Hi everybody! Apple newbie here. I hope somebody could help me with this Please bear with me as this could be long. I bought MBA 13" last Sept. 11 and at home, I saw that it already has 2 battery cycle count. As per BTB SA, I drained the battery and charged it fully the next day. As of yesterday, my 1-week old MBA already has 6 battery cycle counts. I know I should keep the cycle count low, I just wanted to test out the battery if it's really going to give me a more or less 12hr battery power and during the first few days, it really gave me that. Yesterday, when I plugged in the magsafe adapter, it sparked and I heard tiny fizzing sounds but stopped when the adapter was fully plugged in. Admittedly, I'm using a very old power extension cord but I charge all my gadgets using it. Tiny sparks are quite normal using that cord, but it was the 1st time that I heard those fizzing sounds. When I unplugged it, I noticed the 2 prong's tips have dark marks, I think burnt marks, on them. But when I wiped it with a dry cloth, I was able to wipe off most of it. Last night, when I used my MBA, unplugged, I think the battery was draining faster. I started using it at 7:10PM at 96% and at around 1:45, it's down to 67%. Chrome, Viber, Mail, and Spotify were open but Spotify was not playing anything. I downloaded Coconut Battery and design capacity is at 99.8%, current charge < full charge with a difference of 160 at 76%. OS X battery status is good. But in Apple's energy saving estimate, the battery is just going to give me around 10.5 hrs. Am I just being anxious over nothing? Or something is really amiss? Please help me!! Thanks!
Better use Safari instead of Chrome.. It is known to cause battery drain because of high CPU usage. Try it and you will see a difference in battery life. BTW my MBA 2013 is now on 904 battery cycles. But still gives me 6-9 hrs of battery life.
Like we remind all Mac newbies here, don't get OC about battery life. If you get anything like 10 hours in real life that's pretty good. Bottom line is, your battery will degrade and die at some point no matter what you do. It's a consumable item. Best thing to do is to get as much work and fun out of it as to can. Keep plugged at home (it won't overcharge, don't worry) and use on the road. Good luck!
Hi! Thank you for that tip. I'm used to using Chrome so I downloaded it to my MBA. Maybe that was why the battery was better during the first few days. Bec.I haven't installed Chrome yet. Will take your advice and use Safari.Thank you!
Hi sir! I can't believe I got a reply from you. Wow! Yours was one of the firsts I read when I first discovered blogs!!! (fangirl mode off, back to serious mode) Thank you sooo much for taking the time to read and reply to my lengthy post. I' m going to make it a habit to plug in my MBA at home from now on, errr I mean when I get my charger back. I sent it to BTB to have it checked bec. Of the burn marks on the tips of the 2 prong adapter. Turned out that the charger they're using at the store also has the same marks and all. I'm just wary about the sparks, fizzing sounds, and the burn marks. I'm afraid it might explode or damage my MBA.
if you keep getting the sparks and fizzing sounds, i would suggest you have your outlets checked. you should also get an extension with surge protection, just to be safe. btw, i'm now on my 3rd mba, and it currently has 354 cycles. just like penmanila said, i keep it plugged in at home and in the office, and work off the battery in meetings and on the road. enjoy your mba!
Hi! I plan to do exactly that. I just sent my charger to have it checked bec. I plugged it in a power strip in the office this morning and it has the same fizzing sound but without the spark. Also the same black marks. thank you!!!!
My pleasure like quicksilver said, use a surge protector (I always do); at least you have something between your Mac and the power grid, which can go crazy in this country (even from a lightning strike). And get AppleCare if you can--it's a no-brainer for me. I write for a living and my MBA is my workhorse so I also back up all over the place.
Oh yes, lightning and my TV. 1st strike, bull's eye! TV busted. Yes to AppleCare too. I plan to purchase a month before the 1st yr warranty expires. Got that idea from all the backreading I did. thank you!!!
Hi again! I'd like to thank everybody who gave me tips, advice, and most importantly, calmed me down when I felt like I'm about to go cray. The last time I charged my Macbook Air was last Sunday and because I sent my charger to BTB the day after, I haven't charged my MBA since then. I've been using my MBA sparingly the last few days bec. I don't have extra charger and when I downloaded Sierra yesterday, I was left with 30% battery so I think there's really nothing wrong with my battery. Thank God! Although I haven't installed Sierra yet bec. I'm afraid the battery would die halfway through. I hope by Monday I could have my charger back already. Thanks again dear sirs!
I'm back!! With another problem. It has only been 2 weeks since I bought my MBA and I've been more stressed than I've enjoyed my MBA. My question is, with my Magsafe sparking, emitting fizzing sounds, having burn marks on the prongs, and have this corroding (I'm not sure if that's the right term) prong tip, hindi po ba tlaga covered ng warranty? Hindi po ba dapat ireplace? Thanks po. I've attached photos of the prong tips in case I used the wrong term. I really am clueless. Maraming salamat po sa tutulong!
you might want to use an extension cord that has a switch, so you plug in the power adapter into the extension cord socket while power is off. then just turn it on after, so you can minimize the sparking, which can cause the burn marks on the prongs. the sparking and burns are normal, and can happen to any electronic device or appliance, so i don't think any manufacturer will replace plugs due to that.
Hi chocoholicmom! I know little sparks are normal po pero normal pa din po ba yung parang nag chip-off or nalusaw na maliit na part po nung prong sa 2nd picture? 1st time to see that po kasi. Thanks po!!
from apple support page: If you see a spark Sometimes when you plug the power adapter into the wall, you may see a spark. This is usually normal and can occur when you plug any electrical appliance into a live outlet. If the spark comes from somewhere other than the blades of the plug, if you experience any damage or discoloration of the adapter, or if you have other concerns about sparking, contact Apple. https://support.apple.com/en-ph/HT203207 if your unit is still under warranty and feel the need to be sure, then you can bring it to the service center to have them take a look.
Hi! The tech guru of the store where I bought it said nothing is wrong with the adapter. However, because there are dents on the blades, I plan to just buy a duck head or maybe an adapter. Thank you!
