The main window of this utility shows, on the left, a few important parameters of the system battery (Charge level, Time remaining, the number of discharge Cycles, the Wear, the number of Days since the last calibration, the Green and power Mode). Above this panel, there is the Battery # link; the # number, if it is displayed, indicates which battery is currently selected. A click on this link changes the selected pack and all the other information will be updated accordingly. When this application starts, the first battery found in your system becomes the current one and it will be used as reference. Charge gives you the percentage of the Current Capacity relative to the Full Charge value; Time Remaining - when discharging, a normal battery gives a good approximation of this duration. If it is not provided, this interval is automatically computed by the program, based on the Current Capacity and Charge Rate values. An estimation for the time remaining until the battery is fully charged is also computed and displayed here during the charging process. Cycles Count holds the number of Full Discharge Cycles supported by the current pack since its manufacture date. However, most of the batteries do not offer this value; in this case, our utility automatically computes it when the first system battery is selected. Wear Level is computed (a rounded percent) as the ratio of the current capacity to the designed one. Days shows the number of days passed since the last Calibration process was performed. Green indicates whether the Green mode is On or not. Mode reflects the battery status (Charging, Discharging) or shows if your computer runs on AC power.

The action performed by the Save button depends on the program's current page. Thus, the saved file is of this type: Info - a text file containing the most important data of the currently selected battery; Graph - a picture file (jpg format, automatically named) with the currently displayed graphic; Settings - a binary file that contains the application's current settings Alerts - a binary file that contains the application's current alerts Calibrate - a text file containing the battery calibration data

The Information page is automatically displayed when this utility is launched and maximized (after a double click on the battery gadget or the tray icon). It contains two columns: General, which is a list of the capacity-related parameters provided by the operating system and Model, which contains a list of manufacturer-related data.

   This utility continuously gathers data from the selected battery, using a fixed sampling rate of five seconds, and shows the readings in the Information page. Most of the displayed fields are self-explanatory, but there are detailed explanations for each of them in the Glossary section. In some cases, several fields could have meaningless values due to a non-standard battery pack.

   A new feature allows the battery capacity and voltage values to be displayed using digit grouping, and the groups may be separated by a comma or a dot. This option can be enabled by pressing the ',' or '.' keys and disabled by pressing Space (the current mode will be automatically saved for the next sessions).

The Graph page offers you an easy way to see and understand the evolution of the battery capacity over time. A thick orange line is drawn in a capacity (percentage) vs. time coordinate system for a default interval of 60 minutes. This graph can be saved as jpg picture (automatically named and numbered SBshot1, 2 and so on) by using the Save button.

  If the battery Mode is Discharging, a thin red line will be displayed in addition; it represents a possible path followed by the battery power, a path which has resulted from the time remaining or which is estimated by the software. For a good battery, this red line should remain parallel with the orange one most of the time, having no big angle changes (drops in capacity). The evolution of the battery capacity is not linear in most cases, and this is due to the variable processor load, hard disk activity, screen brightness and so on. Smarter Battery can graphically display the battery capacity in a wide time interval, up to 16 hours. You can tap on the Zoom buttons (+ means zoom in and - means zoom out) to modify the displayed time interval. The Origin buttons allow you to shift the time origin of the graph to the left or to the right, by 1, 2, 4 or 8 hours, depending on the Zoom level. Smooth and Filled graphics are time consuming options, therefore they should be enabled only on fast computers. The fill color is red when discharging, green is used during the charging periods and blue when running on AC power. Anyway, all the calculations are made only when this page is visible and the program's main window is displayed.

 

The Settings page contains all the program options. If a certain option is modified here, it is instantly executed and saved.

   Here are the detailed explanations for each option, of either General or Visual kind:

Auto Run - if enabled, Smarter Battery will automatically run, in a minimized form, when Windows starts;

Discharge Log - a text file named 'smarterbatterylog' is created in the program's folder when this option is enabled and the battery is discharging; it contains the capacity percentage, the sampling rate and the duration of each percent. This log is continuously updated until the current battery reaches the minimum charge level or the AC power is restored. The text file is automatically renamed to old if the discharging process repeats.

Calibration Log - a text file named 'calibrationlog' is created in the program's folder; it contains the current battery ID, the start and completion moments, the number of calibrations and the actual battery capacity, along with the wear levels;

Battery on Top - keeps the battery gadget in front of all other applications, so you can easily observe it. In this case, we recommend you to set a  60% degree of opacity for the gadget, to clearly see its readings and also the windows that lie behind it.

