I use my macbook alot at work, and its always near a power outlet. Do you guys think its safe to leave it plugged in all day and will it over charge my battery?
It won't over charge you battery but you should run on battery power at least some of the time as this keeps the battery in good condition. In addition try and run the battery right down once a month.
Mhm....You're supposed to leave it plugged in at all times possible.
You cannot "over charge" a MacBook battery - it knows when it is fully charged and stops charging.
The more you use your battery, the less charge it will hold over time. This is why old laptops often have 30 minutes or less battery time.
I'm not so sure about that. The goal of running the battery down is to negate any "memory effect" in the battery - which only happens when you frequently use the battery but not to it's full capacity. So in other words, if you never do your first suggestion, you'll never have to do your second. I think anyway...
Mhm....
AFAIK, batteries of this type are time-limited. They start to deteriorate the day they leave the factory.
There is no memory effect present in these batteries, however sometimes running them completely flat can help keep smart batteries calliberated so they don't think they're running out of power before they actually are.
Wikipedia has lenghthy information on battery care.
I don't think mains power or lack of it will make massive differences either way.
Mhm....
AFAIK, batteries of this type are time-limited. They start to deteriorate the day they leave the factory.
There is no memory effect present in these batteries, however sometimes running them completely flat can help keep smart batteries calliberated so they don't think they're running out of power before they actually are.
Wikipedia has lenghthy information on battery care.
I don't think mains power or lack of it will make massive differences either way.
MiniConvert is correct here.
There is no true "memory effect" in these batteries. Running it all the down, until the notebook goes to sleep, then running it down more (Like with a USB light or fan) to kill it will only help to get an accurate measure of runtime. With every month of life, the battery will loose a few mA of capacity. This is just the part of the chemical reaction in the cells. However, with each charge, this reaction does speed up.
Maybe I'm just too old school with all this NiMH PowerBooks lying around.
NiMH should be very similar to Lithium, except probably last longer. Sounds more like you are used to old, old school NiCd. My PB 165c (~16 years old) has no battery power left. Pulling the plug on that baby is like a light switch.
So in conclusion, best to leave in plugged in as much as possible, save for a once-per-month complete run-down?
Exactly.
The MB and MBP chargers have different wattage. I have just got my MBP and was hoping to leave one charger at work and the other at home. However, I am concerned the different wattage could cause damage to my MBP or its battery.
I have asked elsewhere but have had no joy.
Many thanks