Late-2006 MBP 15" (A1211) charger question

[mrgreen4242]

Hi -

Hoping someone can help me with this. I am trying to test out an old late-2006 MBP. It's the 15" and so uses the 85w power supply. Unfortunately, I don't have one available. I don't want to buy one if the machine is no good. I DO have access to a 60w magsafe power supply, though. Here's what I know:

1) The unit will power on fine with the 60w PSU
2) The battery shows up in the system profiler. It's completely discharged, has only 83 cycles, and gives a condition of "Check Battery"
3) The unit will NOT charge the battery wether it's powered up or shut down. The magsafe connector stays green, and the charge indicator in OSX indicates "Not Charging"

What I need to know:

1) Should a 60w power supply charge the battery, albeit slowler than the 85w, at least when the computer is powered down?
2) If it should, but it's not, and computer powers on, does that indicate bad battery or a bad charger board (the PSU is known good)?
3) Would a completely discharged battery trigger the "Check Battery" status in System Profiler?

Any other input on this?

Thanks!

 

[T5BRICK]

1) Should a 60w power supply charge the battery, albeit slowler than the 85w, at least when the computer is powered down?

I don't think the 60w power supply can actually charge the battery and run the computer. MAYBE when it's powered down, but I'm not 100% sure.

2) If it should, but it's not, and computer powers on, does that indicate bad battery or a bad charger board (the PSU is known good)?

I'm thinking a bad battery is probably the issue.

3) Would a completely discharged battery trigger the "Check Battery" status in System Profiler?

The battery notifications are pretty good indicators that something is wrong with the battery.

Is the battery original? I wouldn't expect much out of it especially since it's 8 years old and has so few cycles.

 

[mrgreen4242]

Thanks for the response. I wish there was an apple store nearby so I could test for sure, but I think you're likely correct. Seems like it should charge at least when it's powered down.

Between needing a new battery and a PSU, this system probably isn't worth putting the money into getting it functional again.

 

[Barney63]

The MagSafes are intelligent. If the macbook knows it is the wrong one it probably won't let it charge at all, preventing it from overloading and damaging the adaptor.


Barney