Introduction
I used coconutBattery version 3.7 for this guide. I will update this guide if the UI changes in the future.
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Download a copy of CoconutBattery. This will be saved in your default download folder.
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All done! You can now see...
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Your Mac's info...
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Your Battery info...
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And lastly, your charger's info.
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If the design/full charge capacity or percentage is missing or incorrect, the battery, DC-In or logic board may need to be replaced.
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Knockoff MagSafe and USB-C power adapters lack the correct safety features and are unsafe. These may also damage your laptop.
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Cheap replacement batteries from non-reputable sellers tend to fail or swell, or have little to no function.
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5 Comments
@danj Anything I can do to make this guide better? I know you are a huge coconutBattery fanatic so I wanted your opinion on this.
You should expand a few more steps here explaining what is looked at. As an example the Battery Info button should be looked at to learn the maker of the battery likely Simplo which is one of the makers for Apple. I also look at the date of manufacture to make sure it’s not a fake battery as well to see if it’s the original. An original battery should be manufactured just a few months before the systems date.
You also want to look at what the battery is discharging at so ideally you want two snapshots one with the MagSafe connected and one without.
Then there’s the cycle count you should point them to this Apple T/N Determine battery cycle count for Mac notebooks. Once the battery is over 2/3 used its time to inspect it to make sure it has not blistered. Some batteries (third party) won’t get this far! So a cheap knockoff may fail in half of this count.
Dan -
Point them to the battery checker on the side of the system how many LED’s lit when the battery is charged (8) and if the LED’s blink battery needs replacing (same as menu icon). Sometimes the buttons need a bit of cleaning using some isopropyl alcohol as they can stick.
Then there’s dealing with calibration of the battery Calibrate & Maintain Your MacBook Battery For Best Performance.
Then there’s the issue of proper use! Many people fully discharge their systems battery before recharging which is the worse thing to do! When the battery get to be about 3/4 discharged is about the best time to recharge. You want to avoid deep discharging as each time (cycle) kills your battery. As an example my 15” MacBook Pro 2012 has its original battery and only 55 cycles used!
Dan -
I would also point them to this Apple T/N: Apple Portables: Troubleshooting MagSafe adapters so they can make sure they are using the correct MagSafe charger as well as make sure the cable and connectors are in good working shape.
The most important point is not to use a crappy MagSafe charger as there are some good knockoffs so you can’t tell just in looking at them! While is more expensive I only get from an Apple Store or directly from Apple their chargers.
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Here’s some food for thought…
How hot can a battery run at?
Lastly, what does it mean when the values are wrong or just missing?
Dan -
@danj If this is a duplicate, sorry about that! I posted a comment replying to your comments but I don’t see it here.
Thanks for the feedback! Sounds like there is a lot of room for improvement. However, I am not that confident in explaining what you said needed to be added.
If you could maybe in your spare time add those things you mentioned that would be awesome! However, if you do not have time to do it or do not want to do it I completely understand. I am not doing this out of laziness, rather I just don’t want to be misleading in my instructions.
Thanks so much!
