Get lowdown on your laptop battery

How long with my battery last when I’m on the move?” This is the one question that a laptop user never stops worrying about. You probably already have some sort of battery monitor installed natively on your system that tells you how much time and what percentage of battery juice remains. But this is often not enough.

BatteryBar from OsirisDevelopme­nt.com is a popular battery-monitoring tool for Windows. It installs as a ‘toolbar’ that can either remain docked next to the system tray or floating on top of all open windows. BatteryBar is basically a simple dell laptop batteries metre—at a glance. It displays either the charge percentage or the time remaining to charge or discharge. If you hover over BatteryBar, it displays further details, such as the battery’s charge capacity, charge rate, full run time, AC status and the wear status of the battery. However, its USP is that it saves battery status history and over time is able to ‘learn’ how to provide increasingly accurate estimates. BatteryBar has both free and pro versions. For $5 (approx Rs 250), the commercial edition adds battery profile graphs, low battery warnings and more.

Want something a little more detailed? Try BattStat from Users.rcn.com/tmtalpey/BattStat/. Another free Windows programme, it not the most polished of applications, but it was coded by a user who felt a sore need for a detailed battery-monitoring application and decided to write one himself. It resides in the system tray and uses Windows’ built-in battery support to display power usage, battery status and battery events; moreover, it can also display information such as CPU speed and usage, CPU and hard drive temperatures and so on. There is also a custom hotkey to turn off the screen in case you need to conserve battery.

Need a strong visual reminder when your laptop battery starts to run down? Power Meter Plus (Mattcollinge.wordpress.com/software/power-meter-plus/) is a tiny application (about 100 kb) that remains unobtrusive as long as your battery is charged. As charge levels start to fall, it appears in the form of a percentage meter, and gets progressively prominent as battery get lower. It can also usually position itself on a part of the screen that is not being used.

Mac OSX users ought to try out Coconut Battery from Coconut-flavour.com. It can be installed as a Dashboard widget, and shows detailed battery health and system information, including time remaining, charge cycles, maximum capacity, present battery capacity, CPU speed and temperature, memory usage and so on. It is also supposed to be able to warn you if you have the wrong charger connected to your MacBook. There is also an older version of the software available for users of earlier Mac OS versions and hardware.

SlimBatteryMonitor from Orange-carb.org/SBM is another nice Mac application. True to its name, its display icon on the menu bar is much slimmer than the native Mac battery metre. It works with both laptop and UPS batteries, and comes with various view options, including the ability to hide itself (for example, when fully charged). It also allows you to set customised low battery warning levels—something that is missing from the native battery preferences.

Of course, it goes without saying that this is a very superficial list. There are different types of battery metres out there—simple graphs that show how much time remains on the brand of laptop battery or powerhorses that provide an indepth profile of the system or just something that makes a very loud noise when your battery is about to run down.

next blog: One, the HTC X-battery life test: talk time by 147%

One, the HTC X-battery life test: talk time by 147%

Many smartphone users will be faced with a problem that is the standby time is not to force. For Android devices, hardware soaring further exacerbate the loss of the cell phone battery. However, some mobile phone manufacturers move is obvious. HTC is also the endurance of its flagship flagship model HTC One X effective improvement. Recently, they also drying out the HTC One X, the latest stand-test scores.

In the report, they claim uses a 1800mAh battery HTC One X-test showed satisfactory results. Compared to the previous Sensation HTC One, X-an increase in talk time 147% 39% increase in video playback time. The enhancement of the HTC One X-life is not just because of the large-capacity Sony Np-fw50 Battery, built-in hardware and software power management also played a role. For this performance, you will be the envy of Motorola the RAZR MAXX long life?

