To all Sculpt-OS-on-the-PinePhone testers,
I have just published a new Sculpt OS image for the PinePhone that includes a screensaver mode to increase battery time. You can download the image with version 2023-06-30 at [1], or use Sculpt's built-in system update feature, selecting me (nfeske) as image provider, and download and install the latest entry of my index.
[1] https://depot.genode.org/nfeske/image/
The screensaver kicks in after ten seconds of user inactivity in the administrative user interface. It also can be manually activated by pressing the power button. While the screen is blanked, a press of the power button enables the display again.
Under the hood, Sculpt completely removes the drivers for the display and the touchscreen while the screen is blanked, which considerably reduces the power draw. The system also switches the CPU to economic mode while the screen is blanked. Here are some illustrative data points:
Max brightness in performance mode: 2.8 W Max brightness in economic mode: 2.6 W Low brightness in economic mode: 1.7 W Screensaver: 1.0 W
As a caveat, I noticed that the screen-flickering issue, we sporadically observed in the past, occurs quite often when returning from the screensaver (aka after restarting the drivers). The flickering disappears after a while. However, maybe this way of reproducing the issue gives us the chance to eventually solve it.
Have fun with trying out the new image!
Norman
On 6/30/23 10:29, Norman Feske wrote:
To all Sculpt-OS-on-the-PinePhone testers,
I have just published a new Sculpt OS image for the PinePhone that includes a screensaver mode to increase battery time. You can download the image with version 2023-06-30 at [1], or use Sculpt's built-in system update feature, selecting me (nfeske) as image provider, and download and install the latest entry of my index.
[snip]
Worked like a charm! Everything worked exactly as you described, including the occasional screen flicker (except the screen idle time seems to be nearer to 5 seconds than 10).
Removing the drivers entirely is a very interesting proof-of-concept. I am still amazed at the amount of investigative research that you guys still do, considering how mature the project is! It's never boring around here. :^)
One very minor quirk I noticed: it seems that before blanking the screen every second time, it goes back to the default setting for screen brightness. I normally set mine to level 2, and after the first wake-up it stays at 2, but immediately before sleeping the next time (barely visible for a split-second) it goes back to 4. Not a problem; just mentioning it in case it illuminates something deeper.
My biggest observation is how easy the on-device update process is. Thanks a million for implementing this! It reduces the barrier to basically zero. I have very little free time these days, but even I can press a few buttons and test something new!
Please keep the test updates coming!
Thanks!
John J. Karcher devuser@alternateapproach.com
Hi John,
One very minor quirk I noticed: it seems that before blanking the screen every second time, it goes back to the default setting for screen brightness. I normally set mine to level 2, and after the first wake-up it stays at 2, but immediately before sleeping the next time (barely visible for a split-second) it goes back to 4. Not a problem; just mentioning it in case it illuminates something deeper.
well spotted! Thank you for testing.
The interactive brightness adjustment is currently handled directly be the power driver, not involving the display driver. This is arguably a shortcut that cuts us now. Upon (re-)starting the display driver, the new driver instance applies the driver's default again. It will probably be the best to equip the display driver with the ability to handle brightness changes and remove the brightness handling from the power driver.
My biggest observation is how easy the on-device update process is. Thanks a million for implementing this! It reduces the barrier to basically zero. I have very little free time these days, but even I can press a few buttons and test something new!
That's what I was hoping for. :)
Cheers Norman
Hello again,
just a quick notice that I've published a new image as 'nfeske' (version 2023-07-14), which includes the following changes:
- Panel-flickering mitigation (thanks Josef for investigating!) - Allow * and # in phone numbers - More consistent wakeup from the screensaver by ignoring the power button while the display driver is coming up (previously, a second tap would re-enter the screensaver) - Centered storage dialog to make the partition numbers easier to touch w/o switching to the runtime screen
The brightness-overriding issue that John reported remains unaddressed though.
Cheers Norman
On 7/17/23 05:35, Norman Feske wrote:
Hello again,
just a quick notice that I've published a new image as 'nfeske' (version 2023-07-14), which includes the following changes:
- Panel-flickering mitigation (thanks Josef for investigating!)
- Allow * and # in phone numbers
- More consistent wakeup from the screensaver by ignoring the power
button while the display driver is coming up (previously, a second tap would re-enter the screensaver)
- Centered storage dialog to make the partition numbers easier to
touch w/o switching to the runtime screen
The brightness-overriding issue that John reported remains unaddressed though.
I've been playing with this release, and now the 2023-07-28 release as well. Thanks for putting these out on a regular basis! (And I still can't praise the update system enough!)
I did see an improvement in the odds of flickering with these releases. But when I put in my (uncooperative) SIM card, I noticed the flicker got more likely and more severe. I don't know if this is useful info or not. (I still need to try to figure out what's going on with the SIM card.)
The centering of the storage panel does make selecting a partition into less of a game of chance. ;^) I also noticed the highlighting of the sliders in the settings panel in 2023-07-28 - pretty nifty.
Personally, I like the longer screenblanker timer better; the shorter one would kick in before my WiFi would connect, for example. Maybe you can make this a setting. :^)
Thanks for the updates - they are a lot of fun!
Happy Sculpting!
John J. Karcher devuser@alternateapproach.com
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John J. Karcher -
Norman Feske