Dead battery?

Question

Level 1

14 points

Dead battery?

I bought this PowerBook G4 refurbished off of Ebay (not a great place but it came cheap and it's in good shape). It came with a 65 watt adapter and a newer battery. But the battery doesn't seem to work. I do have a working battery for this computer so I know the computer and the adapter are working correctly as this other battery charges just fine. I've tried finding an answer for why this newer battery won't charge online but nobody has the same symptoms as me. Here's what happens when the newer battery is in the computer:
Power adapter goes orange indicating charging.

OS X states the battery is not charging.
System Profiler shows this:

Charge Information:

Charge remaining (mAh): 0

Charging: No

Full charge capacity (mAh): 4273

Health Information:

Cycle count: 49

Condition: Good

Battery Installed: Yes

Amperage (mA): 0

Voltage (mV): 6083

Compare that to the good battery:

Charge Information:

Charge remaining (mAh): 2906

Charging: No

Full charge capacity (mAh): 3013

Health Information:

Cycle count: 515

Condition: Good

Battery Installed: Yes

Amperage (mA): 0

Voltage (mV): 12405

The biggest difference I see is that the voltage for the good battery is about twice the voltage of the bad battery.

Any ideas on if and how to revive this? I'd like it as a backup battery at least, or even the main one if it lasts longer.

I added the information for the good battery.

PowerBook, Mac OS X (10.5.8), G4 1.5ghz, 2gb RAM

Posted on Jun 2, 2012 2:03 PM

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Answer 1

Allan Jones

Level 9

68,990 points

Jun 3, 2012 7:42 AM in response to tanner1294

First, congratualtions on properly caring for the "good" battery. 500+ cycles is amazing service! Most are lucky to live through 300 cycles.

I'm suspecting that the "bad" battery has a bad cell, That would cause the low V reading in the presence of a relative normal (for a used battery) full charge capacity.

There is nothing you can do for a bad cell.

What screen size do you have? The powerbook variants have different batteries so their intila capacity changes. Know the screen size will let me run some calc based on orig capcity.

Or you can download Coconut Battery from here:

http://www.coconut-flavour.com/coconutbattery/

Get v 2.6.6 (in small print under the bold "Download link). 2.6.6 works on older macs. Run it and look at the "health" readings for each battery. This program automatically reads the PB model and uses its database of battery specs to do the calcs accurately to about 1%

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Answer 2

tanner1294 Author

Level 1

14 points

Jun 3, 2012 8:20 AM in response to Allan Jones

Thank you! I pride myself on keeping my electronics in great condition no matter the age.

Anywho, I forgot to say, it's an early 2005 PowerBook G4 15" @1.5ghz. I looked at Coconut Battery last night and it came up with some interesting things. For the good battery it shows the same information as System Profiler and shows that the battery is at 68% of its original capacity. For the bad battery it shows the same info as System Profiler and it also says that the battery isn't worn at all. It says that the battery can hold 100% of its original capacity (4400/4400 mAh). In fact, it just looks like the computer won't charge it, as if there's nothing wrong with the battery itself.

Here it is for the good battery:

And here it is for the bad battery:

See it doesn't show anything wrong with the bad battery. I've tried doing PRAM resets and whatnot while the bad battery is in but it doesn't make a difference.

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Answer 3

Allan Jones

Level 9

68,990 points

Jun 3, 2012 10:38 AM in response to tanner1294

That's good info.

I think that there is some internal fault within the battery. I can't imagine any battery showing 100 percent health at 49 cycles. 94-98 percent, maybe, but not 4400 out of 4400. The battery's internal microprocessor can go walkabout and give spurious readings. I've bought several new batteries over the years for my PowerBook and MacBook Pro, and none have ever posted a 100 percent reading.

Is the problem child a genuine Apple battery or a third-party offering? The "way off planet" readings suggest the latter. There ware also reports of counterfeit batteries that are labeled just like Apple's but seldom work.

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Answer 4

tanner1294 Author

Level 1

14 points

Jun 3, 2012 11:55 AM in response to Allan Jones

Surprisingly enough it is a genuine Apple battery that's completely identical to the good battery. Some extra information: I have gotten the first light on the battery to flicker a couple times but it only last about 2 flashes. It has also flashed the first light once or twice when I place the battery into the computer.

I feel like it's just sooo close to being a working battery that there's got to be something that can be done to wake it up haha.

Here's the best picture I could get of my problem child. Couldn't find a decent one online:

The text in the middle where the flash blurred it says: "Designed by Apple in California Assembled in China, Model No.: A1148 10.8v"

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Answer 5

dalstott

Level 4

2,639 points

Jun 3, 2012 1:08 PM in response to tanner1294

As a last resort you could try charging with a NewerTech's Intelligent Battery Charging Station.

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/BATCAPL15AL/

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Answer 6

Jun 3, 2012 7:14 PM in response to tanner1294

Look at this link about resetting the PMU.

http://ask.metafilter.com/68149/Stubborn-powerbook-battery-wont-charge

 Cheers, Tom 😉

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Answer 7

tanner1294 Author

Level 1

14 points

Jun 4, 2012 6:55 AM in response to Texas Mac Man

I've already tried resetting the nvram and pram with the bad battery in the computer but no luck. Thanks though.

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Answer 8

tanner1294 Author

Level 1

14 points

Jun 4, 2012 3:26 PM in response to Allan Jones

Hey I actually just discovered something interesting. As it turns out, the good battery is actually a different model than the bad battery. The good one is a A1078 and it says it's ©2004 whereas the bad one is a A1148 and is ©2005. Weird.

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Answer 9

eww

Level 9

53,028 points

Jun 7, 2012 4:54 AM in response to tanner1294

Resetting the PMU is different from resetting the PRAM/NVRAM:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1431

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Answer 10

tanner1294 Author

Level 1

14 points

Jun 7, 2012 7:41 AM in response to eww

Oh, I guess I never really noticed there was a difference. I've tried it before and I tried it again but no luck. I guess it really is a fault inside the battery. I'd like to open it and see if there's anything obvious (a cell maybe got disconnected during shipping or anything really) but I can't find instructions to do so. I'd like to find some guidance before I go prying into this thing.

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Answer 11

eww

Level 9

53,028 points

Jun 7, 2012 8:25 AM in response to tanner1294

The battery is not designed to be disassembled, and you aren't likely to get it back together if you succeed in getting it apart. Accept the fact that you got a bad battery and move on.

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Answer 12

Allan Jones

Level 9

68,990 points

Jun 7, 2012 8:55 AM in response to tanner1294

I'd like to find some guidance before I go prying into this thing.

I've never seen instructions for "prying into" a battery, and don't think I badly need to see sausage made! I had a battery swell and leak once--from that experience, I would think getting inside one would be a messy experience that could potentially expose you to some serious chemicals.

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Answer 13

dalstott

Level 4

2,639 points

Jun 7, 2012 7:13 PM in response to tanner1294

If you decide to go ahead and open it up be prepared for some fireworks. There is nothing you can do to repair this kind of battery.

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