MBP Battery -- will they replace & what should I be doing differently?

[thebassoonist]

Hi! First of the "batt," here's the info:

Battery Information:

Model Information:
Serial Number: Sony-ASMB012-372d-9c4a
Manufacturer: Sony
Device name: ASMB012
Pack Lot Code: 0003
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 102a
Hardware Revision: 0500
Cell Revision: 0303
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 3053
Fully charged: No
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 3334
Health Information:
Cycle count: 208
Condition: Check battery
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): -1746
Voltage (mV): 11904

I've had my MBP since October and I am pretty shocked at the decrease in battery life. I never leave it plugged in except to charge. I need to have it have at least 3 hours of battery life for my classes. *Sigh*

I'm going to take it to the Apple specialists at my Uni. Do you think they'll replace it?

Should I leave it plugged in more often? I try to calibrate it once a month, should I do it more often?

Thanks!

 

[rolex54]

yes, you definitely need to leave it plugged in as much as possible, just bring your charger with you with your laptop bag, and where you work, look for a plug first
As for the replacement, they may or they may not
Just make sure to cycle the battery completely at least once a month

 

[jtus]

If it is under a year old they will replace it.

 

[hari-bhari]

yes, you definitely need to leave it plugged in as much as possible, just bring your charger with you with your laptop bag, and where you work, look for a plug first
As for the replacement, they may or they may not
Just make sure to cycle the battery completely at least once a month

i totally disagree. i discharge and charge my battery at least once a day, sometimes twice a day. i did this on my old laptop for 5 years, and the battery capacity was still about 85-90% at the end of that time. my previous macbook, which i had for almost exactly 1 year, i followed the same procedure and the battery capacity went UP a few percent. make sure then when u charge and discharge you do a full cycle whenever possible. i am pretty anal about it and it has served me well.

 

[hari-bhari]

by the way, they should replace it. been under a year and 300 cycles. i bet it was just defective based on your explanation of use.

 

[Tweak3D]

he is over 200 cycles and I doubt apple will do anything. Hell, I am having a hard time trying to get them to replace a 6 month old battery that was a replacement for a defective battery which has 38 cycles and 5% health (about 8 minutes of useage on battery power).

The wording on apples battery page says you should be able to get UP TO 300 cycles and 80% health not that if you don't its defective. You can try, but I have a feeling its going to be an uphill battle.

-Justin

 

[thebassoonist]

I hear both things -- always have it plugged in, or try to not leave it plugged in. Ugh.

Thankfully, they took it in and will replace it. Good old campus computer services.

 

[jag00]

http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html

Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time. An ideal use would be a commuter who uses her MacBook Pro on the train, then plugs it in at the office to charge. This keeps the battery juices flowing. If on the other hand, you use a desktop computer at work, and save a notebook for infrequent travel, Apple recommends charging and discharging its battery at least once per month.

 

[glassmen07]

I believe the book that came with my MBP or a Genius told me to drain it down to like 60% if you wont be using it for an extended period of time. You shouldn't leave the battery in there all the time though, doing that killed my first battery, but I was under warranty so Apple gave me another. My battery went from 3 1/2 hours to 20 minutes in less than a year leaving it in.

 

[thebassoonist]

I believe the book that came with my MBP or a Genius told me to drain it down to like 60% if you wont be using it for an extended period of time. You shouldn't leave the battery in there all the time though, doing that killed my first battery, but I was under warranty so Apple gave me another. My battery went from 3 1/2 hours to 20 minutes in less than a year leaving it in.

Do you mean draining it to 60% and removing it from the computer?

 

[glassmen07]

Yeah that's what I mean.. though it could have been 30%... I don't know why I can't remember and my books aren't at school for me to look at. I'm sure Apple's site has better information on it.