MBP AC power

[brentg33]

Hi, i have a mbp for a year and half or so now and this week had to get a new battery.....the old one wasnt lasting very long...i believe it only had about 15 cycles on it...i used AC power almost always....so now that i have a brand new battery....and use my mbp primarly at home...how bad is it to use AC power most of the time?

 

[kolax]

No - but it doesn't help the battery health if you only let the battery go to 50% then start charging it up again.

If possible, when using battery, let it go down to as close to 0% before you plug it back in again. I know in real life circumstances this isn't always a possibility, but it does help with the life.

 

[brentg33]

but after its fully charged again....should i stop AC power and run off the battery? or can i continue to run AC eeven after 100% chg?

 

[kolax]

If it is fully charged, yes keep it on AC!

 

[Fabiano]

if you use it plugged most of the time, you can keep going like that, but be sure to calibrate your battery once a month.

how to calibrate your battery: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490

 

[merl1n]

if you use it plugged most of the time, you can keep going like that, but be sure to calibrate your battery once a month.

how to calibrate your battery: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490

I use mine connected to A/C 95% of the time (I drive an external 23" Cinema Display which needs the A/C power). My MBP is 18 months old using the original battery. I've only re-calibrated my battery 3 times and it still measures 93% capacity at 5 cycles.

I think "once a month" is overdoing it and time consuming. Every 6 months would seem more reasonable.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Fabiano]

I use mine connected to A/C 95% of the time (I drive an external 23" Cinema Display which needs the A/C power). My MBP is 18 months old using the original battery. I've only re-calibrated my battery 3 times and it still measures 93% capacity at 5 cycles.

I think "once a month" is overdoing it and time consuming. Every 6 months would seem more reasonable.

Just my 2 cents.

Well, its Apple recommendation, so they should have a good reason to say that.

 

[merl1n]

Well, its Apple recommendation, so they should have a good reason to say that.

Where does it say that in the KB article you supplied?

The battery needs to be recalibrated from time to time to keep the onscreen battery time and percent display accurate. With all iBooks and PowerBook G4 computers except the aluminum PowerBook G4 (15-inch Double-Layer SD), you should perform this procedure when you first use your computer and then every few months thereafter.

Every "few months" is not "every month".

 

[kolax]

Calibrating the battery just for indication purposes and doesn't actually affect the health at all.

I haven't calibrated my battery for ages, and even though my MBP said I had 10 minutes left, it actually lasted for about 40 minutes before going to sleep.