MBPR: Run on battery or power?

I have just got my hands on a brand new Mac Book Pro with Retina display.
My current practise is to run the laptop on the battery, then put it on the charger when it gets either to the end of the day or 10% battery power.
How should I run the MacBook to get the logest battery life?
Should I run the battery flat everytime before I recharge? run it on power all the time?
thanks

There is a lot of misinformation going around about how to handle Lithium-Ion batteries. First, and foremost, do not run the batttery down to shutoff every time. That does nothing good for the battery. Lithium-Ion batteries do not have a memory like the old NiCads and there is no such thing as calibrating a Lithium battery. All that can be calibrated is the charge reporting circuitry.
Next, keeping the MBPr plugged in and running on line power will not harm the battery. Take it off the line periodically, at least monthly, and run the battery down to 50% and then recharge.
The charging circuit will not overcharge the battery, it stops charging when the battery reaches 100% and switches to power-only mode. When the battery charge trickles down to 93-95% the charging circuit kicks in again and tops up the battery.
Studies by independent testers have found that Lithium-Ion batteries discharged to 50% and then recharged will have four to five times the charge cycle life of a battery discharged to shutdwon every time. So partial discharging is a much bettery way to operate your MBPr.

Similar Messages

UPS Warning! Running on Battery Backup Power..?

I just got my first Battery Backup UPS - a Tripplite ECO750UPS. Connects to my Mac Pro with a USB cable to detect when my Mac shuts down or sleeps, in order to go into Eco "power saving" mode & turn off peripherals.
I've noticed a couple times this warning message popping up seemingly randomly - "Warning! Your computer is now running on battery backup power, save & shut down soon." No idea why. This thread - http://discussions.info.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=11173663 - offered little help but let me know others are having similar issues.
Running 10.6.4 here, anyone having these problems with previous versions too?
edit: OK I think I have some insight into what is causing this. I know that whenever my air conditioner unit switches on, it causes an electrical dip - the lights noticeably dim for half a second. Each time this has happened ever since I plugged into it, the UPS battery has switched on and the warning has come up on Mac OS. So it's just happening in order to maintain a constant electrical output load.
It's not bad or wrong, it's just a minor annoyance to have the warning come up every time my AC switches on. Is there any way to turn these warnings off?

The hatter wrote:
Your UPS and Mac Pro should not be on the same circuit though.
Your Mac Pro needs 1000VA UPS.
Use the UPS for other equipment in the house or your office, and try to get the A/C on its own circuit. Ideally have an electrician come in, and recommend running a new outlet to your room.
I agree totally with hatter on this. I can share many instances of hd corruption, etc, that were eventually linked back to horrible power sources.
The hundred or so bucks spent to get a dedicated circuit for "computers only" is well worth it in the long run.
Also, please note that many "consumer level" ups don't have voltage monitoring/regulation. They merely trip to battery when it detects a drop.
The higher level ups monitor and regulate voltage to keep any dips from ever reaching the computer.
Be prepared to spend $500 on a good UPS for a prosumer MacPro setup (additional internal drives, large and/or multiple displays, scanners, etc).

How can i use an external screen on mountain lion when i'm running on battery power?

Hey all:
I just upgraded from snow leopard to Mountain Lion, and i use external screen, keyboard and mouse all the time....
On Mountain Lion it's perfect when the power adaptor is connected as soon as you close the LID your external screen becomes the primary screeen and it's fully functional desktop (no mirroring or extension screen)
But the problem is when i'm in battery power, in snow leopard i used to close my lid my mac goes to sleep then i wake it up using the mouse and immediately open the LID so it doesn't go to sleep again and now i'm running on battery power with a primary external screen.
Any idea how to use an external screen on mountain lion while i'm on battery power? (i know i can use mirroring but i want just 1 primary screen and the laptop screen would be turned off )
Thanks for the help.....
Sherif

Sherif Daniel wrote:
my question is how to use an external display with mountain lion when i'm running on the laptop battery not connecting the ac adaptor?
Thanks again
You can't with the lid closed, that's one of the rules for clamshell mode.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3131

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

My macbook pro 2.0 early 2011 will not go to sleep with the power source connected. only enters sleep mode when running on battery. Someone did this happen, and it could solve?

Alo, my Macbook pro i7 2 GHz Intel Core i7 (early 2011) will not go to sleep with the power source connected. only enters sleep mode when running on battery. Someone did this happen, and it could solve?

