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

Mmmm

[Anonymous Coward]

I love baked Apples.

Re:Mmmm

[flamingnight]

When only a picture will do, here's one of an affected battery. Here's another of the desk.
Having "only" four known incidents doesn't matter when you're one of the four.

yaay!

[kmmatthews]

Well, it keeps my lap nice and warm, since I couldn't afford my heating bill after purchasing the powerbook... ;)

Gotta get your priorities straight, s'all.

Re:yaay!

[ack154]

Yes, but it is possible for your lap to get too warm.

Yes... it's two yrs old, but it's still funny in small doses.

Re:yaay!

[kmmatthews]

He's just jealous that we have such nicely designed lap-warmers.

*Points finger* Nyeah nyeah nyeah!

:)

So that's why...

[tao_of_biology]

I have the phrase "HQ405" burned into the top of my thigh... All the chicks think it's a prison tatoo.

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

[jrockway]

They're not _that_ hot. They are very warm, but they don't burn you. It's the side effect of having a case made out of aluminum (what do they make heatsinks out of? aluminum.)

I can only get mine (15", 1.33GHz) warm enough to turn the fan on when I'm using 100% CPU _and_ GPU. The CPU alone doesn't get it too hot.

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.

Recipe for Caramel Apple Powerbooks

[XaviorPenguin]

1. Go to store and by some hard Caramel candy, at least a pound

2. Place pieces unwrapped on keyboard of Powerbook and turn on. Place the pieces on every other key to allow maximum coverage of Caramel

3. Let over heat and allow Caramel to spread

4. Enjoy!

It already overheats.

[Gannoc]

I have a powerbook, and I love it, but after using it on my lap for 30 minutes, I can't have children anymore.

Re:It already overheats.

[kannibal_klown]

I have the PB 15" (1.25 GHz). And while I've never had it on my lap while playing, say, Unreal 2004, it's never been that hot. It's actually run cooler than most of my other noitebooks.

The PB 12, on the other hand, feels like it just came out of the oven. That thing heats up like a hot plate on a summer day. It's ony of the main reasons I decided to get the 15" instead (that, and I wanted to use it as my main computer and the screen was just annoying).

But truthfully, m Powerbook has been the best computer purchase I've ever made. And this is coming from a person that's long-since hated Macs for various reasons. While I'm no zealot, I think the Powerbook is a work of art.

Re:It already overheats.

[StevenHenderson]

Having children requires contact with a female silly. :)

Year of the Portable my butt

[SpiffyMarc]

For a company that puts so much emphasis on portable devices, Apple certainly has a lot of problems with batteries.

Re:Year of the Portable my butt

[badasscat]

For a company that puts so much emphasis on portable devices, Apple certainly has a lot of problems with batteries.

And you didn't even link the most dramatic case, that of actual exploding batteries. And no, this isn't some Nokia-like third party battery situation, these were the real Apple-supplied batteries (though that article does go out of the way to point out they were "Sony-made").

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.

I'd still buy an Apple for other reasons, but quality control is not one of them, public perception notwithstanding. They're certainly no better than any other manufacturer and may actually be somewhat worse (IBM, for example, has had fewer recalls over the same period).

Re:Year of the Portable my butt

[the MaD HuNGaRIaN]

And Dell never has battery problems

Re:Year of the Portable my butt

[Otter]

For a company that puts so much emphasis on portable devices, Apple certainly has a lot of problems...

I don't think that's a paradox -- Apple is continually pushing to have the smallest, lightest, longest-lasting portable devices and that means early adoption of new battery technology and enclosures. It's not surprising that their products run into more issues than boat-anchor Toshibas or MP3 players powered by AA batteries.

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:Year of the Portable my butt

[Lars T.]

And you didn't even link the most dramatic case, that of actual exploding batteries. And no, this isn't some Nokia-like third party battery situation, these were the real Apple-supplied batteries (though that article does go out of the way to point out they were "Sony-made"). Apple's got some real quality control issues, despite their reputation.

Too bad (for you) that not a single one of those 5300s exploded in the lap of a customer, because Apple found out about the problem before any machines where shipped. Which means they had good quality control. Quite unlike Dell, over and over again.

::Looks at battery

[Anonymous Coward]

Hmm HQ... cant see the rest. Its melted away. How do I tell?

I WON! I won!

[GillBates0]

ohh...

never mind.

