Lucky battery pack

Inside A1060

I've had a battery pack from a MAC PowerBook G4 sitting around for a while. The A1060 pack is rated at 10.8V and probably 4400 mAh. It has charge/discharge protection circuitry and an embedded 5-LED charge status on-demand display. When I took apart the PowerBook I kept the battery connector (board), and that was a smart move.

Needing some 18650 cells, I decided to rescue them from the A1060. I was lucky because the pack was apparently made with servicing in mind, and since the glue has dried over time I could pry it open very easily. This fact immediately changed my plan: check the pack before taking out individual cells!

Now it was much easier to determine the polarity of the battery connector, and therefore of the matching board. In less than ten minutes I was recharging the battery pack at circa 11V 2A input.




Fast forward few hours, the pack stopped charging and the onboard LEDs report 5/5 charge status. I am now monitoring the self-discharge while I plan an endurance test.

Full pack and the matching board inside G4 12"