PowerBook G4 Batteries

[AdeptRapier]

Hi everyone,

I have the last 17" PowerBook G4 made and of course the battery has crapped out. Actually both batteries have crapped out, both the internal clock battery as well as the regular battery. Has anyone ever come up with a good solution to replace these? This is the single biggest reason I would consider getting rid of this laptop, lack of replacement batteries.

Thanks!

 

[lepidotós]

They use standard sized cells -- 18650, so you can just buy eight of those and replace them. They're about $4 each and newer ones are higher capacity, but you'll have to be careful and it's generally advised to buy ones with metal tabs on them so you don't solder directly to the terminals. There should be easy to find guides online -- just search "PowerBook G4 battery repack".​

 

[S. Pupp]

The 17” version uses a flat cell that is no longer made. I have searched high and low for a 17” PB battery, only to receive batteries made for the 17” MacBook Pro.

 

[AdeptRapier]

Well, good news for this laptop. I managed to find not one, but two batteries for my 17" Powerbook G4 that were used second hand original Apple OEM ones, but they both work, are not swollen and each gives over an hour of usage when charged so I consider that a "win"! The best part was I found both of these batteries in the battery recycle bin so I didn't have to pay anything for either of them.