If you use linux and dont want to use something like gnome, or kde, I personally
use awesome, the tiling window manager, you should have some way to know
when your laptop battery is about to drain.
What I did is a small python script, runnig with cron. I took me, about less than an hour to build
the script, and I think it could be helpful to you.
These are the ingredients you need:
1 - python
2 - acpi
2 - mplayer or any other command line media player
3 - cron
4 - linux
The small python script is as follows:
import subprocess
from subprocess import call
plug_now_audio = "~/tts.wav"
p = subprocess.Popen("acpi",stdout=subprocess.PIPE)
str = p.communicate()[0]
remaining_minutes = str.split(":")[2]
alarm_minutes_before = 10
if ((str.find("Discharging")!=-1) and (int(remaining_minutes) < alarm_minutes_before)) :
print "Plug the cord!"
call(["mplayer",plug_now_audio])
else:
print "You still have time"
Now follow these steps:
- Copy this script to your /usr/bin directory for example.
- Now go to your crontab file and add the following line:
9 * * * * root python /usr/bin/battery.py
This means the battery.py script will run every 9 minutes to check the battery status
- Restart the cron service:
(Check the cron you have installed with your distro, I have gentoo and I did it by typing: sudo /etc/init.d/vixie-cron restart )
- Get a sound or in my case liked the idea of an automated voice like this:
Verify the path to the sound is correct in the script
- Verify you have all the requeriments installed, if so do it by:
sudo apt-get install acpi
sudo apt-get install mplayer
Cron comes by default with most distros
- That's it, enjoy going everywhere without the cord, and when the battery is almost drain, go and plug it.
