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Cycle Count Inaccurate

O

otherguy5

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 2, 2015
94
7
I have a new Macbook Air, with an M1 chip, with optimized battery charging on.

Something that I've noticed...

I leave my Macbook plugged in all the time (I know, some people are against this but let's put that aside for now). I noticed that whenever I unplug it, and allow it to go down 10 percent, when I plug it in again and charge it up to 100, it immediately counts it as one complete cycle. This has been consistent, every time I allow it to go down just a bit and recharge back to 100, it adds one cycle.

Anybody else notice this discrepancy?
 
Here is Apple's description of a battery cycle. My recommendation, though, is not to obsess over your cycle count. There is nothing you can do about. It's kept track of my code–the same code that's in every one of the millions of MacBooks in use.

However, if you really think yours isn't being counted correctly, you should take it up with Apple.

Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops - Apple Support

Learn how to determine the number of cycles your Mac laptop's battery has.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
 
Please don't do that. Don't push energy into the battery like you are doing. You are the owner and you decide but I have been using batteries since 1992 (rechargeable batteries) and I have seen all. Even if they say that lithium shows no memory effect, what you are doing is engraving some sort of a threshold and the battery risks to be ruined.
 
Ghostrider72 said:
Please don't do that. Don't push energy into the battery like you are doing. You are the owner and you decide but I have been using batteries since 1992 (rechargeable batteries) and I have seen all. Even if they say that lithium shows no memory effect, what you are doing is engraving some sort of a threshold and the battery risks to be ruined.
Click to expand...

I've read a lot of different answers to this question (whether it's harmful to leave it plugged in all the time). Some say that it doesn't matter, it's the number of cycles that count; others say that it destroys that battery, so I'm not sure who to believe.
 
otherguy5 said:
Is it safe for those with the M1 chip? Have you noticed any glitches? I'm pretty skeptical of third party apps since I've had bad experiences in the past.
Click to expand...
It is safe. I have a M1 as well.

You can contact the developers on Github. They are very attentive.

github.com

GitHub - AppHouseKitchen/AlDente-Charge-Limiter: Menubar Tool to set Charge Limits and Prolong Battery Lifespan

Menubar Tool to set Charge Limits and Prolong Battery Lifespan - AppHouseKitchen/AlDente-Charge-Limiter
github.com github.com
 
Apple_Robert said:
I am currently keeping mine at 70%. An upcoming update will also allow you to schedule when Calibration runs (that is when AlDente drops the battery to 15% before charging to 100%, and then back to your normal app settings.
Click to expand...

How often do you calibrate? Sorry, I'm not that tech savvy. I also see there's an "Allow Discharge (Beta)" option - does that do the same thing? I think I read somewhere it's bad for the battery to completely discharge to zero.
 
otherguy5 said:
How often do you calibrate? Sorry, I'm not that tech savvy. I also see there's an "Allow Discharge (Beta)" option - does that do the same thing? I think I read somewhere it's bad for the battery to completely discharge to zero.
Click to expand...
I calibrate twice a month. I don't let it go to zero because that is bad. "Allow Discharge" will allow it to discharge but not to zero.
 
I have also started using Aldente. It works great with my M1 MacBook Air. I wouldn't worry too much about cycle count, (Who really cares ya know). It is what it is..

Install Aldente and set an amount so that it doesn't charge beyond that point. Our MacBooks have a 11.1V (3S) Lipo battery in them. 11.1V is the normal and safe voltage for the battery to stay at. When they are charged this voltage increases. And when the MacBook is decharged, the voltage is decreased. So the voltage can move between 9.6 volts to 12.6 volts with the battery at 0% or 100%

When a Lipo battery is stored for long periods of time. Or if a Lipo battery is just sitting on a shelf waiting for retail sell or shipment. They are only charged to 40-50% (And They will not degrade, and they will not swell, or become damaged) the storage voltage for a Lipo cell is 3.8V. Our MacBook Air m1's have (3 cells) Lipo batteries and can literally sit for months at 3.8V without damage or degradation.

I have several expensive Lipo batteries, and if you leave them charged at 100% (They will literally swell up after sitting too long while being fully charged to 100% and not being used at all) so can some MacBooks lol. Well, if I am not going to use my Lipo batteries I always put them in a storage charge. This storage charge is 3.8V per cell.

My MacBook Air M1 is at 30% charge right now, and it says my battery voltage is 11.1V. This 11.1V would correlate perfectly with what a Lipo battery storage charge would be. (Meaning, it cannot harm the battery to sit in this state for a long period of time.

