# Battery Not Charging



## SiriusPink (Jun 14, 2009)

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 (Jun 14, 2009)

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 (Jun 14, 2009)

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 (Jan 9, 2010)

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 (Jan 9, 2010)

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 (Jan 11, 2010)

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 (Feb 4, 2010)

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 (Feb 4, 2010)

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.


----------



## djackmac (Feb 4, 2010)

DeltaMac said:


> I disagree, mostly because there's no DC-in board on a MacBook



Sorry to drag up this from 6 months ago, but there actually is a magsafe DC-In board on all macbooks, but it rarely has much to do with a charging issue unless the machine will only run on battery and not through AC power. Otherwise your posts are 100% accurate Delta. 

Other than the great advice that DeltaMac has provided you so far, if your gf has a spare magsafe power adapter you could test with, that would be good to try. The magsafes are pretty popular for stuck pins. If one of those pins is stuck down the machine will either not charge or not run on AC power at all. Another good thing is to take some isoprophyl alcohol and a cotton swab and clean the magsafe DC-in where the power adapter plugs in to. Also since the mag-safe DC-in is magnetic, make sure there is no metal debris in there blocking charging.


----------



## wicentow (Feb 16, 2010)

I have the magsafe plugged in and the battery in the computer, but batter icon says "not charging". Even wierder, this message persists EVEN IF I CHANGE THE BATTERY. I've tried changing chargers, resetting PRAM, everything on the apple support site basically. So this must be an internal, computer problem, right? 

Also, i checked the battery info, which is:
Model Information:
  Serial Number:	DP-ASMB013-3674-ada8
  Manufacturer:	DP
  Device name:	ASMB013
  Pack Lot Code:	0001
  PCB Lot Code:	0000
  Firmware Version:	0102
  Hardware Revision:	0300
  Cell Revision:	0100
  Charge Information:
  Charge remaining (mAh):	2662
  Fully charged:	No
  Charging:	No
  Full charge capacity (mAh):	5032
  Health Information:
  Cycle count:	471
  Condition:	Good
  Battery Installed:	Yes
  Amperage (mA):	148
  Voltage (mV):	11575


So what can I do? Is my entire computer fried?


----------



## DeltaMac (Feb 17, 2010)

Although your battery has a fairly high Cycle count (471), your symptoms do not really indicate a failed battery, You have already verified that with another battery, which also doesn't charge. The resets are good to try, so you have the charging circuit in your MacBook as the problem. There are two internal cables that are part of the charging/power circuit. The Magsafe cable (Power Adapter plug, which attaches to the logic board. And, the battery connector cable, which also attaches to the logic board.
Each of those cables could be the problem, although the battery cable might be the first to try. Each cable is fairly cheap - maybe $20, and not difficult to replace. Take your MacBook to an Apple service shop, where you can get the correct fix. If neither cable helps, the logic board is at fault.


----------



## Talpa (Oct 2, 2010)

I have the same problem as described above. I went out of the country for 2 weeks and left the thing unplugged when I got back it would not charge. The profiler info is given below:

Battery Information:

  Model Information:
  Serial Number:	DP-ASMB016-38fa-291c
  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:	470
  Condition:	Check Battery
  Battery Installed:	Yes
  Amperage (mA):	0
  Voltage (mV):	9206


This macbook was purchased in 2008 and has given good service except for the power adapter dieing out about a month back. Is it time to change the battery or is there still some hope left? Could it be some other, more serious issue?
Thanks!
Talpa


----------



## JoeApple (Nov 13, 2010)

Hi - I'm also having this problem with my mums MacBook bought at the beginning of 2008 and the battery is completely non responsive. The battery meter reads: "Battery is not charging". Here is the system profile information:

  Charge Information:
  Charge remaining (mAh):	0
  Fully charged:	No
  Charging:	No
  Full charge capacity (mAh):	0
  Health Information:
  Cycle count:	22
  Condition:	Check Battery
  Battery Installed:	Yes
  Amperage (mA):	40
  Voltage (mV):	3957


As you can she hasn't used it very much whilst on the battery and we are pretty disappointed that the battery might have given up so easily. If anyone knows any tricks to get the battery charging again, we would really appreciated it. I have done a SMC reset but nothing happened.

