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Battery "Not Charging" after it hits 93%

A

aliglitterglam

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 15, 2011
12
0
So the "Not Charging" icon has showed up on my MacBook Pro...I think this is the first time I've seen it like this...usually it shows the percentage. Should I be worried? It only gets up to 93% and it then that icon shows up so it does not appear to charge more than 93%. I still have a strong green light. A few minutes ago I did see it drop back down to 92% on orange but then it went back to "Not Charging" after 93%. I did let it drop to 92% manually before to see if it would charge up to 99% or 100% but nope. I know it's normal if the Macbook stays on 93% but is it bad if it doesn't go up more than that? I have not taken the magsafe adapter out before this happened. Was wondering if anyone knew what the problem was or if I should even be freaking out?

My battery appears to be fine:

Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 5790
Fully charged: No
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 6248
Health Information:
Cycle count: 29
Condition: Normal
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): -8
Voltage (mV): 12244
 
Battery charge
Current charge: 5788 mAh
Maximum charge: 6248 mAh
92%

Battery capacity
Current capacity: 6248 mAh
Design capacity: 6900 mAh
90%

Mac model: MacBookPro6,2
Age: 17 months
Battery loadcycles: 29
Battery temp: 31.6 C
Battery power usage: 0.1 Watt

Wasn't sure what other way I was supposed to post it so I hope this will do.

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grapes911 said:
When is the last time you calibrated it?
Click to expand...

Not too long ago actually, but can't remember when...it could have been a month ago. You think if I calibrated it again it would be fixed?
 
Okay...problem...I have not recalibrated it fully but I have taken off the magsafe charger... I went to replug it in at 85% out of curiosity it still says "not charging" intially... then it charges for a little bit but now it goes back to "not charging" even when it hasn't hit anywhere near 93%... does this have something to do with the mag safe connecting...it keeps trying to recharge every few seconds but then it goes back to "not charging"...from orange to green...so it appears that there is a problem...
 
when plugged in to full, the macbook will let the battery drain down a little then charge it back up, just to keep some sort of cycle going and to prevent overcharging.

also, while doing things that require lots of CPU (and thus heat the computer up) the magsafe will stop charging the battery as it heats up, to prevent damage (or when the full 60 or 85W that it provides are being used). I've noticed this playing SC2 and TF2
 
Even when it goes down from 93%...I thought at 85% it would stay on orange til it hits at least 93%... I'm not doing anything right now cept on this forum.
 
GuitarG20 said:
that is strange... i don't have an answer to that.
Click to expand...

It IS still charging regardless.. just intermittently which kind of makes me worried...if it was an outlet problem it wouldn't have any kind of light on correct? I just moved the computer to my room a few weeks ago from the game room but didn't see any signs of the battery not charging until now. If it is a charger problem (which I'm hoping that's all it is since I don't have any warranty if it's a hardware problem), would they be expensive to replace?
 
aliglitterglam said:
It IS still charging regardless.. just intermittently which kind of makes me worried...if it was an outlet problem it wouldn't have any kind of light on correct? I just moved the computer to my room a few weeks ago from the game room but didn't see any signs of the battery not charging until now. If it is a charger problem (which I'm hoping that's all it is since I don't have any warranty if it's a hardware problem), would they be expensive to replace?
Click to expand...

the charger? 79 bucks from apple...
 
GuitarG20 said:
the charger? 79 bucks from apple...
Click to expand...

I'm having the same issue on my White Mid 2007 macbook. It starts acting weird when it hits 83% and stops charging at 93%. I Let it charge for 2 days and still only got to 96%. The battery only has 26 Cycles on it and I Did a calibration and it didn't help.. I Bought a new charger and it does the same thing.
 
calibrating the battery should fix your numbers (which i personally think are just inaccurate.)

buying a new charger shouldn't do much, since battery control is in the SMC and not the power brick.
 
