battery charging app?

[adrianvfx]

I have a samsung galaxy tablet mounted in my car behind the dash, so I have no way of turning it off. And this causes the battery to drain overnight.

Is there anyway to have the tablet go into a "sleep" mode when the car is not on?

The charger only turns on when my car turns on. So I'm looking for an app that will take the tablet out of a "sleep" mode once it sees that its charging, and then put it back in sleep mode when it stops charging.(even turn the screen off would be great)

 

[chrlswltrs]

Best solution I can think of is using Tasker to enable airplane mode when it isn't charging. At least that would maximize battery life.

Just out of curiosity, what do you use it for since you can't access it?

 

[euph_22]

Best solution I can think of is using Tasker to enable airplane mode when it isn't charging. At least that would maximize battery life.

Just out of curiosity, what do you use it for since you can't access it?

He might mean it's mounted INSIDE the dash. So the screen is visible, but the controls are obscured.

 

[jefboyardee]

Can’t you just go to Settings and tell the screen to timeout after a minute and tell it not to when charging?

 

[hawkeye680]

Can you post a pic? Just want to see the install.

 

[adrianvfx]

Thats the interior. And that hole is going to be filled up soon. So I wont be able to press the power button. And its to cumbersom to have to go into settings etc. Hence why i'm looking for a solution that will go into a "sleep" type mode when the car is turned off. (because thats when the charging of the tablet will stop)
Also timeout settings activates while its charging as well. So I end up having it timeout while its charging and being used.

This is the outside of the car that i'm doing it in.

 

[dvhttn]

Have you got an 'always live' on your radio you could wire the charger to? That way you'd just have to worry about the car battery discharging ...

Dave

 

[adrianvfx]

Have you got an 'always live' on your radio you could wire the charger to? That way you'd just have to worry about the car battery discharging ...

Dave

I do. But I want to avoid that, haha! Last thing I want is a dead battery....

 

[Unforgiven]

If you set the screen timeout you should be able to go into settings |developer options and set stay awake when charging. This should keep the screen on when charging (car on) but let it turn off when not charging.

BTW, is the charger keeping up with it when it is charging? I know with my GNex with the screen on, my 1amp car charger barely charges. With the screen off, I can get 20% charge in a 15 minute drive.

 

[carracerz14]

I'm sure something like this wouldn't drain your whole battery over night

 

[chrlswltrs]

That is a pretty awesome setup!

Tasker can also adjust screen timeout settings when it is charging/not charging.

 

[adrianvfx]

That is a pretty awesome setup!

Tasker can also adjust screen timeout settings when it is charging/not charging.

Thanks! I will try it out tonight and report back if it works the way I intend

 

[chrlswltrs]

Thanks! I will try it out tonight and report back if it works the way I intend

If you need any help setting up the profiles let me know. I usually respond to PMs pretty quickly if I'm not online (Tapatalk PM notifications)

 

[Stupifier]

Ya, I would definitely recommend Tasker. Specifically, Tasker is capable of detecting when your device has stopped charging (ie Car off). When that condition is met, you could run customized tasks. For your personal situation, I imagine these tasks would range from any of the following (all of which Tasker can do):

1. Turn on Airplane Mode
2. Turn off WiFi and/or Mobile Data
3. Turn off Bluetooth
4. Lower Screen Timeout setting
5. Turn off Screen
6. Change setCPU settings...basically underclock your Tab so that it runs in a very low low priority "hibernate" state

Option 5 likely requires you to root your Tab. Option 6 CERTAINLY requires you to root your Tab. Of all those choices, option 6 is the one that will give you massive battery life benefits. You could literally control the voltage your Tab uses.

All of those settings are completely reversible as well. Meaning, once your Tab is capable of Charging again (ie Car on), you could have Tasker put any of these settings back to normal.

Unfortunately, I don't own a Tab and do not know what the current state of development is regarding rooting and over-/under-clocking these devices is. I'm purely speaking from the standpoint as if your device is the average smartphone. SetCPU may not even support Tabs....there may be another app that does it for Tabs....or you may not even be able to Root (or whatever the equivalent is) your Tab. These are things I would recommend you research though.

BTW, very cool setup you have there. I'm jealous.

 

[chrlswltrs]

Ya, I would definitely recommend Tasker. Specifically, Tasker is capable of detecting when your device has stopped charging (ie Car off). When that condition is met, you could run customized tasks. For your personal situation, I imagine these tasks would range from any of the following (all of which Tasker can do):

1. Turn on Airplane Mode
2. Turn off WiFi and/or Mobile Data
3. Turn off Bluetooth
4. Lower Screen Timeout setting
5. Turn off Screen
6. Change setCPU settings...basically underclock your Tab so that it runs in a very low low priority "hibernate" state

Option 5 likely requires you to root your Tab. Option 6 CERTAINLY requires you to root your Tab. Of all those choices, option 6 is the one that will give you massive battery life benefits. You could literally control the voltage your Tab uses.

