[opensuse] Limiting the battery charge on a laptop permanently plugged on
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Hi, I got a small and light Lenovo laptop for travelling. Looking at the native Windows, one of the manufacturer options is to limit the battery charge to 55..60% while the charger is plugged, because this will increase the battery life. I will install Linux as soon as I end updating the Windows part, so I ask: do we have a tool in Linux to limit the battery charge? The battery is not removable without opening the entire thing up, so that's not an option. I googled, found some hits: <https://askubuntu.com/questions/34452/how-can-i-limit-battery-charging-to-80-capacity> <https://www.reddit.com/r/linux4noobs/comments/5yf6jp/limiting_battery_charge_in_linux/> It seems that "tlp" is available on OSS :-) - -- Cheers Carlos E. R. (from 42.2 x86_64 "Malachite" at Telcontar) -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v2 iEYEARECAAYFAlsmOacACgkQtTMYHG2NR9WgLgCfUm1xPon0z3KgZ+ZUzl3P8MZ8 RVIAmgOGCwbcfcPpyYL9G4YqCC6atb6f =fsLK -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
Le 17/06/2018 à 12:36, Carlos E. R. a écrit :
charge to 55..60% while the charger is plugged, because this will increase the battery life.
60%, really? are you sure? I had a Lenovo computer and I remember this options, but it was more around 90% AFAIK Not sure it's really necessary, I have this on no other computer and have no problem when possible for rarely used computer it's better to remove the battery (to avoid full discharge), but it's no more possible on most laptop now, so the better is to charge them at least once a month or simply let them plugged all the time. Done this for +20 years now without problem jdd -- http://dodin.org -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
On 2018-06-17 12:44, jdd@dodin.org wrote:
Le 17/06/2018 à 12:36, Carlos E. R. a écrit :
charge to 55..60% while the charger is plugged, because this will increase the battery life.
60%, really? are you sure?
Absolutely, I see the indicator in Windows fixed at that value for two days. What I did not see is a click for "fully charge now, this time" because I'm going out. Even better, an external button that works when computer is off. Firmware.
I had a Lenovo computer and I remember this options, but it was more around 90% AFAIK
Yes, I have read about different values. But this laptop came with an app from Lenovo, click to accept full charge or limited charge. No choice of value. So 60 is the correct value for this one.
Not sure it's really necessary, I have this on no other computer and have no problem
I heard of it in usenet, but I did not know for sure. But when the manufacturer tells you, then it is true.
when possible for rarely used computer it's better to remove the battery (to avoid full discharge), but it's no more possible on most laptop now, so the better is to charge them at least once a month or simply let them plugged all the time. Done this for +20 years now without problem
My HP laptop I had to replace the battery this year, and I bought it on 2010 or thereabouts. It lasted long, and it was most of the time connected to the wall. If the electronics were clever enough to fully unplug the battery circuit flow when the battery is fully charged, there would be no need. The new battery (non HP) came with instructions to improve battery life. -- Cheers / Saludos, Carlos E. R. (from 42.3 x86_64 "Malachite" at Telcontar)
Carlos E. R. wrote:
If the electronics were clever enough to fully unplug the battery circuit flow when the battery is fully charged, there would be no need.
Well, the electronics of my lenovo is 'clever' enough to keep the CPU frequency nailed down to 800MHz if I dare to put it in the docking station without a battery :(( They seem to not trust the current stability of external power supplies... On the pro side it only starts charging when below 90%, without needing external software to do so. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
On 17/06/18 06:36 AM, Carlos E. R. wrote:
I got a small and light Lenovo laptop for travelling. Looking at the native Windows, one of the manufacturer options is to limit the battery charge to 55..60% while the charger is plugged, because this will increase the battery life.
That doesn't make sense to me. It means you can never fully charge your battery using the charger, so what's the point of the charger? And if you can never fully charge you battery what's the point of having a portable device like the laptop if you can't get a full battery charge lifetime when mobile? The shortened battery lifetimes I've had with my laptops have been doe to overheating; variously: - cat hair gumming up the fans - inadequate air flow underneath the laptop because the little spacer 'dots' that act like 'legs' fell off and it sat flat on the desk - inadequate air flow underneath the laptop because it was on a soft surface -- A: Yes. > Q: Are you sure? >> A: Because it reverses the logical flow of conversation. >>> Q: Why is top posting frowned upon? -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
On 2018-06-17 15:08, Anton Aylward wrote:
On 17/06/18 06:36 AM, Carlos E. R. wrote:
I got a small and light Lenovo laptop for travelling. Looking at the native Windows, one of the manufacturer options is to limit the battery charge to 55..60% while the charger is plugged, because this will increase the battery life.
That doesn't make sense to me. It means you can never fully charge your battery using the charger, so what's the point of the charger?
Just choose full charge in the config utility.
And if you can never fully charge you battery what's the point of having a portable device like the laptop if you can't get a full battery charge lifetime when mobile?
Travelling to another site, then place it on the table and plug it in :-p
The shortened battery lifetimes I've had with my laptops have been doe to overheating; variously:
- cat hair gumming up the fans - inadequate air flow underneath the laptop because the little spacer 'dots' that act like 'legs' fell off and it sat flat on the desk - inadequate air flow underneath the laptop because it was on a soft surface
This one has no fan. -- Cheers / Saludos, Carlos E. R. (from 42.3 x86_64 "Malachite" at Telcontar)
On 06/17/2018 09:08 AM, Anton Aylward wrote:
That doesn't make sense to me. It means you can never fully charge your battery using the charger, so what's the point of the charger?
