MacBook Pro battery charging issue

Solved
Oxr3d Posted messages 7 Status Member -  
Oxr3d Posted messages 7 Status Member -
Hello,

Yesterday everything was fine, but since today, the battery of my MacBook Pro is not charging as quickly as before.

Sometimes the charger light even switches from orange to green, and the Mac indicates that the battery is not charging.

Then, without touching anything, it sometimes goes back to orange and the battery starts charging again. And it alternates this way irregularly for no apparent reason.

I searched online for a case similar to mine, but nothing is really like my problem. I also tried to reset the power management by pressing the Ctrl Alt Shift and Power keys at startup for 10 seconds. When the Mac is off, the light seems to stay orange, and after releasing the keys, it briefly turns green, then back to orange.
But even after that, the problem persists.

Knowing that this is a mid-2012 13" MacBook Pro, it may be that the battery has failed, but I would like to be sure before buying a new one.

So if someone could tell me more, that would be nice, and thank you for your attention.

Configuration: Mac OS X (10.11.4) / Chrome 50.0.2661.86

4 answers

Anonymous user
 
Good evening,
it could be the battery, but that's not certain. You need to check if the battery has reached its maximum number of cycles:
https://support.apple.com/fr-fr/HT201585

It could also be the charger or its cable…?

And it could simply be a software malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the SMC (System Management Controller):
https://support.apple.com/fr-fr/HT201295

--
Have a nice day :-) - Francis
Always provide your exact system configuration and read the entire response given.
2
Oxr3d Posted messages 7 Status Member
 
Thank you for your response, it is unlikely that this is coming from the charger or the cable since I bought it a year ago.
The number of cycles is fine since it is 612/1000.
And resetting the SMC does not change anything about the problem.

What should I conclude?
0
Anonymous user
 
Is the charger an original Apple one, or a "compatible" one?
0
Oxr3d Posted messages 7 Status Member
 
Indeed, it is compatible. It is the 60W Lavolta sold by Smart Parts France.

Could the problem come from there?
0
Anonymous user
 
Yes. The compatible ones do not communicate with the Apple battery to allow for proper charging regulation. Some compatible ones are even responsible for overheating the charger or the battery. (The reported cases of fire here and there are due to non-Apple batteries or chargers.)
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Oxr3d Posted messages 7 Status Member
 
It's still strange that this is happening more than a year after the purchase, but thank you for your responses.
So I will look into borrowing an Apple charger and see if that resolves the issue.

But I would like to know if there is a risk that the "compatible" charger could damage the battery to the point where I can't do anything about it?
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Anonymous user
 
Hello,

Compatible chargers, like so-called "compatible" batteries, do not include the internal chipsets that enable communication between the battery and the charger, and therefore do not allow for regulation of the charge level.
It's not just about determining whether the battery is sufficiently charged, but also, and above all, determining the charging intensity based on the battery level. Not to mention the voltage that needs to be regulated. A slowly charged battery, with exactly the right current intensity, will last longer than a battery subjected to a charger that "pushes too hard," or one that, on the contrary, will not deliver either the required voltage or the necessary intensity. You don't charge a completely discharged battery in the same way as a battery that is almost fully charged.
So yes, a bad charger can harm the battery. And it can even cause major incidents.
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Oxr3d Posted messages 7 Status Member
 
Indeed, I bought a charger from Apple and the problem seems to be resolved.
In the end, trying to save money ended up costing me more than anything else.. But now I know better.

Thanks again and take care :)
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