Battery Not Charging

[SiriusPink]

Apparently my Macbook's battery is refusing to charge.

I haven't used my Mac for a week (give and take) so I figured that the battery must be dead, I plugged it in and turned it on, after turning it on it turned on as if it were on sleep mode (showing me the screen-saver); however, the battery icon on the top right-hand corner says that the battery isn't charging, the power adapter colour (the tiny light) is green and the five little green lights on the back of the battery aren't working (they're usually flashing on and off when it's charging normally)....

I read a few suggestions in some forums and in Mac Support: some said download CoconutBattery and some said try resetting the SMC (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1411?viewlocale=en_US), I tried both; nothing worked. How can I fix this problem or is it irreparable?

Thank you for your help.

[SGilbert]

Happened recently on a friends Powerbook Ti. It was the DC in board. Cost was around $80 plus labor if you're not confidant in your abilities. Directions, parts, and tools are available from PowerBookMedic, iFixIt, and others.

[DeltaMac]

I disagree, mostly because there's no DC-in board on a MacBook, and the problem usually is the battery, as long as you get lights on the power connector.
Reset the power manager (by removing the battery, and unplugging the power adapter, then hold the power button for at least 5 seconds. reinsert the battery, and plug in the power adapter.)
Turn on your MacBook.
If the battery has discharged completely, it can take 10 to 15 minutes before the battery responds, so leave it plugged in, and be patient.

Check in your System Profiler, then Power tab, for information about the condition of the battery.
Best information will be the Total Charge Capacity, and the Charge Cycles.
Come back with what you see in those values.

[LittleMacs]

So I am joining this thread because I have a black 2008 macbook with a battery that is misbehaving in much the same way as the original user's complaint.

The battery refuses to charge, and the battery indicator in the top-right corner shows that it is plugged in and (0%) charged, even after being plugged in for hours. I have tried using another power adapter and it behaves in the same manner.

So, I tried resetting the power manager as described with no change in status. Any troubleshooting tips or advice on whether getting a new battery will likely fix it would be greatly appreciated. The Apple support website said that I could try resetting the SMC, system management controller as a last resort, but I have not tried that.

I have posted the battery stats from the system profiler below:

Battery Information:

Model Information:
Serial Number: DP-ASMB016-391a-52dc
Manufacturer: DP
Device name: ASMB016
Pack Lot Code: 0002
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0110
Hardware Revision: 0500
Cell Revision: 0102
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 0
Fully charged: No
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 0
Health Information:
Cycle count: 264
Condition: Check Battery
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 0
Voltage (mV): 6665

Hardware Configuration:

UPS Installed: No

AC Charger Information:

Connected: Yes
Charging: No

Thank you for your help!

[DeltaMac]

The most important line in that battery information is: Full Charge Capacity. That should show the maximum capacity. A new battery will likely be around 5500 mAh. Yours shows zero.
You have power from the adapter, but the battery just doesn't charge.
If you want to make sure the battery has failed - try it in another MacBook, but I suspect it's:
... Time to replace the battery.

[LittleMacs]

I just wanted to confirm that buying a new battery did indeed fix the problem and my little mac is back in action. Thanks again!

[batprob]

i'm having the same problem, but my battery is still good with a 4362 mAh charge capacity.

to recap: plugged into the adaptor, icon reads that it is charging but upon mousing over it says "Battery is not charging". light is green but battery only at 50 percent charge. have reset the power manager but problem persists. happens both with my and my girlfriend's adapter.

help?

[DeltaMac]

Have you tried swapping your gf's battery into your MacBook? Use it just on battery for 30 minutes or so, then plug in adapter, and see if that battery begins to charge. The adapter connector will be green at first, and then change to amber, indicating charging. Green does not indicate charging.
If the adapter is only green, even after a few minutes, then you have problems with the charging circuit - probably a bad internal battery cable.
If your gf's battery DOES charge, then swap yours back in, and try the same. If the charger only stays green with your battery, even if it's only on 1/2 charge, then the battery is likely bad.