Mac Laptop Battery Tips

March 15, 2007 |

Most laptops now use lithium ion (Liions) batteries. Lions should be managed differently from the Nicad or NiMH batteries used in older laptops. In particular, Lions should not be run all the way down to prevent “memory effect”. First, they don’t have a memory effect, and second, running them down tends to reduce their capacity. If the laptop does not need the battery it should be run to about 40% charge and stored in a cool place. Liion batteries go bad whether used or not, so only buy new Liions. Typical life is 2-3 years.

Mac Laptop batteries are specifically designed for each laptop brand and model. Mac laptop batteries are all fundamentally different from one another and cannot be substituted unless the laptop has been pre-configured from the manufacturer to accept more than one type of battery chemistry.

Go to your manual to find out which rechargeable battery types the laptop device supports or use Mac Battery Finder above to find all the compatible laptop batteries for your device. It will automatically list all of the battery chemistries supported by your specific device. If your device does allow you to upgrade the battery from NiMH to Li-Ion, you will typically get longer run times.

Why are iBook and PowerBooks batteries so expensive? Part of the reason is that LiIon batteries can do bad things if they overheat. So LiIon battery packs have an internal circuit to prevent overcharging. There can be several functions for the protection circuit, including shutting it down in case.

Calibration:
Calibrate the Battery New Apple batteries, those included with a machine and those bought separately, arrive partially charged and need to be calibrated. This procedure provides a baseline for the processor built into the battery, so the processor can effectively regulate power consumption. To calibrate your battery, first plug in the laptop and charge the battery, till the battery is fully charged. Next, unplug the power adapter and let the battery run down. The machine will put itself to sleep and refuse to wake up. Plug the adapter in again and fully recharge the battery. You need to calibrate the battery only once.

When your laptop is running on battery power, use the energy saver preference pane to minimize performance and maximize battery life. From the optimize energy settings pop-up menu, choose Longest Battery Life, which puts the hard disk to sleep when possible and reduces the processor’s performance.

Store the Battery Properly When it’s asleep, a laptop steals power from its battery to maintain the contents of its memory. If you won’t be using the computer for several days, putting it to sleep could drain the battery. Instead, charge the battery to about 40 or 50 percent capacity and shut the computer down. If you need to store a battery for six months or more, remove it from the machine and keep it in a place that won’t get too hot or too cold.

Current iBooks and PowerBooks ship with a 65-watt AC adapter that powers the machine and recharges the battery. If you’ve moved up from an iBook (dual USB) or a Titanium PowerBook G4, you can use the older machine’s 45-watt adapter as an extra charger for the new Macs, but Apple doesn’t recommend it: that wattage is enough to keep you working but not enough to charge the battery at the same time.

by Harry Johnson

Comments

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Other links
- Understanding Money

Recently Written

Categories

Archives

Blogroll

Admin

Search

Mar

15

Mac Laptop Battery Tips

Comments

Other links