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007 · 02:46 PM

http://www.applelinks.com/articles/2...13112053.shtml

check it out and see if it works on the 12'....

hamiltondj · Feb 13, 2003, 02:45 PM

How does one "calibrate" the battery?

kcmac · Feb 13, 2003, 03:01 PM

Unplug your powerbook and use only battery power. Make sure your energy settings are such that your harddrive won't shut off or go to sleep. When you eventually get the low battery warning, disregard it and let the computer keep running. You are trying to drain the battery until the screen actually goes dark and the computer shuts itself off.

I watched a DVD with my daughter to do this.

I am going to try this again. I noticed today that when I am plugged in after it is supposedly charged that my fan was constantly running. Unplugged it and after awhile fan stopped.

Maybe there is something to this?

LosJackal · Feb 13, 2003, 03:03 PM

To calibrate the battery, use the laptop on battery power until it tells you it is out of power and goes to sleep.

Then plug it in and let it charge fully.

Then use it again on battery power until it goes to sleep again.

Charge it fully one more time, and you're ready to go.

Makes sense to me, "teaching" the battery and computer what a "full" and "empty" battery means.

kcmac · Feb 13, 2003, 03:13 PM

So losjackal,

Did I miss a step? I didn't drain it down a second time when I did it.

LosJackal · Feb 13, 2003, 03:35 PM

Originally posted by kcmac:
So losjackal,

Did I miss a step? I didn't drain it down a second time when I did it.

The primary reason to calibrate is to maximize the amount of juice you get out of a battery. You're calibrating it so it clearly knows where the endpoints are.

I've read people have had more success (getting the adapter light to go green properly when charging) by doing it twice. I just learned about calibrating recently as well, and the original instructions I read said to do it twice.

Heck, I might do it three times when I get my 17"! I'm crazy like that.

PBG4 User · Feb 13, 2003, 04:09 PM

I don't get it. Don't you guys read the manual that comes with your very expensive machines? Calibrating the battery is clearly explained in the owner's manual!

007 · Feb 13, 2003, 04:17 PM

Originally posted by PBG4 User:
I don't get it. Don't you guys read the manual that comes with your very expensive machines? Calibrating the battery is clearly explained in the owner's manual!

I posted it as a potential 'remedy' to that ever popular heat issue....

I know you're supposed to calibrate it...and I don't even own an Apple yet...

kcmac · Feb 13, 2003, 05:05 PM

I read the manual. But I must have misunderstood. I did drain it down all the way and then charged it back up.

Just not the second time.

BTW, the manual for the 12" PB is pretty nice.

hamiltondj · Feb 13, 2003, 05:10 PM

Originally posted by PBG4 User:
I don't get it. Don't you guys read the manual that comes with your very expensive machines? Calibrating the battery is clearly explained in the owner's manual!

NOPE

Too busy playing with the PB to actually open the manual (and my it was a big one - much bigger than the one I got with my TiPB 500)

kcmac · Feb 15, 2003, 03:04 PM

My initial impressions are that recalibrating the battery properly does decrease the heat of the powerbook.

I repeated the drain down/recharge procedure 3 times.

My battery status now goes up to 100%, light turns green, and it now the power adaptor cools down while still plugged after completing the charge.

Please note that the manual that comes with the PB does say you only have to drain it down once from a fully charged state. That is what I did initially and apparently draining down more than once works much better.