Exit Confirmation - if enabled, you will be prompted to confirm the program Exit;

Show Icon Menu - if enabled, a left mouse click (a single tap) on the tray icon will display the program menu;

Play Sounds - if the system sound is not muted, an alert beep and the button clicks are played;

Play Voices - if the system sound is not muted, voice messages will be played on battery events;

Show Battery Advice - a few pieces of advices can be automatically shown when the program starts or when it is running; There are four actions you may take if the corresponding suggestion is Yes. This utility analyses the current battery data and makes a recommendation, in order to have accurate readings and prolong the battery life. The message window will appear only if you have to take a certain action.

Enable Aero on AC - the Aero effects can be automatically restored when your notebook is plugged in (Windows 7);

Show Battery Gadget - you can select whether the battery gadget is displayed on your desktop or not ;

Show Gadget Hints - hints can be displayed when you hover the mouse cursor over the gadget;

Small Size / 3D Style - you can modify some size/style parameters of the battery gadget;

Smooth / Filled Graphic - draws the capacity graph smoothly, in a more realistic way, and fills it with a solid color;

Discharge Line - enable the drawing of a line that approximates the whole discharge time;

Default Settings - allows you to simply change the program settings to their default values;

Show on Gadget - choose what quantities are displayed on the battery gadget;

Task Priority - this option is useful on slower computers and allows you to increase the priority of this utility.

 

The Alerts page contains two customizable battery level alerts (Warning and Critical), both of them being independent from the Windows ones. If an option is modified here, it is instantly executed and saved.

   There are two battery Level Alerts:    

Warning Alert is the first one; if enabled, it will be triggered by the time remaining or by the capacity percentage. You can modify this value (1..99) by one unit with the left/right arrows; if the Shift key is pressed, the value is changed by 10 units. When this event occurs, a beep and a voice message will be played (if the sound is enabled) and the battery gadget will appear; also, the display brightness could be lower, the Aero effects disabled and the system volume muted. You should carefully enable these alert options, in order to use them correctly in conjunction with the actions of the Windows' battery plans. The brightness level (if it can be changed on your system) is adjusted with the left/right arrow buttons and the new value can be temporarily applied (for 2 seconds) using a single click on the Test button.    

Critical Alert - when this event occurs, more battery power can be saved by turning off the monitor or by putting your system in standby or hibernate mode. These last options, if enabled, will interrupt all the Windows tasks if allowed; click Forced only if the open tasks are not important and data loss is impossible. The default value of this alert is 5 minutes or 5%. A message notification can also be enabled.

Notice that all these alerts are triggered by the respective values provided by the current battery.

 

Calibrate page: Under the Calibration title, there is a few statistical information about the first system battery, such as: the Wear Levels, Full Discharge Cycles, Usage Time and other calibration values; they give you the complete picture of your battery state and life. In order to keep all these data accurate, this utility must be kept running all the time on your computer, having the first battery selected. A Fast Discharge option is also present on this page.

Calibration

Calibration means a 'reset' command sent to the battery; after this procedure, the full charged capacity and all the other battery readings will become more accurate. The calibration procedure basically consists of a full charge cycle, a discharge cycle that drains all the battery power and one more full charge cycle. Why is all this necessary and when this procedure should be performed? Because it is better to have the battery data as accurate as possible and to know the exact, real battery status. All the calibration data can be Reset or Load/Save from or to a binary file; this may be useful to update the data when the battery is replaced. 

The steps required to perform a successful calibration operation:

  1. Charge your battery to full; 

  2. Adjust your active Power Plan (you may use the Advanced Power Settings button for easy access) to allow draining all the battery power (as in the picture below). This step is only required in case the system language is not English. Some parameters will be set:

     - Low battery action, On battery:         Do nothing;

     - Critical battery action, On battery:    Shut down;
     - Critical battery level, On battery:       5% ;

     - Reserve battery level, On battery:     0% ;

  3. Press the Calibration button;

  4. Continue your work as usual, until the system shuts down;
  5. After this, let the computer rest for a while (at least two hours, four recommended);    

Laptop case:
  6. Restore the AC Power and start your computer;

  7. Launch this utility (if it is not running) and charge the battery to 100%;
  8. Meanwhile, you may continue your work as usual;
  9. Keep the battery in a Fully charged state for at least two hours;
  10. Check the new values of the battery capacity and wear.    

Tablet case:  

  6. Connect the charger and charge the battery to 100% overnight, for example;  

  7. Next day, when your battery is fully charged, power on the tablet;

  8. Launch this utility (if it is not running) and wait to display 100%  (you may need to stop all the other applications, lower the brightness (Green mode), temporarily disable the 3G, Wi-Fi, USB devices and so on, in order to minimize the power consumption and allow the battery to fully charge);

  9. Press Shut Down or Hibernate, disconnect the charger and let the tablet rest for at least two hours;

  10. Resume the work with your tablet as usual.

11. Check the new values of the battery capacity and wear;

We recommend you to perform this procedure:

- after 25-30 full discharge cycles; you'll be automatically notified when the program starts;

- once in a 30..60-day interval, if you are working on battery on daily basis and there were several incomplete charge/discharge cycles;

- after a long storage period or if your computer ran mostly on AC power;

- if you notice some big capacity changes during the discharge cycles;

- if you notice long periods of unchanged capacity during the discharge cycles.

