AC adapter bad? Powerbook won't run without battery

I think my powerbook (G4 aluminum, purchased Dec 2005) AC adapter is bad--the powerbook won't boot up without the battery (which, thankfully has not been recalled!).
I did check the AC issues listed in this Apple doc:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302461
The light on the adapter is green, the battery charge indicator menu states "Charged." However, none of the 5 lights on the battery are lit when the AC adapter is plugged into the computer and an outlet.
I have both AppleCare and ProCare--would a replacement AC adapter be covered under either plan?
P.S. the logic board was replaced in this powerbook last week by Apple because the computer would not boot up, there was a loud "fan" sound and one beep every 3 seconds.
Anyway, help!
powerbook G4 ( Dec 2005) - ARRRGHH! Mac OS X (10.4.7) and ibook G3 (10.3.9) -- never any problems!

I appreciate your advice! I agree that I should take in the powerbook for another round of repairs. However, I want to get some idea of the possible causes of this problem before returning it. Here's why:
[warning: venting ahead]
I am not taking it back to the nearest Genius Bar because of the poor, indifferent service there. Specifically: first guy guesses that the logic board needs replacement, and says the contents of my hard drive are not "protected," then tries to sell me ProCare, which has some kind of hard drive back up deal included. Since I hadn't backed up in months, I bought the Procare contract.
The next day, a different local Genius tells me that the hard drive could not be recovered, it was the cause of the computer crash, and just the hard drive will be replaced at the factory, and it will take 2 weeks.
Two days later, another Genius calls to say my computer's ready for pick up. They replaced the logic board, and the hard drive is fine--untouched. Hurrah.
I used my Procare status to get a Genius appointment to pick up the computer. Yet another Genius doesn't want to listen to my complaints about the "hard drive disaster Genius." I make him turn on the computer [battery power] to make sure the hard drive is OK (yes). I am then shooed out the door.
This is why I don't trust the local Geniuses to examine my computer again. The second nearest Apple store is 25 miles away, so I guess I'll go there for future repairs.

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Powerbook won't run off of battery - requires PMU reset to power up with AC

Like everyone else posting here, my powerbook won't run from the battery. I have two batteries, one that came with the computer 3 - 4 years ago and a newer one that I purchased about 1 year ago. When I am plugged into AC using iStat Nano the newer battery shows cycles 173, health 89%. The older battery show cycles 0 and health 100% (go figure!). Both batteries just say 'calculating' on the tool bar battery meter. The light around the AC adapter plug always shows green as if the batteries are fully charged.
Here is where my post differs from the others. Once I shut down the computer I can't power it up again with reseting the PMU. I've tried reseting NVRAM and deleting and re-establishing the powermanagement plist as suggested elsewhere on this forum to no avail.
Is the PMU something that can be replaced? How is it related to DC-IN? I've read elsewhere here that is another problem that could cause these symptoms. Has anyone had these two components repaired and did it fix the problem? How much did it cost?
Thanks in advance for any information you can give men.

I had the same experience. I have 10.4.10 on the cloned drive but the battery is still not charging. I decided to take a closer look at the battery updater instructions and discovered that even though I am at 10.4.11 on my Powerbook the BatteryUpdater.bundle was at revision 1.1.3 and hadn't been updated since Jan 6, 2006. So I downloaded the BatteryUpdate that is posted at the top of this forum and installed it. It has made no difference in the operation of the computer. The AC adapter still isn't charging the battery although the green ring light is on which usually indicates the battery is charged. furthermore, when I go back and look at the date and version number on the BatteryUpdater.bundle they haven't changed. Who knows what the update actually changed! There is no mention of it running in the software update log. My system profiler says:
The battery is installed
Full charge Capacity 3890
Remaining Capacity 0
Cycle Count 173
AC adapter cannot charge battery: YES
By the way, my battery is a replacement battery.
I have just about exhausted all my option other than taking it into an Apple repair store and I'm not sure at this point I want to give Apple any more of my money. I am going to live with it the way it is for a while in the hopes that someone will post a fix for the problem. Good luck with your investigation. If you find out anything else please post it here as I will check back on a regular basis. If I find out anything else I will do the same. Nice working with you.

