Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Macbook pro battery cycle count

sofianito

sofianito

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 14, 2011
1,207
2
Spain
I received two days ago a new genuine Apple battery I bought from eBay for my MBP late 2008. I couldn't check the cycle count at the beginning since I had to do a new Snow Leopard installation, but I have been charging the battery since almost 2 days. Checking now with System Profiler the cycle count, I see:

Cycle count: 4
Condition: Normal

Are those values expected for a new battery?

TIA.
 
Is there a way to know if the battery I bought is really genuine? It has the Apple logo, and physically it looks like a genuine one, but the wierd thing is that the serial number displayed in the system profiler (see below) does not match the one that is printed in the back of the battery: W010220AJ6G1A

Could someone confirm if the two serials should match? Any help appreciated.

TIA.

System profiler output:
Model Information:
Serial Number: 6N9030A6X2VLA
Manufacturer: SMP
Device Name: bq20z951
Pack Lot Code: 0
PCB Lot Code: 0
Firmware Version: 002a
Hardware Revision: 000a
Cell Revision: 100
Charge Information:
Charge Remaining (mAh): 4534
Fully Charged: No
Charging: Yes
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 4775
Health Information:
Cycle Count: 5
Condition: Normal
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 362
Voltage (mV): 12416
 
Since it is very easy to access to the late 2008 MBP battery, I need the help of someone who has it to check if the serial number printed in the back of the battery is the same as one displayed by the system profiler application.

Any taker?

TIA.
 
sofianito said:
I received two days ago a new genuine Apple battery I bought from eBay for my MBP late 2008. I couldn't check the cycle count at the beginning since I had to do a new Snow Leopard installation, but I have been charging the battery since almost 2 days. Checking now with System Profiler the cycle count, I see:

Cycle count: 4
Condition: Normal

Are those values expected for a new battery?
Click to expand...
No, if you're buying a new battery, the cycles should be zero when you first get it. It is not normal to buy a new Apple battery with cycles already on it. It is possible to buy a new Mac that may have a few cycles on the battery from testing, but not a replacement battery.

I'm not aware of any genuine original Apple batteries being sold new on eBay; only used or knockoff batteries. I wouldn't trust or recommend any non-Apple battery, due to the number of problems reported with "knockoff" batteries. Also, there is no assurance that knockoff batteries have the same charging technology that Apple uses, involving the battery, the MagSafe adapter and the Mac's logic board.

This should answer most, if not all, of your battery/charging questions:
 
GGJstudios said:
No, if you're buying a new battery, the cycles should be zero when you first get it. It is not normal to buy a new Apple battery with cycles already on it. It is possible to buy a new Mac that may have a few cycles on the battery from testing, but not a replacement battery.

I'm not aware of any genuine original Apple batteries being sold new on eBay; only used or knockoff batteries. I wouldn't trust or recommend any non-Apple battery, due to the number of problems reported with "knockoff" batteries. Also, there is no assurance that knockoff batteries have the same charging technology that Apple uses, involving the battery, the MagSafe adapter and the Mac's logic board.

This should answer most, if not all, of your battery/charging questions:
Click to expand...

I could check the battery status only a day and after it arrived because I had to install Lion. Could it be that 4 cycles have been consumed in 1,5 days?

The ebay link I put in my first post is from someone who claims that it is a new genuine Apple battery and sells it half of its price in ebay compared to Apple's price. It has the Apple logo and the details I explained in my previous posts. I just can't explain why the serial repported by the system profiler is different from the serial printed in the back of the battery :(. Could it be an imitation?
 
GGJstudios said:
That was that poster's first post in the forum. They don't know what they're talking about, as it's definitely not normal.
Click to expand...

The amt of posting someone does does not influence the answer's correctness GGJ. If he is wrong, then he is wrong but it is NOT because it was his first post in the forum...

Similarly, those who post alot (you and even me) does not mean our posts carry more weight
 
sofianito said:
I could check the battery status only a day and after it arrived because I had to install Lion. Could it be that 4 cycles have been consumed in 1,5 days?
Click to expand...
Read the WHAT IS A CYCLE? section of the Battery FAQ.
sofianito said:
The ebay link I put in my first post is from someone who claims that it is a new genuine Apple battery and sells it half of its price in ebay compared to Apple's price. It has the Apple logo and the details I explained in my previous posts. I just can't explain why the serial repported by the system profiler is different from the serial printed in the back of the battery :(. Could it be an imitation?
Click to expand...
You're not going to find a genuine Apple battery at half the price. It's a knockoff.
 
