What is broken, the charger or the battery?

[julienko3]

I had a charger from Apple that totally frayed and broke.

I was without charger for about a month, and finally bought one on eBay - from Hong Kong. I got it and it's not by apple, and it's super light and cheap. It give power to the computer so I can use it, but the battery icon in my menu shows a battery with an "X" in it and says "No batteries available".

I think it's the charger that has the problem and not the battery. I pressed the button on the bottom of my MacBook to see if there was any battery left, and the lights didn't blink.

So how can I tell what is messed up. Should I take the computer to the Apple Store so they can plug one of THEIR chargers in?

Thanks

 

[TEG]

Your battery is dead.

TEG

 

[julienko3]

Yay! Great, just great!!! So how much does a new one cost?!!?

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

Yay! Great, just great!!! So how much does a new one cost?!!?

i almost fell to the hong kong trick too, for an ipod usb adapter. but i decided to buy an AE, upgrading my router, eliminating cables in the process and also have the ability to charge my ipod touch. anyway, a new battery is about 130 for the 13 inch macbook.

 

[waw74]

Try leaving your computer off (not standby) and plugged in see if the battery charges, your charger may not be putting out enough to charge the battery and run the computer at the same time.
One of the guys at work had similar issues from using an older power supply with his old power book. it would actually slowly drain the battery while it was plugged in and running since the PS didn't have enough amperage to fully run the laptop.
supply was from an older power book. but he was using it for his "at work" charger so it wasn't too big a deal for him and easier than unplugging everyday.

How cheap was it? did you really save that much by not going with the apple one that at least has some warranty on it? not to mention knowing you're not going to have problems like you are.

speaking of warranty, i was able to get my MBpro supply replaced (twice i think) because the wire frayed right where it goes into the computer.

 

[nanofrog]

By chance, do you know anyone with another Apple power adapter that fits your computer?

If so, you can check if it works with your computer. It will tell you if your battery is dead, or if the new power adapter you bought works as you expect. Then go from there.

Unfortunately, many of the cheap knock-off adapters can't provide the necessary power.