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diff --git a/posts/battery.md b/posts/battery.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4147ce8 --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/battery.md @@ -0,0 +1,36 @@ +# Improving Laptop Battery Performance on OpenBSD + +2023-06-13 + +It is no secret that OpenBSD has poor battery performance on laptops. Although not as impressive as something like Alpine Linux or FreeBSD, you can tweak OpenBSD *just enough* to squeeze more life out of your machine's battery. + +## Our New Best Friend: `ampd` + +I won't go into great detail about `ampd` here - that's what the incredible [documentation is for](https://man.openbsd.org/apmd). You'll want to make sure to start it before trying to configure it: + +``` +doas rcctl start apmd +``` + +If already running in a live session, you can default to `-A` (auto) but I suggest setting cpu performance to low: + +``` +apm -L +``` + +To make these changes permanent on boot: + +``` +doas rcctl set apmd flags -L +``` + +Optimizating battery life via `ampd` will have the most noticable impact but you can improve things even further by implementing some extra "small" performance wins. + +## Small Performance Wins + +1. Reduce your screen's brightness (`xbacklight -set 50`) +2. Use a lightweight window manager instead of a beefer desktop environment +3. Enable battery saving options in your system BIOS (if available) +4. Disable the fingerprint scanner and bluetooth in your system BIOS (if available) +5. Use utilities such as `mpv` and `ffmpeg` for media consumption +6. Reduce the number of open applications at any given time
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