(re)charging control

Robert Michel openmoko at robertmichel.de
Tue Nov 28 13:02:17 CET 2006


Salve Marcin!

On Tue, 28 Nov 2006, Marcin Juszkiewicz wrote:

> Dnia poniedzia??ek, 27 listopada 2006 18:30, Robert Michel napisa??:
> > On Mon, 27 Nov 2006, Marcin Juszkiewicz wrote:
> 
> > > 1. user is at home (where is charger)

Sorry, I was so happy that this phone will do not need a propritary
charger - that I forget to write you that the idea of a charching
reminder/alert when the user came at home is a very good one.

In general such a todo alert when the user came to a localisation
(home/work/shop/bank/post/gasoilstation...) would be great 
- buy 2l milk
- get 50 Euro from the cach mashine
- buy 10 new stamps
- check air and oil

So it would not be a stupid alert everytime the user came to 
on localisation, the function would make a database request
and when the value is over or ander a given limit it will
makes an alert.
The limit could also be a value from a database or a funcition,
e.g. befor a weekend the milk reminder (just simple supied example)
would have the value of 4l
The same with your accu recharger, when you are planing to travel,
or leave your home for more than a day your function should
remember to charge the phone to 100% 

> > There is no need for a propritary charger ;)))))
> 
> > The charger will be a normal powerd USB port, so you can also
> > - charge it at work,
> > - with your laptop
> > - There are also cheap 12V car adapter to power up there...
> > - and I would like to see a small inexpensive adapter to AA / 9V
> >   battery for contingency - just pick some batterys from another
> >   device or by normal batteries (gettable at every corner)
> 
> But I *do not* want to keep usb cable in my pocket. 

There are small 3 cm long adapters - no need for a cable.
And better to have such an adapter or cabel with you than
a second propritary charger ;))))
And this cable is dual use - also for data connections ;)


I also not so happy about the Mini-B female jack - I would
prefer a normal USB female jack that you could pluck in 
normal USBmenory sticks/adapters in. 

Buy having a normal male USB jack on the phone you could plug
it directly into USB female jackes of laptops, some autoradios...
So a male and femal connector would be nice - but uses also
quite much space of the phone.

But how ever, would you be more happy with one propritary charger?
I don't think so - I think it is very cool that the device could be
charged via USB.

> But I *do not* want to keep usb cable in my pocket. 
What alternative would you propose?
A fix solderd male USB jack on the device?

> Do you know how many types of 
> Mini-B connector are in use? I have atleast 3 such cables at home and 
> I know devices with Mini-B which I cannot connect due to lack of
> cable.

You are right the high number of different USB cables are ugly
and unsmart.
But that the neo will be chargable via USB, I think, is still 
much better than a propritary charger ;)

> > If yes - two battery blocks with a software controled anlalog
> > switch instead of one would be the better design - the user
> > could full discharge one battery before he charge it again.
> 
> It bump price and weight so please do not go this way.

It was just an idea how to encrease the reliability.

BTW I would like to see standard battery cells - maybe not AA/AAA
but someone that could be bought easily.
 
> > > 2. battery is <'in 10-14h will be empty'
> 
> >    So when I have a Neo1973 my first crontab would be a small script,
> >    that it will check every 15 minutes if the battery has become lower
> >    then 7% - when there is no phonecall or activity - give a warning
> >    and switch of.
> 
> That kind of stuff will get your battery discharged faster. You should 
> rather follow acpid/cpufreqd configs.

Ok good hint. :)

> > Anouther idea would be a "semi-online status" when you are sleeping,
> > or travelling your device would be online only from time
> > to time, e.g. 30 minutes intervall - asking your sever if someone
> > tried to call you - or did send you a SMS and then swich off again.
> 
> And you will miss all calls during being 'semi online' - great stuff for 
> phone... "sorry that I was unavailable but my phone was in semi-online 
> mode to preserve battery".

Yes - when you are travelling on a weekend or on a holyday - even when
I'm sleeping it doesn't hurt wenn somebody needs 30 minutes to reach
me - it is better to have this delay than reachable only on the first
of 3 days. You don't need to use it, but this idea can't you realise
with much other phones ;)

Greetings
rob




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