My accounts program won't run without legacy Java SE6 runtime since I upgraded to OS x Yosemite but I can't download it

My "Solar" accounts program won't run without "legacy Java SE6 runtime" since I upgraded my iMac desktop to OS x Yosemite but I can't download it, nothing happens when you click on the link to apple support

Okay, I'm not a Genius, but, I'm smarter than the one I spoke to at the Apple Store.They told me that they couldn't help me with Legacy Java SE6 Runtime. Adobe has the worst support in the industry so don't call them.
If you have a Time Machine backup, go to one that pre dates your install of Yosemite. Go to the System/Library/Java and drag copy the folder to your internal hard disk. Now you will need the Administrator password. Once copied, drag the old Java folder into your System/Library folder and when asked to replace, click OK. Restart your Mac and you will have use of your software that requires Legacy Java SE6 Runtime.
I'm totally done with Apple since they are trying to box me into a corner. Have fun kids.

Powerbook Ti Gig Ethernet won't run on battery

After killing a brand new battery, I opened my TiBook and found that the battery connector was loose. Tightened that down and , while I was in there, replaced the PRAM/Battery, but the computer still won't run on the battery. Bought another battery, and it recognizes a battery is there, and reports that it's 76% full, and the power connector is orange, and the computer reports it's calculating the time until full. But it never is able to calculate a time, and if you disconnect the power, the computer immediately shuts down.
Have reset PMU, NVRAM, PRAM, etc. etc., no change in symptoms.
Any other suggestions??

Hmmm. OK, I withdraw the previous suggestion. Let's assume the battery is OK. But clearly, although the Powerbook "sees" it, and therefore it is at least partly connected to the Powerbook, it isn't able to deliver power to the machine in whatever way is necessary to make the machine run. Because you've already had occasion to tinker with the battery connector, I suspect there may still be a fault there: one bad contact, a broken wire, or something similar. How about diving back in and making sure all the battery contacts inside the compartment are clean and undamaged, and that the connector from the battery to the logic board is securely seated.
If that investigation yields no clues and the issue remains, you may have a faulty Power Management Unit on the logic board. I doubt that a faulty AC adapter or a faulty DC-in card (the other two components of the charging and power systems) could prevent a healthy Powerbook from running on battery power with a healthy new battery in place.
I'm not sure how thoroughly, if at all, the Apple Hardware Test disc that came with your machine is able to test the power management system. Try running it and see whether anything shows up. Post back with results.
Message was edited by: eww

IBook won't run on battery

Hi Folks
Wondering if someone can point me in the right direction here. I have an iBook G3 900 mhz model that I just replace the logic board in (video issue). The ibook runs great now, but all of a sudden it won't work with out the power adapter plugged in. I thought maybe the battery went bad, but I checked it in my other iBook and it is fine.
I bought the Logic board at a discount because it had a missing plug in connector, which is the one that connects from the Logic board to the power button. I soldered it back on and powered up the Laptop fine. and it even worked with just the battery for a short while, but now only works with the adapter. Should I open it up and re solder the connection, or is this another issue?
Thanks
Don

Hey Don,
I have an iBook G3 900 mhz model that I just replace the logic board in (video issue).
Just curious. Did the GPU chip die? or was it the BGA issue? I repair and donate iBooks to inner city school teachers.
it had a missing plug in connector, which is the one that connects from the Logic board to the power button. I soldered it back on and powered up the Laptop fine.
Wow good job! That's not easy to do. BTW that plug would have nothing to do with the not running on battery problem. It's part of the "soft start" circuit.
This is from the service manual for the 900:
"The computer runs when plugged into a wall outlet but not on battery power
1. Reseat battery to verify battery is seated correctly with battery lock engaged.
2. Try known-good charged battery.
3. Reset the power manager by pressing the key combination Control-Option-Shiftpower.
Warning: Make sure you do not hold down the "fn" key when resetting the
power manager.
Warning: Resetting the power manager will permanently remove a RAM disk, if
present, and all of its contents. You will also need to reset the date and time
(using the Date & Time control panel).
4. Replace logic board."
That "power manager" they speak of is a PMU 99 which I believe is CMOS and very sensitive to static charges.
Richard

Satellite A110 Battery won't charge & won't run if battery is plugged in

Hello there,
Let me try to resume the situation clearly enough.
Product : Toshiba Satellite A110-149
Works fine on AC adapter (just a resume from standby issue but that's because of Gentoo Linux, this used to work under Windows XP)
Original battery was dead. Not only didn't it charge but with both this battery and the AC adapter absolutly nothing happened, not a single LED on. No need to mention I couldn't turn the comp on.
Bought a new battery at AboutBatteries.com
- Replace: PA3465U-1BRS | 10.8V | 6600mAh (71Wh)
With this new battery in and the AC adapter plugged I have the power green led and the orange charging led on. But even after 8 hours and computer off the battery hasn't charged.
If I try to turn the comp on with this new battery in and the AC adapter plugged in it starts running but after a while it shuts down automatically, not matter wether I boot or enter BIOS.
BIOS is Phoenix v1.50 and I reset settings to default.
By the way, downloaded the last OS independent 1.70-WIN (bios-20090121162419.zip) but is there a way to update it without Windows?
I've tried to unplugged everything and press the power button several times (last try i kept pressing for more than 2 minutes for what that matters)
I've clean the contacts with alcohol.
Could this be because of a fuse or capacitor I could replace myself or something?
Any help would be appreciate.
Regards,
Charly
Message was edited by: glouton

