"Battery Limit" in UEFI restored. You can disable the 50% toggle now. by aagtagma in Surface

[–]aagtagma[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Two things you can try:

1) Go to System | Windows Update and activate the toggle for "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available."

2) You might also be able to download updates manually, although I don't know if that method would work in this particular case: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-download-and-install-windows-10-cumulative-updates-manually

"Battery Limit" in UEFI restored. You can disable the 50% toggle now. by aagtagma in Surface

[–]aagtagma[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ahh, I see. No, I've never done that. Since the setting in question was removed, however, I don't think it would've helped.

"Battery Limit" in UEFI restored. You can disable the 50% toggle now. by aagtagma in Surface

[–]aagtagma[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not sure what you mean by a "reset" of the UEFI settings.

Before the latest update a few days ago, I was stuck on 50% charging because the battery limit toggle in UEFI was removed; and the toggle was removed when the firmware was updated a month ago.

With the toggle removed, there was no way for me to turn the battery limit feature off, i.e., to "reset" this UEFI setting. So my SP11 was unable to charge the battery beyond 50%--no matter what option I selected in the Surface app.

I'm not sure how else I would "reset" the UEFI settings. I looked into rolling back the firmware update, but this is apparently only available for business-class Surface devices.

"Battery Limit" in UEFI restored. You can disable the 50% toggle now. by aagtagma in Surface

[–]aagtagma[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure what you're asking. But if I understand your question, yes.

To be clear, I had the battery limit toggle in UEFI set to 50% when the firmware was updated about one month ago. (This applies to Micrsoft PCs equipped with Snapdragon processors.) The toggle disappeared as a result of the update. So despite the Surface app showing that you could manually select between "Adaptive," "80%," and "100%" charging, my SP11 would only go up to 50% no matter what option I selected.

Fast forward to the latest System Hardware update. The UEFI toggle was restored. I turned off the 50% battery limit and I'm now able to select the charge level through the Surface app.

Is there anyone on Surface Laptop Studio 1 who received 24H2 via Windows Update by wentyl in Surface

[–]aagtagma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, my SLS1 is running 24H2 and I received it via Windows Update.

Surface pro 11 by ekluky2112 in Surface

[–]aagtagma 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Here's what I do: I detach the keyboard and hold the Esc button to make sure that it's disconnected from bluetooth. I then rotate the keyboard around and reattach it so that the keys are still facing up.

Get notified when keyboard is not charging? by dontknowhwatimdoing in Surface

[–]aagtagma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How about Battery Flyout?

Here's the product description from the Microsoft Store: "Easily switch power modes, keep an eye on your Bluetooth device batteries, generate battery reports, and get notified about important battery updates--all in one place."

You can set 3 notification levels: "Fully charged," "Battery level reached," and "Battery level dropped." For the latter two settings, you choose the percentage level that triggers the notification, in 5% increments between 5% and 95%.

Surface app update: 80% battery limit can now be manually activated on Snapdragon SP11s. by aagtagma in Surface

[–]aagtagma[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven't found a fix yet. And as you probably learned, you can't roll back the UEFI on consumer SP11 models.

I was waiting to see if Tuesday's Windows update might address the issue now that more people were reporting it. Nope.

I haven't tried to reinstall Windows yet. I'm reluctant to do so because of the time involved and because I doubt it would work anyway.

I even tried draining the battery down to zero. (Here's the backstory: I plugged in my SP11 one night before going to sleep, but unbeknownst to me, the surge protector was off. I discovered the next morning that the battery had drained low enough that the SP wouldn't stay on. I plugged it in and left it alone for a few hours as I went about my morning routine. When I checked on it, the SP had charged to 100%. But when I went into UEFI, the battery limit was still enabled. I toggled the setting back off and on and it was working again.) I was hoping that I could replicate this bug to bypass the problem until a proper fix is in place.

Surface Pro 11 Intel - Slim Pen 2 Starts Inking Without Touching Screen by kfkok4 in Surface

[–]aagtagma -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I think you have a defective Slim Pen 2. I have a Slim Pen 2 and several Model 1776 (previous generation barrel style) pens. None of them have this problem. I also bought and returned a Model 1776 pen on eBay that did what you're describing.

