From: Frank Gruendel (fg2_at_pda-soft.de)
Date: Sun Jan 11 2004 - 18:26:17 PST
Hi gang,
I spent the last four hours hacking an application that
will bring up a notification if the
current your Newton or eMate is currently discharging with
exceeds a value that can be set by the user.
If you have the rechargeable battery pack installed, the
default should be 500 mA, if your Newton is running off
alkalines, it should be 200. You might want to keep this
setting for now, this is what I consider safe if what is
said in the the mail
from the Apple developer I posted yesterday is correct.
The program monitors the current about 10 times a second
and brings up a notification slip if the current exceeds
the maximum current set. If this happens, monitoring will
stop and the application will close itself.
Although the package will install on other MP's, it will
only work on OS 2.1 devices (Newton 2000, Newton 2100,
eMate). If someone could point out if, and how, it is
possible to prevent that an application is installed on
Newtons with OS'es earlier than 2.1, I'd be thankful for
a hint.
For now this package only works if the AC adapter is
NOT connected.
I am contemplating adding another picker that will allow
to set a shut off current. If current consumption exceeds
that setting, the Newton could turn off on its own to prevent
damage. Do you think this is a good idea?
The program is here. Since it has been a very quick hack,
I can't guarantee that it'll be completely bug free.
www.pda-soft.de/curwatch.pkg
I'm interested in feedback. I'm especially interested in info
on the exact current increase caused by particular cards,
especially WLan and Phone cards. If you find the time,
please let me know the card model(s) and how much the current
increased.
Thanks
Frank
-- Newton Software and Hardware at http://www.pda-soft.de
-- This is the NewtonTalk list - http://www.newtontalk.net/ for all inquiries List FAQ/Etiquette/Terms: http://www.newtontalk.net/faq.html Official Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sun Jan 11 2004 - 19:30:01 PST