Ebike Knowledge Probably Saved my Life

[kauaicycler]

I've been learning about ebikes for the last year and that learning may of saved my life. I have a 2015 Macbook Pro which I use mostly as a desktop with the laptop on a stand and a external keyboard and mouse attached. I never turn it off and leave it open on the stand most of the time, it does go to sleep though. I do programming so I'm used to the fans running too. Because of this setup I didn't notice the slight bulging below the trackpad and keyboard. I have no idea how long it was like this. If I would of tried to close the laptop I would of noticed the bulge.

Thanks to my newly acquired knowledge I recognized that the swelling I saw was the battery swelling. I immediately contacted Apple and when I told them what was happening they took my address and phone number and connected me with a second tier support specialist. He had me check the battery health in the system information app and it said my battery was healthy. He recommended I get it replaced but never once indicated to me that I was in danger. Since it was out of warranty I took it to the neighborhood repair guy who told me as soon as he removed the battery it started smoking.

The laptop is back on the stand and being used much as before but two thing are different. The fans don't run as much so I assume the battery was generating heat too. The latest Mac OS update includes new bms software that monitors how you use the computer and adjusts how much and when the battery charges.

Knowledge is power and safety too!

 

[nicobie]

It looks like you got lucky!

I had the same thing happen to a old phone that I use in the shop as a remote control. I was keeping it always on and always plugged in to a charger. I picked it up in order to change channels and noticed it was hot. After it cooled off I threw it in the outside trash and switched to a new old phone.

 

[John in CR]

Apply the same DOD and early charge cutoff that we do to enhance battery life on our ebikes and you'll see the same results with your new laptop battery. Definitely don't do like nicobie and leave it on the charger. That's only useful once the battery is pretty much dead and you still want to use the computer.

 

[kauaicycler]

Apply the same DOD and early charge cutoff that we do to enhance battery life on our ebikes and you'll see the same results with your new laptop battery. Definitely don't do like nicobie and leave it on the charger. That's only useful once the battery is pretty much dead and you still want to use the computer.

The new Mac OS update apparently does this automatically now based on how you use it.

Battery Health Management analyzes the battery health of a laptop and its charging pattern, and in some cases, it will preserve battery longevity and health by not charging a MacBook to its full capacity. Keeping a MacBook charged at its full capacity at all times can reduce battery health.

When a Mac is used plugged in and the battery is kept full all the time, the Battery Health Management feature will kick in and stop short of a full charge.

Here's a link to Apple's description of this new feature. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211094

Hopefully my 2015 laptop will be obsolete before it needs a new battery.

 

[John in CR]

The new Mac OS update apparently does this automatically now based on how you use it.

For a larcenous company like Apple, it's far more likely that the computer would try to maximize duration between charges and do whatever it can to make the battery life only slightly longer than its warranty.