A system for effectively managing operating power for an electronic device, comprising: a battery pack coupled to said electronic device for supplying said operating power to said electronic device; and a battery controller configured to alternately manage said battery pack in one of a single-cell implementation and a dual-cell implementation, said battery controller including a charge pump (342, 614) to provide an internal controller power supply for operating said battery controller in said single-cell implementation, wherein said battery pack is implemented in said single-cell implementation, said battery controller coordinating a startup procedure for said battery pack during which a battery charger is connected to said battery pack in a discharged state, said battery controller responsively closing a charge switch that is coupled between said battery charger and a battery cell of said battery pack, and said charge switch passes a charger voltage from said battery charger to a charger input of said charge pump, said charge pump responsively generating a charge pump output voltage at a pre-determined voltage level to a charger regulator that filters said charge pump output voltage, said charger regulator then generating said internal controller power supply so that a CPU of said battery controller may begin executing battery controller instructions to control operations of said battery pack a battery pack coupled to said electronic device for supplying said operating power to said electronic device; and operating power to said electronic device; and a battery controller configured to alternately manage said battery pack in one of a single-cell implementation and a dual-cell implementation, said battery controller including a charge pump (342, 614) to provide an internal controller power supply for operating said battery controller in said single-cell implementation, wherein said battery pack is implemented in said single-cell implementation, said battery controller coordinating a startup procedure for said battery pack during which a battery charger is connected to said battery pack in a discharged state, said battery controller responsively closing a charge switch that is coupled between said battery charger and a battery cell of said battery pack, and said charge switch passes a charger voltage from said battery charger to a charger input of said charge pump, said charge pump responsively generating a charge pump output voltage at a pre-determined voltage level to a charger regulator that filters said charge pump output voltage, said charger regulator then generating said internal controller power supply so that a CPU of said battery controller may begin executing battery controller instructions to control operations of said battery pack in one of a single-cell implementation and a dual-cell implementation, said battery controller including a charge pump (342, 614) to provide an internal controller power supply for operating said battery controller in said single-cell implementation, wherein said battery pack is implemented in said single-cell implementation, said battery controller coordinating a startup procedure for said battery pack during which a battery charger is connected to said battery pack in a discharged state, said battery controller responsively closing a charge switch that is coupled between said battery charger and a battery cell of said battery pack, and said charge switch passes a charger voltage from said battery charger to a charger input of said charge pump, said charge pump responsively generating a charge pump output voltage at a pre-determined voltage level to a charger regulator that filters said charge pump output voltage, said charger regulator then generating said internal controller power supply so that a CPU of said battery controller may begin executing battery controller instructions to control operations of said battery pack