Threshold 1.0.0
by
Jeremy Kezer

What is it?

Threshold is a utility for the PowerBook that allows you to alter when the PowerBook's "your battery is getting low" alerts appear.  While it is more useful if you are using an external battery like a Technöggin PowerPlate or the VST ThinPack, it also works great with internal batteries.

When the voltage of your battery begins to get low, your PowerBook will begin to issue warning messages to you, prompting you to plug in your AC adapter.  While this feature is important, the messages that it presents are sometimes conservative.  Often, you have 15 or 20 minutes of useful time left.  Unfortunately, when the first warning comes up, the PowerBook automatically reduces the screen backlighting to conserve power, which can be annoying.

This feature becomes a problem when you are using an external battery.  Because the PowerBook cannot recognize the larger capacity of an external battery, it will issue the warnings much earlier than they need to be presented.  Sometimes the first warning will appear when you still have hours of battery life left!

This is where Threshold comes in.  Threshold allows you to manually control the threshold voltages for these warning messages, so that they come up when you want them to.

Features

•  Allows you to adjust when the low battery warnings occur.
•  Graphical display shows current voltage as well as when warnings will occur.
•  Optimized to be PowerBook "friendly" - small window and small memory size.
•  You can define up to three sets of custom battery warning thresholds.
•  Ability to automatically switch between selected sets for internal and external batteries.
•  Color and grayscale support for capable PowerBooks.

Threshold is shareware!

Threshold is a shareware product.  If you find it useful, please consider paying the shareware registration fee.  Not only will you help to support my efforts, but by becoming a registered user, I will provide you with a secret password that will fully activate all of Threshold's advanced features.  Please see the "Registration form" chapter in this document for more information.

Why Register?

When you register your copy of Threshold, the following advanced features become available:

•  Access to the "Preferences" dialog and to the "Customize menu" dialog.
•  Access to two more customizable sets.
•  Warning thresholds can be lowered even farther.