Macbook battery cover broken. Dangerous?

September 21, 2009 1:03 PM

The corner of the plastic cover of the battery on my Macbook has broken off.

I have experienced numerous other cracks in the casing that other users have documented in the white Macbooks (~2006, 13") but this appears to be something different. You can see a little bit of the inside of the battery. Is this in a dangerous spot or can I put some electrical tape over it?

Here is a picture.

It is the corner closest to the user on the left hand side when the computer is open and sitting on a table for normal use.

posted by proj to Computers & Internet (3 answers total)

Best answer: I'd feel safe using it like that.

I don't think I would worry if the damage is only cosmetic. If the battery is getting hot or making noises I'd bail on it right away.

If it gets way worse I'd also get rid of it.
posted by cjorgensen at 1:27 PM on September 21, 2009

Best answer: Don't worry unless it does scary things like starts expanding or gets crazy hot or smells funny. Throw something over it like electrical tape to keep crap out and carry on.
posted by paanta at 3:35 PM on September 21, 2009

Best answer: I've got a macbook battery that looks exactly like that. It seems fine.... or rather, it hasn't hurt me. I haven't even taped it up, though that's probably a sensible idea. That battery seems to be dying a little faster than its bought-at-the-same-time sibling, but I'm not sure if that's related to the chip, or just lithium-ion luck of the draw, or being left in a hot car or whatever accelerates these things.
posted by pompomtom at 7:37 PM on September 21, 2009