Battery Problems (AGAIN!!!)

[Kristenn]

Okay, Apple says the batteries in their late 2008 notebooks should hold at least 80% of a charge until it reaches 400 charge cycles.

Unless I read that wrong, my battery should be good for another year at least.

I got this notebook in February 13th of 2009 and it used to get 4:30 hours a few months ago (with 85/86% health) and for some reason it is now dropping into the mid 60s and shutting down when it shows 29/39 minutes left in the battery. When I plug in the power and turn the computer back in, it still shows 68% left.

And yes, I have discharged and recharged this thing at least 5 times in the last week to see if it would help. Sometimes it will go back up to 80 something % health but then after a day of using it plugged in or using just 30 minutes on the battery the thing dives back into either 73% or 60 something.

I tried resetting the SMC but it didn't help. School will be VERY difficult if these battery issues keep up. It makes me want to kick Sony in the nads.

 

[GGJstudios]

Okay, Apple says the batteries in their late 2008 notebooks should hold at least 80% of a charge until it reaches 400 charge cycles.

It's 300. This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions: Apple Notebook Battery FAQ

Pay special attention to the calibration procedure, to make sure it's done properly. It's not as simple as draining and recharging.

 

[Kristenn]

I thought 300 was for iPods and it was 400 for notebooks. I mean, how often does a iPod need to be recharged? I have had mine die from a low battery like maybe 8 times in the last year and a half.

And I can't really drain it to 0 and recharge it to 10 or 25% because it shuts down the computer when its in the 60s.

It did just go up to 73% the 20 mins or so I have had it unplugged. And if the charge cycle really is 300 and not 400 like I read somewhere, it would be understandable why my battery is beginning to act dodgy.

 

[GGJstudios]

I thought 300 was for iPods and it was 400 for notebooks. I mean, how often does a iPod need to be recharged? I have had mine die from a low battery like maybe 8 times in the last year and a half.

And I can't really drain it to 0 and recharge it to 10 or 25% because it shuts down the computer when its in the 60s.

It did just go up to 73% the 20 mins or so I have had it unplugged. And if the charge cycle really is 300 and not 400 like I read somewhere, it would be understandable why my battery is beginning to act dodgy.

Even though the link I posted refers to this information, I'll post it again:

Battery Lifespan
For Apple notebooks with removable batteries — such as previous generation MacBook and MacBook Pro computers — a properly maintained battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 300 full charge and discharge cycles. You may choose to replace your battery when it no longer holds sufficient charge to meet your needs.

The built-in battery of the MacBook Air is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at up to 750 full charge and discharge cycles.

The built-in battery in the new 13-, 15-, and 17-inch MacBook Pro is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at up to 1000 full charge and discharge cycles.

 

[Kristenn]

Huh, well isn't that just dandy?

How am I supposed to go about getting the health back up? I mean, 256 charge cycles isn't 300. But it shut off just now, showing 48% left and the health went back down to 66%.

I can't exactly do the things you linked to because the battery isn't draining fully, I can't start over. I kinda explained that in my first post.

 

[GGJstudios]

Huh, well isn't that just dandy?

How am I supposed to go about getting the health back up? I mean, 256 charge cycles isn't 300. But it shut off just now, showing 48% left and the health went back down to 66%.

I can't exactly do the things you linked to because the battery isn't draining fully, I can't start over. I kinda explained that in my first post.

Yes, you can start over. Follow the calibration process exactly.

1. Fully charge it and let it sit charged and plugged in for 2 hours.
2. Then unplug and let it drain until it shuts off, whenever that is.
3. Then let it sit for at least 5 hours.
4. Then plug it in and recharge it.

If it doesn't work after that, take it to Apple.

 

[Kristenn]

Okay here is a update (And sorry for being snappy yesterday... this is just VERY frustrating!)

I left it on all night and it was off when I woke up this morning. Problem is, there were 2 green lights glowing when I used the battery indicator light on the side. So the funny thing is, when the computer shuts off (randomly) it makes the little beep or chirp and the screen flashes white. Like when you have to force it to turn off. The weirder part is you can press the power button and turn the computer back on.

So basically I did this when I woke up and the battery went down to 0% and shut off. It wasn't off for 5 hours with the battery drained like you said it should have been though but I don't have the time to leave my computer off that long unless I am sleeping. So I will have to wait on that.

So it has charged to 6% so far and the health is 58% was 56% when I first turned it on so it should go up a little.

The part I am worried about is the unexpected shutdowns. It doesn't go into hybernation so if I am working on something important and don't save enough or it does anything too intensive (Youtube is a example) it just shuts off even if there is 96% charge left.

Is it SMC? If so, why? I reset it twice yesterday or more. It says on Apple's support page to take the battery out, unplug it, and press the power button down and hold it for five seconds. Then let go, put the battery back in, plug in the magsafe and turn the computer back on. Why is it doing this? Is it a defective battery? Could it be the Summer heat?

I know all batteries get wonky when they get old so I still say this laptop had the best battery I have ever used up until maybe a few days or a week ago. I would really like to have it be usable again and be able to trust it for a few more months at least.

After it's done charging I will test everything out again but to be honest, I'm half scared to use the computer without the power cord now. I will be very upset if it shuts off during me working on one of my reports and I lose something I forgot to save.