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I have a 15" AL PowerBook G4 (1.67Ghz) with two Apple batteries. Both batteries are 3-4 years old old but worked up til a couple months ago. What happens now: Power cable light stays green whichever battery is installedMenu bar battery icon shows power plugged in, 0% charge for both batteriesIf I shutdown, unplug power, plug it back in, and startup I get a “You’re computer’s clock is set to a date before March 24 2001, etc.” warning dialogSometimes when I restart or swap batteries the power cable will go orange for a few seconds but the Menu Bar icon never moves off 0% and the cable always goes green after a few seconds Battery #1 Charge remaining (mAh): 0Charging: NoFull charge capacity (mAh): 1973Health Information:Cycle count: 334Condition: GoodBattery Installed: YesAmperage (mA): 0Voltage (mV): 4133 Battery #2 Charge Information:Charge remaining (mAh): 0Charging: NoFull charge capacity (mAh): 943Health Information:Cycle count: 0Condition: GoodBattery Installed: YesAmperage (mA): 0Voltage (mV): 7529 What I’ve tried: Resetting PMULots of battery swapping and cable jiggling Suggestions? I have to open the computer to replace a noisy fan anyway so replacing stuff inside is not a problem. Does the clock issue represent a PRAM battery failure? Could that cause the main battery to not charge? Maybe the PMU reset doesn’t work without a functional PRAM battery?
Went to the Apple store and with a Genius’ help confirmed that the only problem seems to be the main battery. We plugged in another known-good PowerBook battery and it charged fine. Now to choose which of the variety of off-brand batteries to buy… Thanks everyone!
Any way to borrow a battery from a friend to test if it charges? Sounds like both of yours are dead. The older machines used to reset the clock to Steve Jobs birthday in 1956, August I think, when the PRAM battery went out. I’m not aware of a replaceable cmos battery in the PowerBooks. Download Coconut battery to test ‘um here: http://www.coconut-flavour.com/coconutba…
Pram battery for your PowerBook: not cheap http://www.PowerBookmedic.com/xcart1/pro…
The board that has the USB port on the right side has the battery. Look at the following site and see if they have the PowerBook G4 Backup Battery you need. Toward bottom of page: http://www.galaxyhp.com/Power/PB_acbats…. Good luck.
FYI: Coconut Battery appears to just show the same info that’s in System Profiler for the main battery. No new info there. I don’t have access to a test battery, though I guess I could take it to the Apple store and see if they can plug one in for me. Judging by the specs for Battery #1 it seems like that one could/should still be ok… Does anyone know what the PRAM battery voltage should be? I can at least open the computer and test it before shelling out $50-$75 for a new one (ouch!) Here’s what the battery is supposed to look like: http://s2.guide-images.ifixit.com/igi/lY…
Hi. I am not sure, but in the meantime, after two occurrences of dead main batteries it seams to me that this is a construction failure of Apple itself. Both batteries powered the G4 up for 2-4 hrs. Both batteries died after I didn’t use the PowerBook for a couple of weeks due holidays or christmas and newyears time. Before I left home the battery wasnt charged, the PowerBook was in standby due to lack of battery power, waiting for new charge. After I returned home, the batteries were dead and couldn’t be charged anymore. The first battery was around two years old but in good condition, the other was kind of brand new, 4 months old, original apple store article. Summary: It seams to me, that one should not leave the MacBook without charged batteries for a longer time. Greets, Michael, Germany
The PRAM backup battery in the PowerBook G4 is a Panasonic CGL-3032 3.6v lithium-ion cell. Unlike most desktop Mac backup batteries, it is a RECHARGEABLE cell. That’s one reason it’s more expensive than your typical little LiI battery. Since it’s rechargeable, you can’t simply measure the cell voltage to determine if the battery is worn out. The little PCB assembly contains the charge control circuitry. The “3032” nomenclature refers to the size: 30 mm in diameter by 3.2 mm thick. A similar cell is available from other manufacturers, typically in China. Look for LIR-3032. Specs for the Panasonic CGL-3032 Specs for LIR-3032
I’m surprised no one has mentioned the simplest diagnostic test: looking at the battery screen icon to verify that the charger is indeed charging. The icon does 2 things. It displays the amount of power remaining and indicates that the laptop is in charge mode both for the main power source & the PRAM battery. The green-to-amber light on the charging plug can be deceptive. It will go to steady amber, indicating the battery needs charging. But if you have a loose or broken connection, the battery charger may be doing nothing at all. I found this out when trying to recharge my Powerbook after a long period of disuse. I relied solely on the amber light, and 24 hrs. later, concluded the battery was dead/no longer accepting a charge. Bought an aftermarket battery on eBay, and made the same error. Then I noticed the battery icon was not showing the charger was plugged in. A couple twists later to get a better connection, both the original & PRAM battery came back to life and my Powerbook is now working fine. It’s also not wise to plug the charger into an desktop APC. W/O a blocking diode, the APC’s lead acid battery is in continuous trickle charge mode, and can literally suck the Powerbook’s battery dry.
