MBP shutting off when battery still at 20-30% charge..help a newbie

I have had my MBP since last march but I have to admit I am a casual user and this is my first mac (meaning I am pretty clueless). I have had zero problems with my MBP until now...
Over the last several days my MBP has been shutting off unexpectedly as if it is out of battery, but with no warning and the battery indicator says it still has decent charge (usually 20 to 30%). If I plug in the charger and turn it back on it works fine and the charge is where it was when it shut off.
Does anyone know why it is doing this? I have been only using Safari when this happened. It is very frustrating to unexpectedly lose my place in whatever I am doing, and I want to make sure something is not wrong with my computer.
MPB Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Have you calibrated the battery recently (or ever)? If your battery isn't calibrated then your computer can think that there's 20-30% left when in fact it's empty. Also, there's a firmware upgrade to fix MBPs that shut down randomly(that is if it's not a battery problem). Info on the firmware can be found here:
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macbookproefifirmwareupdate12.html
and info on calibrating the battery can be found here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86284
Hope this helps.

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MBP shuts off when battery goes down to ~20%

Recently, my MBP started shutting off when the battery level got to 20%. No low battery warning, just shuts off like it got to 0%. I plug it in, turn it on, it boots and battery level is right around 20%.
Battery Information:
Model Information:
Serial Number: SMP-ASMB012-3571-70d
Manufacturer: SMP
Device name: ASMB012
Pack Lot Code: 0001
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0102
Hardware Revision: 0300
Cell Revision: 0200
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 4420
Fully charged: Yes
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 4440
Health Information:
Cycle count: 191
Battery health: Good
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 0
Voltage (mV): 12544
I took it to the Apple store and the "genious" told me that cycle count is too high and they can't replace the battery under warranty. He said I use it with a battery too much. Last time I checked, I bought a portable computer, it has a battery for a purpose. When I work at a client's office I don't always have it plugged in. What does actually constitute a "cycle"? I've had the laptop for 1 year and 2 months.

Ok, so I'll tell you guys my experience with the genius bar at the Apple Store.
It was about 2:20 pm today, I walked up to the genius bar and waited for someone to come to me -- which took all of 30 seconds. So he asked what my reason for visiting was, and I told him the story about how my battery would just cut off at 30%. He then asked for my computer, so I reached into my laptop bag, pulled it out, and placed it in front of him. It was in sleep mode so we just opened it up to get started; he went to the "About this Mac" from the Apple button in the menu bar and took a look at my serial number. After about 2 minutes he said "I'll be right back." I waited for no longer than two minutes, and he came out from the back with a box in hand. He then flipped my computer over and took my battery off, opened the box, pulled out a new battery and placed it in my computer. Then, all that I had left to do was sign for it, and I was on my way in no more than 10 minutes.
What I find interesting is that he didn't even look at how many "cycles" my battery had; although, it probably wouldn't have made much difference as it was only at 17. At any rate, I asked him if there was a set of defective batteries out there -- including mine -- and basically he told me that yes, there was. So I guess since he looked at my computers serial number, his computer told me that mine was one of the affected ones.
Anyways, bottom line was it was very easy to do to get it replaced, with zero hassle. For the most part, I'm pretty happy with how the Apple Store and genius bar both opperate, much better than dealing with stores like Best Buy and the like -- in my opinion anyways.
Good luck everyone.

Iphone 4 auto shut off when battery 20% and lower.

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Please Help! MBP shutting off when plugged in, now not recognizing MagSafe Adapter

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Battery Information:
Model Information:
Manufacturer:          DP
Device name:          bq20z451
Pack Lot Code:          0000
PCB Lot Code:          0000
Firmware Version:          0201
Hardware Revision:          0002
Cell Revision:          0164
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh):          2037
Fully charged:          No
Charging:          No
Full charge capacity (mAh):          5078
Health Information:
Cycle count:          168
Condition:          Normal
Battery Installed:          Yes
Amperage (mA):          -917
Voltage (mV):          11235
System Power Settings:
AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes):          10
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes):          10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):          5
Wake On AC Change:          No
Wake On Clamshell Open:          Yes
Wake On LAN:          Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim:          Yes
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes):          5
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes):          10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):          1
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
AC Charger Information:
Connected:          No
Charging:          No
thanks for the quick reply~