Caution:  Never let the battery pack getting excessively warm during any of these procedures!

Notice 1: Do not change the active power plan during the calibration procedure!

Notice 2: During calibration, the Sleep mode is disabled while working on battery power. It can be enabled later by pressing the S key.

Notice 3: During calibration, the Hibernate mode is also disabled. It can be enabled later by pressing the H key.

Notice 4. If the battery level did not reach 6%, the calibration is not completed and the whole process should be repeated.

Calibration button (or the C key) initiates a new calibration process or it can stop the current one;

Battery Calibrations shows the total number of calibrations you've made using this program on the first system battery;

Latest Calibration keeps the elapsed time (days) since the last calibration you have performed;

Full Discharge Cycles  increases by one unit when a full discharge cycle is completed (includes all the partial cycles);

Cycles since Calibration is the count of full discharge cycles since the latest calibration was performed.

Battery Usage Time is a minute based count that shows the total time your first battery had the Discharge status;

Wear Level is computed as a percentage of your battery capacity to the designed one;

Maximum Wear Level is computed as a percentage of your battery capacity to the initial one (the maximum value recorded) ;

Maximum Capacity stores the maximum value of capacity encountered during the whole life of your battery. It is used in the Capacity Drop formula (from the Info page), which means the capacity lost since you ran this utility for the first time. The calibration procedure sets it to its real value.

You can Load/ Save/Reset all these battery counts when you replace the pack with an identical one.

Fast Discharge

Fast Discharge: when started, it can supplementary load the system processor, modify the display brightness and increase the hard disk activity. This can be useful during the calibration process, to speed up the battery discharge; you can continue to work as usual, but the system will run slower. The fast discharge process can also be started or stopped by using the D key.

Duration: it can be set from 1 to 200 minutes by using the arrow buttons.

Add CPU Load: if enabled, it allows you to increase the CPU load up to 100% (in four steps 1x..4x), in order to speed up the discharge process; we have reached  up to 25% CPU usage per step on an Intel Core I5 / 2.4Ghz notebook. However, we don't recommend more than 75% (see the Windows Task Manager or CPU Usage field), because the CPU may produce more heat than the cooling mechanism is capable of removing and its internal temperature could trigger throttling. Anyway, use this option AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Brightness Level: if enabled, it can increase the battery discharge current when a bigger value is selected;

Disk Activity: if enabled, some Read/Write operations will be performed in the percentage you set. It is not suitable for SSD drives.

Time Left shows the remaining time of the current Fast Discharge process;

Discharging Time keeps track of the current (latest) discharge period.

Finally, here is the Advanced Settings page of power plans, the place where you can change some values of the active power plan in order to perform a proper calibration and to bypass the step of automatic checking and fixing:

The Home Page shows several buttons that directly connect you to the Home, Download and Purchase Pages of the program, as well as the customer's Registration data. There is also a button facilitating the e-mail communication with us; it automatically launches your default e-mail software, if installed, and sends the Battery Code.

   Support Page shows the e-mail addresses where the registered users may request assistance. Check for New Version verifies (your computer must be connected to the Internet) if there is a new program version available, and, in case there is, you will be prompted to download it. The battery code is a string specific to your (first) battery and it must be sent to us after you ordered this software. The program registration will allow you to use Smarter Battery only on the computer that has this battery installed. Use Email the Battery Code link to automatically send the code with your default e-mail software or Copy the Battery Code button (the U key) to copy it to the Windows clipboard and then paste it into a message created by your regular e-mail system.  

Green Mode is a button that allows you to start/stop this group of actions: If Aero effects are enabled, they will be temporarily disabled for optimizing the power consumption (Windows 7 case) The screen brightness level is set to its lowest possible value The system sound volume is lowered to half

  This mode can save even more power if your hard disk drive is defragmented, if you stop the not essential windows services or if you disable the Wi-Fi adapter, USB ports and so on, when they aren't in use. If the program's main window or the battery gadget is active, you can enter this mode by pressing the G key; press it again to restore the normal mode. It is recommended to use Green mode only when the battery is discharging, and set the active power plan to not interfere with its brightness adjustments. Anyway, a power plan with 'deep' energy savings can be created and activated even if this green mode is started.

Help page displays this help file in your default web browser.

Minimize hides the main program window, keeping the battery gadget in its position (behind or in front of the other windows).

