I've had my 12" PowerBook G4 (1.5 GHz, 512 Mb RAM) for about two years, and just recently the battery has been acting quite strangely. When I run on battery-only, after about 40 minute (varies quite widely though), the computer will shut off completely (not sleep, and the system clock resets)!
Does anyone know how to fix this problem? Will a new battery do the trick, or is there some confused hardware/software?
If you have any ideas, please respond to this string and/or email me at timothydavie@redacted.invalid
Thank you!
In article 1172557420.375334.312660@redacted.invalid, timothydavie@redacted.invalid wrote:
I've had my 12" PowerBook G4 (1.5 GHz, 512 Mb RAM) for about two years, and just recently the battery has been acting quite strangely. When I run on battery-only, after about 40 minute (varies quite widely though), the computer will shut off completely (not sleep, and the system clock resets)!
Does anyone know how to fix this problem? Will a new battery do the trick, or is there some confused hardware/software?
Issue #1: If that's your original battery, it's almost certainly due for replacement. The life on that battery should be, I think, about 500 discharge cycles. Even if your machine is plugged in almost all the time, the battery will degrade.
Issue #2: One bit of notebook maintenance that I think Apple should call more attention to is that the time estimate needs to be recalibrated every so often to remain useful. That happens by unplugging the machine and running the battery into the ground once or twice a year. If you've ever done this, it's possible that the system is reporting more time remaining than is realistic (and may itself not be planning properly).
G
On Feb 27, 4:34 am, Gregory Weston u...@redacted.invalid wrote:
In article 1172557420.375334.312...@redacted.invalid,
timothyda...@redacted.invalid wrote:
I've had my 12" PowerBook G4 (1.5 GHz, 512 Mb RAM) for about two years, and just recently the battery has been acting quite strangely. When I run on battery-only, after about 40 minute (varies quite widely though), the computer will shut off completely (not sleep, and the system clock resets)!
Does anyone know how to fix this problem? Will a new battery do the trick, or is there some confused hardware/software?
Issue #1: If that's your original battery, it's almost certainly due for replacement. The life on that battery should be, I think, about 500 discharge cycles. Even if your machine is plugged in almost all the time, the battery will degrade.
Issue #2: One bit of notebook maintenance that I think Apple should call more attention to is that the time estimate needs to be recalibrated every so often to remain useful. That happens by unplugging the machine and running the battery into the ground once or twice a year. If you've ever done this, it's possible that the system is reporting more time remaining than is realistic (and may itself not be planning properly).
G
-- The best intentions in the world don't make a flawed argument magically valid.
It is impossible for me to "run by battery into the ground", because the computer simply shuts off after about 30 minutes of being unplugged. When I plug it back in, the battery shows 87% or so charged. Could it be that there is some miscommunication going on between the battery or power-related hardware and the OS?
Thanks.
In article 1172598151.678381.132600@redacted.invalid, timothydavie@redacted.invalid wrote:
It is impossible for me to "run by battery into the ground", because the computer simply shuts off after about 30 minutes of being unplugged. When I plug it back in, the battery shows 87% or so charged. Could it be that there is some miscommunication going on between the battery or power-related hardware and the OS?
sudden shutoff is a sign of one (or more) of the internal battery cells failing.
there's no miscommunication occurring. it is time to replace the battery.
In article 270220071010138026%nospam@redacted.invalid, nospam nospam@redacted.invalid wrote:
In article 1172598151.678381.132600@redacted.invalid, timothydavie@redacted.invalid wrote:
It is impossible for me to "run by battery into the ground", because the computer simply shuts off after about 30 minutes of being unplugged. When I plug it back in, the battery shows 87% or so charged. Could it be that there is some miscommunication going on between the battery or power-related hardware and the OS?
sudden shutoff is a sign of one (or more) of the internal battery cells failing.
there's no miscommunication occurring. it is time to replace the battery.
I agree. The OP's battery is shot and a new one is in order. Apple and NewerTech are brands with good (if not flawless, at least better than any alternatives that I've ever seen) reputations.
In article 270220071010138026%nospam@redacted.invalid, nospam nospam@redacted.invalid wrote:
In article 1172598151.678381.132600@redacted.invalid, timothydavie@redacted.invalid wrote:
It is impossible for me to "run by battery into the ground", because the computer simply shuts off after about 30 minutes of being unplugged. When I plug it back in, the battery shows 87% or so charged. Could it be that there is some miscommunication going on between the battery or power-related hardware and the OS?
sudden shutoff is a sign of one (or more) of the internal battery cells failing.
there's no miscommunication occurring. it is time to replace the battery.
I agree, and two years is not out of reason for this type of thing.