From e417a818e207a6cca6e2f3c471611673ab836a62 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Bradley Taunt Date: Sat, 25 May 2024 16:14:03 -0400 Subject: Initial commit for Jekyll testing and conversion, updated --- _posts/2023-06-13-battery.md | 39 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 39 insertions(+) create mode 100644 _posts/2023-06-13-battery.md (limited to '_posts/2023-06-13-battery.md') diff --git a/_posts/2023-06-13-battery.md b/_posts/2023-06-13-battery.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1ec7980 --- /dev/null +++ b/_posts/2023-06-13-battery.md @@ -0,0 +1,39 @@ +--- +layout: post +title: "Improving Laptop Battery Performance on OpenBSD" +date: 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 -- cgit v1.2.3-54-g00ecf