Freeware Applications
BatMon
[Version described: 1.2.5]
The BatMon program provides a simple battery monitor showing the current battery voltage, the battery voltage at which the Palm OS device will start warning you of the need to change batteries, and the battery voltage at which the device will refuse to turn on (the “critical” threshold). It also gives you access to the Palm OS “battery profile” feature, which lets you adjust these values to reflect the type of batteries in use. This is quite important if you use rechargeable batteries, as over discharging certain types of batteries can greatly shorten their useful life. The default battery profile, for non-rechargeable alkaline cells, will not even issue warnings until rechargeable cells have been over discharged.
The “battery profile” settings are part of the Palm operating system: they are accessed by the shortcut period seven. When this shortcut is entered into a text field, the Palm OS will select the next battery profile out of a list of battery profiles, and display the new battery profile. You do not need the BatMon application to select the battery profile. The BatMon program, however, increases the usability of the battery profile selection by displaying the current battery profile and presenting a text field with a reminder of the shortcut.
The various battery levels are device-specific. Visor devices, for example, set the “critical” threshold substantially higher than do Palm devices, apparently due to the need to reserve power for devices in the Visor expansion slot. Also, the battery type selected can affect the device’s capabilities. Some devices, for example, prohibit beaming when the current battery profile is not an alkaline type. As voltage levels in other battery types are only loosely related to remaining power, this prevents the high-power beaming operation from discharging a battery with a deceptive voltage level. You can work around this by changing the battery profile, performing the beaming operation, and changing the battery profile back. Note, though, that this is avoiding a data protection feature imposed by the manufacturer: only do this when the batteries are fresh, or when you can recover any data that may be lost.
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Copyright © 2002 Brian Hetrick
Page last updated 15 July 2003.
