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badnewsblair · Apr 10, 2003, 04:23 PM

I'm new to Powerbooks. Who am I kidding? This 17" is the first MAC I've ever owned. However, I know a lot about computers in general.

A friend of mine that works at Apple Tyson insists that once the Powerbook is fully charged (the ring goes green), you should unplug it from the power suppply.

I know the Powerbook battery charger uses trickle technology and I always thought that it is best just to leave the Powerbook plugged in until you need to get going and on the move.

Anyone else heard about this? Any advice? Any validity to this story my friend tells me? He says it is better for the battery to unplug it after it is fully charged.

Thanks in advance.

djjava · Apr 10, 2003, 04:30 PM

Originally posted by badnewsblair:
I'm new to Powerbooks. Who am I kidding? This 17" is the first MAC I've ever owned. However, I know a lot about computers in general.

A friend of mine that works at Apple Tyson insists that once the Powerbook is fully charged (the ring goes green), you should unplug it from the power suppply.

I know the Powerbook battery charger uses trickle technology and I always thought that it is best just to leave the Powerbook plugged in until you need to get going and on the move.

Anyone else heard about this? Any advice? Any validity to this story my friend tells me? He says it is better for the battery to unplug it after it is fully charged.

Thanks in advance.

keep it plugged in. You won't get the benefit of the full 1ghz without it. The has been discussed before. search for it.

JustinD · Apr 10, 2003, 04:43 PM

keep it plugged in. You won't get the benefit of the full 1ghz without it. The has been discussed before. search for it.

.... kay....

or you could switch from 'reduced' to 'highest' in the Energy Saver control panel, meaning it'll be full-speed regardless of running off the battery or the wall.

rambo47 · Apr 10, 2003, 04:45 PM

Don't forget to calibrate your battery. Apple explains it in the user's manual, but it basically involves using your PowerBook unplugged until it shuts down. There will be a warning with something like 15 minutes of battery life left, which you ignore. Just keep surfing or whatever until it shuts itself down and then plug it in until fully charged. You should only need to do this once.

badnewsblair · Apr 10, 2003, 04:47 PM

Originally posted by rambo47:
Don't forget to calibrate your battery. Apple explains it in the user's manual, but it basically involves using your PowerBook unplugged until it shuts down. There will be a warning with something like 15 minutes of battery life left, which you ignore. Just keep surfing or whatever until it shuts itself down and then plug it in until fully charged. You should only need to do this once.

I already calibrated. Heheheh, thanks though!

djjava · Apr 10, 2003, 07:46 PM

Originally posted by JustinD:
.... kay.... or you could switch from 'reduced' to 'highest' in the Energy Saver control panel, meaning it'll be full-speed regardless of running off the battery or the wall.

i've read that it is recommended the battery be calibrated every 3-4 months

ymmit · Apr 22, 2003, 10:33 AM

will keeping my 12"PB's power adaptor plugged in (with the battery inside) shorten the life of my battery? or should I remove the battery whenever I'm using my notebook with power adaptor?

TheBum · Apr 22, 2003, 12:42 PM

Originally posted by ymmit:
will keeping my 12"PB's power adaptor plugged in (with the battery inside) shorten the life of my battery? or should I remove the battery whenever I'm using my notebook with power adaptor?

The more recent Apple notebook computers have circuitry in them to prevent short-cycle charging. That's why the ring will stay green after plugging the computer back in if the remaining charge is at least 95%. In fact, my 12" will gradually lose a few percentage points of charge if I leave it plugged in for a few days, indicating to me that the battery isn't getting any charging current. So, I'd say that it's safe to leave the battery in.