There is no output from that command line? Maybe the pid changed.
I'll repeat what I am trying to find out...
1. You do a pmset -g on the terminal.
2. The output from that pmset should have a line that says "sleep 0 (imposed by n)" where n is some number.
3. The ps ax | grep n is supposed to display what the process associated with n is.
It's the output from step 3 that should indicate what is causing you not to sleep.
But speaking of sleep, that's where I am going.

Battery won't charge, but will run on the adapter power.

I've had my MBP for about a month now. The problem I've had for the past few days is that the computer will work completely fine when it's plugged in, however the battery won't charge. Once the adapter gets removed, I get the popup that tells me that I'm on reserve battery power. When I click on the battery icon at the top right of the screen, it tells me that the battery is not charging, but it also tells me that the power source is the power adapter.

You need to take it to an Apple store or AASP and have them run a diagnostic on your battery and power adapter. If either is bad they will replace them, and if it's not the battery or power adapter, then it's probably the logic board.

Why won't my MacBook run on battery and display on the monitor? Runs fine if power cord is plugged in. I have to be plugged in to see the monitor display. Any ideas

Why won't my laptop run on battery and display on the monitor? If it is plugged in to power it works fine but the monitor goes blank if the power cord is removed. Any ideas?

Nothing is wrong. what your're seeing is by design.

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.

Can't run on battery power....

I had a lot of problems with my MBP which Apple diagnosed as a logic board issue. I just picked up my computer after having the logic board replaced. I haven't used it long enough to see if the freezing, etc. has been eliminated, but one problem remains.
I was unable to run off battery power for more than 20 minutes. It would eventually just go black and I'd have to shut down. I'd start back up and it'd have 80%+ battery life left. Apple checked this issue and put other working batteries in and the problem still existed, so it wasn't a battery issue.
This problem remains even with the new logic board.
Does anybody know what this could be?

Try the remaining items of:
- iOS: Not responding or does not turn on
- Also try DFU mode after try recovery mode
How to put iPod touch / iPhone into DFU mode « Karthik's scribblings
- If not successful and you can't fully turn the iOS device fully off, let the battery fully drain. After charging for an least an hour try the above again.
- Try another cable
- Try on another computer
- If still not successful that usually indicates a hardware problem and an appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple store is in order.
Apple Retail Store - Genius Bar

Dv6928us: Laptop not running in Battery, '0% available, Plugged in, not charging' but fine in power

Product No. dv6928us: Laptop is not running in Battery. Battery icon indicates, '0% available, Plugged in, not charging' even when the battery is inserted. But the laptop works fine in power mode.
Battery check indicates: "The primary battery was not detected. Check to assure the battery is properly inserted then restart the computer'.
Execution of this did not help.
Can anybody tell me whether battery life is over or loose connection in battery placement?

whoswho wrote:
Product No. dv6928us: Laptop is not running in Battery. Battery icon indicates, '0% available, Plugged in, not charging' even when the battery is inserted. But the laptop works fine in power mode.
Battery check indicates: "The primary battery was not detected. Check to assure the battery is properly inserted then restart the computer'.
Execution of this did not help.
Can anybody tell me whether battery life is over or loose connection in battery placement?
Try updating The BIOS and then try it again. BIOS (latest): http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareDownloadIndex?softwareitem=ob-62510-1&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&... If that fails to fix it, the battery will need replaced (if you want to) or ignored.

PowerbookG4 Runs on Battery But Won't Recognize/Recharge with Power Supply

My 15" 1.67gh Powerbook G4 will run just fine from battery power. The power supply does not charge the battery, though the amber light does turn on when it's connected. The screen power management display acts as if it's unplugged and doesn't recognize the plugged in power supply.
I have another G$ so can recharge the battery, and the power supply cord works fine in that one. I have tried the 5 second reset method (with the power supply and battery out)
This machine was used with an old battery that caused overheating during the summer to the point where the computer turned itself off.
Is the internal power supply fried? Is there a fuse that can be replaced? Is there some kind of other software/firmware procedural fix that I can try?
How much do these cost if I have to have it fixed? Is it worth doing for a computer this old? Can I just buy the part and try to install it? Is there a way to get it properly diagnosed without spending a ton of money?

