Battery/Charger Issues (Early 2011 15" MBP)

So, over the past few weeks, I've been watching the cords for my laptop (and my iPhone) basically disintegrate (heavily frayed, cord is almost completely exposed).
The phone charger stopped working first, so I got a replacement. It isn't one of Apple's own chargers, it's from a third party, but it was working, so I didn't mind.
Anyway, I went to sleep last night with my laptop plugged in, and my phone plugged in to the laptop. I keep it by my bed, because I use it as an alarm.
(There was also another cord plugged into the laptop, charging a game controller.)
Well, when I woke up, my laptop was dead. I figured that the cord had just stopped working, so I ordered a replacement.
The strange thing is, when I press the battery indicator button on the side, nothing happens. The lights don't flash, nothing.
Also, the replacement cord for my phone seems to have stopped working as well.
I thought maybe that having too many things plugged into each other caused them to mess up, but the cord that was charging the controller is still working properly.
Any thoughts on what the problem might be? I just recently had my Macbook repaired, so obviously I don't want to have it serviced again, can't be throwing around money like that.
Also, depending on what the problem is, would I need to buy a new phone charger? (probably an Apple one...)
Thank you in advance for any assistance.

It is traditional to (1) Try Resetting the System Management Controller , then, if nothing improves,(2) take it in for testing/servicing.

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I will check with the apple store guys at some point, but I thought I'd ask here.
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If you had bought the same model MBP a few weeks earlier you could have received two software licenses - Snow Leopard as shipped, and also a free upgrade to Lion. That being the case, why not call AppleCare and see if they will "retroactively" give you the same capability by sending you the grey-labeled machine-specific Snow Leopard install disc that originally shipped with your model MBP before it started shipping with Lion.
In this thread the OP requested a Snow Leopard disc for a new iMac that shipped with Lion, and reported the following:
Called Apple and they first said I coul not install SL, a day latter and I received a call from the manager saying that I had gotten the wrong information, so yes, I can install SL. They sending me the grey disk free of charge.
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We're iPad users like you, so don't know.
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Hello,
A few weeks ago the 60w charger that came with my MBP started to fail and ended up shutting the mac down unexpectedly and preventing it to boot. Therefore, I had to take it to a tech to reinstall OS with all the inconveniences this caused me. Now the computer is fine.
A friend of mine lent me a spare charger he had and told me to use it, seems pretty new and fine, but I just got home and realized it is not 60w as the default MBP but 45 Magsafe charger.
I have been reading Q&As along the forum and I found different opinions, some say yes I can some strongly oppose to it.
I am planning to use it regularly for an average of 5-6 hours of daily basic use ( internet, browsing and downloading music ) can I be safe keeping it for a few months?
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The original battery is failing on an Early 2011 17" MacBook Pro (MacBookPro8,3), 2.3GHz - it has lasted 43 months according to coconutBattery. Often refuses to charge at all, holds about 6750mAh as compared to the original 8450mAh it could hold upon delivery. The battery has gone through 848 "loadcycles", not so far off from Apple's suggested 1,000 cycles, which I assume they meant should have taken place during the AppleCare period which ended 3 years after purchase = April 2011 - April 2014. The battery began having charging problems in June-July 2014, after 3 years and 3 months.
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Have you tried ifixit or PowerBookMedic?
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MacBook Pro Battery/Charging Issues

I have an early 2008 15'' MBP with 2.4 ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 2gb of RAM that I bought in August of 2008.
In late 2011, I bought a brand new battery for it because the battery would only last for around an hour. For a month or so, the new battery worked fine, but then I started to see that it said "not charging". I took it to the store and they replaced the battery because it was still within warranty. Again, the computer worked for a month or so, but again has started saying "not charging" again. At this point, I'm not sure what to do. Unless by a fluke I have two bad batteries in a row, it seems as though the computer might be the problem. Thoughts?
Also, FYI:
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-I'm not sure if this is relevant, but in 2010, Apple took it and repaired something on the logic board (i think). I can't remember what exacly they did, but they did tell me that whatever they fixed was a known problem with my model.
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Don't be bashful, go to the Apple store with your receipt and have the battery checked out. You may very well have won/lost the bad battery lottery.
Ciao.

