Powerbook 1400 battery meter issue?

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I've got a question for anyone here who might be using a Powerbook 1400.

I recently re-built my battery pack (not an official Apple battery, one made by third-party company Energy+) and it seems to work alright (powers the 'book for about an hour when drained with BatteryAmnesia).

The problem is the capacity meter doesn't seem to be reporting correctly, and the computer goes to sleep when it reaches about 50%. I can plug the computer in for about a second then unplug it, and it will wake up from sleep and show 0% within a few seconds. When I turn on the computer with the AC adapter plugged in, it'll shoot up to about 60% capacity immediately, and take 1 or 2 hours to reach full capacity (although a considerably shorter time for the meter to fill up before it stops charging).

Is this a normal thing for the computer to do with a re-built pack, or do you think I screwed something up during the re-build? Do you think I should try re-building again with a different brand of cells or just order a new battery from somewhere?

Thanks in advance.
 
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12" Apple PowerBook G4 (1.5GHz)
So...you're
1. Using a twelve-year-old computer
2. With a non-OEM battery
3. That you've rebuilt yourself

I'd say it's fantastic that it's working at all!
 

pigoo3

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I have a Powerbook 1400 that I still "play" around with...and I am going to do the same project that you already did (rebuilding the battery).

I purchased the replacement batteries...but I haven't installed them yet (not looking forward to the soldering).

In any case...since the replacement batteries you used are probably not the same capacity as the batteries used in the 1400's original battery...that this is probably where the confusion is regarding the 1400's battery level indicator.

I would say just be happy that:

- your battery rebuild went ok
- that your 1400 didn't "explode or melt-down" when you first inserted the rebuilt battery
- and that you have a usable rebuilt battery

You just got to get an accurate idea of how much runtime you get with that rebuild battery, and then you will be good to go.

- Nick
 

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