What does battery status with an "x" in the middle mean in menu bar?

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Level 1

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What does battery status with an "x" in the middle mean in menu bar?

Hello,

I have been experiencing difficulty with my battery for a little while now. I replaced by battery in Aug 2009 with a NewerTech iBook G4 14" models 5000mAh from OWC. It started out great but now I can't seem to get the computer to hold a charge for long without the computer being plugged into an outlet.

Tonight I noticed that a few times the battery status in the menu bar would change from the charging icon inside the battery image with 100% to an "x" in the battery image. The power plug would change from green to yellow and then would come back. What does the "x" in the battery mean and what can I do about it?

My battery information from the system preferences are as follows:
Battery Installed: Yes
First low level warning: No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 4289
Remaining Capacity (mAh): 4289
Amperage (mA): 0
Voltage (mV): 16530
Cycle Count: 57

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

iBook G4, Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on Nov 26, 2010 11:59 PM

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Answer 1

Nov 27, 2010 9:54 AM in response to Coppertop

Hi Coppertop,

If your iBook falls into one of these categories, this update may help.

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL625

What about your battery calibration?

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490

I'm not able to find the meaning of the "X" in knowledge based articles and haven't seen it before. I'm sure that some discussions members will know what is going on here.

Randy

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Answer 2

cornelius

Level 6

17,826 points

Nov 27, 2010 9:58 AM in response to Coppertop

Coppertop:

The x means that your battery is not charging. Since the charging seems to be intermittent it suggests that the issue is either with the power supply or the DC-in board. Here are some suggestions for testing:
• gently jiggle the power supply plug at the computer and see if that changes the charging status.
• borrow a power supply for an iBook G4 and see if that makes a difference.
• Make an appointment at the Genius Bar and have them check it out.

If it is not the power supply that is at fault it is likely the DC-in board. You can probably buy one on eBay for $10 to $20 and install it yourself, if that is the issue.

Good luck.

😉 cornelius

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Answer 3

Coppertop Author

Level 1

0 points

Feb 4, 2011 5:21 PM in response to cornelius

Hello Cornelius,

Thank you for your suggestions. I have tried jiggling the power supply plug at the computer and the status doesn't change. We have two iBook G4s in the house so I have used the other power supply and it makes no difference, I will still get an intermittent "x". When I unplug the power supply when the "x" is visibility nothing changes. It still remains and the computer does not power down. Your final suggestion unfortunately is not an option as the Genius Bar is a long way away.

What is happening now is it goes from an "x" to a 0%. At 0% I pull out the power supply the computer does into sleep mode, right away. Is this a sign that it is the DC-in board? How do I find out if it is the DC-in board or something else as it does not appear to be the power supply.

Thanks for any further suggestions.

Coppertop

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Answer 4

laketri

Level 1

0 points

Feb 7, 2011 6:30 PM in response to Coppertop

hello. when there is a x in my battery symbol that usually means that my battery is out of its socket and i have an energy source in it such as a charger. check to make sure that your battery is the ENTIRE may in and that you don't overcharge it.

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Answer 5

mareloyd

Level 1

0 points

Mar 10, 2012 2:38 PM in response to laketri

Thank you so much! This fixed my problem immediately! Whew.....

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Answer 6

Delaine1

Level 1

4 points

Apr 12, 2016 2:38 PM in response to laketri

Thanks so much for that tip - you saved me from a 3 hour wait at the Genius Bar!

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