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Linux Duracell CPU Load Monitor

Posted by timothy on from the void-your-warranty dept.

Nixon8Pie writes "Know those little self-testing batteries? How would you like to monitor your computers load with them? Well, now ya can. 'These throwaway testers are quite clever: they use a layer of conductive ink that heats up when an electrical current runs through it, in combination with a layer of thermally-activated dye that turns transparent when heated up, revealing a third layer of colored ink underneath. Because the layers are printed with varying thickness from "0%" to "100%", parts of them become yellow before others, creating a bargraph effect that varies with the current applied, the battery's body itself sinking the heat produced by the conductive ink.' Pretty cool stuff."

3 of 327 comments (clear)

  1. recycle garbage into crap, impress geeks by frovingslosh · · Score: -1, Flamebait
    Oh come on! This guy builds a "monitor" that looks like a hunk of crap and that needs special software running in the computer, and some geeks think it's cool because he came up with an unintended use for a cheap inaccurate indicator?

    First of all, if you're going to run special monitoring software, which this thing needs, then you don't really need a kluge of external components mounted on a breadboard. You can display the results on the screen where they belong, and with far greater accuracy than this kluge does. And if you do want an external display for some strange reason, there would be ways to do it more accurately with an inexpensive analog or digital meter display rather than this hack. It's not like the Duracel indicator is the only hardware he uses, he is already spending a few bucks for other parts (and even includes an external power supply!) At that point it makes more sense to do it with an inexpensive and reliable component than this hack.

    I would have been much more impressed if he had just cut the heat sensitive indicator off the battery and super glued it to a spot on a notebook case that got hot as CPU useage went up.

    --
    I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
  2. Slow news day, huh? by Flavio · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    It's revolting that something as pointless and ghetto as this made it to the front page.

  3. how stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    totally fuckin' useless....which seems to be a running theme on /.

    "Slashdot, the home of everything totally fuckin' useless, but because it's geek, we make it cool"

    FU all bitches