There are 4 components to the charging circuit: power adapter, DC-in card, battery, and logic board. Unfortunately there is no automated test to determine what is causing any charging issues, so you have to solve it by elimination.
Since you have a working power adapter that will charge the battery on another PowerBook, that's good. And the system runs on battery power alone, so the battery sounds OK. That leaves either the DC-in card or the logic board as suspect. DC-in card would be the less expensive component to change, as they run $75-$95. A replacement logic board can run $300-$400. Those are used parts prices only without labor.
You could take your system to an Apple store, or better yet call them first, to see if they are even still repairing Powerbooks. If yes, see if you can have it sent to the Apple depot for repair (assuming you're in the US). As long as the case isn't banged up, it should run around $350 to have whatever is wrong fixed. If the case is banged up, it can run into the $650 range as they'll replace the case too. Comes back with a 90 day warranty. If they do the repair in the store, the price goes up... a logic board replacement in the store is around $750, as I recall. If you go this route, ensure you have a hard drive backup too before sending it off.

Caution: Your computer is currently running on battery power.......

HP G72-227wm Notebook PC
WIN 7
Pentium Dual Core CPU
64 bit OS.
Had HD failure, could'nt perform recovery. Contacted HP and ordered Recovery Disc.
Disc arrived today, Bought a new HD as well as a Battery.
Put new HD and Battery in the computer as well as Disk 1 of the recovery disc set.
Computer starts, brought up loading windows, recovery manager came up, then........
Caution: Your computer is currently running on battery power. This process requires the computer to be plugged into AC power. Plug your computer into AC power. and then click OK to continue.
Of course the computer is plugged in, I have switched the power outlet 3 times. When the AC power is unplugged there is no light next to the AC port. AC power in port, White light then orange.
HP tech says thats because its CHARGING the battery.
****side note- after being on the charger the light is now constant white. Assuming the new battery is now completly charged.****
I have tried the following sequences with the tech:
Unplug>take battery out>plug the computer in with Disc 1 from the recovery set>restart> Same Caution:
Unplug>take battery out>hold battery power button for 40 seconds>re-insert the battery>plug the computer in with Disc 1 from the recovery set>restart>Same Caution:
After a considerable amount of time on the phone the tech says that my computer is obsolete and no longer serviceable by HP and advised taking it to a local computer shop.
This was not an issue before the HD failure. I hope someone can assist.
Thanks
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Hi @mbaysfpd ,
Thank you for visiting the HP Support Forums and Welcome. I have looked into your issue of the HP G72-227WM Notebook giving you the error message your computer needs to connected to the AC adapter.
Could it be possible that when you replaced the HDD you accidentally loosened the connector inside the notebook to the Ac adapter?
Is it loose or wiggles? It could need to be soldered again.
You could look at this post it might have something in it that might help.
Please let me know how things go.
Thanks.
Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom to say “Thanks” for helping!

W510 checkered pixel patterns while running on battery [workaround]

Hey all, got my W510 in the mail yesterday and am quite pleased with it so far, but I have one issue that I've determined to be related to the power profiles. When using any energy-saving power profile while running off battery power, when I have a flash website (e.g. Nvidia's homepage) open in IE or Chrome or if I move any window around the screen enough, some kind of strange pixel checkering occurs constantly when the screen has too much activity. It's as if every other pixel gets shifted over by one making what looks like a checkerboard out of all the pixels on the screen. I can still read the screen, but it makes my head spin.
If I choose the standard 'Max Performance' power profile, the issue doesn't manifest when running on the battery. If I choose any of the others or create my own profile to mimic the Max Performance profile, I still get the checkers. It still manifests if I go through and turn off all power-saving options or increase the brightness of the backlight. If I start with the Max Performance profile and adjust it to my needs, the problem doesn't occur. Something tells me that the performance profile has something subtly different than all the others and it's not a configurable setting.
Has anyone else experienced this problem? Should I upgrade my Nvidia drivers from version 188.25, which came with the machine? I've read that other people have had issues upgrading their Nvidia driver. The way the system behaves, this seems like a power management issues more than an Nvidia driver issue.
Edit: I should also add that I don't have the issue while running on the AC adapter. Also if I take a screenshot while the pixel shifting occurs, the screenshot is crisp and clear with no signs of the pixel problem. This seems purely hardware/power management related.
Edit: see my later post on adjusting the power settings to work around this issue.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