Hola,
Agree with you and sadly made the same conclusion. But the different behaviours between old battery and new battery made me wonder.
I've been using this laptopn with the AC Adaptor only for quite a while but I bought a new battery with to be able to work even without it. It is after all the purpose of a laptop. Or I'll keep going with my desktop which way more powerful. ;)
I'll wait for other potential answers and then open it to see I can find any replaceable dead component.

MBP won't run on battery

As of a couple days ago, my MacBook Pro won't run off its battery. When I press the button, all the battery lights light up, indicating a full charge. But the computer won't turn on. Only when I plug in the power adapter does it work. If I pull out the adapter when the computer is on, it shuts off.
Yesterday, I noticed something peculiar. The light in front, which normally pulses when the computer is in sleep mode, was sort of half-pulsing. It would slowly fade on, then immediately flick off. Not sure if this is an indication of anything.
Is this definitely a hardware problem? I have an appointment to see a Genius tomorrow, but I'm wondering if there's something I can do on my own first.
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Thanks, Jason. Here's my battery info:
Battery Information:
Model Information:
Serial Number: W0017PQJEBX0A
Manufacturer: SMP
Device name: bq20z451
Pack Lot Code: 0000
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0201
Hardware Revision: 000a
Cell Revision: 0157
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 0
Fully charged: Yes
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 0
Health Information:
Cycle count: 44
Condition: Replace Now
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 0
Voltage (mV): 12455

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A couple of days ago, my computer stopped running from battery, and stopped charging the battery. I can see that the level is 67%, but that never goes up, and it shuts down if I unplug the power adapter.
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Installed: Yes
Charging: No
Charger: Yes
Battery%: 67
Max. cap: 4.400Ah
Curr. cap: 2.271Ah
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Voltage: 11.850V
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I have the same issue with my Powerbook G4 15" Aluminum (battery not charging and clock not retaining date and time). A 3rd party warranty company is trying to say it's the rechargable battery but I think it's something to do wit hthe small battery located on a daughter board on the motherboard. Can anyone verify this or does this sound like a totally different issue?
The battery was replaced under the recall less than a year ago.
Thanks,
Bob

Won't work without battery?

If my battery drains during sleep, it won't power up until the battery regains sufficient charge. Even if I remove the battery and try to run on AC alone, it still won't power up.
Once it's working, I can remove the battery while it's running and use AC alone.
Is this typical of a Mac?

jjooee wrote:
If my battery drains during sleep, it won't power up until the battery regains sufficient charge.
I've definitely seen machines where if the battery is depleted (or near depleted) they wouldn't power on until a couple minutes worth of charge was sent through the battery cells. I've seen Windows laptops (Dell, Toshiba, Acer) do the same thing.
However, if you remove the battery and the machine is capable of being run without a battery installed (which is 99% of most modern portables), then there should be no problems starting up. Unless of course the issue with your portable is related to a low level power management function (namely related to the SMC). You can try resetting that (http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964), otherwise I suspect there might be a hardware issue involved.

My laptop won't start without battery mounted

Hello! I have a Compaq CQ61-200sq laptop and recently my battery just got "old". So for the time untill i will buy a new one a just took it out and try to use the laptop without battery, just with the AC adaptor pluged in. But, just i said it won't start if i don't mount the battery. If i took the battery out while it's on there is no problem.
So, my question, beside what could be the problem, is if the problem will disapear with a new battery. I don't want to buy a new battery and still have problems.
Thank you!

I updated it about two to three times and would still experience the same problem.
Why update 3 times?!? If you run an update, and it installs normally, that it - done!
There's a world of difference between running BatteryUpdate 1.2 and installing a new battery. In fact, if you read the linked page above, it states that the after you run battery update if you experience any of the listed problems you should contact AppleCare. Their first step will be to replace the battery. Could it be a logic board problem? Sure. Is that the first thing they'll do? No. By that reasoning, the first thing to try if your car fails to start on a cold morning is to put in a new engine...
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PowerBook crashes when running on battery power

Having problem with a 17" powerbook.
computer runs fine with AC plug in, but when running without AC, it will freeze or kernal panic when launch any application. Ran disk utility and everything seems to be fine, even with MacTestCD... everything passed (Memory and HDD all passed).
I did permission repair & diskwarrior... it still crashes without AC...