Hm

[The-Bus]

I didn't know Apple started putting Intel chips in their Powerbooks.

Look at the date of manufacture....

[detritus`]

At least they manufactured these batteries using the improved Li-ion technology, if it was the older style it wouldnt just overheat, it'd most likely start a runaway reaction that would end in quite toasted laptops. I think it was 150 Degrees F or so that this would start at, i know i heard of several cell phones left in hot cars that did this, and at least 1 nokia that burnt up while charging.

Re:Look at the date of manufacture....

[drinkypoo]

Toasted laptops? That's not the problem. Roasted nuts are the problem.

I know I'm going to get modded down for this...

[Anonymous Coward]

But that's just natural selection eliminating Mac users from the genetic pool.

Re:I know I'm going to get modded down for this...

[Anonymous Coward]

Many of them weren't in the running anyway, if you catch my drift.

Ah

[iamdrscience]

Reminds me of that ebay auction for a laptop cooling pad where the headline was "Don't burn your penis". Does anyone have a screenshot of that?

I think "don't burn your penis" is good general advice as well, not just in regards to laptops.

Dear Slashdot

[Letter]

Dear Slashdot,

Here, lemme just pop out the battery and check my serial numb

Re:Dear Slashdot

[rampant mac]

"Funny, yes. But you can put it in hibernation and then look at the battery. I did, and lo and behold. The battery starts with HQ407, so I have filled out the form on the Apple recall site."

That reminds me of when I was on a flight from Boston to Seattle and I was doing some work on the flight using my PowerBook. The battery started getting really low, and I remember saving my documents (Word, Keynote and Dreamweaver, if my memory serves me) and closing the lid, turning the laptop over and yanking out the battery... The man sitting next to me started to say "Hey, I don't think..." while I slapped in a fresh battery and opened up the lid, resuming my work where I had left off. "Wow, that's amazing!" he exclaimed. "Yeah, it is nice to be able to work the whole time during these long flights." I replied. To my horror the moron (who was using an older model Thinkpad) flips his laptop over and proceeds to rip out his battery right before my very eyes only to discover, moments later, that his computer didn't support hibernation mode quite as well.

He didn't save his work before attempting said stunt.

We didn't talk much after that.

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.

I can see it now

[StevenHenderson]

Guy #1: "Man this Powerbook is HOT."
Guy #2: "Yeah, it is pretty sexy I guess."
Guy #1: "No, I mean it is singeing my pubes dude."

that was a preproduction machine

[SuperBanana]

It has happened before.

Jesus, everyone blows that out of proportion, like 5300's were exploding left and right. It happened in an Apple test lab, with a PREPRODUCTION model, with a DEFECTIVE BATTERY supplied by the battery manufacturer. I have no idea where MacNN got that it was two batteries.

Not a single customer was affected by the problem- Apple took the precautionary measure of switching to NiMH after the problem, and most people never even saw a Lithium Ion battery in their 5300.

So, I ask, how could they possibly have handled the problem any better, mmm? Comparing it to the iPod battery bit, which was not handled as well- is absurd.

Re:that was a preproduction machine

[tgibbs]

You're probably right. I'm an Apple user myself and am not looking to bash Apple or something. But for a computer company that compares itself to BMW it is not acceptable that something like that should be possible at all. If you buy a BMW you don't want a model that has been known to be losing wheels in preproduction runs on the test circuit.

Yeah, you won't find a respectable company like BMW issuing recalls due to dangerous product defects

New battery!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

New battery? For free? Ahh, kick ass!!!!!
Those third degree burns are finally starting to pay off!!!!

Re:O_o

[stratjakt]

Can't help but notice you felt it was important to use the qualifier "normally".

I *always* wear pants (or another suitable garment to cover my genitals) when in the same room with other men, whether I'm using a computer or not.

Re:One more...

[kannibal_klown]

No...

A1045 is the model number, not the serial number.

A1045 is like saying "The Chevy Malibu." The serial numbers are like saying "if your VIN number starts with ..." or more broadly "models made between 1995 and 1997."

My battery is model number A1045, but it's serial number is not in the supplied list. Therefore, mine doesn't have a problem.

I know I'm going to get modded up for this...