Thanks - Joe


----------



## DeltaMac (Nov 13, 2010)

The battery has failed.
Here's the trick to get it to charge:
Purchase a replacement battery. (Not really a trick, but that's the next step)

Your battery has lasted about 2 1/2 years. That's really all you can expect from one of the user-replaceable batteries, 2-3 years. Sometimes, the batteries will last quite a bit longer, but the design life has limits. The newer MacBooks, with batteries that are not user-replaceable, will last much longer.


----------



## JoeApple (Nov 14, 2010)

Thanks for your help. I think that these companies should make it more clear that the battery will only last so long. I think a battery should last much longer than that. Especially as it's had so little use. Pretty disgraceful.


----------



## DeltaMac (Nov 14, 2010)

There's really no way to predict how long a rechargeable battery will last. All you can know is that any rechargeable battery has a finite life, and that will be some range of time according to engineering specs. At some point - it just will not hold charge as long as new, or may stop charging entirely. A shorter-than-normal battery life can just be bad luck. There's quite a few threads here, and elsewhere, trying to understand how to extend the life of the battery. Often those hints will help, sometimes not.

I don't recall if I have ever seen _any_ rechargeable device with readily available info about how long to expect the battery to last, until it no longer accepts a reasonable charge.
Batteries fail over time.
You replace the battery, or live with a non-working battery (which is also a choice)


----------



## DeltaMac (Nov 14, 2010)

JoeApple said:


> T... I think a battery should last much longer than that. Especially as it's had so little use. Pretty disgraceful.



Ah, yes - sometimes batteries may die too soon, because they have not been used enough (that is, to operate on the battery)
It's a portable, so use it as a portable every few months, if it's not usually unplugged from power.


----------



## iggz (Nov 14, 2010)

Just a question for my wife's macbook.  

If we unplug it from the mains, it switches off automatically. battery's not charging! seems to be a similar problems 

On the slimbatterymonitor if we mouseover it, it says charging at -214783648% capacity! is this a glitch!?

we went overseas for a month and didnt use the computer - would that be why there's a problem now?  is the only fix a new battery?

sorry if the question is a bit dumb haha.  thx for help guys


----------



## DeltaMac (Nov 14, 2010)

You need to check the battery and charging circuit.
Start with an SMC reset: Unplug your power adapter, and remove the main battery completely. Press and hold your power button for 5 seconds. Nothing will happen at that time, but your power manager will now be reset. Insert the battery again, and plug in your power adapter. Watch the LED on that magsafe connector. It should be green shortly after plugging it in and attaching to the MacBook. Do you get any lights on the battery when you press the battery test button? If all lights don't come on, the LED on the Magsafe connector should turn orange/amber, indicating that the battery is charging.
Wait 30 seconds or so before you try to turn on the MacBook.
Then, press and release the power button.
When startup is complete, go to your Apple menu, and About This Mac.
Click on the More Info... button.
That will open your System Profiler.
Click the Power tab from the column on the left side.
What number is showing next to Full Charge Capacity?
How many Charge Cycles?
Are you getting an orange LED on the Magsafe connector? Or, does the battery icon in your menubar have the charging indicator (looks like a lightning bolt)


----------



## iggz (Nov 14, 2010)

thanks for mega quick and detailed reply Deltamac!

no lights on the battery after battery test button

on the magsafe, it turns green shortly after plugging it in - but then there is no light at all!

anyway i can still turn on the mac and i went into the power info

charge remaining: 0
fully charges: No
Charging: No

full charge capacity = 0
cycle count = 250

battery health = poor

no orange led, or charging indicator 

looks pretty grim!


----------



## DeltaMac (Nov 14, 2010)

If you remove the main battery while the power adapter is attached, does the green LED come back on?

