Is there a way to disable battery charging when running off of AC power?

Question

Is there a way to disable battery charging when running off of AC power?

I have a mid 2011 Macbook pro unibody, without a removable battery. I keep my Macbook plugged in for hours on end while working at my desk while hooked up to a Thunderbolt display. I was wondering if there was a way to just bypass the battery and run straight off of AC power without charging the battery, as to prolong battery life.

Thanks in advance for any contributions,

Jake

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), 13 inch 4 gb ddr3 intel core i5

Posted on Jan 25, 2013 4:54 PM

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Answer 1

stedman1

Level 10

264,490 points

Jan 25, 2013 4:55 PM in response to JakeFromMarlton

When the battery reaches 100% it will stop charging. It will not harm your battery.

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Answer 2

Jan 25, 2013 4:57 PM in response to stedman1

Thank you for a quick and helpful reply, I feel a lot better about keeping the macbook plugged in now!

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Answer 3

Network 23

Level 6

12,351 points

Jan 25, 2013 5:00 PM in response to JakeFromMarlton

No lithium-ion battery by any manufacturer is allowed to "overcharge" to any degree whatsoever. If that was allowed, the battery would enter an unsafe condition. (Unsafe as in not just for the battery, but for anything near it...)

There is one time when you might want to disconnect the power cable. If the computer is running hot for a prolonged or repeated period of time while the battery is full or nearly full, the heat could reduce the battery lifespan. But if that doesn't happen often I wouldn't worry about it.

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Answer 4

stedman1

Level 10

264,490 points

Jan 25, 2013 5:30 PM in response to JakeFromMarlton

You're welcome

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