Li-IQ Casual User Guide
This guide is specific to the Li-IQ Casual entry level laptop battery protection dongle.
For how to access Advanced Features such as Night Mode, Timeout Configurations, Factory Reset and Common Troubleshooting please scroll to the bottom of this page and select the appropriate dropdown. Please note, this dongle is primarily designed and optimized for use with laptops. Although the dongle may be used with other select USB-C based electronic devices, this guide will only provide setup instructions for use with laptops.
Step 1
Open your laptop and make sure it is on. Although not necessary - we recommend you do your first time setup with the laptop on, so you can make sure the Li-IQ Casual is charging correctly (operating as required).
Step 2
Connect your USB-C PD capable power supply to the Li-IQ Casual. We recommend using the power supply that came with your laptop. If you are using a compatible power supply the green indicator LED on the power input side of the dongle should turn on and stay solid.
Step 3
Connect the Li-IQ Casual to your laptop's USB-C charging port or to one of its USB-C ports (if no dedicated USB-C port exists) with a USB-C male to male cable. The laptop indicator LED, on the dongle, should go solid green, indicating a successful connection has been established. The Li-IQ Casual should also automatically start charging your laptop.
Step 4 (optional)
If your Li-IQ Casual does not automatically start charging on plug in, click the button on the dongle to start/restart the charge cycle.
Step 5
The dongle is now fully operational. If at any time you wish to restart charging (force restart) then simply click the button located on the unit. Please note that the Li-IQ Casual is supposed to turn off charging at pre-defined points to maximally protect your battery from wear and degradation, so do not be alarmed if the dongle either turns off or turns on charging by itself.
Step 6 (recommended)
Although your dongle is now fully operational and protecting your battery, we recommend that all first time users read the sections on Manual Charging Restart, View Timeout Settings and Night Mode – as they will provide insights into additional features of the Li-IQ Casual, which most users will find helpful and improve their user experience.
Manual Charging Restart
During regular operation of the dongle you may want to manually start charging of your laptop, or have the dongle recalibrate itself to your laptop’s unique charging profile. On the Li-IQ Casual this can be easily done via the button on the unit.
Restarting Charging
The dongle will automatically restart charging once the discharge timeout period has elapsed. Manually restarting charging causes the dongle to recalibrate itself to your laptop’s charge profile (also performed during initial connection).
Step 1
The dongle will automatically restart charging once the discharge timeout period has elapsed. Manually restarting charging causes the dongle to recalibrate itself to your laptop’s charge profile (also performed during initial connection).
View Timeout Settings
During regular operation of the dongle you may want to confirm the discharge timeout setting that the dongle is using.
View Timeout
Step 1
Click the button on the Li-IQ Casual two (2) times. The device will flash for each click to confirm that the button has been pressed, and after approximately one (1) second, the unit will flash a number of times to report its current timeout setting. The number of flashes corresponds to the timeout setting the dongle is currently set to.
| Flashes | Discharge Timeout Time |
|---|---|
| 1 | Night Mode (not discharge timeout) |
| 2 | 15 minutes |
| 3 | 30 minutes |
| 4 | 60 minutes (Factory Default) |
| 5 | 90 minutes |
| 6 | 120 minutes |
Night Mode
The Li-IQ Casual dongle is equipped with a Night Mode feature which keeps the dongle operating but all of its LED indicators turned off. This mode is designed primarily for use at night when the LED indicators may become a nuisance. If at any point you wish to check the status of the dongle while in Night Mode, click the button and the unit will turn on its LEDs and report its status (charging or discharging) for 5 seconds before turning LEDs off again.
Selecting Night Mode
In its default mode, the Li-IQ Casual has Night Mode turned off, in order to select or deselect Night Mode follow these steps.
Step 1
Apply power to the Li-IQ Casual using a compatible USB-C PD capable charger. Note the dongle does not need to be plugged into a laptop or similar electronic device to select or deselect Night Mode.
Step 2
With power plugged in, press and hold the central button for 3 seconds, until all of the LED’s on the dongle begin to flash. You are now in the “configuration menu/mode” of the dongle.
Step 3
While in the configuration menu click the center button one (1) time to select night mode. The unit’s LED’s will then flash to indicate the button press has been registered.
Step 4
Now hold down the button for three (3) seconds until you see the dongle’s LED’s flash again to save the configuration setting. Your unit should now be in Night Mode. Please note, that if you press the button more than one (1) time in the configuration menu you will be adjusting the discharge timeouts. For more information about this please see Advanced Features
Advanced Features
The Li-IQ Casual dongle is equipped with multiple discharge timeouts or options. These timeouts are designed to allow users to configure their dongles to better suit their laptops and battery requirements. By adjusting the timeout settings the user can increase or decrease the length of time the Li-IQ Casual allows the laptop battery to discharge. This setting is recommended for advanced users who want to better configure their unit to their needs. Common examples of this is when using a laptop with an older and already worn battery where a 60 minute (default) timeout may allow the laptop to discharge too much, or alternatively in scenarios where power hungry applications or laptops will be used and the timeout may allow the battery to drop too low.
Selecting Advanced Features
In its default mode, the Li-IQ Casual is set to a 60 minute discharge time.
