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1989-11-07
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┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
└┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌────┐ │
│ │ │ │ └───┘ <tm>
│ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ Electronic Technologies
│ └──────┐ │ │ 3985 S. Rochester Road Ste.H
│ ┌──────┘ │ │ Rochester, Michigan 48063
│ │ │ │
│ └────────────┐┌┘ └┐ CompuServe ID: 70337,1654
│ ││ │ 7 day 24 hr BBS SUPPORT:
└─────────────────────┘└────────┘ A/R BBS (313) 680-9154
ET SHAREWARE PROGRAMS:
GASGAUGE: A TSR, Pop-up battery timer for Laptop computers.
RemCtrl: Allows you to share an answering machine or fax machine with
one of many standard host communication programs on the same line.
FoneCall!: Calls your tone or digital display pager whenever a message is
left on your answering machine. (only 1 phone line needed!)
PRIVATE ACCESS: Self contained communication host program that shares the
same phone line with an answering machine or fax. Also calls your
pager whenever a message is left on answering machine.
BARCODES: Prints UPC, Code 39, and Interleaved 2 of 5 barcodes on any
EPSON/IBM compatible dot matrix printer. Also available are
barcode soft fonts for Hewlett Packard compatible laser printers.
DESCRIPTION:
GASGAUGE is a memory resident program which "pops-up" upon command to display
a gas-gauge type estimate of how much battery time is left on your laptop
computer before a battery charge will be needed. GASGAUGE was called "one of
the most popular files accessed on the the PC Board" by On-Line Life Magazine
(p.23, April 1989). Version 4.3 of GASGAUGE contains some fixes for reported
bugs and dos variances. Also, the newest version requires less memory than the
previous version.
1) GASGAUGE COMPENSATES FOR BATTERY CONSUMPTION WHEN THE COMPUTER IS OFF!
2) GASGAUGE CONSUMES LESS MEMORY THAN THE SHAREWARE VERSION
3) GASGAUGE CAN BE RELEASED FROM MEMORY WITHOUT REBOOTING THE COMPUTER
4) GASGAUGE CONTAINS A DEEP DISCHARGE ROUTINE TO EXTEND CHARGE LIFE
5) GASGAUGE HAS AN AUDIBLE ALARM WHEN THE CHARGE BECOMES DANGEROUSLY LOW
6) GASGAUGE HAS A USER DEFINED UPDATE FREQUENCY.
HOW GASGAUGE WORKS:
GASGAUGE writes the elapsed time to a disk file at a user defined update
frequency. When the [ALT] and [LEFT SHIFT] keys are pressed at the same
time the elapsed time is compared to the time expected from a charged
battery and an estimated remaining battery life is shown. If you are
using the "OFF LIFE" parameter then an estimate of the battery charge
consumed while the computer was off will be automatically added to the
elapsed time.
SHAREWARE & FEES:
The sole intention of shareware is to provide an inexpensive copy of the
program for evaluation purposes only. Shareware is not free software. If
you find value in this software and if you intend to use this software on a
regular basis then you are morally obligated to pay for it. An order form
has been included at the end of this documentation.
The shareware version of this software may be distributed free of charge by
use of electronic bulletin board services. However, any other distribution
of this program must first be approved in writing by the author. If you
are a software vendor, member of a user group or other organization then
you must read the file "DISTRIB.DOC" for information about the rules and
legalities which must be followed in the distribution of this software.
COMPLETE DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENTS ARE CONTAINED IN THE FILE "DISTRIB.DOC"
INCLUDED WITH THIS FILE.
After January 1, 1990, you may use your VISA/MC to register through the
Public Software Library (800-2424-PSL orders - Info 713-665-7017) and you
get a $5 credit with PSL for later use.
LICENSE:
Once a donation has been received, the program is officially registered and
licensed. Registration permits a user the license to use this program
only on a single PC. A registered user may use the program on a different
computer, but may not use the program on more than one computer at the same
time. No user may modify this software in any way, including but not
limited to decompiling, disassembling or otherwise reverse engineering the
program.
Registered users get laser printed documentation (we promise that it will
be short and to the point also).
WARRANTY:
The author makes no warranty of any kind express or implied, including
without limitation, any warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a
particular purpose.
IN NO EVENT WILL ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGIES OR THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR ANY
DAMAGES, WHETHER DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL INCLUDING ANY
LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PROGRAM, OR FOR ANY CLAIM
BY ANY OTHER PARTY. THIS PROGRAM IS OPERATED ENTIRELY AT THE USER'S RISK.
TECH SUPPORT:
Tech support is limited to one year for registered users only, and is
available by mail, Compuserve "EasyPlex" or 24 hour Bulletin Board service.
Tech support questions should be submitted to the attention of Charles
Eglinton.
When requesting technical support please report the following:
1) Memory before running the program (use the dos command "CHKDSK:)
2) Computer, modem and printer type (if applicable)
3) The names of any TSR memory resident programs (Sidekick, Prokey..)
4) A listing of both your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files.
STARTING GASGAUGE:
For the REGISTERED version of GASGAUGE type the following format:
GG[/update frequency][/battery life][/path][/off life]
For the SHAREWARE version of GASGAUGE type the following format:
GASGAUGE[/update frequency][/battery life][/path]
where:
PATH: is the name of the disk or directory where the work file named
"GAS" will be written. If you are using a hard drive equipped laptop
then this path should be the root directory of the hard drive ("C:\" or
"D:\" for Toshiba T1000 laptops). If you are using a Laptop with only
floppy drives then you must always start the computer (and turn off the
computer) with the same diskette. This is because the elapsed time file
must be checked when the computer is started and should be updated with a
new elapsed time whenever the computer is turned off.