Not change the battery cell phone is a popular

A time when we travel or travel should be in the bag ready to twelve spare mobile phone battery, for a rainy day in 2007, the iPhone turned out to change the mobile phone industry phenomena, such as slim body , for example, the shape of touch, as well as Today we explore the built-in battery-in-one form factor. Original rely on a few pieces of battery will be able to turnaround a few days of life, has now quietly bid farewell to us. So, this can not replace the ASUS F80 Series Battery"whether to fly, let's find out together.
Technology:
From a personality synonymous with a good way to save space
When the iPhone finally showed in the eyes of the world, it can not change the battery design to challenge the traditions and customs of all, but ultimately strong iPhone development, we have gradually begun to accept in such a way, opinion makers, the battery into the body which does have many benefits, not replace the battery program will save the body volume without rendering the battery out user-friendly plug, do not need to leave space between the battery and back cover, these spaces will be direct compression to allow users to have slimmer size mobile phone.
Process requirements, and also there are other ways to extend the life
As to prolong life, used a few pieces of batteries in the past round now, we have a new solution, mobile power supply it is worth considering. A mainstream brand of mobile power for 4000-8000 mA of power, enough to charge two to five times, this process is not shut down, is not affected, but also to facilitate than to change the battery, mobile power supply, the price is not more expensive than the original mobile phone batteries.
Products:
IPhone4S on, the battery is still the subject has a nominal 200 hours standby time, but users complain iPhone4S the battery does not "force", whether it is because of the powerful hardware configuration, or iOS system in power links the number of problem, "one charge" should become iPhone4S habits of users. various iPhone4S has been very well, 3.5-inch display has proved to be one of the most suitable for the screen size of the one-hand operation, dual-core A5 chip in the actual use of them can feel the upgrade for the iPhone 4.
Shortcomings:
Unable to extend the SD card
These built-in battery-in-one mobile phone is basically unable to support the expansion of storage, precisely because of the built-in SAMSUNG VP-D375W Charger battery unibody design and strive to simple and slim, they are generally in the built-in 16GB or 32GB native storage space, it not become a member of the SD card expansion slot. In this way you want to increase mobile phone capacity, can further replace the phone comes with a large space.
Increase in maintenance costs
United States University of South Carolina to an experimental figure shows the relationship between the cell phone battery discharge curve with the number of charge cycles. Because some of the built-in cell phone can not replace the battery, so we can frequently charge to maintain an adequate electricity, but continue to frequent recharging a battery, its energy efficiency will result in some reduction.
Built-in battery damage, the official Apple iPhone, for example to replace the repair time takes about 600 yuan or so, and you buy an original battery costs, but also two to three hundred dollars.
Micro-SIM card with more and more mobile phone, built-in storage space directly rather than design memory card slot, as much as possible to save space in the battery part, which is obviously present and even future for a long period of time which the entire industry design trends. Make the phone slimmer, allowing users to carry and easier to use, we are fully able to understand the vendor's original intention. See the quality and experience of the iPhone family of completely let us rest assured that being the case, why should they tangle on the battery can not change it?

Man let 76-year-old father to help bogus battery infringing manufacturers whom plead

Yesterday, the business sector has seized 170,000 battery in question, those who actually seventy years old his father to help fraud. Surprisingly, the factory has been infringed but begged the business sector too hard, not those who make a fine.
Fraud in Jianghan District recreation Nishimura battery! Yesterday, Qiaokou business sector according to reports came to the scene and found fake Yang Dosanjh and his father in the production of fake Dell Vostro 1400 battery.
Yang Zhi said Boké electronics firm in Qiaokou open in March of this year purchased a number of low-cost Power Technology Co., Ltd. of Shenzhen gifted "excellent brand" carbon-zinc batteries, the purchase price of 8 cents each tablet, the production date of 2010, marked valid for two years. The purchase of the battery in question, Yang Chi printed Beaphar card "battery box and the" WEIBA "trademark. To save costs, he invited the 76-year-old father to help him get rid of the "excellent brand" battery packaging, the shelf life date changed to 2013.
Then, Yang Xin-zhi through their own firm's external sales, the selling price of each tablet was 0.16 yuan, mainly to the Wuhan surrounding rural areas.
Preliminary survey by the Business staff, "WEIBA" registered trademark owner of the the Beaphar toshiba portege R835-P70 battery Industrial Co., Ltd., Nanhai City, Guangdong Province, Yang Dosanjh in 2004, was the distributor of the company in Wuhan, owed ​​the company 10 million yuan.
The Beaphar person in charge of Europe told the business staff, the company has canceled the year before, but the trademark has not been transferred. Infringement of Young's new blog, they do not want to pursue, but also hope that the business sector not too fine, because the fear of Yang Xin-zhi fined ruthless than their debts.
It is the decades, the city cracked down false toshiba pa3383u-1brs battery case.

