Battery Tips & Tricks

[Guest]

[OQOTrek]

In the UMPC idea, one key is Mobile.  And for Mobile you need
battery power.

The Current "Reset" procedure for a OQO Battery is:

1. Disconnect the battery from your OQO

2. Press the fuel guage button for 10-15 seconds or unitl until
   the fuel gauge lights cycle (blink).

3. Release the button and press for 1 second 
   (In theory, this resets the electronic "do-dad" that controls
    battery charging)

4. Charge over-night
   (8 to 24 hours, See any guage lights?)


Right now, my standard 1x battery is getting 2.5 - 3.0 hours
per cycle: 100% to 5% alarm warnings.

I read or was talking to somebody (OQO Tech?) about the two following
tricks.  I've not had to try them, but would like to throw them out
and see what others think of them and can we come up with new tricks.


Trick 1: - Battery, Draining too fast

1. Remove all attachments, Just the OQO and the battery in question.
2. Put the OQO into bios mode:  FN F2 (M01)  FN Delete (M02)
3. Let the battery drain down unit power down
4. Charge for 2 to 4 days straight


Trick 2: - Battery, Dead

1. Remove all attachments, Just the OQO and the battery in question.
2. Do the Battey "Reset" procedure
3. Charge for 2 to 4 days straight
4. Test fuel gauge lights

[Superted]

I  came over a nice app that brings to any laptop - included oqo - a feature I use often on my thinkpad to squeeze out some extra battery time when I need it.

The app is called Notebook Hardware Controll and lets you lock the oqo at different cpu speeds to gain more battery time. It also provide some nice monitoring features to see hd and cpu temperatures as well.

I have just started using this app, so I can't tell you how much more battery time you'll get. But I plan on testing it and I'll update this board with my findings.

The app comes in one free version and one you will have to pay for. The differences is stated on the authors webpage. I installed the free one, which I found had enough features for me. The app can be downloaded from:

http://www.pbus-167.com/nhc/nhc.htm

[surfhawk]

I've also found NHC to be a useful app although it is sometimes difficult to get it to load.  It certainly extends the length of useful time realized from a battery.

[kyone]

What about an application that reduces power settings as your battery drains ?

Or the ability to put in a time period that you want your OQO to last for and the program modifies the power settings accordingly ?

Just some ideas...

[scottyb159]

my standard battery is terrible> Never gets more than 45 mins when using wifi.  I will try the reset option.  How much battery life are people gettimg when using wifi or hsdpa?

[Tekara]

About two hours from the standard battery is pretty typical when surfing the net. You may want to keep some tabs on the task manager to see if there is anything sucking up your cpu cycles.

[roger]

Grab and go use of my OQO generally results in about 45 minutes life left when I come to try for wifi hotspots or I am sitting on a plane and have to turn off wirelesses. Shutdown takes between one and two minutes should I do this to save power. Then reboot takes between 5 and 6 minutes before I can use my OQO and does not always restore Download Accelerator Plus to the taskbar. Also I am never sure when reboot is complete and attempts to use OQO before this generally hang the OQO. Power Saver mode just means tasks take longer so all its use does is make tasks less efficient without enabling more of them to be undertaken.

[roger]

I  came over a nice app that brings to any laptop - included oqo - a feature I use often on my thinkpad to squeeze out some extra battery time when I need it.

The app is called Notebook Hardware Controll and lets you lock the oqo at different cpu speeds to gain more battery time. It also provide some nice monitoring features to see hd and cpu temperatures as well.

I have just started using this app, so I can't tell you how much more battery time you'll get. But I plan on testing it and I'll update this board with my findings.

The app comes in one free version and one you will have to pay for. The differences is stated on the authors webpage. I installed the free one, which I found had enough features for me. The app can be downloaded from:

http://www.pbus-167.com/nhc/nhc.htm

No member of the NHC forum nominates an OQO as their computer.

[Ronc]

Also I am never sure when reboot is complete and attempts to use OQO before this generally hang the OQO.

I set up task scheduler to let the OQO tell me when it's ready. Trigger="at system startup" but delayed by 160 seconds in my case. Now when really ready, I get a visual and audible indication (my media player opens and plays "TADA.wav").  Previously, I relied upon the last item to appear in the systray which was the security shield.

[tatongi]

i have DC Battery. i was fine but the maximum time was about 3 hours on hi performance. i waited till it got empty and i waited on bios till it got totally drained. i made what you have said and the time right now is 4.30 hours. so great. thanks a lot