MBP Battery: Best Practices

[ClemTiger0408]

I just ordered my first ever Mac computer the other day. The SR MBP base model. I've read through some of the battery info threads, including how to break it in, etc.

The only thing I'm confused about is the best way to maintain a healthy battery. Typically, with laptops, I keep them plugged in whenever possible. So whenever I'm at home or near an outlet, I am always plugged in. Is this healthy for the batter? Or should I let the battery completely drain every now and then?

 

[bobcan]

Best for Battery Life...

I am not certain but having had a Macbook Pro since April-06, mine have been reasonably happy with the rule "Plug it in" when near A.C. source... I believe that the Current Lithium-Ion Battery types are pretty much Non Memory and supposedly will last up to 1000 cycles... Apple does recommend this :

Apple recommends charging and discharging its battery at least once per month. Need a reminder? Add an event to your desktop’s iCal.

There are some good WIDGETS for Computer Info such as iStat Pro: http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/status/istatpro.html
which lets you View some Interesting (and useful) info... Apple Battery info here as well: http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html

Also, doing the Battery Calibration seems to Help ensure the Battery Level reads properly : http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86284

Hope this helps/ makes some sense!!

Above all else, Have fun with it...

 

[vicious7]

I understand that another good thing to do is to actually use it.

 

[lavrishevo]

I posted this over on the iPhone side but it also applies to the lithium battery in macs.

wanted to start this thread because of the lack of knowledge people have about a lithium ion battery compared to the older ni-cad battery.

First The is lithium ion batteries DO NOT develop a memory so people thinking you should drain your battery till it is almost dead and then charge it because of the "memory" of the battery are wrong.

Second The charge cycle for a iPhone battery is from dead to fully charged. So charging your battery often means many less full cycles. A lithium-ion battery provides 300-500 discharge/charge cycles. The battery prefers a partial rather than a full discharge. Frequent full discharges should be avoided when possible. Instead, charge the battery more often. There is no concern of memory when applying unscheduled charges.

A lithium-ion battery in use typically lasts between 2-3 years. The worst condition is keeping a fully charged battery at elevated temperatures, which is more a problem with running laptop batteries. If used on main power, the battery inside a laptop will only last for 12-18 months.

So again:

Avoid frequent full discharges because this puts additional strain on the battery. Several partial discharges with frequent recharges are better for lithium-ion than one deep one. Recharging a partially charged lithium-ion does not cause harm because there is no memory. (In this respect, lithium-ion differs from nickel-based batteries.)

Keep the lithium-ion battery cool. Avoid a hot car. For prolonged storage, keep the battery at a 40% charge level.

I Hope this sheds some light on the subject. If you do not believe me please feel free to research it yourself.

 

[RickHunter]

I must say, this worries me a little and confuses me on what I should be doing. I have also read that if you have AC plugged in and battery is at full, it's bad for the battery when your laptop starts getting hot.

Now when I game on my MBP (eg. WoW), it reaches 80 degrees constant, so in that case if I have my battery plugged in the AC at 100% charge, that basically means I am killing the battery right?

I am tempted to take out the battery whenever I attempt to do any graphic/cpu intensive tasks which will elevate the temperature of my MBP to extremely hot levels, however, then I hear the risk of dusts falling in etc.? I'm not too worried about accidentally losing my power connection, as I will be very careful. Anyone has any suggestion on perhaps some good way/method to run the laptop without the battery and covering up that big hole?