All of those settings are completely reversible as well. Meaning, once your Tab is capable of Charging again (ie Car on), you could have Tasker put any of these settings back to normal.

Unfortunately, I don't own a Tab and do not know what the current state of development is regarding rooting and over-/under-clocking these devices is. I'm purely speaking from the standpoint as if your device is the average smartphone. SetCPU may not even support Tabs....there may be another app that does it for Tabs....or you may not even be able to Root (or whatever the equivalent is) your Tab. These are things I would recommend you research though.

BTW, very cool setup you have there. I'm jealous.

Actually, I am 99% sure that Tasker can not turn the screen off even on a rooted phone

 

[sohguanh]

Tasker is an Android app just like any other app. It's internal working is based on Android SDK. So for stuff that SDK did not provide, it cannot provide too. If it claim it can provide, most likely it uses non-documented API which may not work when newer Android SDK releases come up.

Always remember Android app always code against Android SDK. If users have spare time, you can take a look it is there on the Internet at Package Index | Android Developers

 

[adrianvfx]

Well tested it. WORKS great! And timeout function basically turns the screen off
What I did was setup 3 profiles.
I plan on adding WIFI,GPS,notifications etc. turn on/off functionality later to my profile.

1st Profile. I called it StayON This keeps everything running when it notices a charge.
-This profile I went to Power>Powersource>All and created a task.
-Inside that task went to Display>Timeout>23 Hours
-As well Display>BrightnessLevel>255
-Then saved it.

2nd Profile. I called it StayOFF This will turn the display off and brightness once it detects no Power source.
-This profile I went to Power>Powersource>All>INVERT and created a task.
-Inside that task went to Display>Timeout>10second
-As well Display>BrightnessLevel>20
-Then saved it.

3rd Profile. I called it DIMBattery (This will dim the screen and enable a timeout when the battery is 50% or below.
-This profile I went to Power>Battery>From 0>To 50
-Inside that task went to Display>Timeout>10seconds
-As well Display>BrightnessLevel>100
-Then saved it.

Thanks again chrlswltrs for the recommendation of this app!

 

[Unforgiven]

Glad your all set. I should have mentioned this earlier in the thread, but your set up in the car looks cool.

 

[adrianvfx]

Glad your all set. I should have mentioned this earlier in the thread, but your set up in the car looks cool.

Thanks! I plan on writing up a full DIY on the370z.com forum for getting a tablet inside the 370z and all the add ons I plan on doing. I'll make sure to reference this thread

Hopefully this helps anyone else looking for a similar solution!

 

[chrlswltrs]

Glad you got everything working.

It really is amazing the power Tasker has to automate things on your phone once you start playing around with it.

 

[Stupifier]

Actually, I am 99% sure that Tasker can not turn the screen off even on a rooted phone

You're dead wrong then. You don't even have to rooted to do this piece of magic. Many things Tasker does require external help by another application. In this case Screen Off Utils is the name of the application and it offers an Action Intent.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=hk.suiaing.android.lock.screenlock&hl=en

Read the details of the app. Use Action Intent in Tasker with Target set to Activity. Poof! Screen Off through Tasker. I use this often.

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So adrianvfx, you actually don't have to use the reacharound "timeout screen" method to turn off your screen.

Also, again, I would highly suggest looking into Rooting and underclocking your Tablet if you are truly THAT concerned about conserving your battery life overnight. Considering you will essentially ONLY be charging your Tablet while driving (Car on), I can foresee your Tablet running out of juice. Furthermore, the only time you'll be charging your Tablet is when you are also using your Tablet the most...this will deeply minimize how quickly you gain charge.

Another way to think about your situation is this. You only pour water into your glass while your drinking it at the same time. If you drink faster then you pour....You'll soon be empty. So the important question, can your Tablet charge faster then your use drains it?

Many people have this exact same problem....except its with phones and in-car navigation. I've heard it from many. The battery usage involved in Navigation exceeds the battery charging capabilities of the phone charger.

 

[chrlswltrs]

I know of a way that it can. Many things Tasker does require external help by another application. In this case Screen Off Utils is the name of the application and it offers an Action Intent.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=hk.suiaing.android.lock.screenlock&hl=en

Read the details of the app. Use Action Intent in Tasker with Target set to Activity. Poof! Screen Off through Tasker. I use this often.

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Thanks, didnt know about that app. Unfortunately, it isn't too effective since it won't work on android 4.0.4