Macbook shuts down when unplugged from AC adaptor

Question

Level 1

28 points

Macbook shuts down when unplugged from AC adaptor

Until yesterday my lovely macbook was motoring along smoothly. Currently it is showing a 99% battery charge and each time I unplug it from the AC adaptor the screen dims for a few seconds like it is going to sleep and then it shuts down. The only way to bring it back from this is to plug it back in and turn on the computer via the power button. I purchased this computer in 12/06 so it is almost 2 years old but have never had battery issues.

I read many other posts on this topic but all seem to be unanswered. I tried the SMC reset, tried to reboot by pressing the power button for 10 seconds, and tried to let the battery run down by putting it to sleep and running off of the battery. All of which did not work. Any other suggestions would be much appreciated.

macbook, Mac OS X (10.5.5)

Posted on Oct 6, 2008 7:45 AM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Oct 6, 2008 10:13 AM in response to Amy Stossel

Open System Profiler, click on the Power entry. Note what is reported about your battery. It's quite possible the battery is actually defective. Also, see the following:

Use and cleaning of power adapter with MagSafe connector;
Troubleshooting Magsafe power adapters with stuck pins.

If none of the above helps, then you will need to contact AppleCare to see if you can get a replacement. Click on the Contact Us link at the bottom of this page to find the AppleCare telephone number.

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Answer 2

Amy Stossel Author

Level 1

28 points

Oct 6, 2008 11:11 AM in response to Kappy

Okay here is the battery information from system profiler:
Model Information:
Serial Number: DP-ASMB013-3575-1d61
Manufacturer: DP
Device name: ASMB013
Pack Lot Code: 0001
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0102
Hardware Revision: 0300
Cell Revision: 0100
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 4177
Fully charged: Yes
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 4197
Health Information:
Cycle count: 413
Condition: Good
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 0
Voltage (mV): 12522
Not quite sure what any of this means........

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Answer 3

Amy Stossel Author

Level 1

28 points

Oct 6, 2008 11:29 AM in response to Amy Stossel

Okay so I read the articles and cleaned the power adaptor. Still the same result. *I did forget to mention that the LED on the power adaptor stays lit up green. HOWEVER, each time I disconnect the power adaptor from the computer, it shuts down and I am unable to restart the computer unless it is hooked back up to the power adaptor AND I press the power button on the computer.

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Answer 4

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Oct 6, 2008 12:19 PM in response to Amy Stossel

I think basically the battery just is done. It has 413 charge cycles. Average for these batteries is around 500 cycles. Unless there's a problem with your MagSafe connector (dirty contacts) or the connector on the computer (dirty contacts as well) then I'm not sure what to tell you at this point. The battery still appears to be pretty healthy given the number of charge cycles unless these are spurious readings. Have you ever calibrated the battery?

My suggestion is to call AppleCare or take the computer to a local Apple repair center and let them check things out for you to determine if it's just that the battery should be replaced or if there are other more serious problems.

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Answer 5

Amy Stossel Author

Level 1

28 points

Oct 6, 2008 1:03 PM in response to Kappy

Thanks - guess I will be making a trip to the Apple store.....wlll let you know how it turns out.

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Answer 6

tverboon

Level 1

5 points

Oct 8, 2008 10:21 AM in response to Amy Stossel

Hi guys,

Same problem here.. Only had 64 cycles. My MacBook is 12 months old. So, also a battery problem?

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Answer 7

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Oct 8, 2008 10:24 AM in response to tverboon

Have you read the posts in this thread? I suggest you do as well as the other similar threads. There you will find answers to your question.

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Answer 8

Oct 8, 2008 12:24 PM in response to Amy Stossel

Hello Amy,

My name is Thomas and I just moved to Santiago, Chile. I also purchased my computer in December 2006 and just this morning the same thing happened. It was exactly as you described. My computer says it is completely charged but as soon as it is disconnected it immediately dies. I was hoping you could keep me posted on how you handle your situation because I have tried everything and nothing seems to work. There is not an abundance of Apple Stores in Chile so this could be really inconvenient. I use my computer every day for work and so I hopefully won't have to send it anywhere. Yikes. Again, I would really appreciate an update from you or any suggestions you might have stateside. Thanks so much. Good luck!

Thomas

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Answer 9

Oct 8, 2008 12:26 PM in response to Thomas Maffai

PS. I only have 388 charge cycles.

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Answer 10

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Oct 8, 2008 12:32 PM in response to Thomas Maffai

You have a battery with almost 400 cycles. Average life is perhaps 500 cycles. I'd say you just need to replace your battery.

If your battery had less than 80% full charge and less than 300 cycles you would have a case for a replacement. But in your situation just go buy a new battery. Apple will not replace yours based on the number of cycles already accumulated.

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Answer 11

Amy Stossel Author

Level 1

28 points

Oct 9, 2008 11:06 AM in response to Kappy

I am heading to the Apple store near me on Saturday - I will let everyone know how this turns out. Thanks for the great response to my question!
-amy

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Answer 12

Oct 10, 2008 1:36 PM in response to Kappy

I'm having a similar problem. It had happened once before but I think the SMC reset sorted out that time, although it hasn't worked this time unfortunately. My cycle count is exactly 300, so I'm wondering if the battery's gone... I hope not. I've only had my MacBook since May 2007.

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Answer 13

Amy Stossel Author

Level 1

28 points

Oct 11, 2008 8:48 PM in response to ZiggyZola

Okay so I went to the Apple store today and the "Genius" checked the battery life with a program that was installed on an ipod. He plugged the ipod into the computer and ran the battery test. He showed me that I was charged 100% and that my battery was still (barely) showing up in the green/good area. However, he put a different macbook battery in and immediately my computer started up without the power cord attached. Long story short I shelled out $129.00 for a new battery and all is well.

I was past my warranty otherwise he said the battery would have been covered. He also said that if the battery is not always charging to 100% (if it stops at 98 or 99) then it is a sure sign that the battery is a goner. He indicated that these batteries get between 300-500 cycles and that just like humans there is no magic number as to when they die. Considering that the guy beside me somehow lost his whole hard drive, I felt pretty lucky to only be losing $129 bucks.
Happy computing, hope this helps.
-amy

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Answer 14

JUCAMURE

Level 1

5 points

Oct 14, 2008 6:34 PM in response to Amy Stossel

On the 10th of October I did a couple of software updates:
iTunes (8.0.1)
Security Update 2008-007 (1.0)
Restart and worked for some time, then suddenly it shutdown and does it either plug or unplugged with battery life and cycle count 39.
Read some posts and did Battery Update 1.2 and also a Reset of the System Management Controller (SMC).

I wonder if anybody else has continue to have this issues ?

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Answer 15

tverboon

Level 1

5 points

Oct 15, 2008 2:31 PM in response to JUCAMURE

I will receive a new battery this week, I hope everything is solved then... Will let you know. My MacBook was still 25 days within guarantee. Just called AppleCare.

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