Power Manager 2.03 Doesn't Remember Battery Settings
Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 4:12 pm
With the release of the X61 tablet (or some time just before), there was a new release of the Battery Manager. The version I have on my machine is 2.03:
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-67216
Note that it is compatible with the X60 and a bunch of other ThinkPads, and it adds Battery Stretch. (Whether that requires extract hardware support and is therefore backwards compatible, I don't know. Maybe an X60 user can try it?)
On the Battery Information tab there is a Battery Maintenance button which displays the Battery Maintenance dialog. This dialog allows you to set a "battery threshold" only below which you will allow your battery to recharge, preventing cycling your battery too quickly, eatting up the quantity of cycles your battery is capable of, and theoretically dramatically improving the life of your batteries (at the danger of find yourself with a somewhat drained battery when you need it full power, of course).
I have three batteries, the 8-cell (for long ops) that came with the system, a 4-cell (for everyday usage), and a ultrabay battery (for extended use). What I have found is that if you have set the battery threshold but later swap batteries, the Battery Maintenance dialog loses the settings and goes back to the default of 96%. This, of course, means that without immediately going and resetting the value, your battery will probably start charging. For example I have my 4-cell set to 25% so that over a period of a couple of weeks of minimal non-AC use and unplugged sleep, it cycles once instead of 14 times. Swapping in the 8 and then back to the 4 causes both batteries to immediately want charge if plugged in.
Since the Battery Information tab shows different serial numbers and thus could track settings to batteries, I tend to think this is a bug. Has anybody else experienced this? Does anybody know a work around?
I have called IBM on this and got the problem escalated from first level support, but if there is a workaround that would be great.
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-67216
Note that it is compatible with the X60 and a bunch of other ThinkPads, and it adds Battery Stretch. (Whether that requires extract hardware support and is therefore backwards compatible, I don't know. Maybe an X60 user can try it?)
On the Battery Information tab there is a Battery Maintenance button which displays the Battery Maintenance dialog. This dialog allows you to set a "battery threshold" only below which you will allow your battery to recharge, preventing cycling your battery too quickly, eatting up the quantity of cycles your battery is capable of, and theoretically dramatically improving the life of your batteries (at the danger of find yourself with a somewhat drained battery when you need it full power, of course).
I have three batteries, the 8-cell (for long ops) that came with the system, a 4-cell (for everyday usage), and a ultrabay battery (for extended use). What I have found is that if you have set the battery threshold but later swap batteries, the Battery Maintenance dialog loses the settings and goes back to the default of 96%. This, of course, means that without immediately going and resetting the value, your battery will probably start charging. For example I have my 4-cell set to 25% so that over a period of a couple of weeks of minimal non-AC use and unplugged sleep, it cycles once instead of 14 times. Swapping in the 8 and then back to the 4 causes both batteries to immediately want charge if plugged in.
Since the Battery Information tab shows different serial numbers and thus could track settings to batteries, I tend to think this is a bug. Has anybody else experienced this? Does anybody know a work around?
I have called IBM on this and got the problem escalated from first level support, but if there is a workaround that would be great.