From 6b742c459266b18e2b375b35205ce8a6c02f0452 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Bradley Taunt Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2024 08:05:12 -0400 Subject: Initial commit --- posts/battery.md | 36 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 36 insertions(+) create mode 100644 posts/battery.md (limited to 'posts/battery.md') 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 \ No newline at end of file -- cgit v1.2.3-54-g00ecf