Using power adapter when applicable?

Hi All,
I heard that if it is applicable to hook my laptop to AC adapter, it is better than consuming the battery and so the battery will have a longer life. So, when I'm home my laptop is always connected to the AC adapter.
Is that right?
Thanks.

Yes, that's fine.

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My Macbook Pro display flickers when using power adapter

I purchased a new power adapter for my Macbook Pro (late 2011 17 inch) from Other World Computing and now the display flickers intermittently when attached to the new power adapter. There is no flickering when not attached to the power adapter or when attached to the old power adapter.
Any ideas on fixing the new power adapter? I would rather fix the problem if it is simple.
Thanks for the help.
Roy Patience

It doesn't affect the battery. You can use your MacBook Pro plugged in all the time without damaging the battery. You only have to be sure that you unplug it and run a battery cycle (drain the battery without letting the Mac turn off and charge it fully) at least once a month to keep the battery life.
If you want more information about your battery > http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html

Noise when using power adapter

I've got a 1.25Ghz Powerbook 15 inch. It's been pretty noisy lately and sounded like a high pitch type mosquito sound. I just unplugged it to use battery power and the sound stopped. Now it's quiet as it should be. Does anyone know what may be causing this noise?
Also, what happens when I reset the power management on a powerbook? Do I lose any settings?

I had the same irritating 'mosquito' buzzing sound when plugged into my new 65 W AC power adapter (my previous one died) and the charging was intermittent and would require plugging & unplugging to get it to start charging again. I reset the PMU (power management unit) -- see BGreg's link above -- and it now working well. I hope it works for you!
cheers

When using power adapter, what to do with the battery?

Hi,
I own a macbook (mid july 07 model). Most of the time (99%) my macbook is on my desktop and the power adapter is plugged in. I am wondering in my senario, is it better to leave the battery in or out? I understand that there will be performances differences but I can live with the fall in performance when the battery is out, as I don't run heavy apps. Would't it be battery for the battery if I leave it 50% charged and tucked away? I read it from the apple website that if you don't intend to use the battery for 6 mths, its better to do it this way. However, I read the other post in this forum (http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4883352&#4883352) and people suggested to leave the battery in as it doesn't make much of a difference. This kind of left me hanging, in or out? What do you guys do with your batteries? Care to share some experiences? or advise? Thanks.

It is OK to leave your battery hooked to the charger most of the time. The only time I unhook mine from the charger is when I calibrate. You should calibrate your battery once a month.
The following links have good information about the MacBook and the care of it's battery.
MacBook reduces processor speed when battery is removed while operating from an A/C adaptor
Apple portable computer's battery does not show a full charge in Mac OS X
Look here and here for some good tips about battery care.
MacBook: How to remove or install the battery
Determining Battery Cycle Count
Use and cleaning of MagSafe power connector

Remove battery when using power adapter?

Just picked up a 12" PowerBook G4 on eBay. Is it best to remove the battery as I use the power adapter exclusively?

Whether you remove the battery or not, the battery will die an early death if it is never used.
Removing the battery deprives you of its value as an uninterruptible power supply if the AC power should fail. In a power outage, if the battery is removed the computer instantly shuts down, and whatever you were working on but hadn't yet saved is irretrievably lost. If the battery is in place and charged and the power goes out, the machine instantly and automatically switches over to battery power, and you continue to work as if nothing had happened.
Even if you never need to work away from AC power, it's worth unplugging the AC adapter cord from your computer for an hour every day or two, just to give the battery the exercise it needs to keep on functioning. That way you'll continue to benefit from its uninterruptible-power-supply services as long as possible.

IPad won't charge using power adapter but will charge via USB

I have an iPad 1 that recently stopped charging using the power adapter. "Broken power adapter or cable" I thought and reached for a spare that I have. That didn't work either. The original power adapter however DID charge another iPad without any problems, so the problem cannot be with the adapter or cable.
Now this is the wierd bit - using the original cable plugged into my laptop I get the usual "Not charging" message but the iPad DOES charge slowly this way.
I rebooted the iPad, restarted it in recovery mode and restored the firmware, cleaned out the 30-pin connector port - all those useful bits of advice that you find on the internet but all to no avail. The iPad just will not charge using any of the many original Apple iPad charger sthat I have been able to get my hands on but will only charge on an underpowered USB port!
The 30-pin connector must work otherwise it wouldn't charge via USB. Can there be some kind of wierd internal hardware defect that might cause such behavior?
I fear that if I take a 3 year old iPad to the Apple Store they might just give me their best smile and show me the latest iPads but this old iPad works fine otherwise and I don't really want to replace it.
Anyone got any ideas?