Mbp shuts off when...

hi all,
My mbp shuts off everytime I unplug the ac. In "istat" and "about this mac", my battery is diagnosed as healthy. The only thing that I see in "about this mac" that might be causing this (honestly, I have no idea what this means) is this.
Hardware Configuration:
UPS Installed: No
Its at the bottom of the power section in about this mac. Whats a UPS? should this be installed? if yes, can someone tell me how to install UPS?
mbp Mac OS X (10.4.9)

That "No UPS" should be nothing to worry about. I have the same setting in mine and there is no problem.
On the other hand, if the battery is failing to supply power, that might be one of several things and, presuming your MBP is still within warranty, it needs looking at by Apple.
As a thought, why not check the relative settings for Power and Battery in "Energy Saver" preferences (in System prefs)?

MBP shuts off when not plugged in (yet battery is fully charged)

This is the 3rd time I've suffered from this problem.
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When I leave the MBP charging for a few hours, then disconnect the power, it almost immediately shuts off (no warning, no error, no sleeping).
While disconnected, if I try and turn it on, I hear the boot sound, but then it shuts off again - the monitor never turns on.
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MBP Shuts off when on battery Power

As soon as i unplug the charger the computer shuts off. here is my info
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charge remaining 4664
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condition good
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cycle count 368
The useful life of a typical Li-based battery is ~400 cycles. Your battery is simply getting old - it's time to buy a new one.

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Hi,
Today my MBP started acting weird. I've never had this problem before. If I tap it, or move the lid it randomly shuts off. I'm afraid to type to hard b/c I feel like it will just shut off with any slight movement. I've reset the SMC and done a bunch of other troubleshooting.
Is this a software issue or hardware?
I feel as if there is a sensor loose inside my mbp which is causing it to suddenly shut off.

Bound to be hardware, Rudy.
Does it occur both when running from battery and from the mains?
Is it definitely shutting right down rather than falling into an unwakeable 'sleep"? (If it is shutting right down then a single press of the power button is all that is needed to restart, rather than holding the button down for a few secs and then pressing it again.)
What model is it?
Cheers
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I checked the system profiler and the full charge capacity is 2657 and the cycle count is 107. This only confirmed my earlier diagnosis. The battery is failing. It is now happening when Skype is not on. I think it was just a coincidence that the problem appeared after installing Skype. I've also now noticed a bulge around the battery area and intermittent trouble with the track pad and button. I contacted Apple about the battery and was told I'd have to buy a new one. I'm only out of warranty by a few months and my battery was not part of the recall. Thanks for the help.
Message was edited by: sluey

MBP shuts down when battery at appox. 30%

Hello,
I have a 17" MBP 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo.
Recently (in the last 3-4 days) it has decided to shut down completely when the battery charge falls to around 30%. Prior to these symptoms appearing, it behaved normally with the 'low battery warning' appearing at about 5% and then going to sleep mode as opposed to shutting down.
I have reset the SMU by removing the adapter, battery and pressing the power button for 5 secs. Unfortunately the symptoms remain. Obviously I cannot re-calibrate the battery as it won't carry on below 30% charge without the MBP shutting down.
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glavender wrote:
...Hopefully Apple will do something about this. It doesn't seem right that the battery would fail this early! Especially after spending so much on a computer!
Umm... of course Apple will do something. I do not understand why you felt you had to add that to your reply. Allow me to explain:
1. I have AppleCare, therefore if it's a hardware issue then any repair will be carried out without any cost to me.
2. Apple have introduced a 'battery exchange and extension' program:
http://www.apple.com/support/macbook_macbookpro/batteryupdate/
If the battery is at fault, regardless of whether I have AppleCare or not, the battery will be replaced as it falls within the terms of the extension program.
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I am facing a similar problem. I have tried calibrating the battery and resetting the PMU to no avail. The interesting thing is that when I calibrate and charge the battery, the maximum battery time available is 35 minutes. A month ago it was 3:40. In addition, some times I get a message when I am 50% that I should plugin the laptop immediately, and then the battery keeps working 'normally'.
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When did you last properly calibrate your battery?
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490
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MBP shutting off when battery still at 20-30% charge..help a newbie

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