The Save Battery Data button action depends on the program's major page you have previously opened. Thus, the saved file is of this type: Battery Information - a text file containing the most important data of the currently selected battery; Battery Capacity - a picture file (jpg format, automatically named) with the currently displayed graphic; Settings - a binary file with the application's current settings and alerts Calibration - a text file containing the battery calibration data

The Battery Information page is automatically displayed when this utility is launched and maximized; in the left side fields are a few important parameters of the system battery, while the right side ones show the capacity information. The first battery found in your system becomes the current one, and all the data and program commands will use it as reference. Above the small battery picture is the Battery link, followed by the number of the currently selected pack, if there are several. Click it to select another battery, when it's available, and both information pages will be updated accordingly.

   This utility continuously gathers data from the selected battery, using a fixed sampling rate of five seconds, and shows the read values in the Information pages. The displayed fields are self explanatory, but a detailed explanation for each of them can be found in the Glossary section. There are two sections: the left one has the main battery parameters, and the right one contains the battery capacity values. If the Extra link is clicked, a sub-page with Extra battery information is shown. Notice that there could be some fields with meaningless values; this is due to the non standard battery, its current status or the system driver. The upper-left button, Save Battery Info allows you to save the information in a text file for later review. Here are some important details regarding the main battery parameters:

• Charge gives you the percentage of the current battery capacity related to the Full Charge value;

• Time Remaining - when discharging, a normal battery gives a good approximation of this duration. If this is not provided, this field is automatically computed by the program, based on Current Capacity and Charge Rate values. An estimation for the time remaining until the battery is fully charged is computed and displayed here, when possible, during the charging process.

• Cycle Count value holds the number of the complete discharge cycles the current battery have had since it was made. But most of batteries do not offer this value; in this case, our utility automatically computes it when running, for the first system battery (if selected).

• Wear Level is computed, as a rounded percent, from your current battery capacity related to its designed one.

• Mode reflects the state of your current battery: Charging, Discharging, or computer runs on AC power.

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

The Capacity page offers you an easy way to understand the evolution of the current battery capacity. A thick orange line is drawn, for a default interval of 60 (elapsed) minutes, displaying the capacity percentage at a certain moment. This graphic can be saved as jpg picture in program's folder, automatically named and numbered (SBshot1, 2 and so on), using the Save Picture button.

  If the Battery Mode is Discharging, a thin red line will be displayed, representing the extrapolated future graphic of the battery power, based on the time remaining read from battery or estimated by the software. For a good battery, most of the time this red line should be parallel with the orange one, without big angle changes (drops of battery capacity). The evolution of the battery capacity is not linear in most cases, due to the processor usage, hard disk activity, screen brightness and so on. This utility version brought you a wider time interval for the capacity's graphical representation, up to 16 hours. You can click on 'Zoom In' or 'Zoom Out' links (loop commands) to modify the displayed time interval. The arrow buttons allow you to move in time, back and forth, with 1, 2, 4 or 8 hours when possible. Smooth and Filled graphic options should be enabled only on fast computers, due to some increased processor usage they need. Red fill is shown when discharging, green fill when charging and the blue one when running on AC power. Anyway, all the calculations this page requires are made only when it is visible and the program's main window is displayed.

The Settings page contains all the program options and two customizable battery level alerts (Warning and Critical, independent from the Windows' ones), on the second page. If an option is modified here, it is instantly executed; but you can save all these settings using the Save button from the upper side.

   These are the program options:

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 discharging starts; it contains the capacity percentage, the sampling time values and the duration of each percent. This log is kept for the current battery, until its minimum charge level is reached or the AC power is restored. The file is automatically renamed to old when the process is repeated.

Calibration Log - a text file named 'calibrationlog' is created in the program's folder, containing the current battery ID, the start and completion moments, the number of performed 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. We recommend you to set in this case a  60% degree of opacity for the gadget, so you can still read it and see the windows behind.

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

Show Icon Menu - if enabled, a single mouse click 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 battery advices can be automatically shown when program starts or 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 from battery and prolong its life. A window appears when program starts, if an action is needed to be performed.

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

Show Button Hints - hints can be displayed over the major program buttons;

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

Small Size / 3D Style - you can choose some gadget appearance parameters;

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

Discharge Line - enable a time remaining line drawing;

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

    The second page hosts the battery Level Alerts:    

Warning Alert is the first one; if enabled, it will be triggered by the value of time remaining or 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. This event will play a beep and a voice message (if the sound is enabled) and it will display the battery gadget; it can also change (lower) the display brightness, disable the Aero effects and mute the system volume. You should carefully enable these alert options, in order to use them in conjunction with the actions performed by 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 (2 seconds) using a single click on the Test button.    

Critical Alert - when this occurs, it can save more battery power 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 current battery values.

   Calibration means a 'reset' command sent to the battery; after this procedure, the full charged capacity and the other battery values will become more accurate. The calibration procedure basically consists in a full charge cycle, a discharge cycle that allows to drain all battery power, and a charge cycle up to 100%. Why is this necessary and when it should be performed? It is better to have the battery data as accurate as possible, in order to have the Windows OS well functioning and to be informed exactly with the battery status. All the calibration data can be Reset or Load/Save from or to a binary file; this may be useful to update some data for an old battery. 

