The ‘Book Mystique Review - TruePower PowerBook G3 Pismo/Lombard Extended Life Battery
by Charles W. Moore
I wasn’t tremendously impressed with the OEM battery that came in my Pismo PowerBook. True, the ‘Book was a year old when I got it, and the battery had evidently been cycled a lot (although the machine itself was in virtually flawless, as-new condition), and was offering only about one and a half hours of runtime by age two years, failing completely at the three-year mark. By contrast, the original battery in my WallStreet PowerBook, at seven years and counting, is still going reasonably strong.
The used, Apple-branded Pismo battery that I replaced the original with was even more of a disappointment, and I would say after some sober second thought that used laptop batteries are a false economy unless you can find one really cheap, and even then, it’s a role of the dice. The one I paid 80 dollars for lasted four months.
Having learned my lesson the hard way, I resolve to get a good battery, and bought a Newer Technology NuPower 6600 mAh unit from Other World Computing. This has proved an excellent battery over the past year, providing substantially longer runtime on battery power than the Original 50-Watt (~4630 mAh) OEM units ever did at their best.
However, the FastMac TruePower 7800 mAh Pismo batteries that I’ve been testing this month are better yet - the most powerful battery replacements for the Pismo/Lombard PowerBooks currently available, providing up to 68% more capacity than the original Apple battery.
I have been blown away by the performance of the TruePower replacement battery I installed in my first generation iPod last spring, which provides excellent runtime on the ‘Pod, so I was very interested to see if TruePower’s laptop computer batteries would be as good. I’m happy to report that, at least so far, they seen to be.
With the TruePower 7800 mAh battery, I can cruise through my typical morning’s work (2 - plus hours) on the Pismo using no power conservation measures, dialing on and off the Internet, and still have 60 percent to 65 percent battery capacity remaining. With two of these batteries installed in the Pismo’s left and right bays, you’re good to go for an entire eight-hour work day, with plenty of capacity to spare. I actually got three mornings (and two nights’ sleepover) out of the initial charge of the test battery. “With the Pismo’s 2 battery bays and our G4 upgrade, you can literally go half-way around the world without a recharge,” said Michael Lowdermilk, Business Development Manager for Fastmac Performance Upgrades, Inc.
I should also note that my Pismo has a Daystar 550 MHz G4 processor upgrade installed and a 5400 RPM Toshiba 40 gigabyte hard drive, so it almost certainly places more demand on the battery than a stock 400 MHz or 500 MHz G3 Pismo with a 4200 RPM hard drive would.
Speaking of processor upgrades, FastMac offers their own 550 MHz G4 upgrade product for the Pismo, which can be purchased in a bundled with the TruePower replacement battery at a 50 dollar savings overall. FastMac says that combining their low voltage, low-power and cooler running G4 processor design with the highest capacity battery on the market yields even longer battery run times than a stock PowerBook Pismo. Having been completely satisfied with the performance boost my Pismo got with its 550 MHz G4 transplant nearly three years ago, I can highly recommend it as a means of extending the faithful old Pismo’s useful service life.
Back to the TruePower battery upgrade. FastMac recommends that in order to get the best possible performance from the extended life battery, the internal control chip needs to be calibrated. This is easy to do. Proceed as follows.
First, fully charge the battery after installation. Once it’s up to full capacity, unplug the AC power adapter and continue to use the computer normally until the charge is completely drained. If you’re used to the somewhat diminished charge life of an elderly OEM battery, it will probably take a surprisingly long time to discharge the new unit. When the battery charge is completely drained, plug the power adapter back in and recharge. FastMac suggests that to reach full runtime potential, it may be necessary to run two or three battery calibration cycles, and that for peak battery life, the unit should be re-calibrated every month or so.
At note on plugging in power adapters. On older ‘Books, Apple used to recommend that you plug the adapter into wall current before connecting it to the computer, and vice versa land this connecting. This sounds intuitively “wrong,” but as I understand it, the initial jolt of power from plugging a connected power adapter into wall current could potentially damage the computer’s power management circuits. I’ve read somewhere that this is no longer a problem with the more recent ‘Books, but I still figure it’s prudent to plug the adapter into the wall first.
But other recommended measure for extending battery life is to keep the computer running as cool as possible, using a laptop stand, a cooling pad or some such.
To maximize runtime under battery power, a few more points are worth noting.
• Choose “Longest Battery Life” options in the energy preference pain or control panel
• Lower the screen brightness to the dimmest setting you find practical to work with
• Close applications you’re not currently using
• Disconnect I needed peripheral hardware
• If you’re not using Airport or BlueTooth, turn them off to conserve power
Fastmac utilizes custom form factors and materials to achieve an excellent fit and finish, matching the original battery appearance whilst increasing capacity. Each battery is individually tested and includes safety features to protect against overcharge, overheating, short circuits and power surges.
TruePower is the name of a new technology designed to extend the life of ordinary Lithium Ion cells, commonly used in most rechargeable batteries. More than 4 years in development, this patented technology allows tiny ceramic particles (each less than a millionth of a millimeter in size) to be integrated into the molecular structure of the chemical binding agent found inside each Lithium Ion battery. According to FastMac, these particles then link-in with each other & a proprietary energy management circuit to create an extremely dense and highly conductive layer on the surface of a capacitor-enhanced battery pack. This combination delivers the power necessary to satisfy the pulse demands placed on most batteries, whilst ensuring the protection of the Lithium cell matrix. This results in battery packs that can be recharged many more times as well as yielding longer run times per charge. Whereas ordinary battery packs start losing their power within a few months, TruePower-enhanced battery packs are claimed to continue giving consistent power for long periods, allowing OEMs to offer warranties of 2 years or more.
Fastmac’s TruePower line of battery upgrades utilize technology incorporating a patented material & energy management circuit that is designed to protect the battery’s internal lithium crystal matrix from damage caused by power spikes. These spikes occur when the computer demands a sudden high current peak- for example, to turn on the backlight or to load the next data sectors. Over time, these power spikes decrease capacity, runtime and battery life, eventually rendering the power cells unusable. Through the use of TruePower technology, the energy management circuit is able to smooth out the power spikes and lower the rate of decay. This protects the battery and leads to a longer lifecycle. Not only does this extend the usability of the computer, it also helps the environment by curbing the depletion of chemicals and plastic materials used in battery products and reducing the number of waste batteries sent to landfills.
Sensors in the integrated circuit inside the battery detect undesirable levels of swelling or a short circuit that will power off the battery in certain extreme conditions. TruePower batteries also do not contain or use any of the troublesome Sony cells that were the cause of a recent series of battery recalls issued by major computer manufacturers. More information about TruePower is available via the website:
http://www.truepowerbattery.com/
Fastmac’s TruePower extended life battery for the PowerBook Pismo and Lombard is available now for a special introductory price of $139.95 & can be combined with a G4 550 MHz processor upgrade for a special bundle price of $349.95 ($50 savings). Each battery carries a 1 year warranty and a 30 day money back guarantee.
More information about Fastmac’s battery upgrades is available via the website:
http://www.fastmac.com/
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