And if you can never fully charge you battery what's the point of having a portable device like the laptop if you can't get a full battery charge lifetime when mobile?
It's the 100% point that's critical. Once you reach that and keep charging, you will limit battery life. For that reason, 95% is considered fully charged. Other factors is the number of charge/discharge cycles and charging rate. Fast charging is harder on the battery than slow. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
On 2018-06-17 12:36, Carlos E. R. wrote:
Hi,
I got a small and light Lenovo laptop for travelling. Looking at the native Windows, one of the manufacturer options is to limit the battery charge to 55..60% while the charger is plugged, because this will increase the battery life.
I will install Linux as soon as I end updating the Windows part, so I ask: do we have a tool in Linux to limit the battery charge?
The battery is not removable without opening the entire thing up, so that's not an option.
I googled, found some hits:
<https://askubuntu.com/questions/34452/how-can-i-limit-battery-charging-to-80-capacity>
<https://www.reddit.com/r/linux4noobs/comments/5yf6jp/limiting_battery_charge_in_linux/>
It seems that "tlp" is available on OSS :-)
And it was already installed, with different values. Not enabled: Legolas:~ # systemctl status tlp.service ● tlp.service - TLP system startup/shutdown Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/tlp.service; disabled; vendor preset: disabled) Active: inactive (dead) Docs: http://linrunner.de/tlp Legolas:~ # Yet, the battery is charging only to 60%, so it must be the firmware which is controlling it. So I do not really need this service running, just a way to activate or disable feature without activating all of it (tlp does much more). FAQ here: https://linrunner.de/en/tlp/docs/tlp-faq.html I'm not sure Lenovo is supported, looking at that FAQ. Maybe yes: +++--------------- (Source: Lenovo Forums) Default TLP settings (only if you uncomment the relevant lines) are slightly more protective regarding lifespan, with 75%/80% start/stop charge thresholds. Please consider that the start threshold is the critical constraint for runtime, because it defines the lowest charge level that can occur while plugged. Also, don't forget that TLP provides a command (tlp fullcharge) to fully charge the battery, when you need to temporarily maximize runtime (for example in case of a trip). ---------------++- Ah: +++--------------- Do charge thresholds work even when Linux/TLP is not running? Yes. The charging process is not controlled by software, but by hardware. TLP just writes the thresholds to the hardware registers (via tp-smapi or tpacpi-bat). Once stored in the hardware the charge thresholds stay effective permanently. See below for removal. ---------------++- Legolas:~ # locate tpacpi-bat /usr/share/tlp/tpacpi-bat Legolas:~ # But test calls to it fail. Legolas:~ # /usr/share/tlp/tpacpi-bat -g ST 1 modprobe: FATAL: Module acpi_call not found in directory /lib/modules/4.12.14-lp150.12.4-default Could not find /proc/acpi/call. Is module acpi_call loaded? Legolas:~ # -- Cheers / Saludos, Carlos E. R. (from 42.3 x86_64 "Malachite" at Telcontar)
Ah:
+++--------------- Do charge thresholds work even when Linux/TLP is not running?
Yes. The charging process is not controlled by software, but by hardware. TLP just writes the thresholds to the hardware registers (via tp-smapi or tpacpi-bat). Once stored in the hardware the charge thresholds stay effective permanently. See below for removal. ---------------++-
In that case, as a workaround boot to Windows anytime you need to set it to full charge or back to 60%. Not the best solution, but not too bad. Greg -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
On 2018-06-18 16:48, Greg Freemyer wrote:
Ah:
+++--------------- Do charge thresholds work even when Linux/TLP is not running?
Yes. The charging process is not controlled by software, but by hardware. TLP just writes the thresholds to the hardware registers (via tp-smapi or tpacpi-bat). Once stored in the hardware the charge thresholds stay effective permanently. See below for removal. ---------------++-
In that case, as a workaround boot to Windows anytime you need to set it to full charge or back to 60%.
Not the best solution, but not too bad.
I removed the original hard disk, a 500GB rust unit, and replaced with a 250GB SSD with only Linux installed. I bought an external empty USB3 in which to place the original disk; I hope Windows can boot from it. -- Cheers / Saludos, Carlos E. R. (from 42.3 x86_64 "Malachite" at Telcontar)
On 2018-06-18 23:53, Carlos E. R. wrote:
On 2018-06-18 16:48, Greg Freemyer wrote:
Ah:
+++--------------- Do charge thresholds work even when Linux/TLP is not running?
Yes. The charging process is not controlled by software, but by hardware. TLP just writes the thresholds to the hardware registers (via tp-smapi or tpacpi-bat). Once stored in the hardware the charge thresholds stay effective permanently. See below for removal. ---------------++-
In that case, as a workaround boot to Windows anytime you need to set it to full charge or back to 60%.
Not the best solution, but not too bad.
I removed the original hard disk, a 500GB rust unit, and replaced with a 250GB SSD with only Linux installed.
I bought an external empty USB3 in which to place the original disk; I hope Windows can boot from it.
Well, battery limits change do not work on Linux: Legolas:~ # tlp chargeonce Error: ThinkPad battery features not available. Legolas:~ # I tried to boot Windows from the external USB disk; I saw the waiting circle that windows displays when loading, then it went black and Linux started booting instead. I'll try another day when Linux is not hibernated. I also have to add an entry to grub2. -- Cheers / Saludos, Carlos E. R. (from 42.3 x86_64 "Malachite" at Telcontar)
participants (6)
-
Anton Aylward -
Carlos E. R. -
Greg Freemyer -
James Knott -
jdd＠dodin.org -
Peter Suetterlin