[bluedog]

I had my laptop in a car for about 3 hrs on a cold day in MN in sleep mode. When I got home, I was going to wait until it warmed up a bit before opening it but wanted to check a quick website and only waiting about 10 minutes.

The machine showed a very low battery reading. then went back into sleep mode as it would when it as at a very low power level.

The battery is less than a year old and had been giving me about 5 hrs on a charge max, but now exibits trouble.

I would think I could recharge it and be fine, but here's the specific of my the problem.

- The green light indicators of charge on the bottom of the battery do not light when the indicator button is pressed.
- The computer/os doesn't show the battery charged or otherwise when turned on with the power on.
- The powerplug light indicator doesn't change colors properly to show whether the battery is charged or not.

I would have thought it was my Power Management Unit, but I've reset that and the indicator light on the battery is what worries me more because that is entirely independent of the computer and OS.

Another battery I use now functions just fine, but don't want to ruin this one too. MN winters are COLD and I can't avoid the cold completely.

1. What are my options to getting the old battery working (any reset circuitry in side the battery that is use accessible with a little work)? I'm pretty sure its not destroyed and just assume its charge calibration settings were probably whacked when it powered on so cold and then didn't have the juice it expected it to have if it were warm.

2. What is the best option for ensuring battery life in cold weather that includes reasonable usage? (not just a 'do not take it in the cold' answer)

[ghporter]

1) Do try to reset the battery, but only after it's been indoors (and DRY) for a while. Like a full day or so.

2) This is one case where I'd say DO NOT put the computer to sleep and take it out into the Minnesota Arctic. Turn it off completely. There's a specific temperature range for iBook operation, including off, asleep, and operating. I'll bet that you exceeded the allowable range in sleep mode. The battery may recover, but maybe not.

I do not leave any computer in an unheated space in a car for more than a few minutes when it's very hot or very cold out. Not only can extreme temps affect battery operation, but the plastics can get pretty brittle in very cold condiditions, too. It's just safer to keep your little friend warm and snug.

[bluedog]

I know how to reset the Power Management Unit in the laptop, but do not know how to try and reset the circuitry in the battery to allow it to fully charge.

I'm pretty confident there is some intelligence in the battery to help prevent overcharging that is off whack because it thought the battery was 'full', but because it was cold lost power and subsequently thought it was drained.

If this happened, it may have set the maximum charge to the new 'low' of when the battery has been cold. Right now, the battery doesn't hold a charge.

Does anyone know how to get it to recognize its full capacity? or fool it into resetting it capacity? Any utilities or a physical reset by opening the battery?

Anyone?