Disabling Clock

[ascherjim]

As I learned from an earlier posting here, the continual running of the clock in the 360 does consume some battery power, however minute. As I have no need for this clock, can it be disabled, maybe through some adjustment to the source code?

[Ulli]

I guess this have to be done in a modified firmware.

Dunno if anyone can modify the fw like that.

Perhaps PocketBook will do a special firmware for that?

But you always will need battery power for reacting on the buttons and i think its not that much power loose to send every minute one signal (or however the clock is solved in the pocketbook)

[kacir]

The PocketBook runs fairly generic Linux system.
I think that it would be a major undertaking to hack the Linux kernel in such a way that it does not need the time information.

The kernel timestamps everything. From file access times to running processes, threads, ...

Even if you disconnect the main battery the hardware clock continues running. I have disconnected my battery once and I did not have to set the time again. So I think that it has a separate very small battery.

[ascherjim]

Originally Posted by Ulli

...But you always will need battery power for reacting on the buttons and i think its not that much power loose to send every minute one signal (or however the clock is solved in the pocketbook)

Is one signal a minute equivalent to turning one page a minute? That would be quite a lot of usage over a given day!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by ascherjim

Is one signal a minute equivalent to turning one page a minute?

No. The page doesn't redraw when the time changes.

As has been said, every operating system requires a clock. The fact that it's displayed on the status bar is utterly irrelevent as far as power consumption goes.

[poshm]

Do you mean:

menu / settings / clock / update clock - choose disable

I turned mine off as I found it annoying.

[kacir]

Originally Posted by HarryT

As has been said, every operating system requires a clock. The fact that it's displayed on the status bar is utterly irrelevant as far as power consumption goes.

Very well said.

I have to add, that there IS an option somewhere in the PocketBook settings to update the clock on status line even if you do not turn the page and in that case there will be higher battery consumption if you do not turn pages quickly enough. I have never tried that option.

[poshm]

Originally Posted by kacir

Very well said.

I have to add, that there IS an option somewhere in the PocketBook settings to update the clock on status line even if you do not turn the page and in that case there will be higher battery consumption if you do not turn pages quickly enough. I have never tried that option.

Yes all clock settings can be accessed here:

main menu / settings / clock / update clock

You can disable the clock entirely, update all the time (every time option), update it just on page turn.

Very easy to do and the changes will stay that way until you override them.

[ascherjim]

Thanks to everyone for their comments. I have disabled my clock, even though from what I gather above it won't really save me much power. I am still puzzled on how, when I leave my BeBook on, there seems to be no noticeable power consumption unless I turn pages or otherwise manipulate things, but if I leave the PocketBook on WITHOUT any action on my part, the battery still runs down within a few days.

[poshm]

Originally Posted by ascherjim

Thanks to everyone for their comments. I have disabled my clock, even though from what I gather above it won't really save me much power. I am still puzzled on how, when I leave my BeBook on, there seems to be no noticeable power consumption unless I turn pages or otherwise manipulate things, but if I leave the PocketBook on WITHOUT any action on my part, the battery still runs down within a few days.

I'm surprised at this because of all my devices, the battery on the PB seems by far and away the best - it can easily last for about 16 days compared with 12 for the Sony and 7 for the Kindle 2.

However I have the clock set to off, the acceleromator (rotating screen) set to off and I also turn it completely off now when not using as the boot-up is pretty quick. I do leave a micro-sd card in it with my library in so I wonder if I would also improve the battery if I removed it but 16 days is good enough for me.

[ascherjim]

Originally Posted by poshm

I'm surprised at this because of all my devices, the battery on the PB seems by far and away the best - it can easily last for about 16 days compared with 12 for the Sony and 7 for the Kindle 2.

However I have the clock set to off, the acceleromator (rotating screen) set to off and I also turn it completely off now when not using as the boot-up is pretty quick. I do leave a micro-sd card in it with my library in so I wonder if I would also improve the battery if I removed it but 16 days is good enough for me.

I have now also decided to turn my PocketBook off when not using it to see whether I get longer battery life.

[poshm]

Originally Posted by ascherjim

I have now also decided to turn my PocketBook off when not using it to see whether I get longer battery life.

I'd give that a go. Also when my PB was new I only got about 11 days from a full charge so the battery cycle has improved with use and seems to be peaking now at around the 16 day mark.

I know because I keep a record in my diary of all my devices and their battery cycles - bit sad I know But I like to know how well they are performing!

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by ascherjim

I have now also decided to turn my PocketBook off when not using it to see whether I get longer battery life.

That is what I do.
I switch the Accelerometer and the status bar off, enable auto shut-off, and switch the PB360 off between reading sessions. Given the fast boot times its no big inconvenience. I get between 12 and 15 days day-to-day usage versus 14-20 days on the BeBook. On the other hand, the PB360 is much more stable at the OS level and at the application level.

What is going on is that the BeBook goes into a deeper sleep state than the PB360 in between page turns and the PB360 is still running when it is "sleeping" which is more PDA-ish than the BeBook. More importantly, the CPU runs at twice the clock rate. Given that both use the ARM architecture, the clock rate difference alone will ensure a longer battery life for tthe slower CPU.

Depending on the settings you can probably get as much as twice the battery life on the BeBook than on the PB360 and even in extreme low-power settings still get a few hours more on the BeBook.

It really comes down to how important extreme battery life is to you and whether you value such features as auto rotation, motion-triggered page turns, background pagination, and accurate table of contents and status bar page numbering.
<shrug>
In gadgets there are always trade offs; me, I prize stability and a better reading environment so a shorter battery life is no concern.

(But I did try different settings to see what the trade-off is. )

[ascherjim]

fjtorres' explanation makes me feel much better. Now I know that there's not a fault with my particular PB, but that the difference I'm encountering in battery duration is intrinsic to the two devices. I don't mind charging my PB more often, as long as I'm satisfied there's not something wrong with my particular unit. Many thanks again to all for your helpful clarifications to my puzzlement.

[Ulli]

Did you load the PocketBook >12h before using it first time?

It really seems that there is something wrong with your battery. When I am not reading on the PocketBook i normally wait for the keylock and it runs and runs and runs.... i think about 2 weeks, a little less considering on how much i am reading on it.