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BurnCycle

A macOS app that automatically cycles your MacBook battery between configurable thresholds using a HomeKit smart outlet.

What It Does

  1. Charges your MacBook to an upper threshold (default 95%)
  2. Drains to a lower threshold (default 10%) — optionally generating load to drain faster
  3. Repeats the cycle automatically

Why?

Lithium-ion batteries degrade naturally over time. The rate of degradation depends heavily on usage patterns — batteries kept at 100% charge constantly degrade faster than those that are regularly cycled.

BurnCycle automates the cycling process, letting you exercise your battery without thinking about it. This is useful if you:

  • Want to understand your battery's true health through regular cycling
  • Run your MacBook plugged in 24/7 and want to prevent charge stagnation
  • Want to accelerate natural wear to get a clearer picture of your battery's condition

Side Effect

Repeated deep cycling will naturally reduce your battery's maximum capacity over time. Apple considers batteries with less than 80% maximum capacity to be consumed. If your Mac is covered by AppleCare+ and your battery drops below 80% through normal use (including automated cycling), you may be eligible for a free battery replacement.

Features

  • Automatic battery cycling via HomeKit smart outlet (Apple Shortcuts)
  • Two load methods during discharge:
    • Mine XMR — earn Monero crypto (needs internet)
    • Stress Test — built-in CPU+GPU stress (works offline)
  • Smart load management — auto-throttles when system is busy (>80% CPU/GPU)
  • Safety protection — critical charge at 5%, safety margin stops load 3% above threshold
  • Real-time monitoring — battery %, health, cycles, temperature, CPU/GPU usage, power draw
  • Detailed battery info — capacity, health (real vs Apple-reported), serial, voltage, temperature
  • Compact UI — three status lines, Settings/Info panels, one-click start

Supporting Development

When using "Mine XMR" mode without a custom wallet, mining proceeds to the developer's wallet. This is a free way to support BurnCycle — the energy would be spent draining the battery anyway. To mine for yourself, just paste your own XMR wallet in Settings.

Quick Start

./build.sh
cp -r BurnCycle.app /Applications/
open /Applications/BurnCycle.app

See Installation for full setup instructions.