No "Low Battery" warning on new (November 07) MacBook - Kernel Panic

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No "Low Battery" warning on new (November 07) MacBook - Kernel Panic

Hello,

I'm not sure is this is the right forum for this, but since the problem occurs during a specific battery state, I'm going to post it here.

I just got one of the new November 07 MacBooks. The machine is great, and screams with the pre-installed Leopard.

First thing I did was plug it in to charge as I started configuring software. Once it was fully charged, I pulled the plug, and began using it on battery. My plan was to calibrate the battery, by running it all the way until it forced a sleep, then shutting down and plugging it in again, as Apple recommends.

Problem is, I never got the "Low Battery" warning, or even the sleep warning. At around 10 minutes of power left, I simply got a kernel panic. A few seconds later, the laptop just switched off.

I plugged in again for a few minutes, then ran it down again to see if I could reproduce the error, and I did get the low battery warning.

The next time the battery ran down, it gave me the kernel panic.

Is this happening to anyone else? Is it a new MacBook problem, or a leopard power management problem? I'm having no other issues at all with the MacBook or Leopard. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

MacBook (November 07), Mac OS X (10.5)

Posted on Nov 4, 2007 6:57 PM

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Answer 1

JimUrban

Level 4

2,590 points

Nov 4, 2007 7:54 PM in response to markdem

Your MacBook is BRAND NEW and having problems.
Don't mess around with it.Take it back.

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Answer 2

Nov 4, 2007 10:56 PM in response to markdem

I actually had this problem on my MacBook when Tiger was still on it. Never got a low battery warning and the power percentage would be off, I would shut down all of a sudden with what appeared to be 20% batter left. Not sure if it still occurs with the Leopard update. I'll do a test now.

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Answer 3

Nov 5, 2007 12:25 AM in response to Jeff Hsieh

What I ended up doing is did the battery update to Battery Update 1.2 for MacBook (search for topics on it here). It appeared to fix it. I had the 1.3 update which was geared towards MacBook Pros. I'm recalibrating the battery as I speak. I'll see how the battery is after that.

In addition, Apple extended the warranty on some batteries, mostly 2006 MacBooks it appears (search for it). Hope this info helps you out.

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Answer 4

markdem Author

Level 1

0 points

Nov 5, 2007 6:42 AM in response to Jeff Hsieh

I'm a little hesitant to force a firmware update on a MacBook it wasn't meant for. These are brand new models, and I would think Apple didn't ship them with the known faulty batteries or bad firmware.

The frustrating thing is I have no way of knowing who the culprit is. Is it the brand new OS that I'm sure has a fair share of bugs? Is it the new hardware having a power control issue? Or is it a combination of Leopard and the new hardware? I was hoping to find some users who had the same problem so I could narrow it down. Battery drains out, kernel panic, then the machine shuts off after a few seconds. Funny thing is, the indicator says I have like 10 minutes or so left, but it appears that the battery must be completely dead, since it forces a panic and the machine just dies. So it might be a calibration error. The Mac thinks it has some juice, but in reality it's just about dead.

I made an appointment for the Apple store tomorrow, so we'll see what they have to say. It's otherwise running beautifully, thankfully.

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Answer 5

CcntMnky

Level 1

5 points

Nov 6, 2007 7:14 PM in response to markdem

I am in the same scenario. I bought a new MacBook after the November processor refresh, and got 10.5 preinstalled. I fully charged the battery, then used it until it discharged. I'm not familiar with the details of the previous battery issues (know of them, but not what happens and how to fix), but this seems more like an OS issue to me.

My battery life starts at 100% and slowly worked it's way to <2% over a very reasonable amount of time. I looked away at the TV for a while, then noticed that I had an error message saying I had to reboot for a fatal error. A couple seconds later the machine shut off.

I doubt I'll return it for this since this is a new OS and the battery accurately indicated % left over a reasonable amount of time.

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Answer 6

markdem Author

Level 1

0 points

Nov 6, 2007 8:02 PM in response to CcntMnky

Sorry that you're having the same problem, but I'm glad it's not just me. I agree - that's it's probably an OS issue.

