Overcharging the MBP battery

[Buzz Law]

I tend to leave my MBP connected to the charger even after its fully charged. Is there any harm in this?

I remember overcharging problems with cell phones, I'm not sure if the same rules apply.

 

[Tallest Skil]

I've never heard of "overcharging" anything. It's not really possible; you're fine.

 

[vandozza]

towards the "end" of the charge cycle, you might notice that going from (say) 95% to 100% charged, is much slower than going from 90-95% charged (or any other 5% charge increase.)

the PMU slows down the rate of charging to a "trickle charge" towards the end of the charge cycle.

it's designed to do this to avoid any overcharge issues. it's perfectly safe to leave the power cord attached all the time (although at least monthly you should run the battery through a complete discharge/recharge cycle to promote battery health/life)

 

[Buzz Law]

Thanks for the responses.

And Tallest Skill, you can definitely overcharge your cell phone battery.

 

[iphonematt]

Thanks for the responses.

And Tallest Skill, you can definitely overcharge your cell phone battery.

You can??? I have had many phones over the years and have never overcharged my battery. Most Lithium-Ion batteries will cut the power off when fully charged. My iPhone has been plugged in for days before and I never ran into a problem.

 

[RITZFit]

My mbp has spend the majority of its two yrs plugged up at my desk. Battery still works fine

 

[abijnk]

And Tallest Skill, you can definitely overcharge your cell phone battery.

Only if your phone is old enough to not have a lithium ion battery. Lithium ion batteries have protection against that, hence it not being a problem with your MBP.

 

[Shawn Parr]

Thanks for the responses.

And Tallest Skill, you can definitely overcharge your cell phone battery.

If your phone has a Lithium battery (i.e. LiION) this is unlikely, as overcharging them leads to fire and/or explosions.

Many batteries now contain logic inside the battery itself to help regulate the input and monitor the temperature to help keep that from happening.

Now if you have an older phone with an older type of battery (NiMH, NiCd, etc) yes you can overcharge them and it hurts their useful life.

 

[skye12]

You can't overcharge these batteries. However, it is recommended you
exercise the lithium ion batteries once a month by letting it run down.
You don't have to let it run all the way down either.