Step 1
Apply power to the Li-IQ Casual using a compatible USB-C PD capable charger. Note the dongle does not need to be plugged into a laptop or similar electronic device to select or deselect Advanced Features Mode.
Step 2
With power plugged in, press and hold the central button for 3 seconds, until all of the LED’s on the dongle begin to flash. You are now in the “configuration menu/mode” of the dongle.
Step 3
While in the configuration menu click the center button between two (2) and six (6) times. The unit’s LED’s will then flash to indicate the button press has been registered each time you press it. Each button press increases the discharge timeout of the dongle an according amount. Please see the following table for corresponding button presses to discharge timeouts.
| Button Presses | Discharge Timeout Time |
|---|---|
| 1 | Night Mode (not discharge timeout) |
| 2 | 15 minutes |
| 3 | 30 minutes |
| 4 | 60 minutes (Factory Default) |
| 5 | 90 minutes |
| 6 | 120 minutes |
Step 4
Once you are happy with the appropriate discharge timeout hold down the button for three (3) seconds until you see the dongle’s LED’s flash again to save the configuration setting. Your unit should now be set to the desired discharge timeout. Please note, if you press the button more than six (6) times the setting will not be accepted and the previously selected timeout, or default if no manual timeout was selected previously, will be used/saved.
Factory Reset
If you are unsure about your settings or would like to revert the dongle back to its original, default configuration, use the factory reset. The factory reset will turn off Night Mode and set the discharge timeout to 60 minutes.
Selecting Factory Reset
Step 1
Before applying power to the Li-IQ Casual, using a USB-C PD charger, press and hold down the button.
Step 2
Apply power to the Li-IQ Casual by plugging in the charger into the charger port of the dongle. Keep holding down the button on the dongle.
Step 3
After applying power to the unit continue to hold the button down for five (5) seconds, until the dongle LED’s flash. The unit is no in its default settings and ready to protect your laptop battery.
Common Troubleshooting
Below are some common troubleshooting tips and more common LED patterns/behaviors that you may encounter while using the Li-IQ Casual.
If you are unable to find an answer related to what you are seeing, under this section or the FAQ page, please contact our sales team and we will be happy to help you.
The main LED light is slowly pulsing
This indicates that the Li-IQ Casual is actively charging your laptop.
The main LED light is blinking
This indicates that the Li-IQ Casual is currently in its standard discharge state, which allows your laptop battery to rest and cool down a bit. This is part of the normal operation of the dongle and part of the way we are able to protect your battery from wear and extend its operating life.
If you wish to go back to charging, simply click the button on the dongle and the unit will first flash the main LED once to indicate that it has registered your button press, and then begin to charge – visible by the slow pulsing of the main LED (heartbeat).
The power side LED is solid red and laptop LED is blinking red
If the dongle is plugged into the laptop via the power input side, then the unit will display this solid red LED on the power side and blinking red LED on the laptop side to indicate that a compatible laptop has been connected to the wrong port (backwards). Please note that the Li-IQ Casual is a unidirectional dongle, which can only be plugged in one way to the power supply and laptop. If this is the case, simply reverse the connections, if you are unsure about the correct setup, please refer to the specification sheet (page 2), located on the product page for a diagram indicating which port is which.
The power side LED is solid green but laptop LED is red
If your Li-IQ Casual is displaying a solid red LED on the power input side (power supply side), and the laptop output side is red, then the dongle either has a bad connection or is connected to a non USB-C PD capable laptop or device.
If you believe the connection is bad, simply try unplugging and re-plugging in your laptop to the dongle. Be sure to do this both sides of the USB-C cable connecting the laptop to the dongle, to check both sides of the connection. Also, please note that a USB-C male to male cable, under 9ft long must be used to connect the dongle to the laptop, not using a USB-C male to male cable can also result in the indicated state.
The alternative possibility is that the laptop or device connected is not capable of being charged via USB-C PD capable charger/setup. This is a capability which must be designed in by the laptop manufacturer and cannot be changed or upgraded after the fact.
The power side LED is solid red
If your Li-IQ Casual is displaying a solid red LED on the power input side (power supply side), then the unit is plugged into a non-compatible power supply or plugged.
The other potential cause is the use of a non-compatible power supply. This can occur if the power supply does not follow the USB-C PD specification, as is common with older or lower tier smartphones. A common indicator or a non USB-C PD capable power supply is it having a USB-A connector port, these power supplies are not compatible with the Li-IQ Casual.
Additionally, if the power supply being used is capable of a USB-C PD power contract, but is only able to provide a 5V PD contract (even at 3A), then the dongle will also display this red LED.
None of the LED’s are working
There are two (2) primary reasons why the LED’s on the dongle may not be functional.
The first is the dongle is not plugged into a functional power supply or the connection between the power supply and dongle has come loose. Make sure to check all connections between the power supply, dongle and outlet (if using a power bar make sure the power bar is connected and functioning). We recommend unplugging and re-plugging the dongle to double check that the connector is properly seated.
The second potential cause is a malfunctioning dongle. Though rare, the Li-IQ Casual may be suffering from damage to its connectors or internal hardware, or from a manufacturing defect. If the dongle was operational prior to this issue occurring and/or you have tested the connections and power supply, please contact our sales team and they will work with you to do additional tests or issue an RMA.