Macbook battery calibration

punky_munky

punky_munky

punky_munky

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1)Plug in the power adapter and fully charge your PowerBook's battery until the light ring or LED on the power adapter plug changes to green and the onscreen meter in the menu bar indicates that the battery is fully charged.

2)Allow the battery to rest in the fully charged state for at least two hours. You may use your computer during this time as long as the adapter is plugged in.

3)Disconnect the power adapter with the computer still on and start running the computer off battery power. You may use your computer during this time. When your battery gets low, you will see the low battery warning dialog on the screen.

4)Continue to keep your computer on until it goes to sleep. Save all your work and close all applications when the battery gets very low, before the computer goes to sleep.

5)Turn off the computer or allow it to sleep for five hours or more.

6)Connect the power adapter and leave it connected until the battery is fully charged again.

I'm on stage 6 but it's a little ambiguous here. The Macbook is turned off and it's charging but it's been doing so for about 5 hours... Is that normal? Should the little plug go green when it's done? I'm a little worried about it overcharging.
 
I'm really bad with correct battery usage :(
Should i go through all those steps?

With regards to the charging time, it does seem to take ages to fully charge (well, a good 2hrs+).
 
It says to get the longest life from your battery you should do it within the first week and then once every couple of months.

The battery isn't even warm... I'm not convinced it's doing anything.


-edit-

bing! green light just as I hit submit. :rolleyes:
 
punky_munky said:
It says to get the longest life from your battery you should do it within the first week and then once every couple of months.

The battery isn't even warm... I'm not convinced it's doing anything.


-edit-

bing! green light just as I hit submit. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...


If you click on the battery icon (top right of screen), it'll tell you what state of charge it's in. It doesn't go green as soon as it hits 100% charge though.
 
Matt said:
If you click on the battery icon (top right of screen), it'll tell you what state of charge it's in. It doesn't go green as soon as it hits 100% charge though.
Click to expand...

I know that. The macbook wasn't actually turned on and wasn't sure if I was allowed to turn it on whilst it was charging for calibration.

It's all good now though... estimate is up from 3.5 hours to 4h20mins. Not bad.
 
all i know is.

fully charge.

fully use.

fully charge

so on. fully use i mean by using it until it switches off with no battery life left at all.

otherwise half charging and half using will half the batterys life
EDIT: i dont mean macbook.. i dont own one, but anything with recharge battery
 
5)Turn off the computer or allow it to sleep for five hours or more.

im on that step at the moment, does it mean u can turn it off then charge it straight away rather than let it sleep for 5 hours

or if you turn it off do u still have to leave it 5 hours
 
lemonkettaz said:
all i know is.

fully charge.

fully use.

fully charge

so on. fully use i mean by using it until it switches off with no battery life left at all.

otherwise half charging and half using will half the batterys life
EDIT: i dont mean macbook.. i dont own one, but anything with recharge battery
Click to expand...

That's a bad idea for Li-Ion batteries (ie. the ones in MacBooks) - they prefer smaller and more frequent charges :)
 
Straight out of the current MacUser:

"If you have an older iPod, keep it charged up. Regular charging will prolong its effectiveness. Lithium-ion batteries perform at a higher level if they're regularly pumped up with juice. Older iPod batteries needed to be run down every now and then, but it's best to keep modern ones juiced up."

I know its about iPods but I rekon its applicable to Li batteries in general.
 
Is it ok to leave the power adaptor in all the time while at home?

I dont want to damage the battery at all
 
Could someone please answer the above question, i just dont want to damage the battery life after only 2 days lol
 
It should be ok. After a quick 80% fast charge they tend to go onto a slower trickle charge which does the business if its needed. The battery is pretty "smart" so I would imagine it will be fine.
 
Fillado said:
That's a bad idea for Li-Ion batteries (ie. the ones in MacBooks) - they prefer smaller and more frequent charges :)
Click to expand...
This was all well and good in the days of Ni-Cads, but, Fillado's right, Li-Ion cells are better off being charged while there's still juice in them. Not letting them drop below 25-30% before charging is good practice.


I don't care what it says in the manual :p
 
This may be of some use. From wikipedia:

Unlike NiCad batteries or NiMH batteries, lithium-ion batteries should be charged early and often. However, if they are not used for a longer time, they should be brought to a charge level of around 40%. Never use the battery care functions some cellular phones provide for nickel based batteries. (This will deep cycle the batteries.)
Li-ion batteries should be kept cool. Ideally they are stored in a refrigerator. Aging will take its toll much faster at high temperatures. Keeping them in very hot cars can kill lithium-ion batteries.
Avoid running the battery through "deep discharge" cycles — that is using it until it's fully depleted to 0 %.
Many authors suggest that freezing Li-ion batteries may be detrimental. However, most Li-ion battery electrolytes freeze at approximately -40°C. Household freezers rarely reach below -20°C. Published experiments demonstrate that freezing (even below -40°C) is unharmful if the battery is fully warmed to room temperature before use. More details are given in the book "Characteristics and Behavior of 1M LiPF6 1EC:1DMC Electrolyte at Low Temperatures" by L.M. Cristo, T. B. Atwater, U.S. Army Research, Fort Monmouth, NJ.
Buy Li-ion batteries only when needed. Look at the manufacturing date. That is when the ageing process begins.
When using a notebook computer running from fixed line power over extended periods, it is advisable to remove the battery and store it in a cool place.
However, many laptop manufacturers recommend against removing the battery from a laptop while it is plugged in, as this can damage a laptop designed to operate with the battery installed. Some manufacturers are also concerned about dust accumulation with the battery removed. Therefore, check the manufacturer's instructions before removing the battery.
Click to expand...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li-ion#Guidelines_for_prolonging_Li-ion_battery_life
 
I have always used something with rechargeable batteries until it was almost totally out, then do a full charge afterwards.

It just saves on the number of times you need to actually plug it in, and in my experience gives you a longer lifespan
 
not got a macbook, i'm using a powerbook but i let it drop to about 15-20% then charge it to full.

i know something's up with it because even when it's plugged in, after a while, (like 14 hours) it'll drop to 99%
 
Mine does that, always has. It will charge to 100%, drop to 99% and stay there whilst its plugged in. Doesnt worry me really...
 
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