BatterEEE - (c) Ash10, 2009BatterEEE - (c) Ash10, 2009BatterEEE is a small application (just 85KB!) to improve the battery metering on netbooks and laptops, when running Microsoft Windows.
Many Windows users find that the standard battery icon is far too small, and only displays the battery charge in a few coarse steps. Furthermore, the mouse pointer often needs to be held over the icon to display the actual percentage charge remaining.
With the "dumb" batteries fitted to many netbooks and some laptops, Windows can only estimate the remaining charge to the nearest 10%, and has absolutely no idea how long this will last for. In comparison, BatterEEE uses a much larger, clearer display and offers greatly improved accuracy - battery charge left to 1% (instead of 10%) and run time remaining to 1 minute (instead of not at all!)
Although originally designed for the Asus EEE range of netbooks (hence the name), BatterEEE will work with any netbook or laptop running Windows 7, Vista, XP, or even 2000. It is particularly useful for netbooks and laptops fitted with "dumb" batteries - but even for those fitted with regular "smart" batteries, BatterEEE provides a greatly improved battery monitor.
BatterEEE was written and tested using an Asus EEE PC701 and an EEE PC900 :o)
The latest version of BatterEEE is v1.50 (22 December 2009) and can be downloaded from here.
(If you want to provide a link to BatterEEE, please link to this help page rather than the download link above - which is subject to change.)
Opening:
There is no installer for BatterEEE - just download and double-click on the program file to run it. Similarly, there is no uninstaller - just delete the program file if you have finished with it. You may also have a settings file (BatterEEE.cfg) and a calibration file (BatterEEE.cal), and these too can just simply be deleted.
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Overview: Unlike previous versions, BatterEEE does not install itself in the system tray - instead it uses a floating battery icon which can be positioned anywhere you like on the screen. The images to the right show two examples: In the first, the battery icon is placed over the speaker icon, between the clock and the wireless network indicator. In the second, the battery icon is placed over the Start button, in the bottom-left of the screen. Left-click-drag on the battery icon to move it around the screen, and right-click on the battery icon to open the settings window, described in more detail below. Note that the battery icon is automatically displayed on the settings window whenever it is open, and will return to its previous screen position when the settings window is closed. Some of the items described below are bonus program features, shown in red - these can be unlocked by making a small Paypal donation, described in more detail below. Closing: To quit BatterEEE, right-click on either the title bar of the settings window or the taskbar tab to open the system menu, and choose Exit... |
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BatterEEE can display either the actual battery voltage, the percentage charge left, or the run time remaining.
In order to display an accurate percentage charge left or run time remaining with a "dumb" battery, you must first calibrate it. This involves monitoring the battery from fully-charged (ie: just been removed from mains power) to completely empty (ie: the computer turns itself off). Note that calibration is not required when using a "smart" battery, such as those supplied with some newer netbooks and most laptops. Click on the Calibration button to open the calibration file picker - create a new file to start the calibration process, or choose an existing calibration file to load and use - if you have several batteries of different types or capacities, you can use this to quickly switch between them. During the calibration process, BatterEEE will automatically override any configured power-saving settings and run the processor at maximum load, to simulate worst-case conditions. Although you can continue to use your computer during calibration, it will be quite unresponsive - it is probably best just to leave it alone until it switches itself off. Calibration only needs to be performed once, although the process can be repeated at any time - this may be useful if you find that an aged battery becomes tired and no longer holds its original full charge.
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BatterEEE has a range of settings - these are described below:
You can also customise the BatterEEE icon colours to best match your individual Windows environment. Click on a coloured button to open a standard Windows colour picker.
Note that you can make any of the above colours transparent, by setting it to be the "key" colour of magenta (red=100%, green=0%, blue=100%). It is recommended that you do not set more than one colour to be transparent, otherwise the battery icon will become difficult to click on! |
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BatterEEE provides low and critical battery level warnings which are much more accurate and far less intrusive that the standard Windows ones.
The battery icon will temporarily stop flashing when the mouse pointer is held over it, to make it easier to click for moving or to open the settings window. Note that the standard Windows alarms can be disabled from the Control Panel - click on the Power Options icon, and then select the Alarms tab. |
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I hope that you find BatterEEE useful - if you do, please consider making a small Paypal donation in recognition of the time and effort that has been invested in it.
Making a donation provides you with a unique code to unlock all the bonus program features, shown in red for use on a single computer - to donate, click on the Paypal button in the settings window and follow the instructions.
After successfully making a donation, your web browser will automatically redirect to a confirmation page showing your unique unlock code. Simply enter this unlock code into the text box that will have appeared in the settings window, between the Paypal and Close buttons - remember to make a note of your unlock code, and keep it somewhere safe.
(c) Ash10, 2009
, when there is 30 minutes or less (or a specified custom time) of battery run time remaining.
, when there is 5 minutes or less (or a specified custom time) of battery run time remaining.