Try this first - Reset the iPad by holding down on the Sleep and Home buttons at the same time for about 10-15 seconds until the Apple Logo appears - ignore the red slider - let go of the buttons. (This is equivalent to rebooting your computer.)
And this - Unplug the charger from the iPad and then replug. May resume charging.
The quickest way (and really the only way) to charge your iPad is with the included 10W or 12W (5W on Mini) USB Power Adapter. iPad will also charge, although more slowly, when attached to a computer with a high-power USB port (many recent Mac computers) or with an iPhone Power Adapter (5W). When attached to a computer via a standard USB port (2.5W, most PCs or older Mac computers) iPad will charge very slowly (but iPad indicates not charging). Make sure your computer is on while charging iPad via USB. If iPad is connected to a computer that’s turned off or is in sleep or standby mode, the iPad battery will continue to drain.
Apple recommends that once a month you let the iPad fully discharge & then recharge to 100%.
How to Calibrate Your Mac, iPhone, or iPad Battery
http://www.macblend.com/how-to-calibrate-your-mac-iphone-or-ipad-battery/
At this link http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/galaxy-tab-android-tablet,3014-11.html , tests show that the iPad 2 battery (25 watt-hours) will charge to 90% in 3 hours 1 minute. It will charge to 100% in 4 hours 2 minutes. The new iPad has a larger capacity battery (42 watt-hours), so using the 10W charger will obviously take longer. If you are using your iPad while charging, it will take even longer. It's best to turn your new iPad OFF and charge over night. Also look at The iPad's charging challenge explained http://www.macworld.com/article/1150356/ipadcharging.html
Also, if you have a 3rd generation iPad, look at
Apple: iPad Battery Nothing to Get Charged Up About
http://allthingsd.com/20120327/apple-ipad-battery-nothing-to-get-charged-up-abou t/
Apple Explains New iPad's Continued Charging Beyond 100% Battery Level
http://www.macrumors.com/2012/03/27/apple-explains-new-ipads-continued-charging- beyond-100-battery-level/
New iPad Takes Much Longer to Charge Than iPad 2
http://www.iphonehacks.com/2012/03/new-ipad-takes-much-longer-to-charge-than-ipa d-2.html
Apple Batteries - iPad http://www.apple.com/batteries/ipad.html
Extend iPad Battery Life (Look at pjl123 comment)
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3921324?tstart=30
New iPad Slow to Recharge, Barely Charges During Use
http://www.pcworld.com/article/252326/new_ipad_slow_to_recharge_barely_charges_d uring_use.html
Best Practices for iPad Battery Charging
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/best-practices-for-ipad-batte ry-charging/
Tips About Charging for New iPad 3
http://goodscool-electronics.blogspot.com/2012/04/tips-about-charging-for-new-ip ad-3.html
How to Save and Prolong the battery life of your new ipad
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4480944?tstart=0
Prolong battery lifespan for iPad / iPad 2 / iPad 3: charging tips
http://thehowto.wikidot.com/prolong-battery-lifespan-for-ipad
iPhone, iPod, Using the iPad Charger
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4327
Install and use Battery Doctor HD
http://itunes.apple.com/tw/app/battery-doctor-hd/id459702901?mt=8
To Extend a Device’s Battery Life, Get to Know It Better
http://tinyurl.com/b67c7xz
iPad Battery Replacement
http://www.apple.com/batteries/replacements.html
In rare instances when using the Camera Connection Kit, you may notice that iPad does not charge after using the Camera Connection Kit. Disconnecting and reconnecting the iPad from the charger will resolve this issue.
 Cheers, Tom

Using Power Adapter with surge suppressor

I have been experiencing a new issue with my new Powerbook: I have been connecting my Powerbook G4 to a APC laptop surge supressor that I recently purchased. Now several weeks later I am noting that some time after I start up the computer that the light on the connector at the computer has gone out and unknowingly the computer has been running on battery instead of AC power (I am more observant now). Today I connected the power adapter directly into the AC outlet and thus far everything is going fine = light is green on the AC adapter connector. Is a surge protector necessary or desireable with the Apple AC connector. I am suspicious that the surge suppressor is very sensitive to power line "noise" and essentially shuts the power off to the computer. I thought others may have experienced the same as I have or be interested in this type of problem.
Milton in Florida

I think that your serge protector is faulty. I, like the other responce, recomend the belkin products for portable computing.
The use of a power protection device is recomended for all electronic devices. I have been using a serge protector with all my computers (desktop and laptop) for a very long time. I had a protable serge protector that did the same thing a few years ago and found that is was faulty and the company repaced it free of charge. If you have not had the serge protector for very long you should be able to return it to the store that you bought it from for an exchange. If you have had it for a while then contact APC and use the warienty.

Using power adapter???

Hi all!!!
I just wanna know if i can get the batt off my ibook and put the power adapter instead and is it gonna broke anything?? I'm asking because I'm a few day off and i don't want to recharge my ibook like 4 times a day.
Thx for answering !!!