So, if I had a MacBook Air that was always plugged in 24/7 I would leave my battery between 30-40%. It makes perfect sense.

No issues with the M1 and Aldente. And you can use better battery 2, and it'll tell you the voltage of your MacBook battery.
 
otherguy5 said:
I've read a lot of different answers to this question (whether it's harmful to leave it plugged in all the time). Some say that it doesn't matter, it's the number of cycles that count; others say that it destroys that battery, so I'm not sure who to believe.
Click to expand...
You're right. Batteries are still a mistery, I am just applying what experience thought me. As for number of cycles, I believe they are just a count and not something related to battery health. The latter is a different thing. I would never, ever under any circumstances keep a laptop with a fully charged battery and a power cord plugged into the grid. The continuous trickle charge is what damages, in my humble opinion. Anyway those are just my two cents.
 
Don’t use third party software like Aldente to control critical parts of the device. Only needs 1 botched update from the developer and you wish you’d have never used it. Just let macOS do it’s thing.
 
Apple_Robert said:
I calibrate twice a month. I don't let it go to zero because that is bad. "Allow Discharge" will allow it to discharge but not to zero.
Click to expand...

Just another question... is it normal for it to charge over the limit? Like I set it on 70%, but then I find that it stops charging at 72% or 78% even.
 
tps3443 said:
I have also started using Aldente. It works great with my M1 MacBook Air. I wouldn't worry too much about cycle count, (Who really cares ya know). It is what it is..

Install Aldente and set an amount so that it doesn't charge beyond that point. Our MacBooks have a 11.1V (3S) Lipo battery in them. 11.1V is the normal and safe voltage for the battery to stay at. When they are charged this voltage increases. And when the MacBook is decharged, the voltage is decreased. So the voltage can move between 9.6 volts to 12.6 volts with the battery at 0% or 100%

When a Lipo battery is stored for long periods of time. Or if a Lipo battery is just sitting on a shelf waiting for retail sell or shipment. They are only charged to 40-50% (And They will not degrade, and they will not swell, or become damaged) the storage voltage for a Lipo cell is 3.8V. Our MacBook Air m1's have (3 cells) Lipo batteries and can literally sit for months at 3.8V without damage or degradation.

I have several expensive Lipo batteries, and if you leave them charged at 100% (They will literally swell up after sitting too long while being fully charged to 100% and not being used at all) so can some MacBooks lol. Well, if I am not going to use my Lipo batteries I always put them in a storage charge. This storage charge is 3.8V per cell.

My MacBook Air M1 is at 30% charge right now, and it says my battery voltage is 11.1V. This 11.1V would correlate perfectly with what a Lipo battery storage charge would be. (Meaning, it cannot harm the battery to sit in this state for a long period of time.

So, if I had a MacBook Air that was always plugged in 24/7 I would leave my battery between 30-40%. It makes perfect sense.

No issues with the M1 and Aldente. And you can use better battery 2, and it'll tell you the voltage of your MacBook battery.
Click to expand...
Just to be clear you would recommend setting aldente at 30-40% when keeping it plugged in for prolonged periods?
 
Last edited:
otherguy5 said:
Is it safe for those with the M1 chip? Have you noticed any glitches? I'm pretty skeptical of third party apps since I've had bad experiences in the past.
Click to expand...
AlDente seems fine but I’m having good luck with Apple’s optimized battery setting. It took about a month but it has been very consistent to hold between 80-90 % when plugged in.
 
Apple_Robert said:
As long as the battery is kept between 40-70%, it is fine. The main issues are temperature and occasionally exercising the cells in the battery, which AlDente Pro allows you to do.
Click to expand...
I hope temperature isn’t too big of a problem. When I’m doing a lot of compiling my battery temperature frequently reaches about 100 degrees F (38 C). Depending on what I’m working on, it can stay there for quite a while.
 
jdb8167 said:
I hope temperature isn’t too big of a problem. When I’m doing a lot of compiling my battery temperature frequently reaches about 100 degrees F (38 C). Depending on what I’m working on, it can stay there for quite a while.
Click to expand...
Temp hasn't been a problem on my M1. Most of the time it stays between 30 - 31.9. AlDente is configured to not charge if the M1 should ever get to 35C.
 
Apple_Robert said:
Temp hasn't been a problem on my M1. Most of the time it stays between 30 - 31.9. AlDente is configured to not charge if the M1 should ever get to 35C.
Click to expand...
This isn’t anything to do with charging. It’s just MBA getting hot from running the CPU.
 
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