USBCELL - Can anyone program this?

Question

USBCELL rechareable batteries - charged using the USB port

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These came out a while back and are worth the money, in my opinion.

I searched around for software specifically made to monitor the battery level of USBCELL batteries and got nothing. There are some USB port monitor programs out there which might tie in somehow, but they could be unrelated also.

Anyway..

Is it possible to write a program that tells you the battery level of the USBCELL when its plugged in and is charging?

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EDIT
If it makes any difference, the batteries have status lights that turn on when plugged in.
There is nothing to install (optional or required) to get these to work.

Answer 1

I don't have these batteries, nor have I used them, but the most likely situation is that there is internal circuitry inside the batteries that decides whether to pull power from the USB port.

A "normal" battery charger works the same way in that:
if there is power and the battery is not charged, draw power to charge the battery;
else do not draw power.

So, it is quite unlikely that you'll be able to monitor the battery's voltage, as there should be no reason for the battery to "communicate" upstream to the computer via USB.

Answer 2

Unless these batteries have a proprietary protocol to communicate their status, you are out of luck.

The standard specifications (E/O/UHCI) do not provide for any information beyond the "Port Power" bits to indicate that the hardware is supplying power to the port (not if its being drawn by the device).

Some embedded systems offer more extensive information, but it comes from custom on board logic. (Usually a power circuit connected to the USB port, and not part of the actual USB controller).

The USB Battery Charging 2.0 specification, should address these issues. But it will be quite a while before products supporting it hit the market.

If you do find a trick, keep us posted !

Answer 3

Hi, its USBCELL man here

Yes regular versions have embedded circuitry, though we do make a special USBCELL version (mainly currently for corporates), that is branded and has a downloadable USB charge monitor - that can carry cross promotions/discount codes. This is programmable, but not in the general retail version. Regular packs can also be branded for events, www.usbcell.com/customize.php

In the meantime, there is a special christmas USBCELL pack for gamers - http://www.usbcell.com/product/13 which is great for gifts

regards USBCELL EcoMan