You might get a recovery like this:
Remove battery and disconnect Magsafe (be sure that's also unplugged from the wall)
Press and hold that power button again for 5 seconds. Leave the power adapter completely unplugged for at least 10 minutes. (be patient today!)
Leave the battery out for now.
Plug the Magsafe back in (no battery, and don't turn on yet). Wait for 5 minutes. Does the Magsafe LED remain on and green? Press and release the power button. Let it start, and wait another 5 minutes or so. Does the green light remain on all that time?
Now - insert the battery. And - shut down your MacBook. Wait 10-15 minutes with the MacBook completely off.
Does the Magsafe LED ever change to amber/orange?
Finally - turn your MacBook back on, and let it set for another 10 minutes or so fully powered on.
Return to the System Profiler. Is there any change to the battery listing now? You would be looking for any change to the Full Charge Capacity - like an actual number - or any other indication of battery charging.
If you still get nothing, then the battery should be toast (and not in a good way  )


----------



## iggz (Nov 15, 2010)

the magsafe led remained green for the whole time.  it never changed to orange 

no change in system profiler info either!  sigh.  looks like time to get a new battery

just for future reference, could this have been caused by not using the macbook for an entire month?  (not sure if it was plugged in or not)


----------



## DeltaMac (Nov 15, 2010)

I suspect the battery was already 'on the edge', and leaving it when the battery could completely run down hastened the death of the battery. If the MacBook was left plugged in, then the battery may have still been working now - maybe...


----------



## contactharish (Dec 28, 2010)

Hi there,

According to the post I have tried resetting the SMC i.e. after unplugging the MagSafe both from MacBook & power supply, I removed the battery & finally pressed the power button for 5 seconds. No effect. 

Have also tried to plug the MagSafe without the battery but again no affect. 

With or without the battery when I plug the MagSafe & switch on the power the LED gives a very very feeble green (it's hardly visible at all but when I switch power off it is black as in no light at all). 

My mac is 2 yes old. Could not boot so not able to share system profiler info about the battery. Even after 2 yrs, it would retain charge for more than 90%. I still get close to 3 hrs on full charge. 

Can you help?

Really appreciate it. 

Cheers,
Harish


----------



## DeltaMac (Dec 28, 2010)

The "very very feeble green" LED on the magsafe connector may mean that your magsafe adapter is bad. Try a different adapter - borrow one, or take to an Apple service center for a better evaluation.
Or - try _your_ magsafe adapter in a different MacBook or MacBook Pro. You would see very quickly if that LED is much brighter on a different laptop...
If it seems to work better on a different laptop, then likely you have an internal failure on your own laptop. Could be a bad battery, or the internal magsafe connector (the part inside your laptop) may be faulty.


----------



## contactharish (Dec 28, 2010)

DeltaMac said:


> The "very very feeble green" LED on the magsafe connector may mean that your magsafe adapter is bad. Try a different adapter - borrow one, or take to an Apple service center for a better evaluation.
> Or - try _your_ magsafe adapter in a different MacBook or MacBook Pro. You would see very quickly if that LED is much brighter on a different laptop...
> If it seems to work better on a different laptop, then likely you have an internal failure on your own laptop. Could be a bad battery, or the internal magsafe connector (the part inside your laptop) may be faulty.


Really appreciate your prompt response DeltaMac. Keeping my fingers crossed I shall try with adapter first. 

Thanks a ton again. This forum is really great. Keep it up. 

Cheers,
Harish


----------



## FGlads (Aug 28, 2011)

DeltaMac said:


> 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.
> ...


I have read everyones advice and tried it all, including cleaning all connections with alcohol. My charger is lit green but my battery icon says "no battery available"

This is my system profiler/power details:
Battery Information:

  Charge Information:
  Charge remaining (mAh):	0
  Fully charged:	No
  Charging:	No
  Full charge capacity (mAh):	0
  Health Information:
  Cycle count:	0
  Battery Installed:	No
  Amperage (mA):	0
  Voltage (mV):	0

System Power Settings:

  AC Power:
  System Sleep Timer (Minutes):	10
  Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes):	10
  Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):	10
  Automatic Restart On Power Loss:	No
  Wake On AC Change:	No
  Wake On Clamshell Open:	Yes
  Wake On LAN:	Yes
  Current Power Source:	Yes
  Display Sleep Uses Dim:	No
  Battery Power:
  System Sleep Timer (Minutes):	10
  Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes):	10
  Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):	2
  Wake On AC Change:	No
  Wake On Clamshell Open:	Yes
  Display Sleep Uses Dim:	Yes
  Reduce Brightness:	Yes

