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In June 2017 Apple updated its 13" MacBook Air with a newer Broadwell Intel Core i5 processor, resulting in slightly increased performance and battery life.

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Random shutoffs/service battery error despite new battery installed

Hi all!

I have a 2017 Macbook Air - the original battery was running out of juice, so I had it replaced at an Apple store (out of warranty). The "Service Battery" warning is gone in the Finder, as well as under System Information, and coconut battery indicates good battery health with full capacity.

However, once a day, while plugged into a new adapter and with a fully charged battery, the display will shut off. Interestingly, I see the indicator on the adapter quickly change from green to orange, then back to green. It doesn't seem to fully shut off - when I press the power button, it takes about 25-30 seconds for the sleep display to turn back on, and all the programs are running like before. This is the same issue I was having with the old battery, except that one of course had lowered capacity and the service battery warning.

The issue has persisted despite resetting the SMC and PRAM, and doing a "recalibration" with a full discharge. While there is no service battery indicator in the Finder or System Information, when running diagnostics, it does indicate a service battery error with the reference code PPT004. I've tried a couple of other potential fixes from this forum as a Hail Mary (resetting PRAM x 3/hearing 3+ chimes, turning off thunderbolt ethernet), but the problem has continued.

If anyone might have advice, it would be much appreciated. Thanks so much!

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Let’s get a better view of things, install this gem of an app! CoconutBattery take a snapshot of the apps main window and post it here for us to see Adding images to an existing question

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@danj Thank you so much Dan! I've attached screenshots from CoconutBattery and system information. The battery status has looked top notch since the replacement in CoconutBattery, but of course the service battery error still shows up when running Diagnostics on start-up.

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The battery micro-controller firmware has a problem! You’ll need to return the battery to where you bought it to get a replacement.

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@danj thank you Dan! If you have a moment, just for my education, were you able to tell there was a firmware problem just from the screenshots? My novice eyes didn't see anything off in those reports.

The reason I ask is that I had the identical issue (random shutoffs while plugged in, with adapter light flashing green->orange->green) with the old battery as well, and I'm surprised to see the same issue with both batteries.

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The SMC logic on the main logic board talks to the battery. The signal to the SMC from the micro controller is not getting to SMC.

SMC appears to be working correctly which was the other possibility.

You still have one other issue here with is the MagSafe Charger! Many people are using knockoffs these are bad news! Make sure you got yours directly from Apple, not Amazon or eBay or non-dealer rack.

● Don't Replace Your MacBook Charger With a Cheap Knockoff

● OEM MagSafe Chargers vs Cheap Imposters: Teardown for Truth

● Lacking safety features, cheap MacBook chargers create big sparks

● FAKE Magsafe MacBook Chargers on eBay - Watch before buying a Mac Charger

The risk here is a defective ground can damage your system if you are using anything else which is powered by AC.

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Alex Han will be eternally grateful.
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