take out magsafe
5) run again until shuts off (this time no sleeping, just shuts off)
now the battery is completely empty
6) connect magsafe and let it charge for about 5 hours
that's it.
I think I get about 3.5 hours of usage with wireless internet, bluetooth off, iPhoto, listening to music (iTunes) with about 80% speakers up and screen at about 80%.
I will do some more testing.
EDIT: in my knowledge, calibration is about letting the battery know lower and upper bounds of its capacity. So calibration means like drying out battery as you can and then let it charge longer than normal. You can see anytime in System Profile the battery total capacity and battery current capacity. If they are not the same (when new) you have a problem. Current capacity after ~2 years is supposed to be around 60% of the total (factory) capacity. After 2.5 years I still can use my old thinkpad for 3 hours (3.5 hours of light work and dimmed display). I would be glad to have 3 hours a year from now on my MBP.
Here is how I calibrated my battery (w/o 5 hours waiting for sleep mode) :
1) run things until battery was out and computer shut down by itself (sleep)
2) try to power on again and use it until shuts off (I couldn't do that so I went to step 4)
3) repeat 2)
4) put the magsafe adapter, press power, computer starts, take out magsafe
5) run again until shuts off (this time no sleeping, just shuts off)
now the battery is completely empty
6) connect magsafe and let it charge for about 5 hours
that's it.
I think I get about 3.5 hours of usage with wireless internet, bluetooth off, iPhoto, listening to music (iTunes) with about 80% speakers up and screen at about 80%.
I will do some more testing.
EDIT: in my knowledge, calibration is about letting the battery know lower and upper bounds of its capacity. So calibration means like drying out battery as you can and then let it charge longer than normal. You can see anytime in System Profile the battery total capacity and battery current capacity. If they are not the same (when new) you have a problem. Current capacity after ~2 years is supposed to be around 60% of the total (factory) capacity. After 2.5 years I still can use my old thinkpad for 3 hours (3.5 hours of light work and dimmed display). I would be glad to have 3 hours a year from now on my MBP.
But it says "Turn off the computer or allow it to sleep for five hours or longer," so if I'm reading that correctly you can just turn it off at that point instead. I'm just wondering because I have a new Macbook Pro coming, and I don't want to waste 5 hours watching it sleep
This is kind of confusing...does it mean turn it off and you're done or let it sleep for 5 hours and you're done, or is it turn it off for 5 hours or let it sleep for 5 hours? I hope that made sense.
Either way...YOU should have to sleep for 5 hours at some point so just plan accordingly and you shouldn't have to waste much time watching it.
In theory....This is kind of confusing...does it mean turn it off and you're done or let it sleep for 5 hours and you're done, or is it turn it off for 5 hours or let it sleep for 5 hours? I hope that made sense.
Either way...YOU should have to sleep for 5 hours at some point so just plan accordingly and you shouldn't have to waste much time watching it.
It's about letting the computer sleep for 5 hours, because there is a little more power in the battery, but not enough to let you power-on the computer. So the only way to lose that power is to let it for 5 hours (sleep also drains power but slow).
My quick solution was to connect magsafe when pressing the power button, then disconnect it. This way, you can power on and you can lose the power faster by using the computer. So instead of sleeping for 5 hours, you just use it 5-10 minutes