DC switching power supply application of new technologies and development

A high-frequency switching power supply Principle

    High frequency switching rectifier is generally the first alternating current directly through the diode rectifier, filter into DC, after switching power to transform into a high-frequency alternating current through the high-frequency transformer transformer isolation by fast recovery diode frequency rectifier, inductor-capacitor filter output , as shown in Figure 1.


    1.1 The main circuit

    From the AC mains input, DC output of the whole process, including:
    (1) Input filter: its role is clutter filter grid exists, but also hindered the machine generated noise fed back into the public grid.
    (2) rectifier and filter: the grid AC power rectifier for a more smooth DC, and power factor correction circuit to provide a stable DC power supply.
    (3) Power Factor Correction: located between the rectifier filter and inverter to improve power factor, in order to eliminate the harmonic current pollution caused by the rectifier circuit power grid and reduce reactive loss.
    (4) inverter: the rectified DC into high frequency alternating current, which is the core part of the high-frequency switching power supply, the higher the frequency, size, weight and output power than the smaller.
    (5) the output rectifier and filter: According to the load needs to provide a stable and reliable DC power supply.1.2 control circuit
    The one hand, sampling from the output, with the set standards, and then to control the inverter to change the frequency or pulse width, output stability, on the other hand, according to data provided by the test circuit protection circuit identification, provide control circuit on the machine for a variety of protective measures.1.3 detection circuit
    Various parameters in addition to running in to provide protection circuit also provides a variety of display meter data for the staff on duty to observe and record.1.4 The auxiliary power supply
    The switching regulator circuit required for the varied requirements of the power supply (AC DC voltage power supply of various grades).

    2 a typical application

    Intelligent high-frequency switching power supply describes the Guangzhou the Jishi domains (POWEC).

