Battery or power adapter

Hi,
I just wondering if my notebook is full battery or I just finished power supply, it is better to use power adapter or battery? (if power adapter is available)
Thanks

Keep the computer plugged in whenever possible.
If you keep the computer always plugged in, make sure that twice a month
run it on battery until battery level drops to about 50-40%.
More about batteries:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1446

Similar Messages

Battery and Power Adapter Question

Hello:
I've seen several posts that address one issue or another but have not seen one that addresses both:
On my iBook G3 14" -
-Will not power up (have tried steps to reset power management).
-Battery light, when button is pressed, flashes several times (more than a dozen?)
-Power adapter light does not come on
Ordered a new battery but have seen that another possibility is the DC board.
Any help is greatly appreciated! Is there somewhere that lists the various meanings of the flashing battery lights?

Since the power adapter light doesn't come on, I would suspect that the adapter isn't working. (I don't want to insult your intelligence, but have you tried a different outlet?)
Possible sources for a replacement adapter:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/M8943LL/A
http://www.powerbookmedic.com/White-Brick-Style-45W-Power-Adapter-M8482-NEW-p-16 185.html
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001YXWVO/104-2129172-0414319?v=glance&n=17228 2
http://eshop.macsales.com/Catalog_Item.cfm?ID=6432&Item=MICACADPTG4
http://www.teksale.com/laptops/laptopparts/listings/apple-ac-adapter-g4.htm
http://macwizards.com/store/productinfo.php?products_id=19&gclid=CNbEujkwZkCFSbxDAodXDaotQ

HT2037 icon reads "battery not charging" with power adapter lit "green". Do I replace battery or power adapter?

icon reads "battery not charging" with power adapter lit "green". do I replace the battery or the power adapter?

Go to the Apple in the upper left corner and select About This Mac, then click on More Info, then select Power from the left hand column of the System Profiler. Copy and paste the Battery Information back here.

MACBOOK - battery or power adapter???

Hi! Im new user of Mac, I use my laptop as a desktop. Do I run it on battery and just recharge after every discharge? or do I use AC power the whole time with my battery in the Mac? Or should I remove the battery while using under AC, with my old laptop I remove the battery and use AC plug always. Thanks

lochidaga wrote:
Hi! Im new user of Mac, I use my laptop as a desktop. Do I run it on battery and just recharge after every discharge? or do I use AC power the whole time with my battery in the Mac? Or should I remove the battery while using under AC, with my old laptop I remove the battery and use AC plug always. Thanks
The usual recommendation is to keep it running off the adapter power, but let it run off battery power maybe once a month or whenever you take it on the road and don't have an outlet. Running it periodically off the battery keeps it calibrated and is good for the ultimate life of the battery.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490
Batteries slowly degrade after each charge. If you use it off the battery twice a day for a year, you're going to find that your battery life is noticebly degraded. I've heard the magic number is 300 cycles (this is recorded in the battery I believe), where Apple won't replace a battery under warranty if it the battery life is noticeably degraded. Laptop charging systems for lithium rechargeable batteries are designed to prevent overcharging by charging up to maximum, then only topping off when it drops below a certain amount (I thought it was 95%). There's no "trickle charge". Apple has a definition of "all the time" that excludes monthly use off of battery power. There's a difference between leaving it plugged in "most of the time" versus "all of the time".
http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html
*Standard Maintenance*
For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time. An ideal use would be a commuter who uses her MacBook Pro on the train, then plugs it in at the office to charge. This keeps the battery juices flowing. If on the other hand, you use a desktop computer at work, and save a notebook for infrequent travel, Apple recommends charging and discharging its battery at least once per month. Need a reminder? Add an event to your desktop’s iCal.
That monthy iCal reminder link is in the above page on the right where it says "Remind me to charge and discharge my notebook battery".

Using MB mostly w/ power adapter, how do I maintain battery?

I use my MB at work plugged in with battery,and of course, once in a while take my MB for a trot, and like to make sure it is ready for normal use with a charged battery, however , I am concerned that running my MB w/battery with power adapter plugged in will lessen the charge and effectiveness of the battery when I decide to use it away from the office. I don't really want to have to take the
battery out and then put it back in when I decide to go somewhere with it. Is there a setting where I can switch just to use my MB with power from adapter, without having an influence on my battery,, or will it be ok to keep my MB plugged in w/battery,, and not have any detrimental effect on battery?

