APM settings for Dell i8k

[obitori]

I have apmd running on a Dell i8k. The battery is always showing a charge of -1% when I pull out the plug. This seems to be causing KDE to immediately go into sleep mode (ram suspend). Although it will return if I press the on button, this is annoying. Any guidance on proper APMD settings would be appreciated--especially for the kernel. APM vs. APIC is a little confusing so I went with the former and not the latter.
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Bud
Falls Church, VA