Dragoro said:
How do you find out the cycle count?
Click to expand...

You can also click "About Your Mac" in the Apple menu, then click "System Report", then click "Power" in the hardware section to see all your battery details.
 
Last edited:
dukebound85 said:
If he is wrong, then he is wrong but it is NOT because it was his first post in the forum...
Click to expand...
I didn't say they were wrong because it was their first post. They are wrong, because it's not normal. The fact that it's their first post indicates that they haven't posted enough to earn a reputation for posting factual information.
 
Shamil said:
Thats is normal for new battery.is the cycle keep going up when u use the battery and charge it to full again?
Click to expand...
It is not normal for a brand new battery to have cycles on it. Also, read the WHAT IS A CYCLE? section of the Battery FAQ I posted earlier to understand how cycles work.
 
GGJstudios said:
That was that poster's first post in the forum. They don't know what they're talking about, as it's definitely not normal.
Click to expand...

Im working at Switch which is Apple Premium Reseller(switch.com.my).i just join this forum because of my friends asked me to.currently im using other forums for posting about mac/etc2.forum.lowyat.net.thanks!
 
Shamil said:
Im working at Switch which is Apple Premium Reseller(switch.com.my).i just join this forum because of my friends asked me to.currently im using other forums for posting about mac/etc2.forum.lowyat.net.thanks!
Click to expand...

You're still wrong about the battery cycles.
 
Shamil said:
You can correct me if im wrong about the battery cycle.you dont need to say that this is my 1st post and i dont know what im talking about.thanks.
Click to expand...
It was your first post. That's a fact. Your post was wrong. That's a fact. With regard to what you posted, you don't know what you're talking about. That's a fact.
 
GGJstudios said:
It was your first post. That's a fact. Your post was wrong. That's a fact. With regard to what you posted, you don't know what you're talking about. That's a fact.
Click to expand...

LOL.i know what im talking about.what i say is wrong.you can just correct me nicely.no need to tell me about FACTS.thanks.
 
GGJstudios said:
Read the WHAT IS A CYCLE? section of the Battery FAQ.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I already read it. Indeed I don't think I did 4 cycles in a day and half. When it has 0 cycles, then the Health Condition in the System Information would show "Good". My question: After how many cycles the Battery Health Condition goes from "Good" to "Normal"?

In order to argue with the eBay seller, I need to find out if you gals/guys could check that the serial printed in the back of your battery is the same as the one reported in the System Information.

For those who are willing to help, to access the Battery System Information click "About This Mac", then click "More Info..." button, then click "System Report" button. In the hardware section click "Power". In the "Model Information" subsection, you'll see the serial number and in the "Health Information" subsection you'll see the cycle count and condition.

My system reports actually the following:
Battery Information:

Model Information:
Serial Number: 6N9030A6X2VLA
Manufacturer: SMP
Device Name: bq20z951
Pack Lot Code: 0
PCB Lot Code: 0
Firmware Version: 002a
Hardware Revision: 000a
Cell Revision: 100
Charge Information:
Charge Remaining (mAh): 4775
Fully Charged: Yes
Charging: No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 4775
Health Information:
Cycle Count: 5
Condition: Normal
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 174
Voltage (mV): 12569


To read the serial printed physically in the back of the battery, you need to remove the lid at bottom of your mac. For those who have the late 2008 MBP it is very very easy:), you don't need a screwdriver.

I just need to confirm that both serials match in order to argue with the seller that it is not a genuine Apple battery, because he cold claim easily that I did those 5 cycles reported by the System Information... :(

Thanks for your collaboration :D
 
sofianito said:
Thanks, I already read it. Indeed I don't think I did 4 cycles in a day and half. When it has 0 cycles, then the Health Condition in the System Information would show "Good". My question: After how many cycles the Battery Health Condition shows "Normal"?
Click to expand...
Good and Normal mean the same thing. From the CHECKING STATUS AND HEALTH section of the Battery FAQ:
Leopard users may see their battery reported as "Good", while Snow Leopard and Lion users will see the same condition reported as "Normal". They mean the same thing.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back