Tips on saving battery

kaifis · 2018-02-20 12:11:50

Hi,
I've read all about this topic on arch wiki and there are mostly things about hibernation and screensavers. I've done everything i could but my laptop is still draining 10W. Do you have any tips for improving that?
I'm running arch with i3. Last month I was able to get under 4W. I don't know how I was able to get there.

Thanks again.

PS: Got 10W from battery stats (voltage multiplied by current).

robg · 2018-02-20 13:23:24

kaifis wrote:

I've done everything i could but my laptop is still draining 10W. Do you have any tips for improving that?

There is no way for us to know what "everything i could" refers to. How are you managing your laptop's power consumption? Please provide information about the tools you use for the purpose of power saving, and, of course, their configuration details.

seth · 2018-02-20 15:04:06

https://www.archlinux.org/packages/comm … /powertop/

Wild guess: you've an nvidia GPU?

kaifis · 2018-02-20 18:29:47

Well I use powertop for for turning power saver modes on HW devices. There weren't any other tools on arch wiki that would decrease power draw.

Powertop thinks that 5W is going to display light (even when it's really dim) and onother 5W goes to "Network interface: wlp2s0 (iwlwifi)" even my wifi is softblocked by rfkill. Another 2Watts draws my webcam.

About GPU. I tried blumblebee but without success so I uninstalled driver for nvidia and use just integrated GPU. I check that nvidia driver is not in use before posting.

Last edited by kaifis (2018-02-20 18:31:22)

seth · 2018-02-20 20:58:13

Well the network sounds suspicious enough (also your webcam if you're not using it)

systool -vm iwlwifi

Last month I was able to get under 4W. I don't know how I was able to get there.

Kernel update? Tried the lts kernel?

kaifis · 2018-02-21 07:02:59

Module = "iwlwifi"

  Attributes:
    coresize            = "303104"
    initsize            = "0"
    initstate           = "live"
    refcnt              = "1"
    srcversion          = "BB4F700695CFC6E0CA3EC11"
    taint               = ""
    uevent              = <store method only>

  Parameters:
    11n_disable         = "0"
    amsdu_size          = "0"
    antenna_coupling    = "0"
    bt_coex_active      = "Y"
    d0i3_disable        = "N"
    d0i3_timeout        = "1000"
    disable_11ac        = "N"
    fw_monitor          = "N"
    fw_restart          = "Y"
    lar_disable         = "N"
    led_mode            = "0"
    nvm_file            = "(null)"
    power_level         = "0"
    power_save          = "Y"
    swcrypto            = "0"
    uapsd_disable       = "0"

  Sections:
    .altinstr_replacement= "0xffffffffc0873221"
    .altinstructions    = "0xffffffffc088c688"
    .bss                = "0xffffffffc0890b00"
    .data.unlikely      = "0xffffffffc088f834"
    .data               = "0xffffffffc088d300"
    .exit.text          = "0xffffffffc087321c"
    .gnu.linkonce.this_module= "0xffffffffc08907c0"
    .init.text          = "0xffffffffc0635000"
    .note.gnu.build-id  = "0xffffffffc0874000"
    .orc_unwind         = "0xffffffffc0886551"
    .orc_unwind_ip      = "0xffffffffc0882ad9"
    .parainstructions   = "0xffffffffc088c808"
    .ref.data           = "0xffffffffc088f920"
    .rodata.str1.1      = "0xffffffffc087d693"
    .rodata.str1.8      = "0xffffffffc087f060"
    .rodata             = "0xffffffffc0874520"
    .smp_locks          = "0xffffffffc088c6a4"
    .strtab             = "0xffffffffc0640fb0"
    .symtab             = "0xffffffffc0636000"
    .text               = "0xffffffffc0853000"
    __bug_table         = "0xffffffffc088f078"
    __jump_table        = "0xffffffffc088d000"
    __kcrctab           = "0xffffffffc0874420"
    __kcrctab_gpl       = "0xffffffffc0874430"
    __ksymtab_gpl       = "0xffffffffc0874070"
    __ksymtab_strings   = "0xffffffffc08825d0"
    __ksymtab           = "0xffffffffc0874030"
    __mcount_loc        = "0xffffffffc088bd08"
    __param             = "0xffffffffc088c408"
    __tracepoints_ptrs  = "0xffffffffc088c928"
    __tracepoints       = "0xffffffffc0890160"
    __tracepoints_strings= "0xffffffffc088c9f0"
    _ftrace_events      = "0xffffffffc088f840"

Does kernel update automatically with pacman -Syu? I haven't updated it manually.

Last edited by kaifis (2018-02-21 07:03:27)

seth · 2018-02-21 07:50:59

pacman -Syu

Usually...

uname -a

Is your BT rfkill'd?

kaifis · 2018-02-21 14:56:54

$uname -a
Linux mibook 4.14.15-1-ARCH #1 SMP PREEMPT Tue Jan 23 21:49:25 UTC 2018 x86_64 GNU/Linux

and power consumption is same with BT turned on and off.

Today I had lucky day:
a ) iwlwifi drew just 2.5W (when turned on) and nothing when wifi was off
b) display backlight had today just 3.6W
however total consumption is still over 9W (with and without wifi turned on)

Last edited by kaifis (2018-02-21 14:57:51)

Arch Linux

#1 2018-02-20 12:11:50

Tips on saving battery

#2 2018-02-20 13:23:24

Re: Tips on saving battery

#3 2018-02-20 15:04:06

Re: Tips on saving battery

#4 2018-02-20 18:29:47

Re: Tips on saving battery

#5 2018-02-20 20:58:13

Re: Tips on saving battery

#6 2018-02-21 07:02:59

Re: Tips on saving battery

#7 2018-02-21 07:50:59

Re: Tips on saving battery

#8 2018-02-21 14:56:54

Re: Tips on saving battery

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