[zilmer]

I have problem with PB (Ti, 1GHz) shutting off when working without a power adapter. When the battery reaches about 20%, the screen goes black and the computer basically goes to deep sleep. If I plug in the power adapter immediately after that it does wake up, but if I leave it for some time, the battery dies and I have to restart.

This started to occur after I installed Panther and upgraded to 10.3.1. Before that PB let me work until about 4% of the battery remained and then warned about low battery. Right now the annoying thing is that I get no warning at all. One moment the screen is blank and everything's gone.

Has anyone experienced the same problem? Is there a potential fix for this?

Oh, and when I plug-in the adapter after the computer's gone out, the battery starts to recharge itself from ca 7-8%. Looks like something is totally messed up in Panther with battery...

[PeteWK]

Hi Zilmer. You would just have to figure that the gauge is off by 15 or so percent. And when it reads about 20% its actually about to run dry.

PeteWK

[ibookuser2]

I experienced the exact same problem with my Ti1GHz about two months after I got it (would've been January, I think). The battery would last the expected amount of time (around two-three hours), would get to around 20-25 percent, and the machine would go to sleep without warning.

I called Apple, they decided it was a problem with the battery, and sent me a new one. Haven't had the problem since.

My advice would be to call Apple if you're still under warranty. You shouldn't have to send the machine back since the battery is a CIP.

If you're out of warranty, then you're pretty much stuck with getting a new battery. You can try a power manager reset, but it didn't help for me.

[zilmer]

Thanks for info! Isn't there a thing called battery reset? I've heard it somewhere. How do you do that? May that helps?

[anaphora68]

I think you're talking about resetting the power manager. I don't know how to do it offhand, but if you run a search for it on this forum or on apple's support site you'll get some instructions on how to do it.

[PB2K]

i remember resetting the battery was necessary with the powerbook g3 lombard. it wouldn't charge when you took it out of the box and hooked it up with a powersocket.

my powerbook g4 500 has ceased charging it's battery for a couple of months now, i'ld like to try resetting that battery

[Macfreak7]

Try resetting the power manager. If that doesn't help get the battery replaced.

[zilmer]

Got battery replaced, reset power manager... still nothing. Battery lasts until 30% and then PB shuts down. Could this be 10.3.1's problem? Seems like the OS couldn't keep track of the battery level...

[Dotwin]

Hello,
I have the same problem!
I have panther 10.3.2 and a PowerBook G4 867 Mhz 12 inch screen.
It always shuts down at about 22% and i tried everything:
-resetting power manage unit (shift-control-option-power)
-resetting (zapping) PRAM (cmd-opt-p-r)
-instaling battery update (1.1) for more than 7 times
-installed all available updates

I still doesn't work!!
Hopefully Apple fixes this with the 10.3.3 update!!!

Or did somebody else figured something out about this?

Dotwin

[DigitalEl]

This has always been the case on my 12" PB, through Jaguar and Panther. The low battery warning has never popped up. Being sometimes passive, I've just learned this behavior and accepted it. If somebody has a solution though, I'm listening, too!

[jfromnillicus]

looks like this thread 's being ressurected a second time (at least).

anyway, i've got the same issue going on with a 1GHz Ti. it's been happening for quite some time; the machine is well out of warranty now, although as i recall it started while it was still under warranty. i just never got around to taking it in. my fault on that, obviously

the only difference being, mine shuts down when the battery indicator hits NINETY PERCENT... granted, it takes a while to get there (i haven't timed it recently but it doesn't seem to be horrendously short), but it obviously shouldn't be doing this. and as i remember it, it manifested itself rather suddenly; that is, it was draining fine one day, and the next, poof, 100 steps to gague the power became ten, and the computer shut down unexpectebly. But looking back, I believe I know why, and i should have seen it coming...

the power supply, for whatever reason, used to randomly stop functioning. I'd be sitting working, plugged in, and the computer would suddenly warn me about the battery being low; i'd look, and sure enough, although it was plugged in, the light at the end of the cord would not be lit; for some reason, I wouldn't be getting power. it seemed to happen more often when i was using the "flip-out" compact plug adapter, the one with the plugs on the hinge that attaches directly to the white brick. needless to say i don't use that plug anymore.

unplugging the wall-end of the cord and plugging it back in resolved the issue, and the battery would charge fine, but I think this happened one too many times and it ended up frying the battery; too many deep discharges to recover from. it still happens upon occasion; once every few weeks would not be uncommon, although it used to be more like three or four times a week, if not more...

i've reset the PMU, zapped the PRAM, even reset the Open Firmware; i've done EVERYTHING apple says on the KB about these problems, and more.

two clean OS reinstalls, including my install of Panther on the first of the year (late bloomer), during which i reformatted the drive, did absolutely nothing to help. i'd have to say it's not a software issue. if I had to guess i would bet that either something got corrupted in the battery's internal power management circuitry (hopefully, as a new battery would solve it) or something in the machine's physical power management system got messed up (not so good.). whatever it is there doesn't seem to be any way for the user to fix it.

i'm finally in a position financially to blow $140 on a new battery that i don't exactly need (I stay put most of the time), so I guess I'll be doing that soon, but you can be d@|\/|n sure I'm gonna be getting a new power cord to go along with it...

[azarel]

check out the following link:

http://discussions.info.apple.com/[email protected]/23

http://discussions.info.apple.com/[email protected]/2