This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions: Apple Notebook Battery FAQ
Your battery health is referred to either as a percentage or in mAh and represents your current full charge capacity (mAh) as compared with the ideal full charge capacity (100%). Be aware that battery readings are not 100% accurate and they fluctuate up and down, so if your brand new battery health is somewhat less than 100% or if it fluctuates up and down over time (100%, 91%, 95%, etc.), don't worry. It will not only decline. For example, if your battery health is 92% one day, it could be back up to 97% a few days or weeks later. It is not a one-way fluctuation. This is completely normal.
Click to expand...
 
aliglitterglam said:
It only gets up to 93% and it then that icon shows up so it does not appear to charge more than 93%.
Click to expand...
It's perfectly normal that it can stop charging between 93% and 99%. Read the CHARGING section of the Battery FAQ that deadwulfe posted for details.
grapes911 said:
When is the last time you calibrated it?
Click to expand...
arcite said:
As others have said, calibrate the battery.
Click to expand...
GuitarG20 said:
calibrating the battery
Click to expand...
If it's a newer MacBook Pro with a built-in battery, regular calibration is not required.
GuitarG20 said:
when plugged in to full, the macbook will let the battery drain down a little then charge it back up, just to keep some sort of cycle going and to prevent overcharging.
Click to expand...
This is not true. Just the opposite is true. Read the CHARGING section of the Battery FAQ.
 
I have had similar things happen. Do the following

1. Remove the adapter and run the battery down to 0% power, then it should eventually go to sleep. If it switches off before this, then wait a while 1/2 to 1 hour then turn it on again. Keep doing this until it will not turn on again

2. Once the battery is drained wait until 6 hours has elapsed, charge until fully charged 100% for another .

3. Repeat until it can be drained properly to 0% and sleeps


Eventually it should sort itself out
 
GGJstudios said:
If it's a newer MacBook Pro with a built-in battery, regular calibration is not required.
Click to expand...

Apple says they come pre-calibarated and don't need regular calibration. That does not mean that during their lifespan they don't need to be calibrated. Calibration is still needed once and a while if there is trouble. The OP is having trouble.
 
grapes911 said:
Apple says they come pre-calibarated and don't need regular calibration. That does not mean that during their lifespan they don't need to be calibrated. Calibration is still needed once and a while if there is trouble. The OP is having trouble.
Click to expand...
I completely agree that it's fine to calibrate even a newer battery if you suspect readings are inaccurate, as stated in the Battery FAQ, but calibration would have zero effect on the OP's charging issue, only the accuracy of the battery readings.

The OP's first issue of charging stopped at 93% isn't a problem... it's by design that it does that. As for the failure to charge at 85%, calibration would have no effect on that. Resetting the SMC is the only procedure that might help, as long as the MagSafe adapter is working properly. Beyond that, it's a trip to the Apple store for testing.
 
It did ended up charging back to 100% all the way, the only thing that alarmed me was how the magsafe adapter was charging it... it would go green, pause, then go to orange...so forth...the orange not being a consistent charge. Right now it's showing up as 98%...and not say "not charging"...which was the other thing that had alarmed me, since I've never seen it up like that before. I've already done the SMC and didn't do anything to change how it was charging unless I didn't wait long enough? I do have a built in battery. However, it does seem to be okay...for now. I also understood that it was normal to not charge after 93% but wondered if it was normal to show up as "not charging" on the bar.
 
aliglitterglam said:
Right now it's showing up as 98%...and not say "not charging"...which was the other thing that had alarmed me, since I've never seen it up like that before.
Click to expand...
Your Mac can't overcharge your battery. It automatically stops charging when the battery is fully charged, even if you leave it plugged in. It does sometimes take a little while after plugging it in before it starts charging. Also, it can stop and start charging if the MagSafe isn't tightly connected. Make sure the contacts are clean and secure.
 
GGJstudios said:
Your Mac can't overcharge your battery. It automatically stops charging when the battery is fully charged, even if you leave it plugged in. It does sometimes take a little while after plugging it in before it starts charging. Also, it can stop and start charging if the MagSafe isn't tightly connected. Make sure the contacts are clean and secure.
Click to expand...


I meant I've never seen it say "Not Charging"...is that normal and there doesn't have to be a percentage up there all the time? Thanks. I was also wondering if the MagSafe needed a little cleaning...
 
aliglitterglam said:
I meant I've never seen it say "Not Charging"...is that normal and there doesn't have to be a percentage up there all the time? Thanks. I was also wondering if the MagSafe needed a little cleaning...
Click to expand...
Yes, it is normal from time to time for it to say Not Charging and not show the percentage.
 
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