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Calibrated my battery for the first time. Am I in trouble?

N

NewEyesOpen

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 9, 2009
158
0
West Virginia
After having my MBP for about a month I let it die down all the way into sleep mode, like Apple recommends, and let it stay like that overnight from about 12:30 until 9 am or so when I woke up. From that point I let it charge fully throughout the day while I was in my classes. However, when I turned it on this evening to use it, the time that shows how much time is left on the battery charge started moving drastically and sporadically up and down. It would go from 9 hours to 6 hours and then to 4 hours then to 2 hours and vice versa along with numerous random minutes beside those hour times. ie - 9:31 and then went down to 6:42.

Did I do something wrong with the calibration? Have I ruined anything with my computer and/or battery? I called Apple and they had me bring up system profiler and everything seemed okay, but it still bothers me that the time is still doing this. Even if I switch it to percentage, there's still a nagging thought that I know it's still doing that.
 
Are you doing stuff while this happens? Try leaving it in some kind of "status quo" for a couple minutes and report if it's changing still.
 
Well, its just like a car, the faster you go or harder you accelerate, the sooner you'll be out of gas. The computer can only estimate, at that exact moment, how long the computer will operate based on how much power you're using
 
Mhmm said:
Are you doing stuff while this happens? Try leaving it in some kind of "status quo" for a couple minutes and report if it's changing still.
Click to expand...

It was stationary with no programs or apps running. Still did it. I'm currently charging it up from the battery coming down after the calibration.
 
kryptonianjorel said:
Well, its just like a car, the faster you go or harder you accelerate, the sooner you'll be out of gas. The computer can only estimate, at that exact moment, how long the computer will operate based on how much power you're using
Click to expand...

Right, I understand that. However, I wasn't running anything and the computers estimates switched drastically from one second to the next from 3 hours to 5 hours then 2 hours then 4 hours. Prior to the calibration it was NOT that drastic. It was a more accurate "count down" to when the battery was dying.
 
Bump. Anyone else have any tips for this? Called Apple two nights in a row and they're not being much help.

What about setting my PRAM?

Anything? I'm pulling my hair out over this issue.
 
NewEyesOpen said:
Does it go away? My main concern is that battery may be messed up in some way due to my calibrating it. I could have done something wrong, but I'm 99% certain I followed the steps.
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Nothing is messed up. Everyone makes calibrating the batt. seem like a big deal. Which is isnt. If you used it unknowingly like most people it will be almost the same. My friend treats her battery the worst of anyone i know and hers is still 99-100% after 400 cycles. Dont worry about it. Read about it more instead of having a panic attack and posting stuff on here.
 
thanks for the post, Mike. I had never calibrated a lithium battery every in the past, but when I got my new MBP and saw the tech doc (posted by Apple) recommending that one do so I did it. Unfortunately, I've noticed strange behavior since as well (though different than the original poster). I think that Apple should consider revising their statement that this should be done in the first place...everything worked fine before then.
 
sr.pants said:
thanks for the post, Mike. I had never calibrated a lithium battery every in the past, but when I got my new MBP and saw the tech doc (posted by Apple) recommending that one do so I did it. Unfortunately, I've noticed strange behavior since as well (though different than the original poster). I think that Apple should consider revising their statement that this should be done in the first place...everything worked fine before then.
Click to expand...

Glad to see someone else had strange behavior.
 
mikes70mustang said:
Nothing is messed up. Everyone makes calibrating the batt. seem like a big deal. Which is isnt. If you used it unknowingly like most people it will be almost the same. My friend treats her battery the worst of anyone i know and hers is still 99-100% after 400 cycles. Dont worry about it. Read about it more instead of having a panic attack and posting stuff on here.
Click to expand...

I agree I over worried about the issue, but it's hard not to when you drop 2,000+ dollars on a computer and something unbeknownst to you occurs like this. Thanks for your post, though, it does help.
 
Don't worry. The computer automatically calculates how long the battery will last based on how charged it is and what the computer is doing. So when it says 3 hours it is saying that on your current charge you will last 3 hours if everything stays exactly as it is. Obviously, if the processor starts working harder, the screen gets brighter or the hard drive starts spinning more, the battery life will go down.

These fluctuations are just the computer recalculating.

