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PowerBook G4 Battery Recall

Posted by michael on from the public-service dept.

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."

36 of 337 comments (clear)

  1. Mmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I love baked Apples.

    1. Re:Mmmm by flamingnight · · Score: 5, Interesting

      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.

  2. yaay! by kmmatthews · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.

    --
    feh. stuff.
    1. Re:yaay! by kmmatthews · · Score: 4, Funny

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

      *Points finger* Nyeah nyeah nyeah!

      :)

      --
      feh. stuff.
  3. So that's why... by tao_of_biology · · Score: 5, Funny

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

    --

    -- "A chicken is an egg's way of making another egg."

  4. replace by BoldAC · · Score: 4, Informative

    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

    1. Re:replace by jrockway · · Score: 4, Insightful

      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.

      --
      My other car is first.
    2. Re:replace by CoolQ · · Score: 4, Informative

      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

    3. Re:replace by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative
      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.

  5. Recipe for Caramel Apple Powerbooks by XaviorPenguin · · Score: 5, Funny

    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!

    --
    Friends help you move...
    REAL Friends help you move dead bodies... ^_^
  6. It already overheats. by Gannoc · · Score: 5, Funny

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

  7. Year of the Portable my butt by SpiffyMarc · · Score: 4, Insightful

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

    1. Re:Year of the Portable my butt by badasscat · · Score: 4, Interesting

      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).

    2. Re:Year of the Portable my butt by the+MaD+HuNGaRIaN · · Score: 5, Interesting

      And Dell never has battery problems

    3. Re:Year of the Portable my butt by Otter · · Score: 4, Insightful
      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.

      --
      What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
    4. Re:Year of the Portable my butt by david_reese · · Score: 4, Informative
      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).

  8. ::Looks at battery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

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

  9. Look at the date of manufacture.... by detritus` · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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.

    --
    drunk chemists
    1. Re:Look at the date of manufacture.... by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Funny

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

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  10. I know I'm going to get modded down for this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

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

    1. Re:I know I'm going to get modded down for this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

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

  11. Ah by iamdrscience · · Score: 4, Funny

    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.

  12. Dear Slashdot by Letter · · Score: 5, Funny
    Dear Slashdot,

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

    1. Re:Dear Slashdot by rampant+mac · · Score: 4, Funny
      "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.

      --
      I like big butts and I cannot lie.
  13. A couple more details by Lord+Grey · · Score: 4, Informative
    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.
    --
    // Beyond Here Lie Dragons
  14. I can see it now by StevenHenderson · · Score: 5, Funny

    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."

  15. that was a preproduction machine by SuperBanana · · Score: 4, Interesting
    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.

    --
    Please help metamoderate.
    1. Re:that was a preproduction machine by tgibbs · · Score: 4, Interesting
      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

  16. New battery!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

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

  17. Re:O_o by stratjakt · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.

    --
    I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
  18. I know I'm going to get modded up for this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    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)

  19. The Replacement Process by AgTiger · · Score: 4, Funny

    "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.)

  20. Re:Bah by dr_dank · · Score: 5, Funny

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

    --
    Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
  21. Re:Common AA's - they are by adzoox · · Score: 4, Informative

    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

    --
    Yell & scream & rant & rave... it's no use... you need a shaaaave ~ Bugs Bunny
  22. Re:mannnnnn by mtnharo · · Score: 4, Informative
    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.

  23. Re:mannnnnn by Skidge · · Score: 4, Informative

    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.