http://www.apple.com/batteries/
-z-
zoara me3@redacted.invalid wrote:
http://www.apple.com/batteries/
Inneresting.
They say for Powerbook batteries, they need to have their electrons stirred up, so leaving them permanently plugged in is not ideal. They should be run on battery at least once a month.
Leaving them for a long period it's best to remove the battery and store it at 50% charge.
And you can expect it to have 80% of its original charge capability after 300 charge cycles.
PeterD pd.news@redacted.invalid wrote:
Inneresting.
Izznit just?
They say for Powerbook batteries, they need to have their electrons stirred up, so leaving them permanently plugged in is not ideal. They should be run on battery at least once a month.
On the other hand the limitation is the number of charge/discharge cycles. That is what gets me confused.
I'll have to try the 'once a month' trick.
Peter Ceresole peter@redacted.invalid wrote:
They say for Powerbook batteries, they need to have their electrons stirred up, so leaving them permanently plugged in is not ideal. They should be run on battery at least once a month.
On the other hand the limitation is the number of charge/discharge cycles. That is what gets me confused.
I think that letting the PowerBook charging while the battery is already full is equivalent to permanent discharge-charge: when the PowerBook is plugged-in the battery it still discharging, but it is immediatly recharging so it appears to be full. But the battery is still being drained when it is full and the computer plugged-in.
This is how I represent the way my PowerBook behaves; I can't remember where I got that from. But what's sure is that at first I let the PowerBook plugged-in as much as possible (I basically use it as a desktop, and when I move I used to plug it in), and the battery died within a few months. I now tend to avoid letting the battery charging while it is already full.
Serge Pajak serge@redacted.invalid wrote:
I think that letting the PowerBook charging while the battery is already full is equivalent to permanent discharge-charge
Nope, I don't think so. More that it will go through very small charge and discharge cycles between the 'max' and 'start recharging' levels. As far as I can tell from the level meter, that's between 98 and 97%.
But what's sure is that at first I let the PowerBook plugged-in as much as possible (I basically use it as a desktop, and when I move I used to plug it in), and the battery died within a few months.
I use it in exactly the same way. I have done so almost continuously for two and a half years, with brief sessions on battery showing slide shows at wedding parties and while travelling. But mostly as a desk top, plugged into the mains.
Today I read the Apple piece, so I've tried discharging it in normal use, web browsing, MacSouping and mailing, and streaming Live365 continuously in the background. I slept it while I did some cleaning, and while I had supper. I got 1h 40 mins out of it before the 'low battery' warning came on at 8% remaining. After 2 1/2 years, I don't think that's too bad. I had feared much worse.
I now tend to avoid letting the battery charging while it is already full.
I shall put it back onto charge and leave it there. I'm pretty happy with the way it's performed. It seems to like the regime.
Peter Ceresole peter@redacted.invalid wrote:
Today I read the Apple piece, so I've tried discharging it in normal use, web browsing, MacSouping and mailing, and streaming Live365 continuously in the background. I slept it while I did some cleaning, and while I had supper. I got 1h 40 mins out of it before the 'low battery' warning came on at 8% remaining.
Just to make it clear; as I was checking, I added the times it was awake. I'm not counting the sleep time. The total time was more like 3 hours.
Peter Ceresole peter@redacted.invalid wrote:
But what's sure is that at first I let the PowerBook plugged-in as much as possible (I basically use it as a desktop, and when I move I used to plug it in), and the battery died within a few months.
I use it in exactly the same way. I have done so almost continuously for two and a half years, with brief sessions on battery showing slide shows at wedding parties and while travelling. But mostly as a desk top, plugged into the mains.
Yeah, me too.
Today I read the Apple piece, so I've tried discharging it in normal use, web browsing, MacSouping and mailing, and streaming Live365 continuously in the background. I slept it while I did some cleaning, and while I had supper.
You are me and I claim my five pounds. Except it was Radio 4, not Live365.
I got 1h 40 mins out of it before the 'low battery' warning came on at 8% remaining. After 2 1/2 years, I don't think that's too bad. I had feared much worse.
Ah, we don't live in parallel branes after all. I pulled the power cord out at 2 o'clock, slept the TiBook for half an hour between 3 and 3:30, and it force-slept from low power just before 6, so three and a half hours. That slower processor (mine's a 400MHz) isn't such a gas guzzler.
PeterD pd.news@redacted.invalid wrote:
Ah, we don't live in parallel branes after all. I pulled the power cord out at 2 o'clock, slept the TiBook for half an hour between 3 and 3:30, and it force-slept from low power just before 6, so three and a half hours. That slower processor (mine's a 400MHz) isn't such a gas guzzler.
Mine's only a 667- although the fan was on quite a bit of the time, even on battery, which is unusual, bit it's been warm today in Sarfwess London.
If I really wanted to keep it running longer, I guess the most effective thing I could do is reboot into 9.2.2, which has a facility to skip cycles and generally slow things down. I'm sure I'd be getting significantly more battery time. As it is, I'd not run OS10 on battery before, and I was surprised that it didn't slow down at all, unlike OS9.
Peter Ceresole peter@redacted.invalid wrote:
If I really wanted to keep it running longer, I guess the most effective thing I could do is reboot into 9.2.2, which has a facility to skip cycles and generally slow things down. I'm sure I'd be getting significantly more battery time. As it is, I'd not run OS10 on battery before, and I was surprised that it didn't slow down at all, unlike OS9.
Can't remember Jaguar, but OSX 10.3 has options for Battery Power including Highest Performance or Longest Battery Life. Longer Battery uses "Reduced Processor Performance".
I had mine on Highest Performance.
PeterD pd.news@redacted.invalid wrote:
Can't remember Jaguar, but OSX 10.3 has options for Battery Power including Highest Performance or Longest Battery Life. Longer Battery uses "Reduced Processor Performance".
Jag doesn't offer that- just early shutdowns.
I had mine on Highest Performance.
Same here. But in 9 I take the skip cycles option. It does make a difference.
Serge Pajak serge@redacted.invalid wrote:
[]
This is how I represent the way my PowerBook behaves; I can't remember where I got that from. But what's sure is that at first I let the PowerBook plugged-in as much as possible (I basically use it as a desktop, and when I move I used to plug it in), and the battery died within a few months. I now tend to avoid letting the battery charging while it is already full.
My experience (12" 2001 iBoko) is the opposite - the original battery gave up the ghost[0] after around 2 years of "plug in in the office, run unplugged 'till automagic shutdown at home" - that would be around ~500 full cycles.
I'll also be trying the flatten-once-a-month trick now.
rgds, Alan [0] Well, dropped to ~45-60 mins life.
Alan Frame alan.frame@redacted.invalid wrote:
My experience (12" 2001 iBoko) is the opposite - the original battery gave up the ghost[0] after around 2 years of "plug in in the office, run unplugged 'till automagic shutdown at home" - that would be around ~500 full cycles.
Apple say those LiON batteries should last about 300 full cycles, so I guess your experience is consistent with that.