Can you overcharge?

[zacl87]

I've always been under the impression that leaving things charged past 100% - not just computers but all electronics with rechargeable batteries - will stuff up the battery somehow..

I can't remember why i've always followed this dogma, but is there any weight to it? or can I just leave my macbook charging all the time, even while it's green, and it will have no effect on the batteries capacity?

cheers

 

[jmann]

Nope. It will be fine. There are a lot of people here who leave there computers plugged in 24/7.

 

[iBookG4user]

You can leaving it charging all the time. As long as you do your monthly calibrations it will be fine in regards to battery capacity.

 

[gr8tfly]

The battery controller shuts off charging when it's full. Leaving it plugged in all the time won't hurt anything. To keep the battery in "good health", Apple recommends using it monthly. Otherwise, use it the way you wish. It'll be fine.

 

[zacl87]

You can leaving it charging all the time. As long as you do your monthly calibrations it will be fine in regards to battery capacity.

some possible instruction for this? not overly savvy at this point

 

[iBookG4user]

some possible instruction for this? not overly savvy at this point

What you do is use your computer until the battery is all the way drained and the computer goes to sleep. Then leave it for a few hours until it shuts off completely, afterwards charge it up fully.

 

[MacKiddyWiddy]

once a month run your mac completely dry of power and then do a full recharge, thats the best way to maintain a happy battery

 

[zacl87]

sweet thanks heaps.
I usually do run it until it needs to be charged again so that's good. getting up around the 360 cycles though so it's due for a new battery soon. At least keeping it charging will keep the cycles down.
thanks again.

 

[Aven SkyGazer]

istat says...

You can leaving it charging all the time. As long as you do your monthly calibrations it will be fine in regards to battery capacity.

My istat widget says my alum-MB battery is at 97% health

is there a way to remedy this... or? is my battery slowly dwindling (as it has been a year now).

 

[allmIne]

My istat widget says my alum-MB battery is at 97% health

is there a way to remedy this... or? is my battery slowly dwindling (as it has been a year now).

97% is great going after a year! You can't make it any better, though, it'll always just get worse. All you can do is minimise the rate it degrades at.

 

[Aven SkyGazer]

97% is great going after a year! You can't make it any better, though, it'll always just get worse. All you can do is minimise the rate it degrades at.

ah

does apple sell individual replacement batteries?

 

[shaunymac]

My istat widget says my alum-MB battery is at 97% health

is there a way to remedy this... or? is my battery slowly dwindling (as it has been a year now).

My MBP battery is at 38%. Ouch. I'm one of the ones that stays plugged in nearly 24/7. At 38%, it lasts about 30 mins tops. Powermax, here I come.

 

[BlueRevolution]

http://www.apple.com/batteries/

does apple sell individual replacement batteries?

I assume you have a model with a built-in battery? If so, battery replacement costs $150 or so, the same price as a removable battery.

My MBP battery is at 38%. Ouch. I'm one of the ones that stays plugged in nearly 24/7. At 38%, it lasts about 30 mins tops. Powermax, here I come.

Even at 38% it should last a couple of hours. You might want to check the link above for suggestions on optimizing your battery life.

 

[shaunymac]

http://www.apple.com/batteries/



I assume you have a model with a built-in battery? If so, battery replacement costs $150 or so, the same price as a removable battery.



Even at 38% it should last a couple of hours. You might want to check the link above for suggestions on optimizing your battery life.

That's what I thought as well. It was just like one day, my battery decided to suck and act like a toshiba battery. What really gets to me is my old iBook, now my mom's mac, still lasts 3-4 hours.

Correct me if I am wrong, to calibrate, you just let it completely run dry. I have tried that a few times and it hasn't helped.

 

[BlueRevolution]

Correct me if I am wrong, to calibrate, you just let it completely run dry. I have tried that a few times and it hasn't helped.

Again, read the link I posted. It has instructions on battery calibration.