Dead Battery

Question

Level 1

69 points

Dead Battery

I'm wondering if someone can explain why my battery crapped out on me all of a sudden. Granted, my current macbook is nearly 8 years old....the battery is the computer's third battery. The last one was probably replaced about 4 years ago. With iPhones and iPads, I don't use my laptop very often. Probably part of why it's lasted so long. Last time I used it was about 2 weeks ago with no issues.

I go to turn it on today, and it won't turn on. I thought maybe the battery was lower than I thought it was so I plug it in and turned it on. The battery showed 78 percent so I unplugged the power (I like to drain it completely before I charge it). It suddenly shuts down. I plug it back in, power it back up and it says not charging in the top right. I click on those words and the battery status shows "replace now.". So I pulled up the battery statistics. Only 203 cycles. I never leave the computer plugged in and I usually wait for it to hit 1 or 0 percent before I plug in the power. Is that not considered a cycle?

Anyway. It's old, I get it, these things will happen. Just seemed odd and out of the blue to me. Any thoughts?

Battery Information:

Model Information:

Manufacturer: SMP

Device name: ASMB012

Pack Lot Code: 0002

PCB Lot Code: 0000

Firmware Version: 0110

Hardware Revision: 0500

Cell Revision: 0200

Charge Information:

Charge remaining (mAh): 0

Fully charged: No

Charging: No

Full charge capacity (mAh): 0

Health Information:

Cycle count: 203

Condition: Replace Now

Battery Installed: Yes

Amperage (mA): 0

Voltage (mV): 8083

System Power Settings:

AC Power:

System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 120

Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10

Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 20

Automatic Restart On Power Loss: No

Wake On AC Change: No

Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes

Wake On LAN: No

Current Power Source: Yes

Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes

Battery Power:

System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 60

Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10

Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10

Wake On AC Change: No

Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes

Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes

Reduce Brightness: Yes

Hardware Configuration:

UPS Installed: No

AC Charger Information:

Connected: Yes

ID: 0x0100

Wattage (W): 85

Revision: 0x0000

Family: 0x0085

Serial Number: 0x003db64b

Charging: No

Posted on Sep 1, 2015 7:59 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Matt Chach Author

Level 1

69 points

Sep 1, 2015 8:04 PM in response to Matt Chach

Also, any suggestions for the best place to get a replacement?

Reply

Answer 2

cabakroll

Level 3

840 points

Sep 1, 2015 8:19 PM in response to Matt Chach

check apple recommendation about batteries

http://www.apple.com/uk/batteries/maximizing-performance/

you can get genuine battery from ebay for example

Reply

Answer 3

OGELTHORPE

Level 9

57,329 points

Sep 2, 2015 4:13 AM in response to Matt Chach

Discharging a battery to 1%-0% should be avoided because lithium ion batteries do not fare well with deep discharges. It will shorten the service life of the battery as you have experienced.

There is no reason that you cannot leave the MBP connected to AC so long as you use it at least once per month with battery power to about the 40% charge level. The OSX will not allow the battery to be overcharged.

The best sources for a MBP battery are Apple or OWC:

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Apple/Laptop/Batteries

Avoid 'bargain' batteries on ebay. Some will last a couple of days, a week or a month. In the long run it will cost you more. All counterfeiters will claim that they are selling you a genuine Apple battery. They are not. Note with Apple and OWC you do get a 1 year warranty with the battery.

Ciao.

Reply

Answer 4

Matt Chach Author

Level 1

69 points

Sep 2, 2015 7:32 PM in response to OGELTHORPE

Thanks for the feedback. While I was writing my original post, I noticed the buttons on my trackpad weren't depressing. So I was looking into that when I saw lots of posts about swollen batteries. I powered down and flipped my laptop over. Sure enough, the battery was popping out of the case. then battery is split. Crazy. Any idea why that would happen. The laptop has been sitting on a table, unplugged, powered off, for a week and a half in my dining room.

Sms eems odd to me. I get a battery loosing its ability to hold a charge over time, but to burst open?

Reply

Answer 5

Sep 2, 2015 8:31 PM in response to Matt Chach

Thankfully, it is rare, but we see reports of it here from time to time. These forums are a lightning rod for problems. The zillions of users with no troubles in the world never seem to come here.

That swelling could started a long time ago. If you used it more, you may have seen it long ago.

Reply

Answer 6

OGELTHORPE

Level 9

57,329 points

Sep 3, 2015 4:03 AM in response to Matt Chach

Matt Chach wrote:

Sms eems odd to me. I get a battery loosing its ability to hold a charge over time, but to burst open?

That does happen and I have experienced it. About one year ago, I took the battery out of the 2006 MBP (which was non-functional at the time) which was at least six years old and well used. One day I noticed that the cells had completely warped and split the enclosing case. My guess, old, well used lithium ion batteries are susceptible to destructive expansion. I saw a picture on these forums showing a battery lift the trackpad out, not neatly.

If you detect any battery expansion, it must be replaced immediately. My personal rule of thumb is after 5 years, regardless of the number of cycles, replace the battery. A few moths ago, I replaced the batteries in my 2006 and 2010 MBPs, the latter still in what appeared to be in working condition. A battery is inexpensive compared to repairing the possible damage it may cause.

Ciao.

Reply