Powerbook G4 Battery Issues

[DarkSel]

When I bought my Powerbook it came with a replacement battery. It's an official Apple battery.

It has around 100 cycles used, but it only last for about 20 minutes.

Is this normal? Do I need to calibrate the battery?

The one that shipped with the Powerbook has around 250 cycles and gets about 10 minutes...

 

[ppcfanforever1]

When I bought my Powerbook it came with a replacement battery. It's an official Apple battery.

It has around 100 cycles used, but it only last for about 20 minutes.

Is this normal? Do I need to calibrate the battery?

The one that shipped with the Powerbook has around 250 cycles and gets about 10 minutes...

I have the same problem except mine is 200 cycles and lasts 5 mins. I would love if someone had an answer.

 

[skateny]

Batteries discharge small amounts of energy, even while not in use. A seven-year-old battery with a couple of hundred cycles is not in the same condition as a newer battery with equivalent cycles.

The batteries for the G4 PowerBooks and iBooks are listed by Apple as having a life cycle of 300 cycles. The original battery for my iBook is listed as having gone through 190 cycles, and will power the iBook for ~100 minutes.

 

[California]

Batteries discharge small amounts of energy, even while not in use. A seven-year-old battery with a couple of hundred cycles is not in the same condition as a newer battery with equivalent cycles.

The batteries for the G4 PowerBooks and iBooks are listed by Apple as having a life cycle of 300 cycles. The original battery for my iBook is listed as having gone through 190 cycles, and will power the iBook for ~100 minutes.

Yes, I bought a brand new PB battery that had never been opened... since 2006. It lasts about forty five minutes, if that.

 

[DarkSel]

Batteries discharge small amounts of energy, even while not in use. A seven-year-old battery with a couple of hundred cycles is not in the same condition as a newer battery with equivalent cycles.

The batteries for the G4 PowerBooks and iBooks are listed by Apple as having a life cycle of 300 cycles. The original battery for my iBook is listed as having gone through 190 cycles, and will power the iBook for ~100 minutes.

My replacement battery was bought in 2008 and only has about 100 cycles. It barely lasts 20 minutes... why???

Does it need to calibrated?

 

[ybz90]

Or the cells simply cannot hold charge anymore. Calibration doesn't magically give batteries more life. All it does is calibrate the chip inside to allow it to more accurately read available charge. For instance, an uncalibrated battery may read 30 minutes, but actually last an hour. After calibration, it will read as an hour left, but the capacity did not change at all.

You should calibrate to get a good reading, but if the battery is on its way out, there's nothing you can do. Aftermarket batteries of varying quality are readily available, though performance and build are a wash.

I bought a TechOrbits that had a problem where every full cycle, the charge capacity would drop significantly... but the support was great, shipped me a replacement free, and the second one is working perfectly. I get around 2.5 hours on it, which is about as good I could hope for, and it only cost me $20 on eBay. The support was definitely very courteous and helpful, so they get an A+ on that.

 

[skateny]

Or the cells simply cannot hold charge anymore. Calibration doesn't magically give batteries more life. All it does is calibrate the chip inside to allow it to more accurately read available charge. For instance, an uncalibrated battery may read 30 minutes, but actually last an hour. After calibration, it will read as an hour left, but the capacity did not change at all.

You should calibrate to get a good reading, but if the battery is on its way out, there's nothing you can do. Aftermarket batteries of varying quality are readily available, though performance and build are a wash.

I bought a TechOrbits that had a problem where every full cycle, the charge capacity would drop significantly... but the support was great, shipped me a replacement free, and the second one is working perfectly. I get around 2.5 hours on it, which is about as good I could hope for, and it only cost me $20 on eBay. The support was definitely very courteous and helpful, so they get an A+ on that.

What he said, about calibration.

I also got a battery from TechOrbits for my iBook. It still lasts for around three hours after about a dozen cycles.

Unfortunately, it seems that in most cases batteries for G4 laptops do not abide by anything close to an exact science. I read somewhere once that people place their batteries in their freezers in order to give them more life, or to preserve the life they have. Never tried it, and am unaware of any science that would support this.

 

[g4manimac]

I got a ? Does the computer read between different batteries,if it does im really lucky mine has over 220 cycles and ive been on it an hour and I still have 53%left...............My granny beleives in the whole freezer thing ,batteries,bread,she even cleared out all her cigarettes to help me straighten out a mag bicycle wheel when I was younger HA HA didnt work!!!!