    The 2.1 QPS11/10 system works

    The system works rectifier AC input into DC output, and then sent to the DC power distribution modules in parallel by bus and battery fuse module, distribution module internal shunt switch or fuse output to the load for electricity, while also charging the battery. When utility power is interrupted, power to the load from the battery. Control module to communicate via RS485 and the alarm module and rectifier. Data measurement, acquisition by the alarm module is responsible for its object, including mains, DC power distribution module, the battery fuse module and SAMSUNG V25 Battery . The system work, the control module to monitor a variety of state and adjust its parameters automatically perform scheduled the task. An alarm signal system abnormalities, and display output through the alarm module in the control module. Its system principle is shown in Figure 2:
2.2 composition of system modules introduced2.2.1 Rectifier Module
    Rectifier module of POWEC is the FM resonance technology, with power factor correction plug-in modular, intelligent rectifier, referred to as the PMP (Powec Modular Power).
    PMP11.48SIC is a plug-in modular rectifier with power factor correction, which uses high-frequency resonant switching technology, especially in the field of telecommunications. Input: 205 ~ 250 V AC ± 10% Output: 48 V DC, 1100 W; a wide range of input voltage, power factor compensation, dynamic load sharing, hot-swappable, no need to fan cooling, light weight (3.1 kg) and other advantages.2.2.2 The control module
    Control module for the monitoring of power system operation, all information are clear written expression, the boot menu and window operation, with RS232 interface, referred to as PCU (Powec Control Unit).
    The PCU 10.24-48D is a microprocessor based control unit can PMP10.00 the SIC rectifier and PMP11.48SIC of rectifier power system to conduct a comprehensive monitoring. Input: 18 ~ 72 V DC. Have: to provide a clear text message, guided operation with the HP iPAQ hw 6515 PDA battery discharge test function, with the RS232 test function, additional alarm contacts can be used to connect an external alarm device, full of the parameter settings, etc..
    PCU10.24-48D is a microprocessor-based alarm and control unit can monitor located on the three sub-rack 17: PMP10.00SIC or PMP11.48SIC module. This plug-in module can monitor the system state of the mains input, the output voltage, current and PMP module can monitor the number of external conditions, such as the distribution fuse, load or battery from the relays and the battery capacity test, battery symmetrical voltage, temperature and so on. The control menu is simple and provide operational guidance on the front panel buttons operate the system. The alarm interface board (0398) on the additional alarm contacts can be used to connect an external alarm device.
    Alarm: DC high voltage alarms, DC low voltage alarms, load / battery from the alarm, DC fuse failure, module failure, mains failure, OLYMPUS LI-10C Charger battery failure, symmetrical alarm, high temperature alarm, overload alarm.
    All alarms by LED indication and alarm content is displayed on the display, there are four free public contacts outside alarm signal. Otherwise the two open-collector output for low voltage from the function.
    Display: 2 x 16 character LCD screen for display output data, alarm information.
    Communication: PowCom or PAS software on the personal computer and RS232 serial interface on the system for remote monitoring.2.2.3 sub-rack
    Sub-rack can also be mixed control module is used to install the rectifier, small systems can also be built-in DC power distribution unit and Acer Aspire 5720 Battery fuse, depending on the composition of the system to achieve the most economical size, or the PPR (Powec pack Rack) .
    PPR10.24-48D subrack used to hold a PCU10.24-48D and up to five PMP10.10SIC, or PMP11.48SIC module with a 0384 board. Sub rack PPR10.24-48D only used to hold up to six PMP10.10SIC, or PMP11.48SIC module, AC input connector, the DC output connectors and flat cable connected to the alarm signal board attached to the rack. Potentiometer the subracks circuit board can adjust the output voltage of the rectifier, the factory default (48 V system was 53.5 V, 24 V system 26.7 V). Therefore, even if the control module failure, it will not affect the system output voltage. Replace the rectifier module, the module will automatically its output voltage is adjusted to the default value of the appropriate module position module individually insertion and removal, will not interfere with the work of the entire system.
    The sub-rack can pass the address of the route set circuit board rectifier module, multiple sub-rack can parallel output. The system is very adaptable and can be easily configured as a redundant way and N +1 mode system.2.2.4 Distribution Module
    (1) AC power distribution module according to the needs of users to configure single or three phase AC input, the output magnetic trip air switch (MCB), large ones, and capacity of the user, referred to PJU.
    (2) DC power distribution module is divided into the PDUs (Powec Distribution Unit). And PBDU (Powec Battery and Distribution Unit) two of them PBDU contains the SONY DCR-TRV110E battery fuse. A DC power distribution module can have up to 24 outputs. Output trip air switch (MCB) or fuse, Outputs and size is configured according to user needs and provide flexible on or under the outlet wiring. Each output MCB or fuse one to measure the pressure drop across the circuit to monitor. If the MCB or fuse is not connected to the load, even in a disconnected state, it does not produce a warning
    (3) Battery fuse module referred to as the PBF (Powec Battery Fuse Unit), with two-way battery protection and monitoring of each fuse can. Different depending on the state of the battery; battery fuse failure is detected in the fuse to disconnect after 10 minutes. If the fuse is not connected to the battery is disconnected and does not generate an alarm. Fuse fuse puller from very easy to pull out or push the go-line fuse capacity configured according to user needs.