It's reasonably likely that whatever issue you're seeing is linked to a setting in the NVIDIA Control Panel. So the best diagnostic you can do is, in high-performance mode (where the problem DOESN'T occur), write down the value of EVERY single setting that's available in that control panel.
Then, put the machine in a power mode in which the problem DOES occur. Then again go into the NVIDIA Control Panel and check every single available setting to see if anything has changed. There's a reasonable chance that you'll then find out what setting is causing the problem.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and a video probably ten times that. Taking a close-up shot of the screen while the problem is occuring, with either a still camera or preferably a video camera (or both), may help siginifcantly in diagnosing the problem. A simulated picture may differ in some subtle way from what's really happening, and those subtleties may be important. For instance, does the effect only break up vertical lines, and not horizontal lines? And does it only happen to content that is moving on the screen? And you're running your display at its native resolution, and not some larger or smaller resolution, right? Is the horizontal offset in the effect always just one pixel-width, or is it more than one pixel-width if you move things fast enough?
The simulated picture that you provide looks like it suffers from an artifact that appears WITHIN moving items that are displayed on an interlaced-scan display. The artifact goes away when the item ceases to move. But these aren't supposed to be interlaced displays. And I assume that you're talking about the built-in LCD in the W510, and not some external display, right? If somehow your display card is in interlaced display mode, then the problem probably won't appear in any screenshot the W510 takes of its own display. So at least that part of such a problem would agree with what you're describing.
So maybe the card is in an interlaced display mode when it's not supposed to be. Such a setting would normally be contained under some sort of "Video" menu in the NVIDIA Control Panel.
And from nVIDIA's website:
http://nvidia.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/nvidia.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=2343&p_created=1231528...!!&p_li=&p_topview=1
"Graphics card temperatures typically range from 40°C to 90°C."
The only mention of interlacing that I see on their site for that graphics card is in the "Features" section of:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_quadro_fx_880_m_us.html
"PureVideo HD Technology
NVIDIA® PureVideo® technology is the combination of high-definition video processors and software that delivers unprecedented picture clarity, smooth video, accurate color, and precise image scaling for SD and HD video content. Features include, high-quality scaling, spatial temporal de-interlacing, inverse telecine, and high quality HD video playback from DVD."
Plus there are many references to interlace features in the "NVIDIA Accelerated Linux Graphics Driver README and Installation Guide" which covers your video card. And those features are also presumably present in the Windows driver as well:
http://us.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86_64/195.36.08/README/README.txt
One such reference is:
"While [it] is possible to apply de-interlacing algorithms to progressive streams using the techniques outlined in the VDPAU documentation, NVIDIA does not recommend doing so. One is likely to introduce more artifacts due to the inverse telecine process than are removed by detection of bad edits etc."
So maybe it's trying to do spatial temporal de-interlacing when it doesn't need to (I once wrote software to do spatial temporal de-interlacing for a thermal camera, and you don't want that to be turned on when it's not supposed to be turned on). It mentions the de-interlacing in connection with a video mixer feature. So that's another possibility.
Anyway, that should keep you busy, if you want to fix it. ;-) Good luck!

MacBook Doesn't run from battery

My MacBook is no longer running from battery, it seems like is fully charged or have not problem charging itself, but if I disconnect the charger it shuts off automatically and also if I try to turn on from Battery it tries to start but immediately shuts off, with charger on works fine, I would appreciate any idea on what might be, my current battery status is shown like this:
Battery Information:
Model Information:
Serial Number: DP-ASMB016-36b6-2a34
Manufacturer: DP
Device name: ASMB016
Pack Lot Code: 0002
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 102a
Hardware Revision: 0500
Cell Revision: 0102
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 4508
Fully charged: No
Charging: Yes
Full charge capacity (mAh): 4527
Health Information:
Cycle count: 410
Condition: Good
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 334
Voltage (mV): 12591
System Power Settings:
AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 0
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
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Battery 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
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Reduce Brightness: Yes
Hardware Configuration:
UPS Installed: No
AC Charger Information:
Connected: Yes
Charging: Yes
Message was edited by: mariocedeno

Hi mariocedeno,
Let's try resetting the SMC and see if anything changes:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1411
If that does not resolve the issue, the next scenario would be to try a different charger and battery to see if anything changes. Based on the information provided in System Profiler it's not immediately obvious if we're dealing with a battery, charger or CPU related issue that's causing this.
If you don't have access to another charger & battery, our next best course of action is to arrange service/diagnostics via an Apple Retail Store or Authorized Service Provider. Is the unit still covered by Applecare/one-year limited warranty?

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".

MBPR: Run on battery or power?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for