You should always leave the battery in. When it's plugged in and fully charged, your MacBook will not put any strain on the battery. Follow the links below for more information about your battery.
[*About your Battery*|http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html]
[*How to Calibrate your Battery*|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490]
[*Maximizing your Battery Charge*|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1446]

Disfunctional Power Adapter

I just came back from approximately 2 hours away from my power adapter this evening to find the amber light was still on (not connected to anything). The adapter was plugged into my power bar, so I unplugged it and the amber light flickered out after a few seconds. I then plugged the adapter back in and connected it to my computer. The indicator light turned on green although I only had about an hour and a half battery life left, and the charge indicator at the top of my screen said (Not Charging). I unplugged everything again, and now the green light turns on on one side of the adapter without being connected to the computer, and does not charge my computer.
I have had my Macbook for a year and four months without any problems pertaining to the battery or power adapter.
Also, I tried to register for a technical support phone call, but my serial number is not recognized as a valid serial number.
Help!

I'd advise you to just buy a replacement power adapter from any source. Amazon has some used ones, for around US$ 45:
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MagSafe-Adapter-MacBook-MA538LL/dp/B000FQ245I/
On eBay, you can also find these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/60W-AC-Power-Adapter-Charger-For-Apple-MacBook-MagsafeW0QQitemZ250474548127QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain0?hash=item3a51724b9f
Sites operating from Hong Kong (such as DealExtreme) have cheaper non-brand replacements, but can take 2-3 weeks:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.25214
Good luck.

Power Adapter.. issues

I'm working on a Powerbook G4 15Inch FW-800 and due to some lightning it fried the LIO Board which is the Sound/DC-In board, I replaced it as well as the RJ-11 Jack that had some fried components on it as well and everything runs just great on it now!! Except whenever the power adapter is plugged in or removed it restarts!! So i know the battery works great, until i plug in the power adapter, and the power adapter works great, until i unplug it and try to run off the battery.. I'm at a loss here, also the Battery Backup.. I tested the battery and it has the proper voltage but it still doesnt keep the date and time when the computer is off without battery or power adapter for like 30 minutes!!! HELP! please

Charles, First welcome to the discussions.
You need to get in touch with Applecare... They will want you to bring it in and if they determine that is is defective part they will probably replace it free of charge...However if they find the cause to be misuse or abuse then I would quess you might be out of luck and will have to pay to have it fixed...Cheers..Don

House Blew a Fuse, Power Adapter Fails

Well i just got this computer for christmas, so it's all brand new. Earlier today, the laptop was plugged in, on, and closed. Charging Just fine. The house blew a fuse. I went and reset the fusebox, now my magsafe (L style) poweradapter isnt coming back on. The laptop is fine.
I've left the power adapter alone for about an hour, tried different outlets (confirmed the outlets were powered), and the little green light still isnt coming on. Suggestions?

Hi, well my second 85w magsafe power adapter is fry now.... My first one (the original one) I have used for about 3 years, plug in 95% of his time to 110v or 220v. But few months a go he died on me. Same thing happened, the adapter was plug in to the outlet but not connected to computer, the house fuse blew for no reason at that moment, but later on that day when i try to recharge my laptop battery, surprise power adapter is was gone, fry, burn..... Now I got a new one $75 US, use it for 1 week and this one died on me today, I was working on my laptop and he warn me that, battery is low, I connected the power adapter and after few seconds the laptop told me again to connect the power line, battery is low... looking at the led light it was off and I........... exploded Now questions is there any problem with my laptop? My laptop looks that is working fine is getting little bit warm when working hard.... Power adapter needs to get warm to hot when charging or in use? Thanks!

W520, 55++, 27++, unplugged from power adapter, 0% battery. Press Power button -- power up loops.

Just faced a rather strange issue, but not really an issue, just different system behaviour than expected.
System:
W520
Batteries:
55++ connected
27++ connected
Power adapter:
Unplugged
No other accessories connected.
Scenario:
I was using the system till it power itself off due to low power (0% reached for both batteries). i.e. Ungraceful Windows shutdown. Then upon pressing the power on button, the LEDs flashes, no THINKPAD logo or BIOS message appears, system appears to then restart again, and the LEDs flash again...and loops until it was no longer able to even attempt to POST.
Expected behaviour:
Either display the message that says "Battery level is too low".
Or
Don't loop (this is the behaviour when only the 55++ battery is connected at 0%)
Why does having the 27++ would make the system go through this looping cycle?

Hello Chatbox,
I can understand your issue very well, as there is no message comes on the screen which gives you information to plug the power adapter and prevent the laptop to get shut down.
You should install Power Manager software and then customize it as per your requirement.
The software can be download from the mentioned below web link.
http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/8mu417ww.exe
Hope, after this laptop will not shut down automatically due to battery backup
Best Regards,
Tanuj
Did someone help you today? Press the star on the left to thank them with a Kudo!
If you find a post helpful and it answers your question, please mark it as an "Accepted Solution".! This will help the rest of the Community with similar issues identify the verified solution and benefit from it.
Follow @LenovoForums on Twitter!

