ACPI testing/debugging guide?

Is there some list of actions to preform and data to collect that would 
assist with getting the ACPI stuff lined out?

I've read the acpiconf man page but don't know that it gives me any way
to test for any specific functionality.  I've been gradually piecing
together the meaning of S1, S2, S3, S4, and S5 and figuring out that
the *_(button|switch)_state sysctl oids specify which state to go to on
activation of that button rather than being a descriptor of the current
state of the buttons.

I haven't figured out if the hw.acpi.thermal oids.  I think maybe ACPI
doesn't recognize the hardware.  Is a thermal oid value of 3692 actually
36.92 celcius or some scale from 0x0000 to 0xFFFF?

Is battery.time supposed to be -1 when on AC?

My resume from suspend doesn't work and I don't know how to tell where
that is going wrong.  I have no serial interface so I can't use a serial
console when the LCD doesn't come on.  I can live without suspend/resume
functionality.  You can't miss something you have never had. :-)

I would like to be able to tell the fan to stay on anytime it has AC
power since it is gradually cooking my lap.

How can I help others improve the ACPI support without investing hours
I don't have in learning enough reading the source to be useful finding
and reporting problems?

-- 
Scott Lambert                    KC5MLE                       Unix SysAdmin
lambert_at_lambertfam.org