MacTestCD? How old is that?
Never heard of MacTestCD. Who makes it? You should only use a utility made for the operating system in question. Otherwise kernel panics could happen if they attempt to repair things they don't understand.
Is your data backed up?

Dv7 Laptop won't run on battery

Laptop Data&colon;
[Image Removed]
Upon unplugging my laptop last night, it simply shut off, and since won't run off of the battery. It seems like the battery isn't connecting to the motherboard, but I ran a test in the support assistant that gives me this:
[Image Removed]
Is one of the cells dead, and that is why it isn't working, or could it still be failure to connect to the motherboard?
I have another battery, but unfortunately not currently with me.
The battery also won't charge past 86%, but again, I'm unsure of the cause. I left it out overnight and long held the power this morning to no avail as well.
Any help is appriciated. Thanks.

I understand your notebook battery no longer powers the notebook and the battery test has failed.
Reviewing the battery test, it looks like the battery (when fully charged) is only holding about 35% of the original charge. This means that the battery life wont' last very long as it will drain much faster. This is the most likely reason that the battery is no longer functioning is that it has reached the end of its usage. The battery test requires the battery to interface with the motherboard for it to test the battery, so I don't find the motherboard very likely at this point since the test was able to detect the battery.
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Let me know if this answered your question.
↙-----------How do I give Kudos?| How do I mark a post as Solved? ----------------↓

Brand new macbook won't run off battery, only when plugged in

I just go my new macbook last week and being new to mac computers, I didn't realize that it won't run from just the battery power until last night. The battery light shows it's fully charged. If i'm working with it plugged in and it becomes unplugged, it shuts down and when I reconnect the power cord, it resumes from the same webpage or whatever I was last working on. I opened up the battery compartment and removed the battery and then held the power button for 5 seconds, but that didn't fix the problem. Does anyone know what I might try or if something needs to be set up in order to run off the battery? Thanks! Leigh

Hello leighdk,
Welcome to Apple Discussions!
You can by all means take some good advise from the people on this board in response to you problem.
But here is the best advise, especially since you're new to Mac.
Call Apple Care or take it back to the store and have them check it out. It is under warranty. You have 14 days from the date of purchase to return the Mac for a completely different or give it back because you do not like it. they may try to charge you a restocking fee but this should not be the case since there is an issue with you machine.
Call Apple, see what they say... Then if you can't get it resolved then post back and maybe we can give you some sound advise.

PB 1400cs won't run on battery power

I've got a 1400cs, purchased second-hand, and it seems to have a problem running on batteries. Even with a new battery, it doesn't want to run on battery power. `Runs fine on AC power, though!
What could cause this? What are my options for inexpensive repair on this problem?

Keith,
I also have a 1400 with the original battery which will not even run the 'book for a second when I unplug the power adapter, but I don't use the 'book anymore. Surprisingly, the battery level gauge in the menu bar is all red and the Control Strip shows a fully charged battery.
In the menu bar, at least with the OS 8.6 I am running, the red vertical bar or cylinder is a capacity gauge; when all red, the battery is full; as power is consumed, the red starts dropping down and the top is filling with blue. Your gauge indicates a fully charged battery.
The only time you see the lightning bolt is when the battery is charging and you will see it in the menu bar and the Control Strip.
You know the power adapter is connected by the presence of the plug in the Control Strip.
The bars in the Control Strip are all gray when the battery is fully charged and all white when empty.
Remove all power and take a look in the battery bay with a flashlight; gently touch each pin with the eraser-end of a pencil and see if any of the pins is loose or possibly set back beyond the others.
According to Apple service guides, if you have performed the resets and have a known-good battery and power adapter, the only fix is a logic board.
Do you have a 45w power adapter and have you tried another power adapter? You can use the PB1400 or 3400 or any G3 or clamshell iBook adapters.

G560 won't run on battery

Facts:
laptop under a year old
lightly used
running fine on battery yesterday
battery meter shows 99% charged
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Again the battery is not old or worn out, it held a multi hour charge yesterday.
Thanks

take a look at the thread below first. if it doesn't work, you'll need battery replacement.
http://forum.lenovo.com/t5/IdeaPad-Y-U-B-V-and-Z-series/Y560p-Battery-Plugged-In-Not-Charging/m-p/48...

AC adapter bad? Powerbook won't run without battery

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