[Anonymous Coward]

But the fact that linux can achieve this same effect in just software really shows the power of open source. (insert keyboard characters to show humor)

The Replacement Process

[AgTiger]

"After serial number verification, a new battery will be shipped to you free of charge. When you receive the replacement battery, please use the same shipping envelope and included prepaid shipping label to return the recalled battery to Apple."

How appropriate, they're using an in-the-field hot-swap method. ;-)

"The swap's hot, so it doesn't get too hot." (my version of Yogi Berra's logic in the infamous AFLAC Barber Shop commercial.)

Re:Bah

[dr_dank]

Except for some humorous posts involving aptly-named musician Bruce Cockburn.

could be worse...

[WormholeFiend]

at least it's not a Con Ed manhole cover.

Apple Store

[lateralus_1024]

"I actually saw a salesguy at the Apple Store try to sell a Powerbook while it was on fire! True story. The customer was hesitant at first, but when he offered to throw in a refurbished 5GB iPod with spare battery assembly kit for an additional $179, the customer caved in.
Another AppleStore salesguy chimed in and moved in to assist. He added that this Powerbook will virtually seemlessly integrate to the 2007 BMW 6 series."

Total cost of Mac ownership:
$2199(powerbook)
+$179(refurb/discoun ted iPod)
+$45999-67000 estimated MSRP(BMW 6Series)options vary

TCO = ~49000-70000 USDollars.

This independent case study brought to you buy MSFT/Dell.

You forgot one step...

[Joey Patterson]

Step 3.5: Bake Powerbook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Re:O_o

[Josh Booth]

Maybe the other person was a woman...

Oh, wait, it's Slashdot. My bad.

Re:IMPOSSIBLE!

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, it isn't Apple's fault. It's the fault of the battery manufacturer, LG Chem, Ltd. of South Korea; the recall is only on batteries manufactured during the last week of December.

mannnnnn

[MyDixieWrecked]

Too bad this recall doesn't include my powerbook's battery... one of the early jaguar updates broke my battery somehow... I've read of other users experiencing the same thing. After the update, the battery's status isn't acurate by any stretch of the imagination. The thing stays at 99% and when it gets close to dying, it just turns off. No warning. Nothing.

It's not a software issue. I've reformatted several times. And it's not a hardware issue, because when I put my battery into my mom's powerbook, the same thing happens on hers. And when I put her battery in mine, it works as expected. blah. sucks.

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.

Re:I used to be sold on PowerBooks

[GlassHeart]

1) Extremely annoying Mac zealots chanting "It has teh UNIX!" when they have no clue what that means.

There are extremely annoying Windows and Linux users as well. There are even extremely annoying people who don't use computers. So what?

2) "Total Cost of 0wnership" study showing how laughably weak MacOS is, even though "it has teh UNIX!"

Sorry, what are you referring to?

3) The OS is proprietary, as is the hardware. Expensive and hard to come by.

Yes, the OS and hardware are proprietary. That's not going to change.

Expensive is relative. For some people, dealing with Linux (for example) is an expensive proposition as well, which can involve spending considerable time and money learning it. There's also the question of resale value, where Macs do considerably better than PCs of similar age. (Whether you consider it lunacy or not, a 400 MHz PowerMac circa 2000 fetches about the same price as a brand new 2.4GHz Dell desktop.)

Hard to come by? Apple sells computers right on its website, if you don't have a retailer near you. Recent Macs use standard hard drives, RAM, as well as various Firewire and USB peripherals.

4) The elitist stigma that would come with owning one. (I don't think they'll sell you one unless you have an aloof attitude, a goatee and a pair of those fashionably thick-framed rectangular eyeglasses.)

Wow, you really do let image get in the way of your computer purchase decisions. You are even more like those you criticize - yeah, those who buy Macs because of their pretty cases - than many actual Mac owners.

Apple is just as susceptible to flaws like this as anyone else. I prefer the more ubiquitous and affordable hardware.

That's certainly your right, but you don't have a right to dress up that personal preference in pseudo-technical babble.

You want a low up-front cost. Great, but that doesn't mean a computer with a higher up-front cost has a low value.

You want the most common hardware. Great, but that doesn't mean another computer is "hard to come by".

You want non-proprietary software. Great, but that doesn't mean you can't run Linux or a Mac, or that you're not paying Microsoft when you buy that Dell. Want a PC without paying Microsoft? You may find the selection to be as limited as Macs.

Finally, you don't like the image of Mac owners and zealots. Great, but your insecurities are your own.

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