Hp zv5242qv laptop with windows vista will not run on battery but will run on power adapter

Hello, I have a HP zv5242qv pavilion zv5000 series laptop with windows vista installed. I can run it on the power adapter with and without the battery installed but it will not power up on just the battery, the battery is new and fully charged. When I plug in the power adapter the battery light on the front of the laptop comes o then goes off, anyone have any ideas about my problem ?

Hello,
The situation you describe looks like the unit has problems with the battery, but you say the battery is new and is fully charged.
Then, the issue might be with the system board and maybe there isn't anyhting you can do.
You can try to remove the battery and the ac adapter, and keep the power button pressed for 30 seconds, then connect the ac adapter, turn on the unit, then when in windows put the battery in place, see how it is detected, the power level and restart the PC. See if the unit restarts with the battery in place, if yes, then shutdown the unit.
See what happens and report back.
Thanks,
I work for HP! Please remember to provide and if this helped click ON

Doesn't recognize the power adapter. Have replaced battery and PRAM.

Howdy,
I'm having a devil of a time with my Powerbook. It won't recognize a power adapter.
It won't charge my battery.
Won't run when plugged into the power adapter.
The only way it works is for me to charge my battery in my girlfriend's Powerbook and then sprint through any work I try to get done.
I've replaced the PRAM with twice. (one i bought and the other I took from my girlfriend's which I 100% know to work) It didn't make a difference.
Below is the info from the system profiler "System Power Settings"
System Power Settings:
AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Automatic Restart On Power Loss: No
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake On LAN: Yes
Wake On Modem Ring: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 5
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 1
Automatic Restart On Power Loss: No
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake On Modem Ring: No
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Reduce Brightness: Yes
Battery Information:
Battery Installed: Yes
First low level warning: No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 3734
Remaining Capacity (mAh): 3374
Amperage (mA): -1231
Voltage (mV): 11770
Cycle Count: 235
AC Charger Information:
AC Charger (Watts): 0
Connected: No
Charging: No
Hardware Configuration:
Clamshell Closed: No
UPS Installed: No
If anyone has any suggestions I'll love them forever.
My sanity is going on this.

Welcome to the Apple discussions.
There's only 4 components in the charging circuit: power adapter, DC-in card, battery, and logic board. Do you know for a fact that your power adapter is working? If yes, then not running on the power adapter says either the DC-in card is bad (the card that has the jacks on the left side of the computer) or it's a logic board issue. Is the female jack where you plug the power adapter in visibly damaged, loose, or the case around the socket damaged? If the socket is wiggly loose, likely a new DC-in card is in order. Does the power adapter light up at all when you plug it in?
We had a similar, but not exact, situation recently on one of our Powerbooks, and ended up taking it to the Apple store, where they sent it to the Apple depot for repair. They replaced the logic board and put a new battery in. The Depot service returns the machine with anything needing repair, repaired. If everything is in good physical order, ie the case isn't damaged, it costs around $325, which is less than getting a new logic board put in at the store. If the case is damaged, a trip to the Apple depot costs more. A new DC-in card card + installation by Apple runs around $130, give or take. Used DC-in cards run around $75-$95 if you want to install it yourself.

New power adapter and battery, still not working?!

A couple days ago, my macbook stopped charging. The power adapter was plugged in, but there was no indication that it recognized it or was charging, so I figured it was a broken power adapter. I bought a new one, plugged it in, everything was fine - until the next day. The new power adapter stopped working as well. So, I go to the genius bar, and they tell me it's my battery. I buy a new battery and plug in the new charger. Everything's working again, until I unplug the power adapter to move my laptop into another room - and now it's not charging again! I tried every power outlet, and something is definitely wrong with the macbook itself. I'm pretty frustrated since I've now spent $200 on new stuff and the problem still isn't resolved.
Does anyone have any ideas?

A, I love Alexia Potatoes--I think I'm having some garlic mashed with dinner tonight.
B, Have you downloaded and applied this firmware update?
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1311
Before you do so, you may want to try just a plain old SMC reset:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964
Good luck!

How to set "Energy Saver"- Setting for Power Adapter or Battery?

Under the System preference, how do I need to set the Energy Saver? There are options of Power Adapter or Battery for the Setting for. What is difference?

