Battery life thread: discussion, support and tips

[biketool]

I wonder if we could set a low cpupower setting and then launch different apps with a script to turn on more CPUs or even the two big CPUs for web browser, then drop back to the standatd 1-2 small CPUs at low mhz/volt for normal use once the GUI app process dies.

[teekay]

As I mentioned in another thread, there are issues with the battery "fuel gauge"

As further evidence of a faulty fuel gauge, here's a screenshot showing the battery fully charged (was plugged into the charger for several hours) and the charger has disconnected, and yet the battery meter thinks the battery is at 34% and won't budge from there. This is on Mobian (although I think all distros use the same battery driver). It would be great if this battery driver was changed to work on battery voltage rather so that we can also swap batteries without needing to reset it.

[d50zesl0g@mozmail.com]

I’ve been experimenting with ways to tweak this. I’ve managed to set up a system where the battery cuts off from charging when it hits a certain point but remains available for discharge down to a lower threshold if the phone needs it.

Here’s how the scripts work under various conditions:

• Standard Charging: The phone charges to a predetermined upper limit (like 90%) and then stops to prevent battery strain.
  
• Continuous Power Supply: If it remains plugged in post-charge, the phone priorities drawing power directly off the charger, sparing the battery , and only use the battery if the power supply is not producing enough juice.
  
• Reconnection Nuances: Unplugging and replugging doesn’t immediately resume charging. It waits until the battery drops below a set lower threshold (say, 60%), which helps in maintaining battery health by avoiding short, unnecessary charge cycles.
  
• Handling Power Fluctuations: For those times when the power source is unstable or you’re frequently plugging and unplugging, the script ensures that repetitive charging doesn’t kick in unless truly needed.
  
• Customization: The thresholds for both the upper and lower limits can be adjusted to fit personal usage patterns and battery longevity goals.
  

Project Repositories:

    For PinePhone: https://github.com/alivellani/manage_pinephone_bat_temp
    Librem 5: https://github.com/alivellani/manage_librem_battery

On the PinePhone, managing this is pretty straightforward because the driver includes a ‘charge behavior’ driver that you can manipulate directly. For the PinePhonePro, you can find the charge behaviour control at this path:

/sys/class/power_supply/{battery_type}/charge_behaviour

The Librem 5, however, threw a curveball my way. It doesn’t support modifying charge behavior through the usual driver settings. The workaround I found on the wiki, using the charge LED as a control point. Here’s how I control it:

/sys/class/leds/chg_en/brightness

This lets me toggle the charging on and off

I have attached a Anker Zolo power bank to the back of the phone which keep providing power to the pinephone pro with a velcro tape. And I just charge the power bank.

Heads-up: This setup is still very much DIY. Make sure you really dig into the scripts before deploying them. If your phone turns into Charmander that is all on you!

Cheers!