How do I prolong the lifespan of my battery?

lucaluca
Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
I have a PowerBook G3 Wallstreet, and I will probably be using it as my mobile computer for at least another year, perhaps two or more. Batteries for it are very expensive, so how could I ensure greater longevity for my current battery? It used to hold about two hours of charge at max screen brightness, now it's more like an hour and forty minutes. Should I always run it using the battery and only plug it in once it gets really low? Should I run it always on the power adapter? Also, is there any software I could use to possibly increase battery life and/or longevity? Right now I'm running OS X 10.1.5, so I assume the life will be shorter for it than for 10.2 or OS 9 or earlier.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 1
    chychchych Posts: 860member
    Well, run it on the dimmest setting and in the energy prefrences, reduce clock speed (if you can in X, you could in 9). Also turn sound volume off and put the computer to sleep when unused. Run fewer programs too, having many open does eat cpu cycles/power.



    The battery is Lithium-Ion, theoretically has no memory effect, so you should use the AC adapter as much as possible. However, do discharge the battery completely and recharge occasionally just to keep the battery fresh.



    There is a program, Apple Battery Reset, that will discharge the battery, run it and recharge your battery and see if that improves life.
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