Unusual battery issue. Ideas?

Hello,

I've done a quick search of the forum but haven't found any topic which addresses this particular issue. Maybe you can help.

I connect my iPod to my iMac G5 via the dock. When the computer is turned on, the iPod charges perfectly well. Then, i turn the computer off. If I leave my iPod in the dock, I awake the next morning to find it completely discharged even though it had been turned 'off'. Conversely, if I take my iPod out of the dock (and leave it 'off') the battery power remains fully charged by the time I awake.

Whats going on? Presumably my iMac is draining power from all sources even though its off (not Sleep mode). Or is there some other issue to do with the iPod or Dock?

Other than that, playback time on my iPod is perfectly reasonable. Any ideas/suggestions would be welcome, as Apple's support team seems to be impossible to contact with an email.

What kind of ipod is it?
I have the odd problem of when I let it charge for a long time, then it tells me there's no battery, but once I run it for awhile, it moves the bar back full. I assume, though that yours really just is dead when you start it in the mourning?

My iPod is 4th generation.

I thought i might have the same problem as you have ... that the battery indicator is simply wrong and that the iPod plays normally. However, after about 2-3 minutes it just turns off, so I assume the battery is dead.

hmmm.

well, that stinks. I guess it comes down to a)living with it, b)trying to cash in on the warrenty (that i hope you still have) or c)isn't there software updates for these things? I mean, I know the correlation is pretty far out there, but anythings worth a shot if you can't take it back. Good luck.

My iMac G5 actually charges my iPods, when the iMac is off. I wonder, if the iPods discharge themselves on purpose.

I leave my iPod mini constantly hooked up to my G5 iMac (when I'm not using it of course) and I've never had this problem. When I snatch my iPod the next morning the charge is always full. The only difference I see here (other than my iPod being a mini and yours being a 4G) is that I do not use a cradle. Instead I use just the firewire cable originally proveded with the iPod. I wonder if maybe there is a small short in your cradle that causes the iPod's battery to discharge. You may want to bypass the cradle for a night and use just the firewire and see if that helps with the diagnosis. Also, if you are using firewire you may want to try the USB2 cable, or if you are already using the USB2 cable, try the firewire. Also try each of the different ports. This may help you troublshoot whether or not a port on the iMac G5 may be the source of your problem. I'd give AppleCare a call if all else fails.

-Chris

not sure if its true about the dock but mine has last lots of battery when in the dock unplugged and mines a G3

Also the ipod makes a noise when its put into the dock so im guessing that its and indication of it dis-charging?

All iPods use a small amount of power, even when turned off so Apple recommends that an iPod be connected when not in use to keep the battery fully charged. That being true, having the battery drain when connected is definitely a problem. It sounds like whatever iPod electronics are involved need to be serviced.

After posting the above I checked the Apple forums. There was one problem like yours. The only solutions listed were to use the charger block or to make sure the computer doesn't go to sleep while the iPod is connected or to disconnect the iPod as soon as charging stops. The explanation was that when the computer sleeps the charging process stops and the iPod battery will discharge back into the computer. The writer claimed that this is normal behavior.
Personally, I haven't had this problem even though I leave my miniPod connected for extended periods. I still believe that there is a hardware problem with the charging circuit.

That's funny, Apple reccomends that you keep your iPod charged after it's fully charged. From my personal experience (my 3G iPod) that's what messed it up. I over-charged it so much the battery is shot. My Motorola i730 had the same problem cause of over-charging. With my i830 I always take it off the charger when it's done charging, along with my two other newer iPods.

That's funny, Apple reccomends that you keep your iPod charged after it's fully charged. From my personal experience (my 3G iPod) that's what messed it up. I over-charged it so much the battery is shot. {iDVFH}

When I first purchased my ipod back in August '04, I managed to get a dud. Needless to say I went down to my local apple store and had it exchanged. When I asked the manager if I should keep my ipod charging after its fully charged, he told me not to. Fully charge it, disconnect, and use until battery is drained. I was told all this to prevent battery over-charge. Now I only dock to charge and disconnect, too worried to wear out battery prematurely.....