    All power distribution module architecture, the configuration is very flexible, easy to meet the practical needs of users. Vary the output cable to connect the positive and negative depending on the system, if the system is positive, then the output cathode connected to the MCB or fuse, the negative electrode connected to the public bus (DC ground). The system is negative, the output anode connected to the MCB or fuse, cathode connected to the public bus.

    2.2.5 Rack

    The rack is loaded with rectifier sub-racks and power distribution module, referred to as PPC (Powec Power Supply Cabinet), equipped with various types of wall and floor rack, according to the user capacity of the system, room environment matching the appropriate rack, in order to achieve the best possible design options.

    The development trend of three switching power supply

    Power electronics technology and the basic power system, the switching power supply technology at the core. Traditional phased power supply is very large and heavy, high-frequency switching power supply technology, its size and weight will be a significant decline, and can greatly improve energy efficiency, material savings, lower costs. In electric vehicles and AC drive, it is inseparable from the switching power supply technology to change the electricity frequency switching power supply, so as to achieve nearly ideal load match and drive control.

    4 Conclusion

    High-frequency switching power supply is a modular design, reliability and a high degree of intelligence, power, and its small size, low power consumption, high efficiency, low noise, high precision voltage regulator, safe and reliable operation and easy maintenance, is currently in all microwave stations are widely used.
tags: Acer Aspire 5740 Battery, Canon Nb-4l Battery, Acer Aspire 5735 Battery, Dell WU946 Battery

Fire department: 2 injured in battery explosion at GM Technical Center in suburban Detroit

WARREN, Mich. — Two employees were injured Wednesday in a lithium battery explosion that forced the evacuation of about 80 others at a General Motors Co. facility north of Detroit, authorities said.
The explosion occurred during extreme testing of an experimental ibm thinkpad t40 2374-xxx battery in a test chamber at the Alternative Energy Center laboratory at the GM Tech Center in Warren, the automaker said in a statement.
It also caused a small fire that was quickly extinguished.
"Chemical gases from the battery cells were released and ignited in the enclosed chamber," GM said. "The battery itself was intact."
The Tech Center, a sprawling 1950s-era campus, is home to the hp compaq business notebook 6910p battery laboratory for the Chevrolet Volt electric car. The battery being tested had no connection with the Chevrolet Volt or any other GM production vehicle, according to the automaker.
Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Michelle Krebs said Wednesday's explosion could resurrect debate surrounding an investigation into the Chevy Volt and fires.
Sales of the electric car slowed last year after fires broke out in three of the cars' batteries several days after safety crash-testing. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation, but closed it after determining that the car was no more risky than vehicles with conventional gasoline engines.
"And while this incident deserves some scrutiny — especially since workers were hurt — the fact is that this is the reason why new car technology undergoes rigorous testing, to try to ensure that episodes like this don't happen on the road," Krebs said.
On Wednesday, dispatchers received calls about the explosion at 8:46 a.m. and firefighters arrived five minutes later, Warren Fire Chief Dave Frederick said.
"They reported light smoke ... and some small amount of fire," Frederick said. "It was confined to the room of the explosion."
One worker was taken to an area hospital, while the second was treated at the scene. The extent of their injuries was not immediately known. Four other employees also were evaluated by medical personnel at the scene, GM said.
A hazardous materials team was called in to monitor the air quality at the facility, Frederick added.
tags: hp pavilion tx1000 battery, HP mini 1000 battery, ibm thinkpad t40 2374-xxx battery, toshiba pa3383u-1brs battery

How to stay positive in battery recycling

Have you ever wondered how you should dispose of used camera batteries when there are no recycling bins nearby?

Some keep them in a box at home for years, some send them to environmental protection organizations and some simply dispose of them with other household waste.

