07-23-2008, 12:36 PM

Hi I was wondering if there is anyway to shut off battery charging while running on AC power. I'm looking to find a way to disconnect the battery from my macbook pro through software without physically removing the battery. This seems like a good way to extend the life/maintain the health of the battery when sitting in the office for hours on end plugged into an AC/DC power source. Is there any hack or program to do this?

07-23-2008, 12:45 PM

Hmm... interesting idea. I haven't heard of such a thing, but that doesn't mean anything. I remember reading in another post someone mentioned that when the MBP does some heavy lifting, it may require more power than is available from the 85W power adaptor, so it draws extra power from the battery. I don't know if this is true (and seems odd to me that you could drain your battery while your notebook is plugged in), but if that was the case, it might be best not to *disable* the battery...? Just a thought

07-23-2008, 12:56 PM

I've run my computer off AC alone for quite a while, and it works just fine. I just find it annoying to physically disconnect the battery from the bottom. The reason i'd like to do this is to stop the constant cycling on the battery. While plugged in with a battery 100% charged, the power management seems to cycle from AC to Battery to AC again. That's why it goes from 100% -> 99%> ->100%. I figure this constant cycling hurts the overall battery life (maybe this is apple's plan afterall O_o ) Anyway as suggested by apple, they recommend that if you do not use your battery for a while, store it at half capacity. I wanted to find a quick software solution way to stop charging/trick the laptop into thinking there's no battery while i sit at my desk, then when i go home, click it back on, and simply unplug my computer. Idk if others are like me, but I tend to carry my charger around with me, and plug it in most times. seems silly considering this is a notebook, but i think may of us are using this as a desktop replacement for either connivence or lack of cash to buy 2 computers.

Anyway, I don't know if this is currently possible, but I'm sure some people smarter than me could figure out a way.

Thanks,
ed

07-23-2008, 01:13 PM

I am still pretty new to how my MBP and OS X work (switched 2 months ago) but it would seem that you are correct. When I'm using my MBP with the power adaptor, the charge goes from 100% to 95%, then back up to 100% periodically. From what I've read, this is how it is supposed to work, but I find it odd that the battery is used at all when the adaptor is plugged in. My understanding is that a "cycle" (as displayed in the battery info) is added when the battery goes from some low value of charge (I forget, like 15% or something) back up to *full charge* (which I think is considered 95%). If this is true, your battery technically should never *cycle* when it is always plugged in (ie, the change from 100% to 95% then back to 100% is not considered a cycle).
I would also be interested to see if there is a way to trick the MBP into thinking there is no battery (using software), so hopefully someone more knowledgeable than me will reply to this post

07-23-2008, 01:17 PM

oh sorry for the confusion, I'm not referring to cycle as in cycle count, sorry for my poor choice of words. I'm just suggesting that it toggles between battery and AC. Again as you mentioned, this ideally shouldn't happen.

07-23-2008, 05:00 PM

hm, so you want to find a program that will allow your macbook pro to think that there is no battery in it, when in fact, there is? And you want this so that while it is connected to AC, the battery is not affected even though it is still in the notebook, so that you will have a healthy and fully charged battery when you disconnect from AC and turn off the program?

this seems like an ideal solution because i definitely see what you mean. However, if there was a program to do this, wouldnt the battery still be affected and charging because it is still physically connected? I mean i'm pretty sure the program would just trick the software into thinking that there is no battery, not the hardware. Because if hte battery is connected while the notebook is connected to AC, its going to charge regardless of a program. I think the program would just make it so that the monitor on the software says that the battery isnt charging or being affected, when in fact it is.

Again, i have no knowledge on the subject, that's just my opinion. i am almost positive that there is no program like this out yet though.

07-23-2008, 08:18 PM

hrm... well not just a way to hide the battery, but to use software to alter how the hardware functions. For example a way to stop power from being routed to the battery completely. similar to like disconnecting a piece of hardware like a usb device, ejecting and stopping power to it.

07-23-2008, 08:46 PM

Originally Posted by edwardla

hrm... well not just a way to hide the battery, but to use software to alter how the hardware functions. For example a way to stop power from being routed to the battery completely. similar to like disconnecting a piece of hardware like a usb device, ejecting and stopping power to it.

It already does that by itself. No need for other software. This is why the light turns green and it no longer counts down the minutes until the battery is fully charged.

07-28-2011, 02:55 AM

Most PC laptop has this 3rd parts software feature call battery management. you can choose to start and stop charging at your desire battery % (battery threshold) to significantly extend the battery life. This is particularly useful when you need to plug in the power most of the time. I was surprise that the mac book air does not have this feature. If there is a program to do so it would be great.

01-12-2012, 04:40 AM

Hey
The other day i was wondering about the battery on my macbook pro and i started searching for a solution.
You guys are talking about the exact same thing.

My guess to how this works is that it charges the battery and then switches to ac adapter for running unless you are editing or performing a heavy things where it would require more power than 85W.
How i figure this :: In system preference > Energy Saver >
in the battery tab there is an option *Slightly dim the display when using this power source. (tick it ON)
So after MBP is 100% charged (green) > remove your power cord and the display does DIM ..that means you just switched to battery mode.

I guess this is right..
let me know your opinion !!

thanks