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How to keep your MBP battery health at 100% forever

C

cameronfield

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 11, 2009
93
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So when I first got my 13" MBP I tried lots of things to keep the battery health up. After following what I had read online/a few things here (mainly using it plugged in whenever possible, and not letting it get below 20% before charging) I was down to 87% health after only 2 months.

I had read in one of the threads here that a LOT of people had success using their MBP from 100% to 5-10%, and then charging it solid to 100%. The only downside to this method is that it adds more cycles, but considering Apple rates the MBP at 1000 charge cycles I think we'll be fine.

Anyways, so after just 3 days of this method and I'm back up to 92%.

In other words, if you want to improve the health of your battery than just use it until it's about to die and then fully charge it. Dont charge in spurts, or when it gets to 50%, or anything like that - I tried it all, and I noticed the health slowly go down.

Just thought I'd post and let you guys know!
 
Doubt I'll be able to get back to 100%, but I just wanted to give everyone a heads up.

A while back when I posted asking how to keep the health good people mostly responded with "there's no real method". Well obviously that's not true since this seems to work perfectly.

This also goes against everyone that has said it's 'terrible' to let it get below 20% before charging it.
 
About once a month I discharge my battery totally until it goes into sleep mode. Works for me!
 
cameronfield said:
In other words, if you want to improve the health of your battery than just use it until it's about to die and then fully charge it. Dont charge in spurts, or when it gets to 50%, or anything like that - I tried it all, and I noticed the health slowly go down.
Click to expand...

Batteries dying is the inevitable. I use mine until it's really low and my battery health isn't looking that sweet either. The key is to charge it to full the first few times and trickle charge it those times.
 
current: 12631
original: 1300
4 months old.
 

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Battery health of my 12-months old MBP is 99% after 248 Loadcycles. I calibrate the battery twice a month and always charge before the charge hits 20%.
 
I have one of the first 2.4 15" unibodies, and I use is all manner of ways. Calibrate, little charges, whatever, and my battery has 173 cycles and is 100% healthy. I don't really think its how you charge the battery its just that you calibrate it once or twice a month.
 
darngooddesign said:
I have one of the first 2.4 15" unibodies, and I use is all manner of ways. Calibrate, little charges, whatever, and my battery has 173 cycles and is 100% healthy. I don't really think its how you charge the battery its just that you calibrate it once or twice a month.
Click to expand...

+ 1

Same config, same situation.

Sometimes I use 2-3 full cycles per day, but most days I use it down to 50%, and I top it off. It makes no difference.

When you calibrate once or twice a month, let it fully die, leave it dead for a few hours (or take out the battery for a few hours if you want to use the computer), and than charge completely.
 
Do you guys turn your MBP off overnight, or just let it sleep? I had gotten mine up to 94% health, toss it in my bag after class last night...wake up this morning and it's at 83% health...

WTF? 4 month old 13" MBP. I'm tempted to purposely get it below 80% (I might not even have to try) so I can get a replacement from Apple. What on earth would cause the health to drop 11% overnight when it's just SITTING there? It was in my room, so no extreme temperatures...
 
I really wish people who have above 95% health on their MacBooks older than a year would post a typical week of usage.

I calibrate my Mac about once a month (I let the battery fully die until the Macs in sleep mode, and let it stay in state for 6-7 hours & recharge it to 100%), I use it down to 80% and recharge etc.

I'm on my second battery, it's 13 month's old and the health is 83%. My friends MacBook is 15 months old and his health is 97%. I understand all batteries aren't the same, but still.
 
eMagine said:
current: 12631
original: 1300
4 months old.
Click to expand...

Don't let that battery sit with 0 cycles for too much longer.

I had a one year old MBP that only had 11 cycles on the battery. Most of those were from the mag safe pulling out and me not noticing it. After one year with 11 cycles, it would not hold a charge and Apple replaced it even though it was out of warranty.

You have to use the battery or it will go bad. Four months and 0 cycles is not good.
 
Batteries are going to degrade... just use it. If it's defective (hits a certain health before a certain cycle), apple will replace it.

Stop fussing over about battery cycles because keeping it low won't help the battery at all.

I'm at 84% with 376 cycles in 5 months. Battery appears to be defective on my Air cause it dropped from 94% within 2 cycles.
 
The battery will die even if you never use it.
Lithium ion batteries degrade over time even if they are left on a shelf.
Quote from wikipedia:
At a 100% charge level, a typical Li-ion laptop battery that is full most of the time at 25 °C or 77 °F will irreversibly lose approximately 20% capacity per year. However, a battery in a poorly ventilated laptop may be subject to a prolonged exposure to much higher temperatures, which will significantly shorten its life. Different storage temperatures produce different loss results: 6% loss at 0 °C (32 °F), 20% at 25 °C (77 °F), and 35% at 40 °C (104 °F). When stored at 40%–60% charge level, the capacity loss is reduced to 2%, 4%, 15% at 0, 25 and 40 degrees Celsius respectively.


So best tip I guess is to minimise damage to your battery, leave it in the freezer when you're not using it! Or move to antarctica.
 
wow you guys are seriously obsessed about battery. Its a battery, meant to be used. Sure who doesn't like to keep it at 100%?

I like my tires to look brand new and have its treading looking the same as when I first picked it up. Its a tool meant to be used, so I'm not gonna be so obsessed that I'm not driving it just so my tires can keep its tread and looking new.

Point is, just use it and stop looking at the health unless its seriously warrants a replacement. paralysis by analysis. anyone here ever heard of it?
 
Speaking as someone who has always gotten very good life out of my batteries, I think that there are a couple things to keep in mind:

1. Batteries vary... no matter how standardized the process of building them is, inconsistencies get into the materials, and some batteries will last longer than others. Individual stories like what show up here will tell you very little about what works and what doesn't.

2. I haven't seen anyone mention heat, but in general, the single biggest factor about keeping an iphone or laptop, or other lithium battery working well is not letting it get too hot, and not letting it get hot often. Pay attention to your work surface, to keeping vents clear, and to trying not to let your battery get too hot when you're working. For heaven's sake, don't leave it sitting in your car in the sun...

3. As far as usage is concerned, you're best off simply following apple's recommendations. Try not to let it get too low (below 20% charge) too often, but once every month or two months, purposely let it run all the way down, until the computer goes to sleep, then keep it in the laptop (even in sleep mode, the laptop draws power, thereby draining the battery even more. Taking it out of the computer won't accomplish this) for a few more hours, letting it drop effectively to zero charge. Then recharge it fully. This resets the internal monitors, and keeps it healthy.

Don't stress yourself out about your battery. Use your computer the way you need to use it... keeping it plugged in will save cycles, and won't hurt it, but it's meant to be used... Just try not to let it get too hot, run it down just often enough to let it remember that it has a full range of power to work with, and otherwise charge it when you need to. If you're like me, and you use it plugged into the wall more than half the time, you can easily make a new battery last two or three years... and with the new machines, and batteries meant to run 2x or even 3x as many cycles... it may well last longer than you keep the computer.

Stephen
 
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Thanks Stephen23

Thank you for your info on taking care of the battery. I just recently switched to MacBook pro from Windows and really enjoy this "new toy". I always thought that you should not overcharge the battery, meaning keeping the charger on while at 100% charged. I keep my MBP on the whole day I am at office and you suggest that I should keep the charger on the whole day, is it?

I have another question...how do you check the number of cycles on your battery?

Thanks
 
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