   The Battery Gadget looks like a small battery and it is displayed when the program starts. A right mouse button click shows a popup menu that allows you to bring the main window on the screen or to adjust the gadget settings. The tray bar icon of this utility has the same popup menu; a double click on it will directly show the main window of the application. The settings listed in the popup menu are self-explanatory; they allow you to double the gadget size, to modify its style, to adjust its opacity, to select a power plan, or to select if the percentage/time remaining/CPU usage lines are shown on the small battery. When the program closes, the gadget's screen position is automatically saved, as well as all the other settings you've made. The battery capacity is represented by the height of the blue area; when the laptop is plugged in and the battery is charging, a small lightning will appear on the bottom side. A mouse movement over the gadget makes it fully opaque, in order to be visible and easy to read. If this gadget gets activated (a mouse click on it), you can use the G key as a toggle for the Green Mode, A key for advice window and P key for the CPU Usage.

There are several keyboard commands available to users (the main window must be active):

R, then E - shows the Registration window

U - copies the Battery Code into Clipboard

A - shows the Battery Advice windows

G - toggle for the Green Mode

C - starts/stops the Calibration process

D - starts/stops the Fast Discharge process

, . Space - sets the digit group separator to comma, dot or nothing

S - enable the Standby mode

H - enable the Hibernate mode

  

Requirements

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   No special requirements are needed for this program, Windows 7, 8, 10 or 11 (x64 versions included) and at least 1000x670 pixel resolution for your notebook or tablet display. One or more smart batteries have to be installed in order to get their status and the minimum processor speed is 1Ghz. We have designed this application to use as few resources as possible; it does not significantly load the processor; some intensive calculations are performed only when the Graph page is displayed. To have accurate data, the first system battery should remain selected most of the time, especially during the calibration or discharge periods.

  The authors and the owners of this software disclaim all warranties relating to this software, whether expressed or implied, including but not limited to any implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, and all such warranties are expressly and specifically disclaimed. Neither the authors of the software nor anyone else involved in the creation, production, or delivery of this software shall be liable for any indirect, consequential, or incidental damages arising out of the use or inability to use such software even if the authors have been advised of the possibility of such damages or claims. The person using the software bears all risk as to the quality and the performance of the software.

 

Glossary

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Smart Battery: A battery equipped with specialized hardware that provides present state, calculated and predicted information to its SMBus Host under software control. It is used mostly on portable computers.

Battery Slot: A hardware interface in which a battery can be inserted.

Device Name: a string that specifies the battery's name;

Manufacturer Name: the name of the battery manufacturer;

Serial Number: the battery's serial number;

Unique Id: the concatenation of the manufacturer's name, device name, date of manufacture, and the serial number;

Manufacture Date: indicates the manufacturing date of the battery;

Estimated Time: specifies estimated battery run time, in seconds, based on the present rate of drain;

Temperature: shows the battery's current temperature, in Celsius degrees (?C);

Chemistry: indicates the battery's chemistry;

Capabilities: indicates the way the battery can provide power to the system;

Technology: battery's rechargeable attribute;

Designed Capacity: theoretical capacity of a new battery;

Full Charged Capacity: battery's current fully charged capacity;

Low Battery alert: manufacturer's suggestion of the capacity when a low battery alert should occur;

Warning alert: manufacturer's suggestion of the capacity when a warning battery alert should occur;

Critical Bias: a bias from zero, which is applied to the battery reporting capacity;

Cycle Count: number of charge/discharge cycles the battery has experienced (zero when not supported);

Current Capacity: current battery capacity, in mWh;

Charge Rate: current rate of battery charge or discharge.

Current Voltage: battery voltage across the battery terminals, in millivolts;

Battery Mode: indicates how the battery currently operates;

 

Purchase

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   This program is a demo version. You can test it ten times, each time for 15 minutes; to continue monitoring your battery after this period, you have to buy it. Purchasing this software is a very simple operation and it can be completed online by a secured transaction using well-known payment processors; just click the Purchase Page button within the program or click here. After the payment was made, send us an e-mail containing the battery code of your notebook. The program license allows you to use Smarter Battery on the notebook for which the battery code was supplied, for an unlimited period of time. Check our website or use the Support Page button to find out what happens when you replace the battery. You can copy and send the battery code by using any of these methods:

• if there is an e-mail client installed, simply click on the Email this Battery Code button and an email that contains your battery code is automatically composed and shown on the screen;

• press Copy this Battery Code button (or the U key) to have the code copied in Windows' clipboard and then paste it into your regular e-mail system.

• open the text file BatteryCode.txt from the program's folder (Documents\Microsys\Smarter Battery) and select/copy the code, then paste it into the new e-mail body. In all these cases, the e-mail should contain in addition the order ID (you can find it in the order confirmation email) and its subject must be 'Battery Code'.