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Aluminum PowerBook (15-inch) Battery Update 1.0
- Thread starter jaseone
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Battery Update fixed problem
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.
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.
Multimedia said:How do we calibrate?
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 battery
revisionA said:
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.
Ugh.
I installed this update on my PB (last G4 revision, high-res ) 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.
I installed this update on my PB (last G4 revision, high-res
) 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.
comictimes said:
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?
Battery Updater for Powerbook G4 1.67gh/15"
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?
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?
Lithium-ion Battery Physics
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."
ifjake said:
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."
realityisterror said:Ugh.
I installed this update on my PB (last G4 revision, high-res
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.
Multimedia said:How do we calibrate?
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
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?
aussie_geek said:
Different version PowerBooks require different calibration procedures.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86284
Anyone elso notice a loss of capacity after updating?
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)
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)
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.
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.