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    [Merged] Power Saver feature

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Ideas and Development
    emulationstatiotestingpowersaver
    164 Posts 10 Posters 63.3k Views
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    • cyperghostC
      cyperghost @Hex
      last edited by cyperghost

      @hex Do you think it would be better to show no PS feature in main menu... so it's disabled by default and all users got a working ES as it looks like now. But create a bash-file within RetroPie menu. There you can choose between PS settings and can tell all advantages and disadvantages of each setting and ES reads out a value in a cfg file stored as you want?

      I'm very intereted in the PS feature your know and I personally would enable it by default. Because I have no scrolling filenames, I don't use video preview....
      I would also activate it in my Pi0 portable :)

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      • HexH
        Hex
        last edited by

        @cyperghost I dont know if that is possible. Are there any Es settings currently in Retropie-setup?

        Sent from 20,000 leagues under the sea.

        Powersaver Emulation station : https://github.com/hex007/EmulationStation
        ES dev script : https://github.com/hex007/es-dev/blob/master/es-tests.sh

        cyperghostC 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
        • cyperghostC
          cyperghost @Hex
          last edited by cyperghost

          @hex Well you load Themes for ex. within RetroPie-Menu and activcate them through ES
          So yes items for ES are changed through RP-Menu

          and yes .sh files can be located to ~/RetroPie/retropiemenu/ and they are visible and executable by default. So why not using this way? You can even create an icon for your set and descripe it in gamelist.xml - very nifty possibilty to create a settings menu :)

          Since we know How to: Restart ES via bash script an activation/change of values of ES is also possible :)

          So you may create a file names advanced_settings.xml (is there a good place to locate??) and can descripe option there and it could be usefull for future tweaks. For changing file advanced users can do edit manually and/or you write a small bash-script that also explains every option and does a restart automatically after settings were done.


          Here you can also find answer of what is ment by EUREKA

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          • HexH
            Hex
            last edited by

            @cyperghost Themes are loaded via Retropie menu but selected using ES alone. I dont think it is a viable solution.

            Sent from 20,000 leagues under the sea.

            Powersaver Emulation station : https://github.com/hex007/EmulationStation
            ES dev script : https://github.com/hex007/es-dev/blob/master/es-tests.sh

            cyperghostC 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • cyperghostC
              cyperghost @Hex
              last edited by cyperghost

              @hex If ES is executed it checks presence/values of advanced_settings.xml one time. Is there is a tag like

              <!--
                    Hello,
                       I am a multi-line XML comment
                       I want to tell you a new feature of ES, the powersaver....
                      0 = disabled
                      1 = min, value Video support works, Scrolling not....
                      9 = may the force be with you
                             -->
              
              <powersaving>
                <mode>0</mode>
                <timeout>90</timeout>
              </powersaving>
              

              or file is missing then PS is disabled.
              via batch script and xmlstartlet you can change XML values easily and then force a restart. I think it's a possible solution and you don't need to mess around with explanations pop ups within ES but of course ES must be prepared for the value you've setted in PS-mode.

              Of course it's your decision but it will also help to keep ES menu slim but it's still easy configurable by scripting menus.

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              • HexH
                Hex
                last edited by Hex

                @cyperghost I do not want to complicate this further. It has already been decided to have PS enabled by default and a timeout set such that description scrolls. I want to have a setting for people not using/caring about descriptions, hence the Full option. I might think about MAX:EXP option for instant and no carousel users (Might not be implemented). Timeout access shall not be available to user as wrong setting will render ES unusable.

                So None/Minimal/Full are three options thought of being implemented for certain. I want your input on changing the names of these modes if necessary. I had name changing suggestions at a later stage while submitting additional animations. I dont want to repeat that. Hence if you have better suggestions for Mode Names, let me know.

                Sent from 20,000 leagues under the sea.

                Powersaver Emulation station : https://github.com/hex007/EmulationStation
                ES dev script : https://github.com/hex007/es-dev/blob/master/es-tests.sh

                Z 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • Z
                  Zigurana @Hex
                  last edited by Zigurana

                  @hex
                  Good idea's all around, even better to come to a decision 😀.
                  Question: For users, there is no difference between none and minimal, right? Why do we need both?

