laptop - Why has my Battery Icon stopped updating in Linux?

08
2014-07
  • dotVezz

    I noticed something funky happening over the past week. My battery icon stopped updating. For a more specific definition, here's the expected and current behavior in detail:

    Expected Behavior

    • Change to "Charging" icon when plugged in and charging - and display the appropriate tooltip.
    • While charging, show a gradually increasing indicator of battery level - and show up-to-date percentage in the tooltip.
    • Change to "Discharging icon when plugged in and discharging - and display the appropriate tooltip.
    • While discharging, show a gradually decreasing indicator of battery level - and show up-to-date percentage in tooltip.

    Current Behavior

    • Get the current state and percentage when Xorg starts.
    • Never change anything.
      • If it was plugged in when X started, it will show the "Charging" icon even if I unplug it, etc.

    On the plus side, infinite battery life! On the minus side, it's all a lie. I've spent some time troubleshooting this and trying to figure out what the heck is going on. Here's a list of the assumptions I've made, steps I've taken to test them, and the results.

    The troubleshooting steps are in a wacky order because I wasn't directly troubleshooting the battery icon, but doing other stuff too.

    1. "Is the system reporting the power state incorrectly...?"
      • Run acpi
        • Results from acpi are correct - not stuck.
    2. "Must be some weird config setting or conflict causing the weirdness!"
      • Installed fresh Arch Linux on an unused drive.
        • Battery icon is still stuck.
      • Try a different Desktop Environment.
        • Same problem in LXDE, Xfce, and Enlightenment.
    3. "Maybe there was a kernel update that broke something."
      • install 3.10 LTS kernel.
        • Still broken.

    So yeah, I'm not sure what the problem is. Does anyone know?

    Basic information about my default setup:

    • OS: Arch Linux
    • Kernel Version: 3.14.1 / 3.10.47
    • Desktop Environment: Xfce
    • Notebook: Acer Aspire S7
    • Answers
  • user318104

    Same here (OS, desktop env, kernel). Seems related to upower in combination with systemd issue: https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/39893

    Possible fix (did not try yet): https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/xfce4-power-manager-git/

    Alternative: Use package and plugin xfce4-battery-plugin from xfce4-goodies


    • Related Question

    Laptop battery replacement possible?
  • Ben

    I have the standard Acer Aspire one 532h-2Db, I am looking to upgrade the battery from a standard 6-cell to a 12-cell ( for more longer terms away from the mains ) and I've hit a problem, I cannot seem to find ANY battery with the same voltage / more cells for my model.

    This is the battery that I thought was compatible as it says 532h but I discovered its 0.3v over the standard and was worried it would cause damage.

    Could someone help me and tell me if this will damage the laptop? Also if it is possible for a higher cell battery for this laptop?

    This is the original battery


    • Related Answers
  • Dave M

    Can you use an external Universal battery similar to this? Universal Battery

    I used one from APC for several years while flying. Worked great and fit the briefcase easily.

  • Jeff F.

    With batteries/adapters current rules apply as in all cases.

    The concern is not so much voltage as it is amperage. (it needs to be close though)

    The biggest problems is if you have a too LOW amperage level, if this is the case the device will attempt to pull more current. This will act like holding a finger over a hose. you will actually cause damage if it is too low!

    This is, of course, only true if the current is available to pull and I should mention that it is possible for over voltage to cause damage to sensitive devices, I'm am just speaking in a general sense.

  • Daniel R Hicks

    Battery voltage is a function of the cell voltage and the number of cells. Most types of laptop cells produce around 1.2 volts per cell, so, eg, a 12V battery would have 10 cells. A 12 cell battery would have twice the voltage of the 6 cell version with the same cells.

    Battery capacity is expressed in ampere-hours, and is a function of the cells used. If you want more battery capacity you need to use (larger) cells with a higher ampere-hour rating.