As a followup, the next run through went perfectly normal. Battery drained to around 10 minutes remaining, and I got the low battery warning. A few minutes later, the computer went to sleep. Following Apple's instructions, I left it sleeping for a few hours, then plugged it in and turned it off to calibrate the battery.

So I'm on the 3rd charge now - we'll see how it goes...

Below I've pasted my battery vitals:

Model Information:
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): 4246
Fully charged: No
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 5227
Health Information:
Cycle count: 4
Battery health: Good
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): -800
Voltage (mV): 11883

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Answer 7

markdem Author

Level 1

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Nov 12, 2007 8:28 AM in response to markdem

Well, It's been a few cycles since the first one, and all is well. I'm getting the low battery warning when it runs low, and no kernel panics (knocking on all available wood). If I start having problems in the future, I'll update this thread, but for now I'm marking it answered. It was probably Leopard not reading the uncalibrated battery correctly.

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Answer 8

jonny.so

Level 1

0 points

Nov 18, 2007 4:07 AM in response to markdem

Exactly same problem here, bought brand new black macbook 2 days after it was released at the start of november. Only allowed it to run to empty twice so far, both times it panicked when below 5%. Will try charging and running to empty again!

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Answer 9

Nov 20, 2007 8:45 PM in response to jonny.so

same problem here. Twice now I have run the battery all the way down and the machine just shuts off instead of going to sleep. I'll recharge it all night and try it again. Pretty annoying.

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Answer 10

Houmark

Level 1

0 points

Nov 22, 2007 10:17 AM in response to Marcus Ray

I can confirm the problem as well. I have a november 2006 model, which recently was upgraded to run Leopard.

Two times the computer have shut off with no warning at all. Since upgrading I have not yet received at warning about low battery.

This is really I big issue and Apple needs to get a fix out soon, since loosing data in unsaved workspaces is really bad business and I don't think the computer is happy about being shut down hard like that.

To be clear, Tiger was kind enough to remind me about my battery running out, so this is with no doubt a Leopard issue.

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Answer 11

sauff

Level 1

0 points

Nov 22, 2007 3:12 PM in response to markdem

Same for me. Crashes at around 8-10 minutes battery left, without 'low battery' warning.
Battery has now 7 cycles, the last 3 cycles the machine went down hard, but without the kernel panic. But the system NEVER entered sleep state, it just switched off. From 'low battery' state to 'off', without sleep.
Any new information whether it's the battery or the OS?

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Answer 12

markdem Author

Level 1

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Nov 22, 2007 7:15 PM in response to markdem

Just to follow up, I've had no further problems. I've been through 11 cycles, and no weird activity since the first two kernel panics. Since there are other models of Macbook exhibiting this issue, and one with this new problem only after updating to Leopard, this appears to be a Leopard issue. There's nothing that I did that fixed the problem, it just seem to only happen in my first two cycles.

I think Leopard needs to establish a proper battery calibration before functioning properly. Just one of the many bugs in the new OS.

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Answer 13

Nov 23, 2007 2:17 PM in response to markdem

Still no luck here on my Nov 2007 macbook. It still shuts down hard instead of going to sleep when the battery runs down. I tried to install 1.2 battery updater but it didn't allow me to do the install. I tried trashing the 1.3 batterybundle that was installed and tried the update again and it still wouldn't let me. So if somebody wants to send me the batterybundle file from the Nov 2007 macbook I would appreciate it!

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Answer 14

qantas30

Level 1

0 points

Nov 25, 2007 1:13 PM in response to markdem

I did saw a low battery warning several minutes before the kernel panic though...

I've posted the same question here before I discover this thread:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1260537&tstart=0

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Answer 15

Slakor

Level 1

0 points

Dec 3, 2007 2:34 PM in response to markdem

I also have this problem as well. I just picked up the laptop yesterday and upon reaching about 10 minutes left on the battery, a kernel panic pops up and then my computer shuts down. I plugged it in again and then tried to drain the battery, got a warning about the computer was going to shut down soon, got the kernal panic again and the shut down without sleep. Now the computer is getting fully charged and I will try again.

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