UPDATE FREQUENCY: is the number of minutes between each work file update.
Any update frequency between 1 and 4 minutes should be suitable.
BATTERY LIFE: is the number of minutes expected of a fully charged
battery. Here's how to estimate the battery life: First charge the
battery fully then remove the battery charger. Start GASGAUGE and reset
the GASGAUGE elapsed time to 0 minutes. Leave the computer on until the
battery is completely discharged. Plug the computer in and start
GASGAUGE. When you pop-up the GASGAUGE the field next to "ELAPSED TIME
SINCE LAST CHARGE" will tell you the actual time from full charge to full
discharge. Use this time for the BATTERY LIFE in the GASGAUGE command
line. Remember, GASGAUGE requires the BATTERY LIFE in minutes so 3 hours
and 15 minutes would be typed as 195 minutes.
OFF LIFE: is the number of days the computer will stay charged with the
power turned off and the charger not attached. This is more difficult to
estimate and can more easily be found in your laptop computer's manual.
Consider the following example: Your computer operates for 240 minutes
on a full charge (the BATTERY LIFE is 240 minutes) but your computer only
stays charged for 14 days if it is unplugged and not used (so the OFF
LIFE is 14 days). Assume that GASGAUGE was reset to 0 the last time the
battery was charged and the charger was disconnected. After 7 days of not
being used GASGAUGE knows that 50% of the battery life was consumed (50%
= 7/14 days) while the computer was not used. The elapsed time will be
increased by 50% and the GASGAUGE will show 120 elapsed minutes (120
minutes = 50% x 240 minutes from a full charge) when the computer is
turned on. The DATE and TIME must be correct on your computer for the
OFF LIFE to work correctly.
If you do not type an OFF LIFE parameter in the command line then the OFF
LIFE calcuation will not be performed. The OFF LIFE is not available in
the Shareware version.
RESETTING THE GASGAUGE:
After a complete battery charge you must manually reset the GASGAUGE. To
reset the GASGAUGE you must first hold the [ALT] key and press the [LEFT
SHIFT] key to pop up the GASGAUGE then hold the [CTRL] key and press "R".
When you are asked for the elapsed time press "0" and then press the
[ENTER] key.
ABOUT THE ALARM:
If the ALARM is on, the user will be warned audibly when the battery life
is dangerously low. The alarm can be heard regardless of what you are
doing with the computer and will sound without having to "pop-up" the GAS
GAUGE. To toggle on and off the ALARM you must first "pop-up" the
GASGAUGE and then hold [CTRL] and press the "A" key.
REMOVING GASGAUGE:
As with all TSR memory resident programs you must be careful when removing
GASGAUGE from the memory. The safest method to disable GASGAUGE is to
restart (reboot) your computer. However, the following method has also
been provided to remove GASGAUGE without rebooting: You must first hold
the [ALT] key and press the [LEFT SHIFT] key to pop up the GASGAUGE then
hold the [CTRL] key and press "Q" to quit.
Before using this option you must be sure that you are at a DOS prompt
below the GASGAUGE window and GASGAUGE must have been the last memory
resident program loaded.
DEEP DISCHARGE ROUTINE:
Complete discharge of rechargeable batteries is recommended by some
manufacturers of NI-CAD batteries as a method of exercising the battery
for maximum charge time. Batteries which are not fully discharged before
being recharged can develop 'recharge memory' resulting in a shorter
'charge life'.
The GASGAUGE discharge routine depletes your battery more quickly by
running all power consuming devices continuously until the battery is
discharged. To start the Discharge Routine type "GG/D"
To avoid premature wear on your disk drives you should only use this
routine when you would like to discharge your batteries as quickly as
possible. Although the Deep Discharge routine has been tested on a
variety of computers you should contact your computer manufacturer if you
have any questions about continuous disk drive operation.
Before starting the deep discharge routine all external disk drives should
be off or disconnected and diskettes should be removed from the drives.
The GASGAUGE elapsed time file will not be updated so remember to reset
the elapsed time after completing the new charge cycle.
The routine may be stopped at any time by holding the [CTRL] key and
pressing the "D" key at the same time. There may be up to a 15 second
delay before the disk drives stop turning.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
LAPTOP GASGAUGE REGISTRATION FORM:
Please make your $20 donation payable to Charles Eglinton
MAIL TO: Charles Eglinton
c/o Electronic Technologies
3985 S. Rochester Road, Suite H.
Rochester, MI 48063
NAME:____________________________________________________
ADDRESS:____________________________________________________
CITY:____________________________________________________
STATE:________________________ ZIP CODE:_________________
PHONE:________________________
REGISTERED USERS WILL GET PRINTED INSTRUCTIONS AND UNRESTRICTED
COPIES OF THE PROGRAM WITH ALL OF THE FEATURES DESCRIBED ABOVE.
PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS SO THAT WE MAY SERVE YOU BETTER
IN THE FUTURE:
WHAT IS THE NAME AND
NUMBER OF THE BBS WHERE
YOU FOUND THIS PROGRAM?____________________________________________
WHAT KIND OF COMPUTER DO YOU USE?__________________________________
WHAT KIND OF MODEM DO YOU USE?_____________________________________
WHAT IS YOUR OCCUPATION?___________________________________________
HOW DO YOU INTEND TO USE THIS PROGRAM?_____________________________
___________________________________________________________________
DO YOU FEEL THE DONATION IS TOO HIGH, JUST RIGHT or TOO LOW?_______