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  For those of you who always keep your Powerbooks plugged into AC Power, it is imperative they be unplugged occasionally and used without AC power to maintain battery life. This explanation is a detailed procedure for the iBook and the PB G4 however, all Powerbooks should be allowed to run on battery power at least every month or so by doing the same basic steps. The battery of an iBook or PowerBook G4 computer has an internal microprocessor that provides an estimate of the amount of energy in the battery during charging and discharging. The battery needs to be recalibrated from time to time to keep the onscreen battery time and percent display accurate. You should perform this procedure when you first use your computer and then every couple of months thereafter. |
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These are the steps: 1. Plug
the power adapter in and fully charge your iBook or PowerBook
G4 computer's battery until the battery indicator lights turn
off and the adapter plug ring goes from amber to green, which
indicates that the battery is fully charged. Note: You have to fully charge and then discharge your battery only once to calibrate it. After that, you can connect and disconnect the power adapter when the battery is at any charge level. Important: When the battery reaches "empty", the computer is forced into sleep mode. The battery actually keeps back a reserve beyond "empty", to maintain the computer in sleep for a period of time. Once the battery is truly exhausted, the computer is forced into shutdown. At this point, any open files could be lost. Therefore, it is important that you find an electrical outlet and connect the adapter before the forced shutdown occurs or simply do this when you are not going to be using the computer and you have no open files, perhaps overnight. How long can I store my PowerBook battery? Apple uses four different types of batteries in the PowerBook series of computers, refer to article 16168: "PowerBook: Battery, Recharger, & AC Adapter Identification" to determine what battery type your computer has. A lead acid battery should retain the minimal charge needed to operate a PowerBook for 2-3 months. Once a lead acid battery becomes fully discharged, it may experience sulfation. Sulfation occurs when the lead electrodes inside the battery convert to lead sulfate. This destroys the battery making it unable to hold a charge. A Nickel Cadmium battery should retain the minimal charge needed to operate a PowerBook for 1-2 months. A NiCad battery stored up to 12 months should still be able to accept a charge. A Nickel Metal Hyydride battery should retain the minimal charge needed to operate a PowerBook for 1-2 months. A NiHy battery stored up to 12 months should still be able to accept a charge. In the case of the Intelligent Battery used by the PowerBook 500 series, the Intelligent Battery Recondition software is often needed to revive a battery that has discharged fully while in storage. A Lithium Ion battery should retain a minimal charge needed to operate a PowerBook for 1-2 months. A LiIon battery stored for up to 12 months should still be able to accept a charge. Refer to article 10571: "PowerBook: Battery Shelf Life" for more information on storing PowerBook batteries. My PowerBook will not start off the battery at all. Should I just buy a new battery, or is there something else I can do? Generally when a PowerBook battery goes bad, it provides less operating life over a period of time. If your PowerBook suddenly will not work with its battery at all, this could be an issue with the battery itself, or the logic board of your PowerBook. If possible, try your battery with another PowerBook, or try a verified-good battery in your PowerBook to help isolate the issue. If you are not in a position to try a known good battery or verify your own battery with another PowerBook, there are still some steps you can take. First, reset the power manager of your PowerBook. Instructions for resetting the power manager on various model PowerBook computers are available in this document or at the online at Apple's Knowledge Base. Use the search string "power manager and reset" to locate the article "PowerBook: Resetting Power Manager." Charge the battery overnight following this reset. If your PowerBook still will no longer work with its battery after this process, you should seek service. Contact your local Apple-authorized service provider, or call Miss Mac for further assistance. Batteries may be damaged if stored for prolonged periods with a closed circuit. The environmental temperature also affects the storage life of any battery. Cool environments are best and are assumed for the above estimates. All storage times are based on storage starting with the battery fully charged. For example, schools that may not use their iBook or PowerBook computers during the summer should fully charge the batteries, remove them from the computers, and store them in a cool location for the duration of the summer. Many thanks to Sean Cawley for the reminder to include "battery tips" on this site.  Back to Top |
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