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Is my battery OK?
- Thread starter rye9
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thegreatluke
macrumors 6502a
Batteries lose capacity for two reasons:
a) Over time, naturally
b) Excessive uncharging and charging again
Though batteries do lose capacity over time, it's very slow - nothing near 9% over nine months.
In case you didn't know, a "cycle" is one complete uncharging of the battery. So if you run the battery down to 40%, recharge it completely then run the battery down to 60% later, that's a total of 100% charge lost and one cycle is recorded. Run Coconut Battery again - how many cycles do you have?
It also has to do with time between cycles. How often, generally, do you uncharge and charge it again? How much time is elapsed between these?
a) Over time, naturally
b) Excessive uncharging and charging again
Though batteries do lose capacity over time, it's very slow - nothing near 9% over nine months.
In case you didn't know, a "cycle" is one complete uncharging of the battery. So if you run the battery down to 40%, recharge it completely then run the battery down to 60% later, that's a total of 100% charge lost and one cycle is recorded. Run Coconut Battery again - how many cycles do you have?
It also has to do with time between cycles. How often, generally, do you uncharge and charge it again? How much time is elapsed between these?
thegreatluke said:
Actually, I think coconutBattery records a partial discharge/charge as a cycle because I have discharged completely once and partially once and coconutBattery reports 2 cycles.
Yeah that seems unusually low for only 9 months. I just checked on mine, which is reading 90% after 26 months. I discharge and charge this thing all the time too.
edit: aren't there battery calibration programs out there? I've heard of them, thought coconut battery was one, but I guess I was wrong. What's out there?
edit: aren't there battery calibration programs out there? I've heard of them, thought coconut battery was one, but I guess I was wrong. What's out there?
I think you got it right iTwitch. I did another partial cycle yesterday and coconutBattery still reads 2 cycles. I was wondering, after a full calibration cycle and a partial cycle, my capacity was greater than the original capacity. Now after my second partial cycle, it's only 97% of the original. Is this a problem?
thegreatluke
macrumors 6502a
About the two cycles thing, I believe either Coconut Battery or OS X rounds a partial cycle (just the most recent one) up to the next whole number. So if you do another partial battery cycle that would amount to a whole one, it'll probably still read 2 cycles.
But 9% over nine months isn't anything to be worried about.
My best suggestion would be to try to not make as many cycles. Maybe you could try plugging it in whever you're near a power outlet? Just try to keep it plugged in whenever possible.
Another alternative would be to continue using it as you do until the capacity is so low the battery is unusable. Then you could just buy a new battery on eBay. A new battery for an iBook G4 would probably be around $50 or $60 US new at that point.
One cycle a day is pretty high for battery usage.rye9 said:
But 9% over nine months isn't anything to be worried about.
My best suggestion would be to try to not make as many cycles. Maybe you could try plugging it in whever you're near a power outlet? Just try to keep it plugged in whenever possible.
Another alternative would be to continue using it as you do until the capacity is so low the battery is unusable. Then you could just buy a new battery on eBay. A new battery for an iBook G4 would probably be around $50 or $60 US new at that point.
ok my mac is 8 weeks old, and i am down to 92%.....this sucks...not happy what is apples stand on this
benthewraith
macrumors 68040
rye9 said:
Theoretically speaking, your battery should only need to be calibrated.
My MBP's battery is recording 92% efficiency left, and is the same since Sunday. It was 94% before that, and has pretty much stayed the same. Calibration seems to do nothing. 🙁
I guess it's fine... I mean a couple months ago I actually had more capacity than the battery started with according to coconutbattery... weird, but i guess an OS update caused that. Now I have 9% less capacity.. but I was on 0% charge for 10 minutes when I calibrated earlier... so mayb readings are off.
gauchogolfer
macrumors 603
thegreatluke
macrumors 6502a
If the laptop is never being moved and it's near a power outlet, I'd recommend that it's never running on battery except for calibrating the battery, which should be done once within the first week and then at least once a month after that.rye9 said:
Calibrating the battery, while it does tell your laptop the current capacity of your battery, is more important for the laptop to know when to go into Safe Sleep mode so it doesn't shut down quickly, which can be terrible for the system*.
*Ironically, that's happened to me at least five times do to an unrelated battery problem which is being fixed by Apple. 😉
ive gone to the apple genius bar two times in the past month to complain about my battery. I have 40% capacity and am reaching my 12th month. I have 169 loadcycles. They told me that this is considered normal wear and tear. He explained that I pretty much used my laptop too much. If you think about it, 1 load cycle per day with my load cycle is only about 6 months... I am getting so many loadcycles because the battery life is only about an hour. any ideas on what i can do. i have already recalibrated and reset the pmu.
Maxiseller
macrumors 6502a
You have to factor in here that all batteries are different. Sometimes you'll fall lucky, other times it's a pain.
I've found that if I just use my laptop normally and forget all about it I'm happier! Hey, if the worst comes to the worst just buy a new battery.
After 12 months my ibook had lost 6% btw.
I've found that if I just use my laptop normally and forget all about it I'm happier! Hey, if the worst comes to the worst just buy a new battery.
After 12 months my ibook had lost 6% btw.
thegreatluke
macrumors 6502a
What kind of laptop do you have?madtodaimax said:
Take out the battery (while the laptop is off) and look at it from the edge. Is the battery "bulging?" I've had 60 cycles over five months with my MBP and my capacity was at 40% due to its bulging battery. Maybe mine was just a bad case of the bulging battery. 😉
This has happened on other models though.