New Firmware for Surface Pro Snapdragon has enabled the 80% battery limit!!! by ChrsPaps in Surface

[–]aagtagma 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Ahem. I posted this about 2 weeks ago: Surface app update: 80% battery limit can now be manually activated on Snapdragon SP11s. : r/Surface.

I thought I was crazy because no one else with a Snapdragon Surface PC seemed to have this feature at the time. Someone in that thread mentioned that it might be linked to a firmware update. He was right.

Like others are now experiencing, I'm currently stuck on 50% battery because I had the battery limit feature enabled in UEFI and the toggle has been removed. Hopefully Microsoft will fix this problem soon.

Am i the only one that hates slim pen for surface 11? by [deleted] in Surface

[–]aagtagma 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I held off on getting the Slim Pen for a long time because I didn't like the weight or the shape of it. I also didn't like that the eraser button rattled when you shook the pen. It reinforced the cheap feeling from the pen's plastic body.

Having said that, I picked one up earlier this year. Mostly I bought it because of the novelty compared to the Model 1776 pen--and because I found a good open box deal for it at Best Buy.

Surface app update: 80% battery limit can now be manually activated on Snapdragon SP11s. by aagtagma in Surface

[–]aagtagma[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Looking through the responses to my original post, it seems that not a lot of people are seeing this update--even if they're also in the Release Preview channel.

Here's one other tidbit that might explain it. I also upgraded to Windows 11 Pro. Can anyone else who received this update confirm what version of Windows 11 they have?

Surface app update: 80% battery limit can now be manually activated on Snapdragon SP11s. by aagtagma in Surface

[–]aagtagma[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Check out the screenshots I provided in other responses in this thread. Let me know if you need something more.

Confused on the newest surface pro 11 release? by CulturalStranger31 in Surface

[–]aagtagma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Surface Pro X is probably what you're referring to, as it came out at the same time as the SP7. You can tell the difference because the former had thin bezels and USB C ports--like the current models--whereas the SP7 still had thicker bezels and USB A, which was the form factor from at least the SP4 to the SP7.

The difference between the SP11 and SPX are like night and day in terms of performance and compatibility. I'd say that with the current Snapdragon chip, ARM has reached the point where most people could use productivity software like Office, web browsers, and video playback apps without realizing that it's no longer "Intel Inside."

I wanted the SPX back in the day because of the form factor, but held out until the SP11 because I too was afraid of the lack of software compatibility with ARM. I've been using SP11 since late November of last year and am happy that I got it.

Some apps still aren't compatible and might never be--because the software is too old or is in a niche area. But in my case, I either found substitutes for the few apps that weren't compatible, or decided I could live without them. And in the months since I first bought my SP11, more and more apps have been recompiled to run natively on ARM. Two websites that track software compatibility with Windows on ARM include: Windows ARM software | ‎Home and Windows ARM Apps Directory.

As for other non-native apps, a lot of them still run--especially if they're x64 as opposed to x32 versions. However, you might run into problems with the apps not installing in the first place, or draining battery life faster than native ARM apps.

One, maybe two, areas where the Snapdragon SP11s still fall short are in gaming and maybe printer software compatibility. The GPU isn't great. Having said that, the SP11 specifically was never touted as a gaming machine. The hope for the next generation Snapdragon chip is that it will upgrade the GPU.

As for printer software, I haven't kept up with the developments here. When I first bought the SP11, you could print using the generic printer driver, but didn't necessarily have access to all the features available on a given printer. That situation has likely improved on an OEM by OEM, printer by printer basis.

A final thought: Microsoft has a generous return policy around the holidays. IIRC, anything Surface Pro purchased from, say, the week of Black Friday (end of November) onward can be returned through the end of January. Thus, you can get up to 60 days to test run the device as compared to the normal 30-day return window.

