RK3399S running warm
#1
I have a question with the RK3399S. I find that with normal use of the PPP, the back of the phone gets fairly warm and I assume this is a result of the RK3399S. Is this because the software/OS has yet to be optimized to take advantage of the RK3399S, or does the RK3399S notoriously run warm?
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#2
(03-29-2022, 10:33 AM)LPIZ Wrote: I have a question with the RK3399S. I find that with normal use of the PPP, the back of the phone gets fairly warm and I assume this is a result of the RK3399S. Is this because the software/OS has yet to be optimized to take advantage of the RK3399S, or does the RK3399S notoriously run warm?

I think you will find there are variations in the running temps., using different Distro's, and different use cases.

The RK3399S is the 'special phone version'  of the Pinebook's RK3399 processor.

In stand by mode, my Explorer is barely warm on the back cover directly over the modem,
the rest of the phone is cool/ room temp.

>> Running Mobian/bookworm on an sd card, 3 bars signal strength showing, at 99% charge.
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#3
(03-29-2022, 12:34 PM)bcnaz Wrote:
(03-29-2022, 10:33 AM)LPIZ Wrote: I have a question with the RK3399S. I find that with normal use of the PPP, the back of the phone gets fairly warm and I assume this is a result of the RK3399S. Is this because the software/OS has yet to be optimized to take advantage of the RK3399S, or does the RK3399S notoriously run warm?

I think you will find there are variations in the running temps., using different Distro's, and different use cases.

The RK3399S is the 'special phone version'  of the Pinebook's RK3399 processor.

In stand by mode, my Explorer is barely warm on the back cover directly over the modem,
the rest of the phone is cool/ room temp.

>> Running Mobian/bookworm on an sd card, 3 bars signal strength showing, at 99% charge.

I've tried several variations (Arch, Mobian, Manjaro) and different flavors when available (Phosh and Plasma), but I seem to get all the same result. When the phone is in use, it is fairly warm to the touch and when it goes into standby, it cools off. As a comparison, It is considerable warmer than my Android phone.

I've also tried running the OS on the eMMC and sd card to see if there is any difference, but it still runs warm.
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#4
Part of the heat is likely due to the software being in early development for sure.

The running temperature does seem to me, to be cooler now than it has been in the past...
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#5
If you're running phosh, there is a app called "usage".  usage gives memory use and also a couple of temperatures.  See what the values are after some period at idle and also running some stuff.  Note them down and try other OS/desktops.

Only really badly written software can have so many endless loops so as to heat up the phone at idle, in my opinion.

tom kosvic
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#6
i actually have the same issue, i tried several distros and most of them raise the temp of the gpu and cpu to 45 degrees while idling. Cools down when the phone is in standby (screen off).
the weird thing is that psensor reports cpu usage for 5 or 10% so it definitely shouldnt be that warm.
Also the modem (quectel or something) gets super warm, so i just turned it off (which is not ideal).

i think mobian was the only one that didnt get so warm but cant accurately remember (the last build from like 2 or 3 days ago).
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#7
Actually did some quick tests last night and found that
The CPU and gnu temps are almost always exactly the same. I imagine because they are on the same chip (is this correct? )
A couple of times i saw the gnu going 3 degrees higher for like 3 seconds.
With screen off the temp goes to 30 (which is still too much considering the weather is like 10 degrees)
Battery always reports 19 always.
When idling on an app screen it goes to 40 (definitely too much).
The interesting part is that *it seems* that when i switch tasks on plasma and leave the screen on the task switcher (when all screens can be seen).
Or when i pull the notification drawer. The gpu gets a couple degrees extras.

Reminds me of the old days of compiz, where the compositor took a lot of resources. And if you enable blur it would tank your PC.
I've switched the plasma style to oxygen, which i expect has less effects on it (eg translucency) to see if it makes a difference.

This is all conjectures, but this seems to be a place where battery usage could be optimized, after all i did noticed longer battery on mobian, where the gnu was colder.
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#8
Running "grep . /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone0/trip_point_*_type" on the PPP shows only passive, passive and critical.
So adjusting those thermals do nothing, except for shutting down the phone when reaching critical...

edit (I was wrong with the statement above):
The first passive point states the temperature for when the A72 cores start throttling. (trip_point_0)
The second passive point states the temperature for when all the cores start throttling. (trip_point_1)
The third point (critical) sets the temperature that initiates a shutdown. (trip_point_2)

To edit these points:
First check the existing thresholds:
grep . /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone0/trip_point_*_temp

These following steps require sysfsutils. Use the following commands to install and enable this:
sudo apt install sysfsutils
systemctl status sysfsutils
systemctl is-enabled sysfsutils

Use the following code to adjust the trip points. The numbers are in millidegrees. Adjust them to your liking.
echo -e "class/thermal/thermal_zone0/trip_point_0_temp = 50000\nclass/thermal/thermal_zone0/trip_point_1_temp = 55000\nclass/thermal/thermal_zone0/trip_point_2_temp = 65000" | sudo tee /etc/sysfs.d/throttling.conf

Restart sysfsutils:
sudo systemctl restart sysfsutils

Check if the new trip points are registered:
grep . /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone0/trip_point_*_temp

This will keep your phone a little bit cooler, but also a little bit slower. The lower the trip points, the faster it throttles the CPU. Be careful with trip_point_2. At this temperature your phone will shut down!
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#9
Just to give some numbers from my PPP, for comparison. When using firefox to play video media online, screen always on. Both wireless and mobile data on. After and hour of playback.


Code:
cpu/gpu 76C
battery   19C 
modem Z0: 73C Z1: 76C Z2: 75C Z3: 74C Z4: 73C Z5: 66C

These temperatures are more than warm, the back/front/top of the case is hot. The bottom is much cooler, the battery.
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