Leaving your PB plugged in?

[chw]

I just got my very first PB and wondering what is the best practice in extending the life of the battery. For example:

1. When possible, is it better to always plug in to the wall?

2. Is it possible to over charge the battery?

3. I know for the iPod, many people suggest not letting the battery to drop below 50%. Does the same apply to PB batteries?

Thanks.

 

[quagmire]

I just got my very first PB and wondering what is the best practice in extending the life of the battery. For example:

1. When possible, is it better to always plug in to the wall?

2. Is it possible to over charge the battery?

3. I know for the iPod, many people suggest not letting the battery to drop below 50%. Does the same apply to PB batteries?

Thanks.

1. I think it is better to keep the powerbook plugged in I heard that the battery has 1000 charge cycles. The battery will charge when the charge drops below 95%.

2. I don't think there is a way to over charge the battery. What I have heard from friends that when the battery is full it deverts most of the power coming in from the power adapter dirctly to the computer itself.


3.I say, every 4-5 months you should calibrate the battery. Here is a link how to do it.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86284

 

[crees!]

Mine is plugged in all the time except for when I'm not near an outlet.

 

[chw]

Cool. Thanks. I think I will just leave mine plugged in then.

 

[Versello]

1. I think it is better to keep the powerbook plugged in I heard that the battery has 1000 charge cycles. The battery will charge when the charge drops below 95%.

2. I don't think there is a way to over charge the battery. What I have heard from friends that when the battery is full it deverts most of the power coming in from the power adapter dirctly to the computer itself.


3.I say, every 4-5 months you should calibrate the battery. Here is a link how to do it.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86284

I re-calibrated my battery after 5 months and let me say, the outcome wasn't very nice.

 

[aswitcher]

I re-calibrated my battery after 5 months and let me say, the outcome wasn't very nice.

What went wrong?

 

[MatMistake]

2. Is it possible to over charge the battery?

lithium-ion batterys (like in laptops, ipods, mobile phones, etc) have a special circuit built in to them than makes over charging impossible

you do have to make sure that if you run the battry down to the point where the computer turns off, do not turn the computer on again till it is pluged in to the wall and/or the battry is re-charged. the circuit that protects the battry neets a tiny charge to keep working, and repeatedly turning on the computer with a dead battry can deplete the tiny charge needed to keep the circuit alive, then next time you charge the battery you kill it...

also if you are not planning to use the computer for a long time, run the battry down to about 40% charge and store it somewhere cool, it'll last a little longer

I wouldn't worry about how much you use the battery, just use it how you want to, otherwise there isn't really any point in it being there

 

[7on]

Yeah, batteries should last the lifespan of your computer.

 

[quagmire]

Yeah, batteries should last the lifespan of your computer.

A computer can last for a long time. My old powermac 6100 will be running today if it wasn't for lighting had hit it(no surge protector). So the battery will need to be replaced every year or two. I don't know how long batteries normally last. But at apple support and you look for pbook, it will say after a yer they don't know if the battery will hold the charge. So your accusation that tyhe battery should last the computers life is wrong.

 

[Teronke]

Contrary to other posts, my advice is to avoid short charging especially when you have a new battery.

From my experience with Powerbook batteries it takes many complete discharges / almost complete discharges before the battery capacity reading settles down.

Shortcharging and constant mains plug in tend to result in the battery settling on a markedly lower capacity reading, which may eventuate in permanent shorter battery life.

With a new battery you should keep a eye on the battery capacity reading by using terminal and entering this command: ioreg -l -w 0 | grep IOBatteryInfo

 

[Versello]

What went wrong?

Decreased battery capacity.

 

[cb911]

Decreased battery capacity.

wow. that sucks.

you should be able to re-calibrate your battery anyway, and there were also software updates/OS updates that dealt with the battery capacity issue.

also, you did calibrate your battery properly in the first place didn't you?

 

[Versello]

wow. that sucks.

you should be able to re-calibrate your battery anyway, and there were also software updates/OS updates that dealt with the battery capacity issue.

also, you did calibrate your battery properly in the first place didn't you?

Yea I calibrated my battery when I first bought my PB. battery life was great, in the 3+ hour range, but now I get 2.5 hours.

 

[aswitcher]

Yea I calibrated my battery when I first bought my PB. battery life was great, in the 3+ hour range, but now I get 2.5 hours.

I am thinking about buying a spare battery wth my new PB to alternate them every week or so and for times when I am away from power for a while. Anyone had any problems doing this?