Battery Manager

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Overview

The Battery Manager (BatteryMgr) allows configuration of the battery-charge indicator LED, low-battery prompts and thresholds used to determine when a battery should be decommissioned.

Main Functionality

  • Enable/disable the battery-charge indicator LED
  • Enable/disable the battery swap user interface
  • Set the Battery Usage Decommission Threshold for Smart Batteries
  • Set the Battery Percentage Decommission Threshold Gifted Batteries
  • Set the threshold for critically low charge
  • Set charging mode to optimize for device runtime or overall battery life (MC20 and similar devices only)
  • Schedule charging day(s) and time(s) to optimize battery life and device readiness for usage

Zebra Android devices support three battery classes: Regular, Smart and Gifted. Regular batteries provide information only about battery charge level. Smart Batteries add the ability to uniquely identify each battery and track its origin and usage history. Gifted batteries include Smart-battery features and add the ability to provide detailed charge monitoring and health information as well as more accurate "gas gauging" data.

A key feature of Smart and Gifted batteries is the ability to determine when a battery is nearing the end of its useful life and should to be taken out of service. For Smart batteries, decommissioning is based strictly on the battery's charge history. For Gifted batteries, decommissioning decisions can be based on the richer information about battery condition provided. In either case, the determination of when a battery should be decommissioned is configurable to account for the demands placed on batteries in different environments.

BatteryMgr allows configuration of the thresholds used to determine when a battery should be decommissioned. Once configured, these values (along with other battery parameters) are used by battery management software to determine the value of the decommission flag stored stored in a Smart or Gifted battery and carried with it thereafter.

Supported thresholds:

  • Battery Usage Decommission Threshold
    • A battery is considered to be 'decommissioned' if the battery usage number is greater than or equal to Battery Usage Decommission Threshold.
    • Battery Usage Decommission Threshold is applicable for Smart Batteries and those for TC50 and TC75 devices.
    • Note: The battery usage number is Aggregatecharge/RatedCapacity of the battery.
  • Percent Decommission Threshold
    • A battery is considered to be decommissioned if the Health percentage of the battery is less than or equal to Percent Decommission Threshold.
    • Percent Decommission Threshold is applicable for Gifted Batteries.
    • NOTE: Health percentage is the ratio between the "present_capacity" of the battery and its "design_capacity" at a discharge rate equal to the "design_capacity."

The threshold values configured using BatteryMgr are stored in batteryusage_decommission_threshold or percent_decommission_threshold files, which persist on the device following any subsequent reboot or Enterprise Reset. A Factory Reset erases all such user data. Attempts to set a decommission threshold on a battery other than Smart or Gifted battery will return an error in the Result XML document.

Battery Charging LED Enable/Disable

Controls whether the LED on the device illuminates to indicate battery charging status. Controls only charge indicator; LED operation for other device fuctions is uneffected. See support note, below.

Note: Supported only on Zebra PS20 devices and SDM660-platform devices running Android 11 (with Aug '22 LifeGuard update) and Android 10 (with Sep '22 LifeGuard update).

Parm Name: BatteryChargingLEDUsage

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
0 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to battery settings; any previously selected setting is retained.

MX: 8.1+

1 Turn On Enables the battery-charge indicator LED on the device.

MX: 8.1+

2 Turn Off Disables the battery-charge indicator LED on the device.

MX: 8.1+

Battery Swap UI Enable/Disable

Controls whether the device displays a pop-up when the battery reaches a certain percentage of charge; intended to prompt the user to swap batteries. Disabled by default.

Parm Name: BatterySwapUIUsage

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
0 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to battery settings; any previously selected setting is retained.

MX: 8.1+

1 Enable Enables a pop-up to prompt the user to swap the battery.

MX: 8.1+

2 Disable Disables a pop-up prompting the user to swap the battery.

MX: 8.1+

Set Critical Low Threshold

Used to set the Critical Low Threshold below which the battery level is considered critically low. This allows control over how long a device runs before being forced to shut down due to a low battery condition.

Parm value input rules:

  • Integer from 0–25
  • A setting of 0 (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change or indicates "not applicable"

Note: Supported on devices with PowerPrecision and PowerPrecision+ batteries.

Parm Name: SetCriticalLowThreshold

Requires:

  • MX: 9.0+

Percentage Decommission Threshold

Used to set the Battery Percentage Decommission Threshold on devices that support Gifted Batteries. A Gifted Battery is considered "ready to be decommissioned" if its Battery Health is less than the currently configured Battery Percentage Decommission Threshold. The default value for this parameter is 75, indicating that a Smart Battery should be decommissioned once its Actual Capacity is less than 75 percent of its original Rated Capacity.

Gifted Batteries can determine their "Actual Capacity" under specific discharge conditions. Based on this, Gifted Batteries can estimate their Battery Health as the percentage the Actual Capacity is of the "Rated Capacity." Over time, the Actual Capacity and the Battery Health will diminish, and it's reasonable to expect that a battery with a lower Battery Health has a shorter remaining useful lifetime than a device with greater Battery Health.

NOTE: This parameter can be used on Zebra Android devices that support Gifted Batteries regardless of whether a Gifted Battery is currently installed in the device. This allows administrators to configure the decommission threshold for devices currently using Smart Batteries in advance of installing Gifted ones. If this parameter is used on a device that does not support Gifted Batteries, an error will be returned in the Result XML document.

