The power supply test works on mobile devices such as notebooks and tablets and outputs the values of the installed battery. By combining different values, toolstar® calculates values for the remaining capacity and much more. Depending on the quality of the battery, you will receive better or worse information.
What does the information given mean?
Depending on the model and manufacturer, different batteries provide more or less information. In addition, some fields may exist but provide strange/nonsensical values. Depending on the quality of the battery, the values are better or worse.
- Manufacturer
Shows who produced the battery (Fujitsu, Acer, etc.). - Model
Displays the model name. - Serial number
The serial number of the battery, if available. - technology
The technology used, such as Li-ion. - Available
Shows whether there is a battery in this detected battery slot or not. - Status (dynamic value)
Shows what status the battery is in (charging or discharging). Changes depending on whether a power plug is connected or not. - Capacity Level (dynamic value)
The capacity level such as normal or bad. May change over time of use. - Charging now (dynamic value)
Shows how much the battery is currently charged. The value can be between 0% and 100%. The information is given in different forms depending on the battery. For example, it could be mAh. The percentage value is calculated by toolstar® and is always available. No matter what unit of measurement the battery provides its information in. - Charge when fully charged (dynamic value)
This value shows what capacity the battery has when it has been fully charged. In conjunction with the design load, a residual value can be calculated. This is given to you on the right in percent. For example, a value of 80% means that the battery can still store a remaining value of 80%. That's 20% less than originally stated by the manufacturer. For example: If the battery used to last 100 hours, it will now only last 80 hours. So a loss of 20 hours (20%). - Design load when fully charged
This value indicates the maximum capacity defined by the manufacturer. In conjunction with the Charge when fully charged value, toolstar® calculates the residual value in percent. This value is stored statically and does not change over the life of the battery. - Voltage now (dynamic value)
The current voltage prevailing on the battery. May fluctuate up and down during device use but must not fall below Minimum Design Voltage value. - Design minimum voltage
The minimum voltage that the battery can achieve. The Voltage now value must not fall below this. If this does happen, it may be that the device is not receiving enough power when the load is too high and therefore switches off. - Current strength now (dynamic value)
The current current prevailing and delivered on the battery. May change up and down while using the device. Depending on the load on the hardware due to calculations and the like. A CPU high load test will cause this value to rise extremely. However, if the device is only idle, this value decreases.
What “tests” are being run?
As a passive component, unlike a CPU, the battery cannot be tested directly. However, based on the information read out in combination with the settings in the endurance test (see point below), a good statement can be made about the condition of the battery. However, these “tests” are based on the battery delivering the necessary values. Most high-quality batteries deliver these values correctly and reliably. Unfortunately, cheap batteries do not always do this, incompletely or incorrectly.
Error evaluation settings in the automation script
- Check maximum battery capacity (Enabled by default)
Checks the maximum capacity against the percentage value you specify. If the remaining capacity is less than the value you set (50% by default), an error will be thrown. - Error if no battery detected
An error is thrown if no battery is detected. This option only makes sense if the program or this specific endurance test is only run on mobile devices that should have a battery. - Error when battery does not provide the necessary values
You will receive an error if the battery does not provide the necessary values to determine the remaining capacity, current or current status. - Current current=0 AND status=unknown
Warning when current is 0 and status is unknown. This could occur if the battery no longer recognizes that it is being charged or is no longer being charged even though the mains connection is plugged in. - Current current=0 AND status=charging (Enabled by default)
Warning if current is 0 but the battery appears to be charging. This indicates that the battery can no longer deliver electricity or is no longer being charged. The power for operation is currently supplied directly from the power supply. - Health value is bad
Warn if the health value is presented as bad. This value is supplied by the battery itself and is NOT calculated by toolstar®. - Error instead of warning
The options Current current=0 AND status=unknown, Current current=0 AND status=loading and Health value is bad should be viewed as an error and not “just” as a warning.
Hints and tips
- Battery symbol at the top right of the Toolbar
If a battery is detected in the current device, you will see an icon in the top right that shows the current charge status. Comparable to the display on IOS and Android tablets. The symbol shows how full the battery is and whether it is currently being charged or discharged. - Output for desktop devices
You also get the power output output for desktop devices. Based on SMBios information and the type of device, the information here is always the same Values output:
Mains voltage connection: connected
Battery charge status: no system battery (this is NOT the CMOS-battery meant)
No information about batteries or power connections found - General: Difference Error and Warning
If an error is output in toolstar®, it has completely different consequences than a warning. An error leads to a red frame in the program and the options in the endurance test under the point “when finished” also refer to this state of the program. Warnings lead to a yellow entry in the log and in the program but do not change the color of the entire interface or the behavior within “when finished”.
