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Eriamjh · Jan 23, 2006, 11:23 AM

I just upgraded my new/old Pismo to Tiger and discovered that it cannot calculate the remaining battery time (it's always calculating, but never actually completes it).

It seems that this is a widespread problem affecting the oldest Powerbook that Tiger supports. Has anyone fixed this? Is it possible to replace a file (like a kext or something) in Tiger with one from Panther to fix this?

I don't expect Leopard OSX 10.5 to support the Pismo (or any G3 for that matter) so can I get a post from every Pismo user that he/she will email Apple asking them to fix this bug so we can use our beloved machines with the confidence that they are the best they are going to be?

In addition, when running two batteries, it displays the status backwards (left and right batts switched) in the menu bar. They could fix this too.

I did my part. Can you guys help?

tigas · Jan 23, 2006, 02:46 PM

You already asked that question in the MacOSX forum, and my answer is there: http://forums.macnn.com/90/mac-os-x/255921/tiger-on-pismo/

Eriamjh · Jan 23, 2006, 06:36 PM

Well, slimbattery does not work. It solves one small problem, left and right batteries reversed. Unforutnately, it only reports the same battery time status as Tiger ("Calculating").

On a whim, I tried swapping out the ApplePMU.kext file from Panther into my Tiger install. After repairing permissions, it did not change. So I went back.

I did discover one odd thing. I booted into Firewire disk mode. Under battery, it displays a battery graph at the bottom of the screen along with the FW logo. When I swapped in the 7200 battery (in the right bay) and swapped out the left battery, the status graph jumped from mostly full to mostly empty, even though the 7200 battery was full. Odd.

tigas · 08:20 PM

Originally Posted by Eriamjh

Well, slimbattery does not work. It solves one small problem, left and right batteries reversed. Unforutnately, it only reports the same battery time status as Tiger ("Calculating").

On a whim, I tried swapping out the ApplePMU.kext file from Panther into my Tiger install. After repairing permissions, it did not change. So I went back.

I did discover one odd thing. I booted into Firewire disk mode. Under battery, it displays a battery graph at the bottom of the screen along with the FW logo. When I swapped in the 7200 battery (in the right bay) and swapped out the left battery, the status graph jumped from mostly full to mostly empty, even though the 7200 battery was full. Odd.

[edit] snip, snip, you answered this on the other thread [/edit]

Never mind, my Apple battery behaves exactly the same way under Tiger ("calculating..."); I believe the temperature sensors in the Pismo chipset haven't been supported since a certain release of 10.3, so maybe the rest have gone too. My workaround is leaving in percentage and calculating myself from that. But my Firewire Target Mode battery icon behaves normally.

You should try to recalibrate your Power Manager. IIRC, run on the battery until the Pismo sleeps or shuts down. Then, remove the battery *and the AC power*, press the Reset button on the back (near the modem port) for 10 seconds, then reconnect AC power, reinsert the battery and start the computer. Let the battery charge completely, then disconnect AC Power and let it run fully down again. From then on, the PowerManager should be calibrated.

To truely reset the PowerManager, your emergency battery must still be able to retain a charge; shutdown, take out battery and AC power, insert AC and restart: is your clock correct? Then your emergency battery is still good enough.

Eriamjh · Jan 24, 2006, 06:40 AM

I have calibrated the battery under Panther, but not under Tiger. I will try your steps including the PMU resetting.

I just replaced the backup battery. The old one was definitely dead. Damn thing cost $30!

However, I have yet to find a Pismo user who reports that battery time works under Tiger.
It worked under Panther 10.3.9 for me. Quite well, in fact.

tigas · Jan 24, 2006, 03:35 PM

Really, I can't remember if it did work in 10.3.9, but it's not working in Tiger, that's for sure.

Ian_Bullock · Jan 24, 2006, 05:56 PM

Hi,
I just sent an email to what I think is Steve Jobs personal address, and offered him help if he ever needed a heart operation in ten years time (I'm currently a medical student) in return for the next Tiger update to have a battery fix in it for the pismo

So now I'm sitting waiting for a reply....

Ian

Eriamjh · Jan 27, 2006, 06:11 AM

There is a utility called "Juice" that's actually a Tiger Widget that can actually predict the battery time in Tiger, except it only works for one battery in the left bay. I seldom need the DVD-Drive and run two batteries for maximum life. Plus, the widget isn't as useful as having the time displayed in the toolbar. Who wants to keep checking the life?

Our poor Pismos. Will they ever get the respect they deserve?