Don't worry atall :D
 
AnotherFanBoy said:
Don't worry. The computer automatically calculates how long the battery will last based on how charged it is and what the computer is doing. So when it says 3 hours it is saying that on your current charge you will last 3 hours if everything stays exactly as it is. Obviously, if the processor starts working harder, the screen gets brighter or the hard drive starts spinning more, the battery life will go down.

These fluctuations are just the computer recalculating.

Don't worry atall :D
Click to expand...

Thanks. I only started to get panicky when the time calculation started changing drastically, even with no apps or programs running whatsoever. That's what my main issue is here.
 
Update:

Tonight I've had the computer on for an hour and a half and it's reading 53% remaining on a charge. I'm starting to think this is unacceptable for a computer that is advertised as having an 8 hour battery life.
 
NewEyesOpen said:
Update:

Tonight I've had the computer on for an hour and a half and it's reading 53% remaining on a charge. I'm starting to think this is unacceptable for a computer that is advertised as having an 8 hour battery life.
Click to expand...

And what were you doing?
 
vant said:
And what were you doing?
Click to expand...

running iTunes and Safari and transferred a little bit of music from a friends external drive.

I understand that the external disk will take away power and battery life, but i still think that this computer should be able to get way better than what it's exuding.
 
NewEyesOpen said:
running iTunes and Safari and transferred a little bit of music from a friends external drive.

I understand that the external disk will take away power and battery life, but i still think that this computer should be able to get way better than what it's exuding.
Click to expand...

Transferred music?!? You're clearly being punished for copying music from your friend's drive to your computer. I knew those record companies would eventually find a way to fight back!
 
NewEyesOpen said:
Update:

Tonight I've had the computer on for an hour and a half and it's reading 53% remaining on a charge. I'm starting to think this is unacceptable for a computer that is advertised as having an 8 hour battery life.
Click to expand...

...the 13 and 15" MBP say up to 7 hours battery life... only the 17" MBP is advertised up to an 8 hour battery life...the key here for apple is "up to an "X" hour battery life"...
 
J&JPolangin said:
...the 13 and 15" MBP say up to 7 hours battery life... only the 17" MBP is advertised up to an 8 hour battery life...the key here for apple is "up to an "X" hour battery life"...
Click to expand...

you're right. I realized that after I posted the reply. I'm keeping track of how long I can get from a charge and it's been between 3 and a half to 4 hours on average. I'm disappointed as of lately.
 
NewEyesOpen said:
you're right. I realized that after I posted the reply. I'm keeping track of how long I can get from a charge and it's been between 3 and a half to 4 hours on average. I'm disappointed as of lately.
Click to expand...

Which GPU are you using? Is your screen up full brightness?? Keyboard backlight??? Speaker volume???? Fan speed????? CD drive on??????

All of these factors and many more can deplete battery life. Try reading the fine print :apple: posts on the bottom of their spec pages.
 
airplaneman said:
Which GPU are you using? Is your screen up full brightness?? Keyboard backlight??? Speaker volume???? Fan speed????? CD drive on??????

All of these factors and many more can deplete battery life. Try reading the fine print :apple: posts on the bottom of their spec pages.
Click to expand...

9600m, brightness is between full and 4 less than full, speakers are at a normal volume, not too loud, fan speed is around 2,000 rpm, CD drive on? i didn't know it had an on/off switch.
 
NewEyesOpen said:
9600m, brightness is between full and 4 less than full, speakers are at a normal volume, not too loud, fan speed is around 2,000 rpm, CD drive on? i didn't know it had an on/off switch.
Click to expand...

So basically your using the higher draw GPU, pretty dam high brightness and have the speakers playing music as well as having an external USB powered HD drawing another 3-5W when the system itself draws about 30!? lol...

Where as apples 7 hours came from having screen less than half, the 9400M, speakers off and only basic Safari stuff running?

Some people need to get clued up...
 
Concorde Rules said:
So basically your using the higher draw GPU, pretty dam high brightness and have the speakers playing music as well as having an external USB powered HD drawing another 3-5W when the system itself draws about 30!? lol...

Where as apples 7 hours came from having screen less than half, the 9400M, speakers off and only basic Safari stuff running?

Some people need to get clued up...
Click to expand...

It's not about being "clued up." It's about having what I see is an issue with a new computer after doing what Apple recommended with the battery, i.e. calibration and the random sporadic fluctuation of time remaining on the charge, which occurs without running any external usb drives, music, or programs, etc.
 
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