Here's how I have my energy saver settings set, first, click 'show details':
Power adaptor (when plugged into a power outlet):
Under Sleep: Put the computer to sleep: never (I close the display when I want to put it to sleep)
Put display to sleep: 5 minutes
Put the hard disk to sleep whenever possible is checked.
Under options, reduce brightness before sleep and show battery status on menu bar are checked.
Processor Performance: Automatic
Battery (when disconnected from a power outlet)
Under Sleep: Put the computer to sleep: never (I close the display when I want to put it to sleep)
Put display to sleep: 3 minutes
Put the hard disk to sleep whenever possible is checked.
Under options, reduce brightness of this display when using this power source, reduce the brightness before sleep, and show battery status on menu bar are checked.
Processor Performance: Reduced

Had Power Adapter replaced, battery icon not showing charge

Hello, hoping you guys can help me out. Recently, my power adapter had burned out (wouldn't show charge/light up at all). I've had it replaced as of today and is working fine (Whoo!), but now a new problem's come up.
I admit I used my battery to it's limit while waiting for the new adapter, and while the light on the adapter is green, the battery icon on my screen is showing 0%. Pressing the button on the battery only gives me one green light.
I've heard something about Re-Calibrating the battery in my manual, but I'm unsure if that's the best course for my case. Here's my Power System Profile, if it helps:
AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 5
Dynamic Power Step: Yes
Reduce Processor Speed: No
Automatic Restart On Power Loss: No
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake On LAN: Yes
Wake On Modem Ring: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 0
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 1
Dynamic Power Step: No
Reduce Processor Speed: Yes
Automatic Restart On Power Loss: No
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake On Modem Ring: No
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Reduce Brightness: Yes
Battery Information:
Battery Installed: Yes
First low level warning: No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 3775
Remaining Capacity (mAh): 0
Amperage (mA): 0
Voltage (mV): 9821
Cycle Count: 56
AC Charger Information:
AC Charger (Watts): 65
Connected: Yes
Charging: No
Hardware Configuration:
Clamshell Closed: No
UPS Installed: No

Re-calibrating the battery is typically done with a new battery, where you charge it all the way up, then run it all the way down a couple of times. This calibrates the battery's internal electronics to the actual capacity of the battery. Not a concern here.
Looking at your battery stats, is your battery fairly new? It is showing 56 charge/discharge cycles, does that sound about right? Reason for asking is, if the battery is old, like maybe the original battery that came with the system, sometimes a dying lithium battery throws up screwy stats. If it is an older battery, that may be why it's not charging ... it's dead. However, if it is a newer battery ....
There's only 4 components to the charging circuit - power adapter, dc-in card, battery, and logic board. You have a new power adapter, and the system is seeing the 65 watt power adapter, so the power adapter and dc-in card appear to be OK. That leaves either a battery issue or a logic board issue. Do you have another battery you can swap in, or a friend with the same model PowerBook, or an Apple store nearby? If you swap another battery in, and it starts charging, and the current batter is an older one, then replace the battery. I used this one on mine, and others have had good things to say about it: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/powerbook/battery/g4-15inch-aluminum/ . I would stay away from batteries sold on ebay, as there have been a number of people very disappointed with the lack of quality in the battery they bought.
If another battery won't charge, that would point to a logic board issue. We just had that on one of our PowerBooks, where it would charge, and it wasn't a power adapter, dc-in, or battery problem. The Apple store sent it off to the Apple Depot, for around $350, and they replaced the logic board as well as the battery. If they do more work, like replacing a dented case, the price goes up. If the Apple store replaces the logic board in the store, it costs around $750 or more.

Using iBook G3 without battery - power adapter only

I would like to use my iBook G3 without the battery - just with the power adapter plugged in. I've tried starting up with the power plugged in and the battery removed, and no luck. Removing the battery with the power plugged in shuts down the computer.
I have an old battery that doesn't hold charge anymore and needs replacing. I use this computer from home 99.9% of the time and I'd rather not have a hot battery on my lap. Any thoughts or suggestions? I KNOW it's possible to do this as I've always seen demo models in stores set up this way. I have a relatively new adapter - the one that looks like an airport, not like a flying saucer.

Theoretically, it should work, yes. Have you tried resetting the PMU?
However, I strongly recommend against running with no battery for a couple of reasons.
First of all, even a mostly dead battery usually will hold enough of a charge to save your projects you're working on if the iBook is accidentally unplugged.
Next, if Apple had really intended using the iBook this way, they would have provided a battery hatch cover. As it is, using the iBook with no battery in place would subject the terminals to dust, lint, and debris. Needless to say, this is not good.
Apple has never really called its portables "laptops." They are not designed to run on your lap, but on a hard surface. I know most of us use them on our laps, but these days, I use one of these, which my son bought me for Mother's Day. I use it folded in half, and use the foot to prop up the back so that my iBook is kept cooler than it would be otherwise. It works great.
If the heat bothers you, it probably bothers your iBook, too. You may want to look into a similar solution. One long-time Apple user has suggested an inexpensive acrylic cutting board as a lap desk, and that would work fine, too. I don't recommend running without the battery, though, even if you could manage to do it.

Battery or power adapter

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for