                  I would go for default / Improved

                  If tetris has thought me anything, it's that errors pile up and that accomplishments dissappear.

                  cyperghostC 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • cyperghostC
                    cyperghost @Zigurana
                    last edited by

                    @zigurana @hex

                    I would go for usecase disabled/comfortable/portable

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                    • HexH
                      Hex
                      last edited by

                      @Zigurana

                      None -> PS is disabled always
                      Minimal -> PS is enabled after Description has scrolled once (approximately)
                      Full -> Game name scrolls, Description doesnt scroll
                      MAX:EXP -> PS has very short trigger time. Great for instant and no carousel transition users. For those who dont care about animations

                      MAX might not be implemented, who knows. There is currently just one bug. PS isnt disabled while running scrapper (Fetch MD). That needs to be taken care of.

                      Timeouts

                      • MAX -> 20-40 cycles (Needs testing to reduce range)
                      • Full -> 100-200 cycles
                      • Min -> 10-12 secs ~ 1000-1200 cycles
                      • None -> Not needed

                      Do you have any suggestions for Mode names?

                      Sent from 20,000 leagues under the sea.

                      Powersaver Emulation station : https://github.com/hex007/EmulationStation
                      ES dev script : https://github.com/hex007/es-dev/blob/master/es-tests.sh

                      J 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • HexH
                        Hex
                        last edited by

                        @cyperghost Nice suggestions. Lets see what others think.

                        Sent from 20,000 leagues under the sea.

                        Powersaver Emulation station : https://github.com/hex007/EmulationStation
                        ES dev script : https://github.com/hex007/es-dev/blob/master/es-tests.sh

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                        • Z
                          Zigurana
                          last edited by

                          Why would you want to disable PS?

                          If tetris has thought me anything, it's that errors pile up and that accomplishments dissappear.

                          pjftP 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                          • HexH
                            Hex
                            last edited by

                            I dont know. I think having an option to disable it prevents complaints about unexpected behaviour. Another reason would be if we decide to default it no None while merging.

                            Sent from 20,000 leagues under the sea.

                            Powersaver Emulation station : https://github.com/hex007/EmulationStation
                            ES dev script : https://github.com/hex007/es-dev/blob/master/es-tests.sh

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                            • pjftP
                              pjft @Zigurana
                              last edited by

                              @Hex Does PS stop the animations or no longer?

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                              • HexH
                                Hex
                                last edited by Hex

                                @pjft PS doesnt stop animations if running in Minimal Mode, Description scrolls once. This would ideally be the default if we are leaving PS enabled in Default setting (first run).

                                Sent from 20,000 leagues under the sea.

                                Powersaver Emulation station : https://github.com/hex007/EmulationStation
                                ES dev script : https://github.com/hex007/es-dev/blob/master/es-tests.sh

                                pjftP 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • pjftP
                                  pjft @Hex
                                  last edited by

                                  @hex and does the text animation in the text list Component also scroll if needed?

                                  Is it "once" or is it timer related?

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                                  • HexH
                                    Hex
                                    last edited by Hex

                                    @pjft if you mean Game name text in game list then it does scroll nicely.

                                    It is timer related. If the game description is way too long, it will halt in the middle. I am accounting for on an average 7-8 secs scroll, which should be sufficient for long desciptions.

                                    Sent from 20,000 leagues under the sea.

                                    Powersaver Emulation station : https://github.com/hex007/EmulationStation
                                    ES dev script : https://github.com/hex007/es-dev/blob/master/es-tests.sh

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                                    • SanoS
                                      Sano
                                      last edited by

                                      Hi guys,
                                      From what I'm seeing, there have been quite a few topics the last few weeks about increased CPU usage, heat problems and even lag on ES.
                                      A lot of features have been implemented recently, with a probable impact on resources.

