[Motor]

I have a rev. A MacBook that I purchased in September 2006. According to System Profiler my battery's cycle count is currently 317.

For about the last two months my battery has been behaving strangely. It started out by dying randomly with about 25% of power remaining. This happens with out warning. Also, about a month ago I started to notice that the battery life wasn't as long as it was just a week earlier. I'm guessing I lost about a half an hour of battery at that point.

Now, the problem has gotten very serious. Yesterday I used the computer while it was fully charged and it said that it would only last for 25 minutes. I used iStat Pro to check the battery's health, and it had dropped down to 11% (it was at 74% just two days ago). Today it's even stranger because at times iStat Pro will randomly show the health to be either at 9% (it dropped from 11% to 9% since yesterday) or at around 54%. I wouldn't think that a batteries health could fluctuate like this...

This is very frustrating and makes my MacBook almost unusable when not plugged in.

Let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions, or if you have had a similar situation before.

Thanks!

[Taskiss]

Well, you can cycle the battery, but it sounds as if it's needing to be replaced. MacBooks came out in early 2006 (from what I've been able to find out) and 2 years would be on the short end of the battery life stick, but not unthinkable.

[chucker]

Originally Posted by Taskiss MacBooks came out in early 2006 (from what I've been able to find out)

May, and Motor says the purchase was in September.

I would try calling Apple to see if they'll be fair enough to replace the battery for free.

Is the battery firmware up-to-date? How many load cycles do you have?

[Motor]

I've had my MacBook for 14 and a half months. I believe I have 317 load cycles. And I'm on battery Update 1.3

I'll try talking with Apple about the issue. How likely do you think it would be for Apple to replace my battery outside of warranty?

Thanks for your help.

[PB PM]

Apple wont. At that high a cycle count, its time to replace it. Even the one year warranty only replaces batteries if they are under 300 cycles and hold less than 85% of the original charge or some odd reason.

[naren]

My GF had hers replaced by Apple free of charge last week, she has Applecare though.

[Dorian Gray]

Originally Posted by PB PM Even the one year warranty only replaces batteries if they are under 300 cycles and hold less than 85% of the original charge or some odd reason.

It's actually 80% I believe, though the wording is rather ambiguous. I wouldn't say that's "odd" either. Lithium-based batteries, like other technologies before them, have limited lifespans. 300 cycles is a lot of use! Some batteries may last longer, but it very much depends on how one treats the battery. And I've yet to meet a single person in the real world who has any clue how to treat lithium-ion batteries. But then, most people don't rack up anywhere near 300 cycles either.

[Motor]

I'd understand if the battery was simply getting weaker with age, but it seems to be acting very weird. The battery's health is fluctuating. As I understand it, a batteries health can only get worse. In the last day my battery's health has been at 9%, 54%, 62% and right now it's at 71%. To me that seems less like a worn battery and more like a defective battery.

I know I'm no longer under warranty, so I understand if Apple won't help. But I would still be interested in understanding what is going on. If I bring my MacBook into an Apple Store will they look at it for free and give me a diagnosis? Who knows maybe it's a software problem that could be fixed for free.

Oh, and here is a log of what System Profiler has said about my battery over the last day:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
12/1/07

7:49 PM

Power:

System Power Settings:

AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Automatic Restart On Power Loss: No
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake On LAN: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 5
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 1
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Reduce Brightness: Yes

Hardware Configuration:

UPS Installed: No

AC Charger Information:

Connected: Yes
Charging: Yes

Battery Information:

Model Information:
Manufacturer: DP
Device name: ASMB013
Pack Lot Code: 0001
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0102
Hardware Revision: 0300
Cell Revision: 0100
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 258
Fully charged: No
Charging: Yes
Full charge capacity (mAh): 737
Health Information:
Cycle count: 318
Battery health: Fair
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 849
Voltage (mV): 12437


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
12/1/07

10:46 PM

Power:

System Power Settings:

AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Automatic Restart On Power Loss: No
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake On LAN: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 5
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 1
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Reduce Brightness: Yes

Hardware Configuration:

UPS Installed: No

AC Charger Information:

Connected: No
Charging: No

Battery Information:

Model Information:
Manufacturer: DP
Device name: ASMB013
Pack Lot Code: 0001
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0102
Hardware Revision: 0300
Cell Revision: 0100
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 2614
Fully charged: No
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 3170
Health Information:
Cycle count: 318
Battery health: Fair
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): -113
Voltage (mV): 11992


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
12/1/07

11:17 PM

Power:

System Power Settings:

AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Automatic Restart On Power Loss: No
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake On LAN: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 5
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 1
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Reduce Brightness: Yes

Hardware Configuration:

UPS Installed: No

AC Charger Information:

Connected: No
Charging: No

Battery Information:

Model Information:
Manufacturer: DP
Device name: ASMB013
Pack Lot Code: 0001
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0102
Hardware Revision: 0300
Cell Revision: 0100
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 2587
Fully charged: No
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 3104
Health Information:
Cycle count: 318
Battery health: Fair
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): -1440
Voltage (mV): 11690



---------------------------------------------------------------------------
12/2/07

11:24 AM

Power:

System Power Settings:

AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Automatic Restart On Power Loss: No
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake On LAN: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 5
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 1
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Reduce Brightness: Yes

Hardware Configuration:

UPS Installed: No

AC Charger Information:

Connected: No
Charging: No

Battery Information:

Model Information:
Manufacturer: DP
Device name: ASMB013
Pack Lot Code: 0001
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0102
Hardware Revision: 0300
Cell Revision: 0100
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 1250
Fully charged: No
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 2663
Health Information:
Cycle count: 318
Battery health: Fair
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): -1658
Voltage (mV): 11281


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
12/2/07

2:35 PM

Power:

System Power Settings:

AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Automatic Restart On Power Loss: No
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake On LAN: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 5
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 1
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Reduce Brightness: Yes

Hardware Configuration:

UPS Installed: No

AC Charger Information:

Connected: No
Charging: No

Battery Information:

Model Information:
Manufacturer: DP
Device name: ASMB013
Pack Lot Code: 0001
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0102
Hardware Revision: 0300
Cell Revision: 0100
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 2905
Fully charged: No
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 3606
Health Information:
Cycle count: 318
Battery health: Fair
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): -1710
Voltage (mV): 11550


Particularly notice the Full charge capacity (mAh). I'd think that number wouldn't change much in less than a day (and it certainly shouldn't go up, right?). Also, does it make sense for Amperage to be negative?

[Dorian Gray]

The negative amperage just means the current is flowing out of the battery (i.e. you're using battery rather than AC power). But the value around 100 mA is an indication that the battery might not be calibrated. Try to calibrate the battery according to this procedure.

But I suspect your battery is just done. Lithium-ion batteries often behave like yours when they reach the end of their life. Not much you can do about it. If Apple don't replace it for free, and they have no reason to do so, then you'll just have to fork out the cost of a replacement. Thankfully Apple charge less for batteries than many notebook manufacturers, though they're still expensive.

[RobUSVI]

Also, check your CPU load (via Activity Monitor) and ensure that you do not have a run-away process consuming all the CPU cycles, eating your battery for nothing.

[tsa]

The battery of my MBP has 530 loadcycles and is now at 43 %. I get about 1:15 from a full charge if I'm lucky. But from what I read above that's quite good!