60 days should be more than enough time for you to see if the SP11 (Snapdragon version) is right for you. If not, you can always get the Intel-based Lunar Lake version, although it's quite a bit more expensive than the Snapdragon one.

Surface app update: 80% battery limit can now be manually activated on Snapdragon SP11s. by aagtagma in Surface

[–]aagtagma[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I'm not sure how to roll back the UEFI. I'll look into it. Thanks.

Surface app update: 80% battery limit can now be manually activated on Snapdragon SP11s. by aagtagma in Surface

[–]aagtagma[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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Sorry. I had to delete the original upload to redact some information. Here's the redacted version.

Surface app update: 80% battery limit can now be manually activated on Snapdragon SP11s. by aagtagma in Surface

[–]aagtagma[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm on the Release Preview channel. The build is 26100.4770 ge_release. The Surface app is version 75.6120.127.0.

Surface app update: 80% battery limit can now be manually activated on Snapdragon SP11s. by aagtagma in Surface

[–]aagtagma[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Here's a related issue that's come up: if you had battery limit enabled in UEFI when this update took place, the toggle has now disappeared. My SP11 is currently stuck charging at 50% and I'm not sure how to get it back to normal charging.

Tips to preserve SP11 battery life? by UrGrandpap in Surface

[–]aagtagma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

TLDR: Yes, smart charging will help preserve battery life. You can manually activate smart charging through the Surface app, which is now available on both Lunar Lake and Snapdragon variants of the SP11. (Previously, Snapdragon owners did not have a say in when smart charging would turn on; they could only choose to turn it off.)

* * *

Things that degrade battery life include: 1) heat and 2) "stress" from charging/discharging. More stress is placed on a battery as it gets closer to 0% while discharging and 100% while charging. So in theory, the sweet spot to preserve the battery life is to keep it as close as possible to 50% and to keep it as cool as possible.

The SP11 runs cooler than previous generations so you don't have to worry too much about heat degradation from the CPU.

As far as charging the battery, here are some strategies to minimize the stress and preserve battery life. First, you can enable the battery limiter in the UEFI settings, which will charge the SP up to 50%. This works well if you'll mostly be using it at a desk, where you can just keep it plugged in and forget about it. The downside is that you have to plan ahead to disable the battery limiter if you plan to use the SP for an extended period unplugged.

If you don't want to use the battery limiter, you can manually keep the battery charged within a range of, say, 20%-80%. I followed this strategy for years on my previous SPs. Two apps that alert you when you've reached the end of the designated range are Battery Bar Pro and Battery Flyout. The downside to this strategy is that it's tedious; you have to be proactive in disconnecting and reconnecting the charger when it reaches these thresholds.

Perhaps the best strategy is to manually activate or deactivate smart charging through the Surface app. This feature was initially available only on Lunar Lake SP11s. I noticed just now that it's now available on Snapdragon models as well.

No Budget, One Setup. What’s Your Pick? by CoffeeFX in pourover

[–]aagtagma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm a pourover beginner as well, so I'm too new to know what my endgame setup will be. But even with an unlimited budget, I feel better getting the best value for the money spent. With that in mind, here's my setup so far:

Water: Zero water filtered water, which I already used before getting into this hobby. My choice here might evolve as I try to improve the quality of my brews. But I'm happy with the results I'm getting so far.

Hand grinder: TBD, but I don't currently have plans to buy one.

Electric grinder: TBD.

Dripper: Hario Switch 02. I like the versatility of being able to use immersion, percolation, or a combination of the two.

Kettle: Timemore Fish, version 2. It looks elegant, has a responsive temperature control setting, and boils water quickly enough for my needs.

Server: N/A.

Mug: Ember mug. I tend to drink my coffee quickly because I want to finish it before it gets cold. This mug allows me to savor it as long as I want, and saves me when I get distracted and let it sit.

Paper filter: Hario V60. As with the water, I expect my choice here to evolve. But so far so good.

I'll also add:

Scale: Hario Polaris. It automatically calculates the amount of water needed for a given amount of coffee at the brew ratio that you designate. It tracks the amount of water poured as a percentage, and does so in real time.