The battery is one of the important components in a laptop. Each battery has a lifespan that depends on the number of charge cycles (cycle count). The more charge cycles, the less capacity the battery has to store power. Therefore, knowing the battery cycle count is very important to understand battery health and determine when to replace it.

For Kali Linux users, checking the battery cycle count is not as easy as in Windows or macOS which have a graphical interface to display this information. However, with a few simple terminal commands, you can easily find out the battery cycle count in Kali Linux.

This article will discuss the complete steps to find out the laptop battery cycle count in Kali Linux in detail and in depth.

What is Cycle Count?

Cycle count or the number of charging cycles is the complete number of times the battery is charged from 0% to 100% and then discharged again. However, cycle count is not always calculated based on one full charge. For example, if you charge the battery from 50% to 100% twice, it counts as one cycle count.

Each battery has a certain cycle count limit before it starts to lose its storage capacity significantly. Typically, laptop batteries have a cycle count limit of around 300 to 1000 before their efficiency decreases drastically.

Why is Knowing the Battery Cycle Count Important?

Knowing the battery cycle count has several benefits, including:

• Knowing Battery Health - If the cycle count is approaching the maximum limit specified by the manufacturer, it may be time to replace the battery.
• Avoiding Laptop Damage - Batteries that have passed the cycle count limit can experience a significant decrease in performance and even risk leaking or bulging.
• Maximizing Battery Usage - By understanding the cycle count, you can manage how to charge to extend the life of the battery.

How to Find the Battery Cycle Count in Kali Linux

In Kali Linux, you can use various methods to check the battery cycle count. Here are some methods that can be used:

1. Using the upower Command

Upower is a built-in tool in Linux that can be used to get information about power devices, including batteries.

Steps:

1. Open Terminal – Press Ctrl + Alt + T to open a terminal.
2. Run the Following Command:

upower -i /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0

3. Find Cycle Count Information – After running the above command, you will see an output containing various information about the battery, including the cycle count. Look for the line containing cycle-count.

2. Using the cat Command

The cat command can be used to read system files that store battery information.

Steps:

1. Run the Following Command in Terminal:

cat /sys/class/power_supply/BAT0/cycle_count

2. View the Result – If your battery supports this feature, you will see a number indicating the number of charge cycles that have occurred.

3. Using acpi

ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) is another tool that can be used to get information about the battery.

Steps:

1. Install ACPI (If Not Already Installed)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install acpi -y

2. Run the Following Command:

acpi -V

3. Analyze Output – This command will display various information related to the battery, including the charge status and remaining capacity.

4. Using tlp

TLP is a power management tool that can also provide detailed information about the battery, including cycle count.

Steps:

1. Install TLP (If Not Already Installed)

sudo apt install tlp tlp-rdw -y

2. Run the Following Command:

sudo tlp-stat -b

3. Find the Cycle Count Section – The output will contain various information about the battery, including the cycle count.

Tips for Extending Laptop Battery Life in Kali Linux

In addition to knowing the cycle count, here are some tips for extending the life of your laptop battery:

1. Use Power Saving Mode

Use the following command to enable power saving mode in Kali Linux:

sudo tlp start

2. Reduce Screen Brightness

Use the following command to reduce screen brightness:

echo 50 | sudo tee /sys/class/backlight/intel_backlight/brightness

Replace 50 with a lower value to save more power.

3. Turn off WiFi and Bluetooth When Not in Use

Use the following commands to disable WiFi and Bluetooth:

nmcli radio wifi off
rfkill block bluetooth

4. Avoid Overcharging

Do not leave the battery connected to the charger when it has reached 100%, as this can accelerate battery degradation.

5. Use Commands to Manage CPU

Reduce CPU power consumption with the following command:

sudo cpufreq-set -g powersave

Conclusion

Knowing the battery cycle count in Kali Linux is very important to maintain the health and performance of your laptop battery. With a few simple terminal commands like upower, cat, acpi, and tlp, you can easily get this information. Also, following these tips to extend battery life will help maintain battery life in the long run.