Trying to offer a further alternative, Beijing doctor Wang Zixin decided to build a battery-recycling plant - the first in China.
That was back in the 1980s, when he was at Nanyuan Hospital, in the capital's Fengtai district.
Wang had read that a small Canon LP-E6 battery could contaminate 60 liters of water. Appalled, he decided he could better use his time trying to prevent heavy metals from contaminating the earth than treating patients with respiratory and digestive troubles.
"If we had a plant in the city recycling batteries, it could make a great difference," said Wang.
As a doctor who knew little about recycling Canon EOS-300D batteries, Wang could offer little more to his new cause than passion and resolve. But in 1991, he quit his job and began conducting research into how batteries are treated in China and abroad.
He borrowed piles of books and documents, and consulted experts about the possibility of building a recycling plant and preventing leakage of poisonous gases and wastewater.
The intensive research and Wang's frequent visits abroad made him even more concerned about what happened to used batteries in China.
Wang said China uses about 8 billion batteries a year, or about 200,000 tons of them. But only 2,000 tons of zinc-manganese batteries are recycled each year.
"More than 4 tons of zinc are wasted every year because used Canon NB-4L batteries are not properly dealt with," said Wang. "That's simply a waste of resources."
As an example of what a country can do, Wang cited Switzerland. He said the Swiss use two battery-recycling plants to extract 780 tons of manganese and iron, 400 tons of the aluminum-zinc alloy, kirsite, and 3 tons of mercury every year from 2,000 tons of batteries.
In Europe, several countries can share one battery-recycling plant to reduce costs.
In 2000, inspired by seeing successful examples abroad, and in cooperation with the University of Science and Technology Beijing, Wang invested in the first plant in China to extract heavy metals from used batteries at Baoding city, Hebei province.
"If used Canon EOS 5D battery are collected and recycled, we can not only save a tremendous amount of resources but also avoid environmental pollution," Wang said.
But Wang's first attempt at turning waste into wealth failed, partly because the leakage of wastewater and poisonous gases at the plant did not meet the national standard in 2003.
Wang lost 80 percent of his savings - about 1 million yuan ($158,600) - with the closure of the plant, but his compassion and determination remained strong.
His wife, however, did not feel the same way.
"I know it was hard for her at the beginning. All the savings were gone and the whole family had to live on her income, together with my parents' small retirement pension," said Wang. "Life turned out to be so tough because I took a path that has been little traveled."
Wang said his wife has gradually come to accept the situation, but she still complains from time to time.
"The failure of the first plant was quite a blow, with little support," said Wang. "But it was also a precious lesson for me, as a novice in the field of environmental protection."
With little money left to re- invest in used-battery treatment, Wang started raising funds from friends. And one thing has made him stick even more firmly to his aims.
A friend asked him during a fundraising event: "What if you abandon the idea years later, with nothing left to pay us back?"
"The lack of trust was such an affront to my character," said Wang. "I shook hands with him and gave an oath. I said I'll make it happen, I will make it happen."
Ten years later, Wang is still pursuing his dream, "in a stubborn way", says his wife, but his second Sony NP-FC11 battery-recycling plant is due to start operating in July, in the Daxing district of south Beijing.
"With the vacuum heat treatment we have been working on in the past few years, no poisonous gas would escape, and the heavy metal, like mercury, would be extracted when the temperature reaches 357 C," Wang said.
"This will certainly meet the national standard."
But even if all goes well, the new plant will do little for Wang's finances, beyond accumulating more debt.
"Even if we get the used batteries for free, we can only make a profit of 1 yuan (16 cents) from 200 batteries, barely enough to cover workers' salaries and warehouse charges," said Wang.
That's why there are no battery-recycling plants in China, he said. No profit can be made.
"You are bound to burn your bucks if you run a Sony NP-F970 Battery -recycling plant without any funding or government support," said Wang. "I just hope my pioneering venture will at least open the way for the world's biggest battery consumer to follow."
Totally occupied in his campaign to recycle used batteries, Wang has barely had time to communicate with his 19-year-old son, who is due to take a college entrance examination around the same time that the new plant opens.
"I don't expect him to understand me, far less share my devotion, since it's been such a rough time for him going through all the hardship," said Wang. "He's got his own life."
"However, he will understand and be proud of me one day."