Smartphone without a battery (2022)

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

Here are the three most prevalent themes from the Hacker News discussion:

1. Practicality of Battery-Free Operation

Users are interested in the ability of devices, particularly smartphones, to continue functioning when the battery is disconnected or removed, relying solely on external power.

Supporting Quote: One user clarified the concept, stating, "I assume GP means that it’ll work with no battery connected if plugged in." This was immediately confirmed by the original poster: "Correct."

2. Extending the Lifespan of Older Hardware

There is a strong desire to keep functional but aging or niche devices operational, viewing end-of-life batteries as an arbitrary barrier to continued use.

Supporting Quote: A user lamented the current state of hardware obsolescence, noting, "I came here to be dismissive ('power is power, what's the big deal?'), but this is a legitimately useful guide on how to fake a battery." Another user added context for why this is necessary: "I have a box full of old unique phones that while I technically can get replacement batteries, the replacements have generally been awful and bloated very quickly."

3. Criticism of Planned Obsolescence via Batteries

Several commenters expressed frustration that modern, powerful devices are intentionally designed with non-trivial power management, effectively giving them an expiration date tied to the embedded battery's longevity.

Supporting Quote: A user summarized this sentiment forcefully: "It is criminal that supercomputers in our pockets have expiration dates." They elaborated, adding, "Built-in, hot pillow of a battery that is pain in the ass to remove and even then it can't work without it."

🚀 Project Ideas

Hardware-Agnostic System Diagnostic Snapshot Tool

Summary

A lightweight, cross-platform (especially useful for older/niche hardware like the Librem 5 mentioned) tool that captures the complete current state of a system's hardware and OS configuration into a standardized, shareable diagnostic bundle.
Value proposition: Rapid, consistent problem reporting for users struggling with obscure hardware or configuration issues without needing to execute complex diagnostic shell commands manually.

Details

Key	Value
Target Audience	Developers debugging hardware compatibility, privacy-focused hardware users (like Librem 5 owners), and advanced end-users seeking technical support.
Core Feature	One-click generation of a standardized JSON/YAML diagnostic file containing kernel versions, driver status, accessible hardware IDs, battery status (if applicable), and relevant log snippets.
Tech Stack	Rust/Go for fast, small native binaries; Qt/GTK or a simple TUI interface; extensive use of standard system interfaces (`sysfs`, `/proc`, etc.).
Difficulty	Medium

Notes

Why HN commenters would love it: It addresses the frustration of complex debugging environments. If a user can run the tool despite system issues (like the commenter who's happy their phone runs without a battery), they can immediately share a complete picture.
Potential for discussion or practical utility: Creating a standardized schema for hardware diagnostics is a common pain point in open-source hardware integration discussions.

Contextual Power Profile Manager (CPPM) For Mobile Devices

Summary

A software layer (potentially an Android/Linux customization layer) that intelligently manages CPU/GPU scaling, thermal throttling sensitivities, and component power draw based on granular context detection (e.g., active app, known environment via GPS/Wi-Fi, or screen state).
Value proposition: Offers fine-grained control over power profiles essential for devices where stability and longevity (like always-on devices or niche Linux phones) conflict with standard aggressive performance modes.

Details

Key	Value
Target Audience	Users of Linux-based mobile devices (Librem 5, PinePhone) or owners of older flagship phones seeking better thermal management or battery life customization.
Core Feature	Rule-based engine allowing users to define thresholds for thermal response or clock speeds correlated with specific application context. Users can define "Survival Mode" overrides.
Tech Stack	C/C++ background service for low-level system interaction, Python/Web frontend for configuration, utilizing Linux `cpufreq` governors and thermal zone controls.
Difficulty	High

Notes

Why HN commenters would love it: It directly speaks to maximizing utility from non-mainstream or longevity-focused hardware. The implied reference to battery independence ("run without a battery") highlights the importance of stable, user-controlled power management.
Potential for discussion or practical utility: This directly tackles the trade-off between performance (which often causes thermal issues) and longevity on power-constrained embedded systems.

Self-Contained/Battery-Free Hardware Viability Checker

Summary

A simple configuration file linter/validator specifically designed for embedded Linux systems (like the Librem 5 or custom SBCs) that verifies if the specified hardware/software stack is capable of operating reliably under a specific constraint (e.g., "zero external power input via USB-C only," or "suspend-to-RAM operational").
Value proposition: Prevent users from wasting time configuring non-viable hardware setups when essential components (like power management firmware or essential sensors) are improperly configured or missing in the intended image.

Details

Key	Value
Target Audience	Developers flashing custom OS images onto unconventional mobile/embedded hardware.
Core Feature	Reads a hardware manifest file and cross-references it against known hardware quirks and kernel module availability, outputting a pass/fail diagnostic on operational assumptions (e.g., "Display driver detected: OK," "Battery charging protocol initialized: FAIL").
Tech Stack	Python (Pydantic for schema validation), YAML/TOML for the hardware manifest input, leveraging existing kernel-level diagnostic calls.
Difficulty	Medium

Notes

Why HN commenters would love it: It directly addresses the pain of flashing a device and realizing a core function (like power state management) simply doesn't work due to obscure dependencies.
Potential for discussion or practical utility: This tool centralizes community knowledge about which features require specific firmware blobs or kernel patches for niche hardware.