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Posts: 992 | Thanked: 995 times | Joined on Dec 2009 @ California
#3256
Originally Posted by Benson View Post
Cool!

Wrong formula... You're modeling the N900 as a resistor (voltage goes up, current goes up), when the main load on the battery is a switching DC-DC power-supply (voltage goes up, current goes down). I'd go with P=I*V, and since the battery voltage shouldn't change much, and in the opposite direction of the current (increased voltage drop due to internal resistance at the heavier current), I'd neglect it: P ~ I is conservative.

So by my math, you've got increase by 2.5 only (but actually less).

I'd figure:
Voltage ratio = ((1.35+1.2)/2)/1.075=1.186
Frequency ratio = 600/250 = 2.4

Predicted power ratio = 1.186^2*2.4 = 3.37

So, actually, it's less than V^2*F.
I agree with you - the current is measured in battery and it looks like energy consumption is increased by 2.4, you right.

But in this case a run on 600MHz would save battery because 600MHz runs 2.4 faster 250MHz and it is 2.4 times shorter than 250MHz. However, if I set "ignore_nice_load" which in effect decreases the number of switches from 250MHz to 600MHz I definitely have around 50% increase in battery life.

Some theory is needed to explain it. For a moment I start disbelieving in BQ27X00 measurements - it contradicts my experience.

However, somebody reports a battery saving then he set 500MHz as a minimum frequency.

EDIT: it has sense to look into CPUIDLE driver, it can be a problem with idling - idling on 600MHz is much worse than 250MHz because of VDD1/2 values.

Last edited by egoshin; 2010-04-23 at 04:49.