Battery Reminder

A lightweight Python script to monitor laptop battery levels and send desktop notifications to maintain battery health by keeping the charge between 40% and 80%. Designed for Windows 11, tested on an MSI Modern 15 B7M.

Features

• Monitors battery level every minute using the psutil library.
• Sends notifications:
  • Every 5 minutes when the battery is ≤40% and unplugged, prompting to plug in the charger.
  • Once when the battery is ≥80% and plugged in, prompting to unplug the charger.
• Stops gracefully with the Esc key, using the keyboard library.
• Runs in the background with minimal CPU/memory usage.
• Displays startup and shutdown notifications for user feedback.
• Handles errors (e.g., inaccessible battery data) with informative notifications.

Prerequisites

• Operating System: Windows 11 (other Windows versions may work but are untested).
• Python: Version 3.8 or higher.
• Python Libraries:
  • psutil: For battery monitoring.
  • plyer: For cross-platform desktop notifications.
  • keyboard: For detecting the Esc key to stop the script.

Installation

1. Install Python:

   • Download and install Python 3.8+ from python.org.
   • Ensure Python is added to your PATH during installation.

2. Install Required Libraries: Open a Command Prompt and run:

   pip install psutil plyer keyboard

3. Download the Script:

   • Clone or download this repository to your local machine.
   • Save BatteryReminder.py to a desired location (e.g., <path_to_script>/BatteryReminder.py).

Usage

1. Run the Script:

   • Open a Command Prompt and navigate to the script’s directory:

     cd <path_to_script>

   • Run the script:

     <path_to_python>/python.exe BatteryReminder.py

     Replace <path_to_python> with the path to your Python executable (e.g., C:\Python39).
   • Alternatively, create a shortcut (see below) for easier access.

2. Stop the Script:

   • Press the Esc key to stop the script. A “Battery Reminder Stopped” notification will appear.
   • If running in a terminal, you can also press Ctrl + C or close the terminal window.

3. Silent Execution (Optional):

   • Rename BatteryReminder.py to BatteryReminder.pyw.
   • Run with pythonw.exe to avoid a terminal window:

     <path_to_python>/pythonw.exe <path_to_script>/BatteryReminder.pyw

   • Stop with the Esc key or end the pythonw.exe process in Task Manager.

4. Create a Shortcut (Optional):

   • Right-click BatteryReminder.py, select Create shortcut.
   • Edit the shortcut’s Properties:
     • Target: <path_to_python>/python.exe "<path_to_script>/BatteryReminder.py"
     • Start in: <path_to_script>
     • Set Run to Minimized (optional).
   • For silent execution, use BatteryReminder.pyw and pythonw.exe in the Target.
   • Double-click the shortcut to run.

5. Run on Startup (Optional):

   • Copy the shortcut to the Startup folder:
     • Press Win + R, type shell:startup, and press Enter.
     • Move the shortcut to this folder (e.g., C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup).
   • The script will start automatically on login.

How It Works

• Battery Monitoring: Uses psutil.sensors_battery() to check battery percentage and charging status every 60 seconds.
• Notifications: Uses plyer.notification to display Windows desktop notifications:
  • Low Battery: When ≤40% and unplugged, notifies every 5 minutes.
  • High Battery: When ≥80% and plugged in, notifies once.
  • Errors: Notifies if battery data is unavailable or errors occur.
• Termination: Listens for the Esc key using keyboard.wait('esc') to stop the script cleanly via a threading.Event.
• Threading: Runs battery monitoring in a separate thread to allow simultaneous key listening.

Troubleshooting

• No Notifications:
  • Ensure notifications are enabled: Windows Settings > System > Notifications > Python.
  • Verify libraries: pip show psutil plyer keyboard.
• Esc Key Doesn’t Work:
  • Run the shortcut as administrator: Properties > Compatibility > Run as administrator.
  • Ensure keyboard is installed.
• Script Errors:
  • Run in a terminal to see errors:

    <path_to_python>/python.exe <path_to_script>/BatteryReminder.py

  • Check for battery driver issues if “Battery Reminder Error” notifications appear.
• Multiple Instances:
  • End python.exe or pythonw.exe processes in Task Manager if duplicate notifications occur.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please submit a pull request or open an issue on GitHub.

Author

• Jasmin Sultana Shimu (GitHub: [Shimu-I])