Pismo Battery...1 Blinking Light

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Pismo Battery...1 Blinking Light

Hello forum members,
This is my first time posting here and also my first Pismo. (I've wanted one since 2000 and just found a really nice one 2 days ago). I'll try to keep this short. I did not purchase from the original owner. Here are the specs:

OS X 10.2.6 - 400MHz - 192MB of memory (one 64MB & one 128MB) -
Bus speed 100MHz
L2 cache size 1MB

It came with the original accessory box, VST SuperDisk-DVDRom-Li-Ion battery,(M7318), Yo-Yo Power Supply-Weight Saving Module-3 Software Disks, (restore, install, and VST disks). And not even one fingerprint on any of the disks. This powerbook looks untouched.

After 2 days of fooling around with it to get it going, the Pismo will not start without the AC cord attached. I cannot seem to get the battery to charge. Here is what I've done so far...
Day 1- It would not turn on with the AC cord, tried the reset button, that didn't work so I disconnected the battery under the optical drive, that fixed the problem. I reconnected the battery and kept the AC power plugged in overnight. It has been holding the date and time perfectly since then.
Day 2-Tried to start without the AC, not happening. I removed the Li-Ion battery, pressed the reset button again, (my time/date went back to 1969), and I pushed the battery back in and, (with the computer on), let it sit for 1/2 a day. The Battery icon, (OS 10.2.6 already installed), changed from a "X" to a "Lightning Bolt", (it always did show a connection status), but showed 0% charge after 4 hours. Then tried the "4 Key Method", (Command-Option-P-R). I let it run through it's start-up cycle 5-6 times, I reset my time and date and left it plugged in this time for over 8 hours with the computer off. Still no battery charging happened. I "Reseated" the battery 10-12 times in one sitting, still no charging. All I seem to get is one rapidly blinking light, (blinks about 16-17 times). It only blinks when it is in the battery bay. Oh, I almost forgot, I tried to charge on the other side too, same results. The owner's manual says the rapid blinking means the power is extremely low.
What's the forum opinion, time for a new battery?

Again, sorry about the long post...

Mirror Door G4 - Pismo G3 - Toshiba Satellite 1135 Series Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Posted on Jun 22, 2006 10:27 PM

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Answer 1

Jun 23, 2006 6:09 AM in response to dvideo

The first thing to check for is a "wobbly" power inlet. If the DC plug gets whacked when plugged in, it can fracture the connections on the power inlet board and produce bizarre results when attempting to charge. Sometimes applying pressure in a certain direction will improve charging, because you force the fractured connections back together.

There is one more "no cost" option, but it may push a dying battery over the edge into complete unusability. You can try Battery Reset, a program which completely discharges your battery and resets its microprocessor. It should only be used with a reliable power connection and charging time immediately available. When used on an otherwise OK battery, it can yield some improvement. When used on a really marginal battery, it can produce death.

What do you say, users? Has Battery Reset worked for you in a comparable situation? Should dvideo use it on his battery?

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Answer 2

jpl

Level 7

28,285 points

Jun 23, 2006 12:40 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Grant,

Unfortunately, Battery Reset 2.0 does not run on the Pismo, only the Wallstreet and Lombard. I also think Apple is incorrect when stating Battery Reset 2.0 completely discharges the battery. How would one remove the stored energy in any battery in the blink of an eye? You can't without one nice explosion. The reset is in the battery's microprocessor...it somehow corrects whatever anomaly is in the chip so the battery will be recognized and charge properly. I have used it on a fully charged Wallstreet battery: A restart shows 0% charge, but within 15-30 minutes, battery is at 100%.

I would recommend this to dvideo: If possible, find another Lombard or Pismo and swap batteries...this is a real-world test for checking charging circuits and batteries.

Since dvideo has performed all the resets, plus the Pismo does show it charges via the lightning bolt, I would guess he needs a new battery.

He did mention this:

"Day 1- It would not turn on with the AC cord, tried the reset button, that didn't work so I disconnected the battery under the optical drive, that fixed the problem. I reconnected the battery and kept the AC power plugged in overnight. It has been holding the date and time perfectly since then."

If he could not get the Pismo to power on when he received it but disconnecting the internal backup battery did allow a startup on power adapter, this can occur when a powerbook is stored for a period of time. Both main and internal batteries run flat, the power manager becomes corrupted, and normal power manager resets do not clear the issue...disconnecting the internal battery is the next step. If the Pismo runs properly now on power adapter, then the only concern is the main battery, at least as I see it.

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Answer 3

Jun 23, 2006 12:56 PM in response to jpl

jpl-

Thanks for setting me straight!

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Answer 4

dvideo Author

Level 1

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Jun 23, 2006 5:20 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Hello Grant and jpl, thanks for the reply. I'll get a new battery from someplace tomorrow. It will be evening when I post again.

Thanks
Jimmy, (dvideo)

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Answer 5

Jun 23, 2006 6:51 PM in response to dvideo

Apple has not made these batteries in a while now. Anything that is Apple brand has been is use a while or has sat on the shelf getting old.

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Answer 6

dvideo Author

Level 1

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Jun 23, 2006 8:27 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thanks again Grant,
I will take your suggestion and try to find a new one in the vast L.A. area tomorrow. By the way, all of those things I did to get the Pismo running, I learned from this forum. Thank you all. I'll post again tomorrow evening.

dvideo

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Answer 7

jpl

Level 7

28,285 points

Jun 24, 2006 8:28 AM in response to dvideo

dvideo,

Not knowing how much you want to spend on a new battery or how quickly you need it, this is an excellent company with good products:

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/powerbook/batteries/

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Answer 8

dvideo Author

Level 1

0 points

Jun 24, 2006 11:46 AM in response to jpl

Hello jpl, thanks for the sales lead. I've come across something curious during my search for a new battery, I came across this site, and found the information you see below.

http://store.l-f-l.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.cgi?pg=prod&ref=M7318

[M7318 Apple Powerbook Laptop Battery

See all the laptops this PN M7318 will fit!

