Hello Macintosh People!
I'm not sure if this is a hardware, software, or operating system issue, but this group seems to be very experienced, so I've started here. I apologize ahead of time if my post is off topic.
I have an Intel MacBook which I bought about 5 month ago. I've always had a strange issue with the battery indicator in the upper right corner:
Sometimes, I plug the notebook in, and it charges as expected. The % indicator goes up, the little button on the battery shows it's fully charged, and the light on the cord goes from orange to green.
This is not the norm, however. Usually, I plug the computer in, the % indicator shows that it is plugged in, but the % does not go up. The button on the battery indicates that the % indicator is correct, and the power cord light is green, not orange.
Has anyone else experienced this? Is it a problem with my charger, my notebook, my battery, or is the os simply not reporting the problem properly? Or am I just a noob and doing something wrong? I'd really hate to have a problem with a notebook I just bought, especially since my first mac has been treating me so well.
As always, I appreciate any help you guys and ladies can give me. Thanks again!
On 2006-09-15 14:35:45 -0500, "Big Dave Smith" bigdave.smith@redacted.invalid said:
Hello Macintosh People!
I'm not sure if this is a hardware, software, or operating system issue, but this group seems to be very experienced, so I've started here. I apologize ahead of time if my post is off topic.
I have an Intel MacBook which I bought about 5 month ago. I've always had a strange issue with the battery indicator in the upper right corner:
Sometimes, I plug the notebook in, and it charges as expected. The % indicator goes up, the little button on the battery shows it's fully charged, and the light on the cord goes from orange to green.
This is not the norm, however. Usually, I plug the computer in, the % indicator shows that it is plugged in, but the % does not go up. The button on the battery indicates that the % indicator is correct, and the power cord light is green, not orange.
Has anyone else experienced this? Is it a problem with my charger, my notebook, my battery, or is the os simply not reporting the problem properly? Or am I just a noob and doing something wrong? I'd really hate to have a problem with a notebook I just bought, especially since my first mac has been treating me so well.
As always, I appreciate any help you guys and ladies can give me. Thanks again!
Hi Dave,
Have you checked to see if your battery is one of the 1.1 million batteries recently recalled by Apple? Check here to be sure:
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/laptops/apple-battery-recall-official-196422.php
https://support.apple.com/macbookpro15/batteryexchange/
If
your battery was recalled, stop using it immediately and get it replaced. If not, we can proceed with some troubleshooting steps.
Jolly Roger wrote:
On 2006-09-15 14:35:45 -0500, "Big Dave Smith" bigdave.smith@redacted.invalid said:
Hello Macintosh People!
I'm not sure if this is a hardware, software, or operating system issue, but this group seems to be very experienced, so I've started here. I apologize ahead of time if my post is off topic.
I have an Intel MacBook which I bought about 5 month ago. I've always had a strange issue with the battery indicator in the upper right corner:
Sometimes, I plug the notebook in, and it charges as expected. The % indicator goes up, the little button on the battery shows it's fully charged, and the light on the cord goes from orange to green.
This is not the norm, however. Usually, I plug the computer in, the % indicator shows that it is plugged in, but the % does not go up. The button on the battery indicates that the % indicator is correct, and the power cord light is green, not orange.
Has anyone else experienced this? Is it a problem with my charger, my notebook, my battery, or is the os simply not reporting the problem properly? Or am I just a noob and doing something wrong? I'd really hate to have a problem with a notebook I just bought, especially since my first mac has been treating me so well.
As always, I appreciate any help you guys and ladies can give me. Thanks again!
Hi Dave,
Have you checked to see if your battery is one of the 1.1 million batteries recently recalled by Apple? Check here to be sure:
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/laptops/apple-battery-recall-official-196422.php
https://support.apple.com/macbookpro15/batteryexchange/
If
your battery was recalled, stop using it immediately and get it replaced. If not, we can proceed with some troubleshooting steps.
-- -JR
JR,
Thanks for the notices. I checked, and my battery is an unaffected model. Can you recommend some troubleshooting steps? Thanks!
-Dave
In article 1158348944.972911.166020@redacted.invalid, "Big Dave Smith" bigdave.smith@redacted.invalid wrote:
This is not the norm, however. Usually, I plug the computer in, the % indicator shows that it is plugged in, but the % does not go up. The button on the battery indicates that the % indicator is correct, and the power cord light is green, not orange.
If this happens when the battery has a charge of 90% or so (or more), it's normal. It's to prevent unnecessary 'stress' for the battery.
Jollino wrote:
In article 1158348944.972911.166020@redacted.invalid, "Big Dave Smith" bigdave.smith@redacted.invalid wrote:
If this happens when the battery has a charge of 90% or so (or more), it's normal. It's to prevent unnecessary 'stress' for the battery.This is not the norm, however. Usually, I plug the computer in, the % indicator shows that it is plugged in, but the % does not go up. The button on the battery indicates that the % indicator is correct, and the power cord light is green, not orange.
Jollino
Jollino,
No, actually, I don't think it has ever happened when the battery is that charged. Usually it's around 50%, and at the moment, it's stuck at 25%.
-Dave
In article 1158358110.733995.12390@redacted.invalid, "Big Dave Smith" bigdave.smith@redacted.invalid wrote:
No, actually, I don't think it has ever happened when the battery is that charged. Usually it's around 50%, and at the moment, it's stuck at 25%.
That sounds like a problem. Have you tried calling Apple to get some hints? I'm afraid I can't help much...
Big Dave Smith wrote:
Jollino wrote:
In article 1158348944.972911.166020@redacted.invalid, "Big Dave Smith" bigdave.smith@redacted.invalid wrote:
This is not the norm, however. Usually, I plug the computer in, the % indicator shows that it is plugged in, but the % does not go up. The button on the battery indicates that the % indicator is correct, and the power cord light is green, not orange.
If this happens when the battery has a charge of 90% or so (or more), it's normal. It's to prevent unnecessary 'stress' for the battery.
No, actually, I don't think it has ever happened when the battery is that charged. Usually it's around 50%, and at the moment, it's stuck at 25%.
It will do that if the voltage being supplied is too low. My Tibook charges quickly if it is getting near 24 volts. It charges more slowly when I use generic el cheepo power supplies. I dropped the voltage down once and it stopped charging completely at (i don't remember but i think around 18) volts. The computer, sadly, won't run at all from a 13 volt car battery. The internal battery is 14.4. Unfortunate choice in my opinion.
Jollino wrote:
In article 1158358110.733995.12390@redacted.invalid, "Big Dave Smith" bigdave.smith@redacted.invalid wrote:
No, actually, I don't think it has ever happened when the battery is that charged. Usually it's around 50%, and at the moment, it's stuck at 25%.
That sounds like a problem. Have you tried calling Apple to get some hints? I'm afraid I can't help much...
Try resetting the power manager. Take the battery out, and then hold down the power buttton for five seconds. Replace, boot up.
You can also run the PB with no battery in at all, which should save on power cycles for the battery, if it's convenient to leave it plugged in all the time.