The steps required to perform a successful calibration operation:

  1. Charge your battery to full, then press the Perform Calibration button; 

  2. Adjust your active Power Plan to allow draining all battery power, as you can see in the picture below:
     - Critical battery action, On battery: Shut down or Hibernate;
     - Critical battery level, On battery: 4% (3..5%);

  3. You may continue your work as usual, until the system shuts down or hibernates;
  4. After this, let computer rest for a while (at least two hours, four recommended);    

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

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

Tablet case:  

  5. Connect the charger and charge the battery to 100% over night, for example;  

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

  7. Launch this utility (if 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 charging to full);

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

  9. Resume working with your tablet as usual.

10. Check the new values of the current battery capacity and wear;

We recommend you to perform this procedure:

- after 25-30 full discharge cycles; you'll be automatically notified when 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 period of battery storage or if it was connected but not used;

- if you notice some big transitions of capacity in the graphic page, when discharging;

- if you notice a not changing capacity for long time, in the graphic page, when discharging.

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

Perform Calibration button (or 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 with 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 means the count of full discharge cycles since the latest calibration you have performed.

Battery Usage Time is a minute based count of the total time your first battery was in Discharge state;

Wear Level is computed as a percent from your current battery capacity related to the designed one;

Maximum Wear Level is computed as a percent from your current battery capacity related to the initial or maximal recorded one;

Maximum Capacity stores the biggest capacity value encountered during the entire battery life. It helps calculating the Maximum Capacity Drop from the Battery Info page, which means the amount of battery energy lost since you run this utility for the first time. The calibration procedure sets it to its real value. These battery counts above can be edited / loaded / saved, usually when you replace the pack with an identical one.  

Discharge page details:

Fast Battery 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 your work as usual, but the system will run slower. The fast discharge process can also be started or stopped by using the D key.

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

Supplemental CPU Load: if enabled, allows you to increase the CPU load up to 100% (four steps 1x..4x), in order to speed up the discharge process; we reached  up to 25% CPU usage per step in our tests on a notebook with Intel Core I5 / 2.4Ghz. We don't recommend loading the processor over 75% (see Windows Task Manager or the 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. However, use this option AT YOUR OWN RISK!

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

Disk Activity: if enabled, performs Read/Write operations in a percentage you can set. It is not recommended on SSD drives.

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

Discharging Time keeps track of the latest discharge cycle duration, until the lowest capacity is reached; the maximum value is stored.

Finally, here are the advanced settings page of power plans, where you have to change some values when calibration is performed (Windows 7/8 example):  

WebPages shows you several buttons connecting to the Home, Download and Purchase Pages of the program, as well as the customer Registration data. There is also a button facilitating the e-mail communication with us; it automatically launches your default e-mail software if installed.

   Support Page is a link for the program support addresses, support provided by us through e-mail for the registered users. You may Check for New Version; if you are connected to the Internet and there is a new program version available, you will be prompted to download it. The battery code string is specific to your (first) battery and must be sent to us when you order this software. The program registration will allow you to use Smarter Battery only on the computer having this battery installed. Use the Email Battery Code link to automatically send it with your default e-mail software or Copy Battery Code button (or U key) to copy it to the Windows clipboard and then paste it into your regular e-mail system.  

Help page launches your default web browser which loads this help file.

This version also features Green Mode, the 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

  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, whether or not this green mode is started.

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

   The Battery Gadget is automatically displayed as a small battery design, when it is enabled and the program starts. A popup menu appears with a right mouse button click, allowing you to bring the main program window on the screen or to adjust the gadget settings. The tray bar icon of the program has the same popup menu; a double click on this icon shows the application main window. The gadget settings are very simple and allow you to double its size, to modify its style, to adjust its opacity, to select a power plan, or to select if the percentage / time remaining lines are shown on the battery. When the program closes, the battery gadget position is saved, as well as the other settings you've made. The current battery capacity is represented by the height of the blue area; when the laptop is plugged in and battery is charging, a small lightning will appear in its bottom side. A mouse movement over the gadget makes it fully opaque, in order to be clearly visible and easily read. When this gadget gets activated (a mouse click on it), you can use the G key as a toggle for Green Mode, and P key for Battery Usage percent display.

   No special requirements are needed for this program, Windows 7, 8 or 10 (x64 versions included) and at least 800x600 pixel resolution for your notebook or tablet display. One or more smart batteries have to be installed in order to get their status; processor speed above 500Mhz. We have designed this application to use as little resources as possible; it does not significantly load the processor; some intensive calculations are performed only when the Graphic page is displayed. In order to get accurate data of the first system battery, it should remain selected most of the time, especially during the calibration or discharge states.

  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.

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 degree (?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;

   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 this procedure, 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. Your laptop battery code can be copied and sent using any of these methods:

• if there is an e-mail client installed, simply click on Email Code button and an email with your battery code is built and showed on the screen;

• press the button Copy Battery Code (or U key) to have the code in Windows clipboard and then paste it in 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 in the new e-mail body. In all the cases above, the e-mail should contain also the order ID (you can find it in the order confirmation email), and its subject must be 'Battery Code'.