Hardware Configuration:

  UPS Installed:	No

AC Charger Information:

  Connected:	Yes
  ID:	0x0000
  Wattage (W):	0
  Revision:	0x0000
  Family:	0x0000
  Serial Number:	0x00000000
  Charging:	No


This is my system profiler/hardware details:

Hardware Overview:

  Model Name:	MacBook
  Model Identifier:	MacBook2,1
  Processor Name:	Intel Core 2 Duo
  Processor Speed:	2 GHz
  Number Of Processors:	1
  Total Number Of Cores:	2
  L2 Cache:	4 MB
  Memory:	1 GB
  Bus Speed:	667 MHz
  Boot ROM Version:	MB21.00A5.B07
  SMC Version (system):	1.13f3
  Serial Number (system):	4H6492FCWGM
  Hardware UUID:	00000000-0000-1000-8000-0017F2F29F03
  Sudden Motion Sensor:
  State:	Enabled

I am very impressed with your advice you have given the other guys and hope you can help me out too.  One more thing.  The battery's lights dont light at all.

Thank you for your help in advance.
F Glads


*<<<UPDATE 5 HOURS LATER>>>

I went to my daughter house and put her battery in. It showed as normal. Couldnt plug it in - no power in her house cause of hurricane - Anyway the computer showed her batt in my comp as a good battery and worked on batt only.
LATER I home and put my batt back in my comp and plug it in and not it says - NOT CHARGING in the upper battery symbol at the top of screen.
I then go to SYSTEM PROFILER/POWER and this is what it reads:

Battery Information:

  Model Information:
  Manufacturer:	DP
  Device name:	ASMB013
  Pack Lot Code:	0001
  PCB Lot Code:	0000
  Firmware Version:	0102
  Hardware Revision:	0300
  Cell Revision:	0100
  Charge Information:
  Charge remaining (mAh):	0
  Fully charged:	No
  Charging:	No
  Full charge capacity (mAh):	0
  Health Information:
  Cycle count:	886
  Condition:	Replace Now
  Battery Installed:	Yes
  Amperage (mA):	45
  Voltage (mV):	4100

System Power Settings:

  AC Power:
  System Sleep Timer (Minutes):	10
  Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes):	10
  Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):	10
  Automatic Restart On Power Loss:	No
  Wake On AC Change:	No
  Wake On Clamshell Open:	Yes
  Wake On LAN:	Yes
  Current Power Source:	Yes
  Display Sleep Uses Dim:	No
  Battery Power:
  System Sleep Timer (Minutes):	10
  Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes):	10
  Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):	2
  Wake On AC Change:	No
  Wake On Clamshell Open:	Yes
  Display Sleep Uses Dim:	Yes
  Reduce Brightness:	Yes

Hardware Configuration:

  UPS Installed:	No

AC Charger Information:

  Connected:	Yes
  ID:	0x0100
  Wattage (W):	85
  Revision:	0x0000
  Family:	0x00ba
  Serial Number:	0x00e35b5f
  Charging:	No


So apparently doing the switch jolted the system to give me additional info on the battery.
Are there any new thoughts with all this new info in mind?

Steve*


----------



## jbarley (Aug 28, 2011)

Maybe find someone or a store who will let you temporarily try their battery in your laptop.
I really think your battery is whooped, hence the battery charge lights not working and system profiler indicating no battery present.

I just went through a very similar scenario and a new battery fixed me up.


----------



## FGlads (Aug 28, 2011)

I added more info to my post - thanks for helping before - is there more you would add now that more info is available?


----------



## Giaguara (Aug 29, 2011)

Cycle count:	*886*
So the battery *and* the cycle count were recognized above for a while. 886 cycles on a battery, and now not holding charger or charging? Time to replace. The older (pre-unibody) batteries lasted 300 cycles, more if you were lucky, and the new ones are marketed to last around 900 cycles.


----------



## FGlads (Aug 29, 2011)

Much thanks Giaguara!


----------

