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    [Merged] Power Saver feature

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Ideas and Development
    emulationstatiotestingpowersaver
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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?

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • 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

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • 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

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

                    @hex I'll test :)

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

                      Pi Zero binary is also available now. Latest ES + PS

                      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

                      meleuM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                      • meleuM
                        meleu @Hex
                        last edited by

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

                        Pi Zero binary is also available now. Latest ES + PS

                        Yeah! Now I'm able to join! :-)

                        This pi zero version works for pi1 as well, right?

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                        • HexH
                          Hex
                          last edited by Hex

                          @meleu Yes PiZ/1 binary works for both. Pi2/3 has a different binary

                          EDIT : As it so happens PiZ/1 binary works on Pi3 too.

                          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 Thanks for the binaries, I will upload them to my github ES binary archive :)

                            Small report: I've registered no breaks during ES run but to be true my ES settings are only small footprint (No game description, no Videos, just a bit background music). I tested the mostly the "instant" set.

                            • Number of games per emu system never occours in instant mode only (I think that is intended to be ... in instant mode)
                            • If we start a rom the display resolution of the background theme will be instantly zoomed in (cosmetic effect) and it is not matter of theme itself

                            All in all the timers are working:

                            1. Default timer ~ 10 to 12sec and ES falls back to 2-3% CPU usage
                            2. Enhanced timer ~ 5 to 6sec and ES falls back to 2-3% CPU usage
                            3. Instant "timer" ~ <1second ES falls back to 2-3% CPU usage

                            What is conspicuous if ES is frehsly started the CPU usage can be downed to 0,3% after a ROM was started it never goes back less then 2-3%. Do you have any suggestions for this behaviour?

                            Thank you for creating this

                            EDIT:

                            Energy saving aspect

                            PS disabled

                            Voltage: 5,25
                            Amps: 0,48-0,53

                            PS enabeld (instant)

                            Voltage: 5,25
                            Amps: 0,38-0,42

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

                              This feature is ready and I have squashed commits. I have provided binaries to test. I will be asking BuZz to merge this asap, provided no bugs are found in a day or two.

                              Testers : List of things to test

                              • Video previews work with all combinations of VLC/OMX an 4 PS Modes
                              • All screensavers work with all combinations of VLC?OMX and 4 PS modes
                              • Default Mode behaviour is acceptable
                              • Instant changes Transition style to instant and disables the carousel transitions
                              • ES never crashes while normal testing.

                              Note : Binaries have PS debug code so if you want to see when PS is triggered, launch my binaries using ssh so you can see the stdout. There is a small animation in the terminal to determine when PS kicks in. It cycles over these 4 characters / - \ |

                              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 0
                              • pjftP
                                pjft @cyperghost
                                last edited by

                                @cyperghost Thanks.

                                At the time you had detected a crash with PS and collections - in particular adding and removing favorites, I believe?

                                If this build does have both, could you check whether you can still replicate it or if it has been erased?

                                Best.

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

                                  @pjft I removed all favourites (20) I added the whole bunch in two times
                                  Nothing happened - means everything went good.
                                  So I think the error accourd by merging two branched.

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

                                    I would like to thank all those who helped test, find bugs and suggest changes. PS has reached milestone for Merge and will be when @BuZz gets time.

                                    The Instant mode has received workarounds to make it snappier. Those who would like are welcome to test it before merge. The source is up to date.

                                    @cyperghost @dankcushions @jdrassa @meleu @pjft @Sano @TMNTturtlguy @Zigurana

                                    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 4
                                    • cyperghostC
                                      cyperghost
                                      last edited by cyperghost

                                      @hex Thank you - sorry I lost a bit focus on PS while testing custom collections now.

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

                                        PS has been merged :)

                                        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 3
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