What is wrong with my battery?!?!

[kdmenon]

I bought a brand-spanking new G4 powerbook and it is about 2-3 weeks old but I am having problems with my battery, or at least the battery meter. Its not a big problem but I want to know whats wrong. Whenever I charge the battery it only goes up to 99% max. It NEVER goes above, does anybody know whats wrong with it and if I can fix it? Thanks...

 

[Finiksa]

There's probably nothing wrong with the battery, it's common for the battery indicator not to reach 100%.

In fact if the battery is above 96% it won't charge when you plug in the powerbook to prevent damage to the battery.

Just try re-calibrating the battery, if that doesn't solve it don't worry it's not a real problem. What matters if how many hours you're getting out of it.

 

[BakedBeans]

I bought a brand-spanking new G4 powerbook and it is about 2-3 weeks old but I am having problems with my battery, or at least the battery meter. Its not a big problem but I want to know whats wrong. Whenever I charge the battery it only goes up to 99% max. It NEVER goes above, does anybody know whats wrong with it and if I can fix it? Thanks...

yeah i agree i wouldnt worry all that much...mine does go to 100 but when i put the count down timer on it goes up and down one minute it will say 2 hours 9mins the the next it says 2 hours 15 mins the back to 2 h 8mins.... whats your dvd playback like ...do you get a really nice picture???

 

[invaLPsion]

I bought a brand-spanking new G4 powerbook and it is about 2-3 weeks old but I am having problems with my battery, or at least the battery meter. Its not a big problem but I want to know whats wrong. Whenever I charge the battery it only goes up to 99% max. It NEVER goes above, does anybody know whats wrong with it and if I can fix it? Thanks...

Nothing is wrong with your battery. On my old powerbook the percentage actually decreased over a matter of days. When it got down to 97% or so I would just run it down to about 90% then charge it back. Sometimes it would charge to 100%, but most of the time it would go to 99%. Don't worry about it.

 

[kdmenon]

Wow! Thanks

k thanx alot you guys... the picture while playing DVDs is awesome the pic is crystal clear and the overall package is great!! i have one more question tho... do you think it is smarter to turn off you powerbook at the end of the day or just put it on standby.... my battery still has great life and i want to keep it that way... any tips?

 

[BakedBeans]

k thanx alot you guys... the picture while playing DVDs is awesome the pic is crystal clear and the overall package is great!! i have one more question tho... do you think it is smarter to turn off you powerbook at the end of the day or just put it on standby.... my battery still has great life and i want to keep it that way... any tips?

i wouldnt ever turn it off (unless you have to)
things run faster ect

 

[Finiksa]

any tips?

The battery only has a limited number of recharge cycles, so keep it plugged in whenever you can.

Don't drain the battery fully every time or often, lithium-ion have a longer life time when topped off instead of being fully drained.

Re-calibrate the battery every 30 or so charges.

 

[IJ Reilly]

This isn't a problem unless the charge light never changes from amber to green, indicating that the battery is charged. I had this issue on a G4 PB -- turned out the battery was bad. Either way, if you start seeing "full" charges under 95% or so, I'd reset the power manager. Don't recall how to do this off the top of my head, but the instructions can be found on the Applecare site.

 

[Nutella]

Okay, probably a dumb question, but here goes...

How do I not shut off the powerbook?

In other words, if I usually keep it plugged in to the wall outlet and I want to move the computer, is it okay to simply unplug the ac adapter while the powerbook is still running? Should it be in sleep mode or does that not matter?

Thanks!

 

[BakedBeans]

Okay, probably a dumb question, but here goes...

How do I not shut off the powerbook?

In other words, if I usually keep it plugged in to the wall outlet and I want to move the computer, is it okay to simply unplug the ac adapter while the powerbook is still running? Should it be in sleep mode or does that not matter?

Thanks!

i just wip it oout... should be fine...

 

[Nutella]

thanks