PowerBook G4 Battery Recall

Beelsebob writes "Apple have put out a recall on a certain group of PowerBook G4 batteries. If you have a PowerBook G4 (Aluminum) 15" and your battery's model number is A1045, and its serial number starts HQ404, HQ405, HQ406, HQ407, or HQ408, then you could be at risk of it overheating."

Comments

replace

[BoldAC]

ZDNet Story
Forbes

I had always felt there was an overheating problem. People in the newsgroups and suggested that I recondition my battery... which maybe helped some.

Anyway, glad to know that I'll be getting a new battery out of it.

AC

Re:replace

[CoolQ]

I find that when my AlBook is plugged in, with the processor performance set to "High", it averages around 130 degrees. When maxing out the CPU or taxing the graphics, though, it will go up to 143 degrees, at which point the fan turns on. If I unplug it, it gets much, much cooler - 100 degrees or so.
--Quentin

Re:replace

[Anonymous Coward]

What does "recondition the battery" mean?

The battery circuitry tracks charge level and usage patterns to estimate how much time you have left. If you go for a while without draning the battery all the way, the estimates can become inaccurate. Therefore it is recommended that you deep-cycle the battery about once a month, draining it all the way then charging it all the way up. This reminds the circuitry of the actual capacity of the battery, and this is what is called reconditioning.

Don't be tempted to drain the battery every time. While deep-cycling was necessary with NiCads and NiMH batteries, it's bad for Li-ion batteries.

A couple more details

[Lord Grey]

This article has a couple more details on the battery problem. From the article:

An internal short in the batteries made by LG Chem Ltd., of South Korea, can cause the battery cells to overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

In addition, note that the battery's model number must be A1045 -- the serial number prefix alone doesn't uniquely identify the battery.

Re:Year of the Portable my butt

[david_reese]

Apple's got some real quality control issues, despite their reputation. They seem to have at least one or two recalls per year for various reasons ranging from defective batteries to defective power supplies to defective screens, as well as other problems that are common complaints but that they do nothing about (such as the iPod battery service life issue). The recall I noted above was actually a safety issue, and I would guess the overheating batteries in the G4 PB's might be a safety issue as well.

Guess their "reputation" also includes independent consumer reports studies... (note: link is to maccentral forums, but the info is from valid consumer reports articles... updated as of Jun04, I checked).

Re:Common AA's - they are

[adzoox]

Actually, the cells in these batteries ARE replaceable - they are common double AA's. (It has been disputed they may not be, but I have actually taken a G4 battery apart - rechargeable Lithium Ion Batteries) I wish they'd make the casing easier to split apart though.

See an xray here

Re:mannnnnn

[mtnharo]

If it happens in 2 different laptops, then it's the battery, not the software. It is possible that you need to go through the calibration procedure again (Listed in the owners guide for the Powerbook). Otherwise, the battery is probably on it's way to the Charger in the Sky.

Li-Ion/Li-Polymer batteries have a certain life expectancy, after which they won't hold a charge perfectly, and their output voltage fluctuates more than usual, which is what makes the battery meter go wonky.

Hope that helps.

Re:mannnnnn

[Skidge]

Here's an article about battery calibration from the Apple site:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=862 84

Essentially, you just need to charge your batter to full, then use it until it goes to sleep and it will recalibrate itself.