                                      AFAIK it's a frequent milestone in software dev : the base code works great, then a bunch of features are added, sometimes introducing bugs or performance impacts.
                                      Not that the new features are badly coded, but they put the emphasis on a function of the base code that was not intented/coded to work with the new features, hence very non optimal in this new context... The solution would be to modify the base code.

                                      Anyway, from my user point of view, it's not about power saving, but general optimization.
                                      I run @Hex ES version for a few weeks now, and I'm very happy with it.
                                      Thanks again for your work on this.

                                      TL;DR : I'm seeing PS as a natural code optimization rather than a feature to save battery life. Therefore I vote for it to be default, and allowing to disable it in case of the behaviour induced doesn't match the user needs.

                                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                      • J
                                        jdrassa @Hex
                                        last edited by

                                        @hex said in Testers needed :: Power Saver features :: PR #172:

                                        @jdrassa said in Testers needed :: Power Saver features :: PR #172:

                                        If so, I have a suggestion.

                                        • PowerSaver mode is always on. There are no menu options to enable or configure it.

                                        Auto scroll doesnt work in that case

                                        When I suggested it is always on, I meant that there wouldn't be a 'None' option. It would still function as it does not, hence the suggestion of a default (and configurable) delay.

                                        • The default delay before enabling PowerSaver mode is the users configured Screen Saver delay.

                                        Screensaver delay is at minimum 1m so switching timeout goes from 12 secs to 1m which is not good. Also if video screensaver is enabled PS will never be triggered (generally)

                                        This was just a suggestion, that would ensure that no existing functionality is effected.

                                        • If a user wants to change the delay to achieve more power savings, they can modify es_settings.cfg directly to specify a different value. This process can be documented on the RetroPie wiki. This is how the hide splashscreen option works.

                                        The user base inerested in PS will be more than hide splashscreen guys. Not many users look at the documentation for latest features.

                                        While I agree that many users will be interested in PS in some form, I'd argue that it is a much smaller number that will be interested in changing the settings. For those that are, they are likely to only ever change it once.

                                        @hex said in Testers needed :: Power Saver features :: PR #172:

                                        Timeouts

                                        • MAX -> 20-40 cycles (Needs testing to reduce range)
                                        • Full -> 100-200 cycles
                                        • Min -> 10-12 secs ~ 1000-1200 cycles
                                        • None -> Not needed

                                        When you say cycles, I assume this means iterations of the animation loop based on reading the code. This really should be time based. Otherwise, the timing is going to vary based on the power of the users hardware.

                                        Get latest build of EmulationStation for Windows here

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                                        • HexH
                                          Hex
                                          last edited by

                                          @jdrassa Currently PS is tracked using cycles/iterations. This is being shifted to timeout based system. When PS was thought of and developed, I had no need for description to scroll and never noticed it as I never read it. Hence a cycle based approach was easiest to implement. Now setting a timer based would be better so shifting to timer based.

                                          Sent from 20,000 leagues under the sea.

                                          Powersaver Emulation station : https://github.com/hex007/EmulationStation
                                          ES dev script : https://github.com/hex007/es-dev/blob/master/es-tests.sh

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                          • HexH
                                            Hex
                                            last edited by Hex

                                            Changelog :

                                            • PS is moved from Cycles based to Timer based control
                                            • 4 PS modes added: Disabled/Default/Enhanced/Instant
                                            • Moved PS to Core module.
                                            • Moved PS handling to VLC playback from VideoGameList

                                            Testers: Since I squashed commits before refactoring git pull will not work. Kindly Delete directory and start over from clone.

                                            Thank you to all those who have helped to test, provided valuable feedback and make this possible.

                                            Feature is now quite stable. Works well with Video screensaver and previews.

                                            Binaries :

                                            • Pi 2/3 : https://www.dropbox.com/s/m8csxt5txyu60dr
                                            • Pi 1/Z : https://www.dropbox.com/s/uiqkbbalbhf0qyr

                                            Sent from 20,000 leagues under the sea.

                                            Powersaver Emulation station : https://github.com/hex007/EmulationStation
                                            ES dev script : https://github.com/hex007/es-dev/blob/master/es-tests.sh

                                            cyperghostC 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
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