Early 2011 (March) MBP hard drive crashed a week ago, all data was lost. Why is the Hitachi hard drive so prone to have defective read/write heads?

Shouldn't Apple be better quality than this? I've used my old MBP from 2006 for 5 years with no problems. I've only had to back up data maybe once a year because it was so durable.
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As Ogel stated drives fail. Unless you bought your 2011 Mac right when the early 2011 models came out you still should be under the one year warranty. They came out at the end of Febuary.
So that drive should be covered, dependinig on when you bought your Mac. And they offer a extended warranty which if you had purchased it would cover the drive failure, Hardware not data.
As far as the data, Apple includes the Time Machine program and there are 2, that I know of, cloning programs available to backup your data. If you did not use any of those programs you will ALWAYS LOSE YOUR DATA.
That is a fact of computers. They fail, end of story. Unless you have multiple copies of your files you are going to lose them.
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I have various 3rd gen ipod's and logic boards. parts n pieces etc. here is my issue.... i recently purchased a new battery for 1 of these 3rd gen ipods to repair. when i first plugged everything in and connected usb cable ipod fired up no problems but the battery was not showing any charge. i even tested battery as it was charging with a multi meter. the voltage was slowly discharging. Now... i disconnected the battery and plugged it into a 2nd gen ipod mini and did the same thing. The battery showed a slow charge as tested with the meter. once the battery charged to full 3.7v i then put it back into the 3rd gen and powered it on only to the same effect with no battery charge indication and also a slow drain with the meter test. i've tried this on 3 or 4 different 3rd gen logic boards that i have and with the same results. I'm confused *** is goin on here. any replies please. thanks.

Just how its logic board is programmed I guess.
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I recently got a 2011 17" MBP (10.6.7). I've been using a 2008 15" MBP (10.6.7).
I communicate daily with colleagues using video iChat.
The 2008 MPB has run iChat without any issues for months.
When I try the 17", I get bandwidth issues (my signal breaks up at the other end, video freezes, aberrant audio) The connection doctor shows my rate of tranmission dropping dramatically.
I tried shutting off all other programs and it worked okay. Starting up Safari caused it to choke. I tried switching from wireless to ethernet and it had no affect.
I tried reducing the bandwidth to 500 kbps and it didn't fix the problem.
I can start up the 15" MPB on Wifi, connect flawlessly to the same people, even while running Safari.
Clearly the issue is somewhere in the 17"MBP. Any recommendations?
Don't know if this is related but it does feel like the 17" does not load web pages in Safari as fast as the 15" but I haven't documented it precisely.
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Hi,
It does sound a bit odd.
Most likely there is a process running that is using the Processor(s) quite heavily.
Open the Activity Monitor (In Applications/Utilities).
In the window there is a drop down in the top bar.
Select All Processes in this drop down.
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iChat should be listed if Open.
iChatAgent (A support app that has no icon) should also be listed
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Depending on the Processor iChat should rise to about 20% during a Video Chat
I would look down the CPU column first to see what is showing as being in use.
A Web Browser should be at rest, certainly below 5% once a page has loaded.
A Pic of mine
I use Skitch to grab pics and edit the comments on them so it shows relatively high on my G4/1Ghz Dual Processor. (Green Stuff)
iChat was open but no chats were happening (Some of the red)
The Activity Monitor was what I had open as well so it shows CPU usege (Blue)
The thing to look for is unexpected items listed as running.
Compare these to the things in System Preferences > Accounts > (your account) Login Items.
7:52 PM Thursday; June 2, 2011
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"
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I have a 2011 13" MBP and there are now places on the touchpad that don't click and the click seems lighter even on the areas that do respond to click.
Is this a known issue?

