Kernel Questions

5h4un360

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So I need help with my kernel that I just got which is the Franco kernel. How do people set their settings to save so much battery life? Noob here sorry ha

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Paul627g

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Re: Kernel Queetions

So I need help with my kernel that I just got which is the Franco kernel. How do people set their settings to save so much battery life? Noob here sorry ha

Sent from my GalaxyNexus using Tapatalk
Kernels in general can be ran three ways...

Used to overclock the device which is poor battery life.

Ran at normal CPU stock settings like 100-1000 Mhz and then just take advantage of the built in kernel features like Voodoo Control for better color & sound and other various tweaks thrown in depending on the device and what the dev has put in place.

Used to underclock and undervolt your device (best battery)

This last option normally people will set their device using apps like setCPU, Voltage Control or NSTools from the Market to run at 100-800 mhz which is just a tad under stock settings but gives that boost in battery life. Throw in things like taking the stock voltage settings per Mhz frequency and slowly under volting them by 15/25/50 % increments to again save more battery.

You then have different governor settings which is basically preset profile setups for different styles of activity... Most common are Lazy or On Demand but to each their own.

Playing with your kernel settings can be frustrating at times... You can and will have lockups as you explore different settings until you find that sweet spot your device runs good with. No two phones react the same so just because me and the next 20 people say hey use this particular setting doesn't mean it will work for you. Its just the varying tolerances of our processors and how they handle things...

Good area to play with is the 100-800 Mhz and try different governors and see what works good. If it remains stable for a while with no lockups then you can explore bumping the voltage down and see how it reacts. Pay attention to the threads on your kernel of choice and see what the general settings people use and go from there... Its a lot of trial and error.

Good luck and have fun :)

Edit: Last but most important... Don't pay any attention to benchmarks or benchmarking apps... Those are just for bragging rights and any kernel dev or experienced ROM/kernel user will tell you it all comes down to real world performance. If your happy with the device and how it runs it doesn't matter what the scores say.
 
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5h4un360

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May 11, 2011
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Kernels in general can be ran three ways...

Used to overclock the device which is poor battery life.

Ran at normal CPU stock settings like 100-1000 Mhz and then just take advantage of the built in kernel features like Voodoo Control for better color & sound and other various tweaks thrown in depending on the device and what the dev has put in place.

Used to underclock and undervolt your device (best battery)

This last option normally people will set their device using apps like setCPU, Voltage Control or NSTools from the Market to run at 100-800 mhz which is just a tad under stock settings but gives that boost in battery life. Throw in things like taking the stock voltage settings per Mhz frequency and slowly under volting them by 15/25/50 % increments to again save more battery.

You then have different governor settings which is basically preset profile setups for different styles of activity... Most common are Lazy or On Demand but to each their own.

Playing with your kernel settings can be frustrating at times... You can and will have lockups as you explore different settings until you find that sweet spot your device runs good with. No two phones react the same so just because me and the next 20 people say hey use this particular setting doesn't mean it will work for you. Its just the varying tolerances of our processors and how they handle things...

Good area to play with is the 100-800 Mhz and try different governors and see what works good. If it remains stable for a while with no lockups then you can explore bumping the voltage down and see how it reacts. Pay attention to the threads on your kernel of choice and see what the general settings people use and go from there... Its a lot of trial and error.

Good luck and have fun :)

Edit: Last but most important... Don't pay any attention to benchmarks or benchmarking apps... Those are just for bragging rights and any kernel dev or experienced ROM/kernel user will tell you it all comes down to real world performance. If your happy with the device and how it runs it doesn't matter what the scores say.

Thanks! So I bought the Setcpu and I have it set at Max 920 min 350.

4c1258b4-bbc6-6137.jpg

4c1258b4-bbd6-00bd.jpg

Should I have a setting like performance or something else?


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Paul627g

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Its all experimenting from here on out.

Sometimes your will get an immediate lockup from a kernel setting and other times it may take a few minutes, an hour... Its all experimental.

Recommendation on kernels, I would stick with CFS version of kernels. They are more stable and user friendly than the BFS versions which are aimed more at heavy multitasking or gaming.

Have fun and hopefully you will find a setting that yields better battery in the end :)
 

5h4un360

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Its all experimenting from here on out.

Sometimes your will get an immediate lockup from a kernel setting and other times it may take a few minutes, an hour... Its all experimental.

Recommendation on kernels, I would stick with CFS version of kernels. They are more stable and user friendly than the BFS versions which are aimed more at heavy multitasking or gaming.

Have fun and hopefully you will find a setting that yields better battery in the end :)

OK, now how do I undervolt? ha

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Paul627g

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There should be a setting/tab in Set CPU or you could use Voltage Control or NSTools and they have the option to change voltages which allows you to under volt from the kernels stock setting....

Normally this should be done in small increments... 10/15 maybe 25% at the most to observe the device and see how it reacts to the changes.
 

5h4un360

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OK so it may just be my kernel lol, I'm gonna try and reflash it see what happens

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largeselection

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Different kernels allow for undervolting via Set CPU. The last Franco kernel that I was using did not have the option to undervolt in Set CPU. I'm currently using Imoseyon's Lean Kernel 1.5 and that does allow for undervolting in Set CPU.

You'll be able to tell because when/if you flash a kernel that allows for it, when you look in set CPU you will see the tab like the screenshot above.
 

Paul627g

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Thanks for the explanation largeselection. I didn't get back through to follow up with the OP on this like I wanted last night.

Bottom line, if the tab isn't present in setCPU or Voltage Control, etc. then the dev hasn't allowed the option in the kernel. Franco must have felt at the time of this build that under volting was unstable or of no benefit with the setup he provided.
 

ScooberJake

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I'd like to tack on some more newb kernel questions to this thread, I hope no one minds.

A ROM is like an OS while a kernel is like, what, drivers (PC analogy)? When I flash a ROM, does it come with a kernel, or do are they flashed separately? Can I flash a ROM but leave the stock kernel? Can I flash a new kernel but leave the stock ROM?
 

5h4un360

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Different kernels allow for undervolting via Set CPU. The last Franco kernel that I was using did not have the option to undervolt in Set CPU. I'm currently using Imoseyon's Lean Kernel 1.5 and that does allow for undervolting in Set CPU.

You'll be able to tell because when/if you flash a kernel that allows for it, when you look in set CPU you will see the tab like the screenshot above.

Oh OK thanks, I just got confused cause others were saying they undervolt their kernels in the Franco Kernel thread.

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