M7318 Apple Powerbook Laptop Battery
This item has been verified to work with the following:
G3 series "Lombard" with bronze keyboard. NOT for Pismo or Wallstreet G3s]

For the purposes of this discussion, I thought the Wallstreet was the different one out of the three, (Wallstreet-Lombard-Pismo). My question is, does the Pismo and Lombard have the same battery contacts?
If so, is the above statement from Laptops for Less a mistake?

dvideo

(P.S. Thanks for the OWC info. I've purchased from them before).

Mirror Door G4 - Pismo G3 - Toshiba Satellite 1135 Series Mac OS X (10.3.9)

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Answer 9

jpl

Level 7

28,285 points

Jun 24, 2006 12:36 PM in response to dvideo

dvideo,

An incorrect spec sheet, I must say. Also, I wonder how "new" it is. As Grant mentioned, are these the last of the Apple-branded batteries that have been stored on a shelf, or is this a recently manufactured item? It is important since lithium ions start deteriorating the day they are made and have a finite life. They usually have a life of approxiamtely 3 years whether they are used or not and around 500 deep-discharge cycles and 1000 partial-discharge cycles.

Yes, the Wallstreet has a slightly different shape plus the contacts are entirely different than those on the Lombard and Pismo. The Lombard and Pismo share the same battery:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/BAPLLILF2E75/

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Answer 10

Jun 24, 2006 3:56 PM in response to jpl

I concur. The Wallstreet is the different one. Takes a different battery, different stand-alone battery charger, and different plug in "drives" etc. Only the AC adapters are the same for all (and fits a few others).

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Answer 11

dvideo Author

Level 1

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Jun 24, 2006 10:44 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Hello again, I have great news! As I said I would, I went in search of a battery. I tried Fry's in Woodland Hills, Ca., Their Mac sales guy said I could mention his name on this forum, (Mike Meador). He was very helpful. I had my Pismo with me and asked if I could "try out" the battery first before buying it. When he saw this Pismo, (it's pretty clean looking), I do believe I saw a look of love in his eyes! He is a great guy and a collector of the vintage Macs. Those of you in the Southern California area reading this should look this guy up if you have a need.

The battery I found cost me $5.01 less than it would have at the factory store, (check the site). The specs are 11.1V 5400 mAh. Their model number/designation is, MC-G3/99 (for G3 Powerbooks 1999-2000). The battery showed 80% charge amount when I connected it, needless to say, I'm a happy camper.

http://www.batterytech.com/productview.aspx?pid=MC-G3/99

Thanks Grant, thanks jpl

Mirror Door G4 - Pismo G3 - Toshiba Satellite 1135 Series Mac OS X (10.3.9)

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Answer 12

jpl

Level 7

28,285 points

Jun 25, 2006 8:43 AM in response to dvideo

dvideo,

Nice buy. I have also purchased BTIs.

Not sure if any instructions were included, but you do want to properly calibrate your lithium ion battery:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86284

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Answer 13

Jun 25, 2006 10:09 AM in response to dvideo

Fry's Outpost.com web outlet seems to be offering at that same price (plus shipping):

http://shop4.outpost.com/product/3440753

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Answer 14

Jun 30, 2006 8:37 PM in response to dvideo

Even though you "solved" your problem, I wanted to say a few things.

Recently, I was given the exact same Pismo as yours, except in a much poorer state. In fact, the machine had taken a beer bath that disagreed with it. After taking it apart I could see that the power supply board was fried (literally). I purchased another Pismo with a dead processor board for $50 and used its power supply board. My Frankenstein Pismo rose from the dead but not its battery. It wouldn't charge beyond 0% (zero).

It turns out that Li-Ion batteries SHOULD NOT be left discharged for long periods of time or they die for good.

I didn't want to spare $150 (plus shipping, plus taxes) on a new battery and bought nine 18650 Li-Ion cells, instead. (They cost $5-$10 a piece, depending on the manufacturer and capacity.) Then I had a half a day of a very, very intimate relationship with the guts of the battery and—lo and behold—four hours and nineteen minutes after the initial full charge of watching DVDs and DivX movies (with breaks but no shutdown/putting to sleep)!

I had to remove the original spot-welded tabs on the old cells and since I couldn't reuse them, I soldered the cells together with a few wires. As a result, the cells don't fit in as nicely in the pack, so I had to leave out the cute little battery status check circuit board... I'm charging the battery now only for the second time and it's taking awfully long to charge. This is a totally UNeducated guess, but I think the little status check board does something more than pretending to be a Christmas Tree light. The battery seems to charge normally when the computer is awake, but takes suspiciously long when its in sleep mode...

Too early for conclusions, but 4:19 hrs of battery life isn't all that bad, huh?

P.S. The Pismo is such a gorgeous machine! I'm glad you got yours in such a perfect condition. Don't mistreat her. She's a good girl.

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Answer 15

Jul 1, 2006 11:20 PM in response to dvideo

I clicked on the BTI link and clicked on Factory or store and saw nothnig listed for 5 dollars.

1 guy is trying to hack Battery Reset for Pismo.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/macdan/hackbattreset.html

Anyway I have tried this I found on another site and had some success.

http://www.macaddict.com/forums/topic/51129/1

Fifth from the bottom.

Open Firmware to reset battery.

Thanks,
ivinjay

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