Hi, If by "I'm a few day off..." you mean that during a few days off you are going to be using your iBook intensively, then there is no reason why you shouldn't leave it plugged in. 24 hrs a day if you want. The battery should, however, be allowed to go completely flat periodically and completely recharged to condition it.
Although you can use your iBook without the battery, I don't think it is recommended long term. It would also be wobbly because one of the rubber feet is on the battery.

Do i have to use power adapter to charge laptop?

We have an 11-inch MacBook Air (mid-2012) which came at the time with a power cord permanently (apparently) attached to a heavy (annoying) power adapter, which then becomes the 5 pin plug to charge the laptop. Is there a way to charge this without this bulky cumbersome long plug & heavy adapter? The small space where we use this & taking it anywhere makes this extremely annoying. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks!

Thanks Csound1… So this cannot be changed via USB or some other way the 5 pin plug can plug into some other lighter wall adapter? It just seems strangely cumbersome. The adapter looks like you could pull it apart or unplug it from itself. The ones I see online for sale (see attached photo) look like this. Mine has the same skinny wire attached to it (other end is the 5 pin magnetic plug to Air), but the other side of my adapter (in this picture where this looks like it would open), I have another thick wire which seems permanently stuck to this adapter and the end of that long thick wire is what plugs into the wall. Mine has this same "look" where you see the lines that imply it would open or be a plug of some sort, but this is where my thick electric wire is attached. Is that permanent or can I pull it apart and there's really a plug there to plug that into the wall (the adapter itself I mean). Hope I'm making myself clear.
Thanks!

Using Power Adapter w/ a Full Battery

If I fully charge my battery and leave the power adapter plugged in, will my MacBook bypass the battery and begin sourcing power exclusively from the adapter, thus conserving battery life?
From the MacBook manual: "When the MagSafe power adapter isn't connected, your MacBook draws power from its built-in battery." This seems to imply that when the adapter is connected, it won't drain the battery...?
Thanks

If I fully charge my battery and leave the power adapter plugged in, will my MacBook bypass the battery and begin sourcing power exclusively from the adapter, thus conserving battery life?
Yes.
Some reading for you:
http://www.apple.com/batteries/
http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1490

Remove battery while using power adapter?

I mostly use my Macbook running on the power adapter and was told that this would kill the battery if left in the laptop. Is this true?

welcome to macbook forum.
the answer is no, if you use the battery occasionally to keep the juice flow, and or calibrate it once a while like a month or so.
http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86284
and pull the battery out will reduce the speed if used with magsafe alone.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305336
Good Luck.

MacBook Pro using power adapter but not charging.

My MacBook Pro is plugged in w/the power adapter, the green charging light is on, but my battery percentage is only showing 15% and is not increasing. It was actually at 60% this afternoon...went to 22% and now is @ 15%.

Could be bad battery or faulty charger or faulty charging circuitry. Take it to an Apple store or AASP.

When should I use the power adapter?

I just installed a wireless router. Should I use the power adapter when I'm not going to use the Macbook for several hours? Does the Macbook drain the battery when it is shut down or sleeping?

When should I use the power adapter?
Whenever you are near a power outlet. Not 100% of the time, of course (you have to flex the battery sometimes) but as often as possible.
Should I use the power adapter when I'm not going to use the Macbook for several hours?
If you are near an outlet, yes.
Does the Macbook drain the battery when it is shut down or sleeping?
When sleeping, it drains a negligible amount.
Further reading:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1446
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490

Mac Book Pro 17" 85W Power Adapter too Hot to handle while charging/using

Hello All,
I bought a Mac Book Pro 17". What's up with my Power Adapter when I am using the computer at the same time charging it. The Power Adapter gets so hot that it is too hot to handle...very very hot! Is this normal ?
Any advise is most welcome on the matter.
Mac Book Pro 17" Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Simple answer, no its not normal
The adapter should get warm, but not hot
The first thing i'd do is try it in a different power socket
If it still heats up like you say regardless of where you plug it in, then its a fault in the adapter
return it to apple or an apple reseller and get another one
i wouldn't use it any more as it could be dangerous to your computer and become a fire hazzard

Satellite C870-11G - AC power adapter compatibility question

I have a C870-11G.
It uses power adapter part no PA3917U-1ACA which recently became damaged when someone tripped on the cable and it bent the end which connects to the laptop.
I used to have a Toshiba C660D-10W a few years ago and still have the power adapter for that laptop, part no PA3714E-1AC3,
Does anyone know if this is compatible with my C870?
It seems to fit but I didn't want to try it incase it damages the battery or something.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

On the first pic you can see the values:
*19V* (Volt) *3.42A* (Ampere)
On the second pic you can find the same values.
So both AC adaptors provide the same volt and ampere values and should be compatible.

Using power adapter when applicable?

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