Parm value input rules:

  • Integer from 0–100
  • A setting of 0 (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change or indicates "not applicable"

Parm Name: SetPercentDecommissionThreshold

Requires:

  • OSX: 4.4+
  • MX: 4.4+
  • Android API: 16+

Usage Decommission Threshold

Used to set the Battery Usage Decommission Threshold on devices that support Smart Batteries. A Smart Battery is considered "ready to be decommissioned" if the Battery Usage Number is greater than or equal to the currently configured Battery Usage Decommission Threshold. The default value for this parameter is 400, indicating that a Smart Battery should be decommissioned once it has undergone approximately 400 "charge/discharge" cycles.

NOTE: This parameter can be used on Zebra Android devices that support Smart Batteries regardless of whether a Smart Battery is currently installed in the device. This allows administrators to configure the decommission threshold for devices currently using Regular Batteries in advance of installing Smart ones. If this parameter is used on a device that does not support Gifted Batteries, an error will be returned in the Result XML document.

Smart Batteries retain the total number of charge/discharge cycles that accumulate in the battery over time. This accumulation is referred to as Aggregated Charge. It's reasonable to expect that a battery with a larger Aggregated Charge number has a shorter remaining useful lifetime than a device with a smaller one.

The Battery Number is calculated as the Aggregated Charge of a Smart Battery divided by its Rated Capacity. The Battery Number is therefore an attempt to assess how much impact on the health of the battery has occurred as a result of the absolute amount of charging and discharging that battery has undergone.

Important: It is uncertain whether full- vs. partial-charge cycles has an impact on battery health. Two batteries with a similar Aggregated Charge will have similar Battery Numbers. But if those batteries had different charge/discharge patterns, then comparing their Battery Numbers might not reveal useful information about their relative health. The only certainty is that the health of a given battery will reduce as its computed Battery Number increases. It is therefore reasonable to assume that batteries with high Battery Numbers are "less healthy" than batteries with low Battery Numbers. By setting a threshold based on a very high Battery Number, it should be possible to identify batteries that are most likely to need replacement.

Parm value input rules:

  • Integer from 0–65535
  • A setting of 0 (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change or indicates "not applicable"

Parm Name: SetBatteryUsageDecommissionThreshold

Requires:

  • OSX: 4.4+
  • MX: 4.4+
  • Android API: 16+

Charging Mode

Controls whether the battery is charged using Android-default settings or a schedule, which can help increase long-term battery health while ensuring that devices are fully charged on days and times when required for usage. The system default (option 1) uses full voltage and charges the battery to its full capacity to maximize device runtime while on battery power. This is the current method for most Zebra device chargers and the default setting for this parameter.

Parm Name: ChargingConfiguration

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
0 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to battery settings; any previously selected setting is retained.

MX: 10.4+

Android API: 30+

1 System default Fully charges the battery with full voltage to maximize runtime on battery power.

MX: 10.4+

Android API: 30+

2 Set maximum charge Charges the battery with reduced voltage to less than its full capacity to maximize the usable lifetime of the battery.

MX: 10.4+

Android API: 30+

3 Schedule full charge Charges the battery according to the selected schedule to optimize battery life and device readiness when needed.

MX: 11.6+

Android API: 30+

Schedule Action

Used to select an action to manage the charging schedule so charging can be optimized and devices fully charged on days and times that devices are needed.

Parm Name: ScheduleAction

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
0 Do nothing This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to battery settings; any previously selected setting is retained.

MX: 11.6+

Android API: 30+

1 Add scheduled day/time Allows selection of a day and time for full charging.

MX: 11.6+

Android API: 30+

2 Remove scheduled day (all times) Allows selection for removal of a previously scheduled day and time for charging.

MX: 11.6+

Android API: 30+

3 Clear current schedule Erases all scheduled charging days and times.

MX: 11.6+

Android API: 30+

Target Day

Used to select a day (and separately, a time) that the device will be used; the system will prepare it with a full charge to be ready for use at that time

Parm Name: TargetDay

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
1 MONDAY Adds Monday to the charging-day schedule.

MX: 11.6+

Android API: 30+

2 TUESDAY Adds Tuesday to the charging-day schedule.

MX: 11.6+

Android API: 30+

3 WEDNESDAY Adds Wednesday to the charging-day schedule.

MX: 11.6+

Android API: 30+

4 THURSDAY Adds Thursday to the charging-day schedule.

MX: 11.6+

Android API: 30+

5 FRIDAY Adds Friday to the charging-day schedule.

MX: 11.6+

Android API: 30+

6 SATURDAY Adds Saturday to the charging-day schedule.

MX: 11.6+

Android API: 30+

7 SUNDAY Adds Sunday to the charging-day schedule.

MX: 11.6+

Android API: 30+

Target Time

Used to enter the time in 24-hour format (HH:MM:SS) to finish fully charging the battery.

Parm value input rules:

  • String of three pairs of numerical digits separated by colons representing hours, minutes and seconds (HH:MM:SS)

Note: Not supported on Zebra MC20 or Sharp RZ-H271 devices.

Parm Name: TargetTime

Requires:

  • MX: 11.6+

Maximum Charge

Used to enter a maximum battery charge percentage (from 65-100) at which charging will stop. Charging to less than 100% of capacity helps improve battery longevity (not supported on Zebra MC20 or Sharp RZ-H271 devices).

Parm value input rules:

  • Integer from 65–100

Note: Not supported on Zebra MC20 or Sharp RZ-H271 devices.

Parm Name: MaxCharge

Requires:

  • MX: 11.6+