Macbook battery and shutdown issues.

[lotusindigo]

I have an aluminum unibody macbook bought 2/08. I've been having some battery issues:

1) Even when plugged in for a whole day, it never seems fully charged. It always shows a percentage in the 90's instead of 100%.
2) The battery drains several times faster than it used to just a month ago.
3) It shuts down without warning around 40% charge, according to what my computer says.

Does this sound familiar? I googled and read that maybe I should reset the PRAM or something. Should I just take it in? I have Applecare.

 

[celticpride678]

Go to the Apple Menu>About this Mac>More Info>Power and copy+paste the health information.

Calibrating your battery and resetting the SMC won't hurt either.

 

[lotusindigo]

How do I calibrate my battery and reset the SMC?

Battery Information:

Model Information:
Serial Number: 6N9030ASS2VKA
Manufacturer: SMP
Device name: bq20z951
Pack Lot Code: 0000
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 002a
Hardware Revision: 000a
Cell Revision: 0100
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 3038
Fully charged: Yes
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 3038
Health Information:
Cycle count: 271
Condition: Check Battery
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 170
Voltage (mV): 12558

System Power Settings:

AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 15
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 15
Automatic Restart On Power Loss: No
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake On LAN: No
Current Power Source: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 15
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 15
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Reduce Brightness: Yes

Hardware Configuration:

UPS Installed: No

AC Charger Information:

Connected: Yes
ID: 0x0100
Wattage (W): 60
Revision: 0x0000
Family: 0x00ba
Serial Number: 0x00eb4c78
Charging: No

Power Events:

Next Scheduled Events:

Type: Wake or Power On
Scheduled By: Repeating Event
Time: 8/16/10 5:29 AM

Repeating Events:

Type: Wake or Power On
Time: 5:29 AM every day

 

[celticpride678]

Calibrate: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1490
Reset SMC: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964?viewlocale=en_US

It seems like your battery has begun to fail before it should Bring it in to Apple and they should replace it free of charge.

 

[Pax]

"Check Battery" is Apple speak for "your battery is toast". The mA hr figure confirms it.

I strongly doubt they will replace it for free - worth a try though. Battery warranty a very grey area with Apple.

 

[GGJstudios]

This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions: Apple Notebook Battery FAQ

 

[ChuckBlack]

I've had the same issues with my GF's Macbook 2008 model with the replaceable battery for a few months now. Charge cycles 283. I guess I should have brought it in sooner. Still under 300 charge cycles as per Apples website.