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Reset SMC.     http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Choose the method for:
"Resetting SMC on portables with a battery you should not remove on your own".
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MBP battery/charger issue

So, I've been researching this a bit and don't particularly want to drop $130 on a new battery if I can solve the problem without that. I went to my profile and this came up, the computer is plugged into a wall outlet and if it comes unplugged it only lasts about a minute and the computer shuts down.
Battery Information:
Battery Installed: Yes
First low level warning: No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 3530
Remaining Capacity (mAh): 3420
Amperage (mA): -1721
Voltage (mV): 11699
Cycle Count: 411
AC Charger Information:
Connected: Yes
Charging: No
Is the charger messed up or do I need a new battery? thanks!

seaexplore wrote:
Cycle Count: 411
Normal lifespan of a typical lithium battery is 400-500 cycles. Basically, your battery is old and you need to buy a replacement.

Battery charging issues, Doesn't make sense

Hello, and thank you for reading
My situation is this. My friend sold me his old late 2009 Macbook 13". He told me he has never had any issues with charging. I have had it around 5 months now, and over that time the charger has got more and more temperamental.
It only charges when it wants to - sometimes it seems putting the plug in different sockets makes a difference, but I doubt it does.
I have cleaned out the inside best I can, performed the SMC reset several times, I even have 3 different chargers (one official that came with it that seems to work best, one un official replacement ac, and one very very old macbook pro charger.)
I have BatteryExpert app and that says everything is relatively healthy, saying it is on 599 cycles, current charge capacity is 4932 mAh out of a designed 5450.
The battery cell voltages are all at 3.73.
When I say temperamental, I MEAN IT. It stresses me out a lot. All day I have tried different sockets, chargers, extensions, nothing. While writing this I turned my laptop around to face my better and it randomly starts charging (the indicator lights seem to work fine.)
I feel I have tried everything other than taking it to the shop because 1. my nearest apple store is rather far away and 2. I am extremely broke at the moment.
Below is my power figures from system info :
Model Information:
Serial Number:     W0*******X6A
Manufacturer:     SMP
Device Name:     bq20z451
Pack Lot Code:     0
PCB Lot Code:     0
Firmware Version:     103
Hardware Revision:     000a
Cell Revision:     119
Charge Information:
Charge Remaining (mAh):     1570
Fully Charged:     No
Charging:     No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh):     4927
Health Information:
Cycle Count:     588
Condition:     Normal
Battery Installed:     Yes
Amperage (mA):     -1175
Voltage (mV):     11043
System Power Settings:
AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes):     10
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes):     10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):     10
Wake on AC Change:     No
Wake on Clamshell Open:     Yes
Wake on LAN:     Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim:     Yes
PrioritizeNetworkReachabilityOverSleep:     0
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes):     138
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes):     10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):     138
Wake on AC Change:     No
Wake on Clamshell Open:     Yes
Current Power Source:     Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim:     Yes
Reduce Brightness:     Yes
Hardware Configuration:
UPS Installed:     No
Sorry about the long post, but I mean it when I say thank you for reading and if you have any thoughts or ideas, that would be great asI am willing to try anything. I consider myself to take care of my electronics, but I have played a few games on this Macbook and it does sometimes get pretty hot.
<Edited by Host>

The cycle count depends on which 2009 Macbook it is > Mac notebooks: Determining battery cycle count

More battery charging issues.

Like some other people around here I've been having problems with my battery on my Macbook too. Even though my power adapter shows an orange light I still get an X over the battery icon. I've tried taking out my baterry and unpluging the adapter and holding down the power button and I've tried commandoption+pr at startup and neither have worked. So my battery refuses to charge and is so low I can't have my macbook unplugged for more than 5 minutes without it shutting down. I didn't start experiencing this problem until after I'd had my Macbook for a month or so, so I can't figure out what could be wrong. I took the computer to an Apple Store about two months ago for another problem (I went to restart my computer and it wouldn't fully restart) they rebooted and archived my system (I think that's how you'd say it) and the battery problem seemed to be fixed after that but then it started doing it again after like a week.
Help, what should I do?

I have been having the same issue, and tried the same things you did. Ultimately, I found out quite by accident that if I unplug the adapter, shut off and then turn on MacBook, the adapter works properly & the battery icon shows correct info.
My question: Since this happens regularly enough to be very inconvenient, is there a fix to remedy the problem??
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Battery/Charger Issues (Early 2011 15" MBP)

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