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HP User · 12-09-2019, 02:57 PM

While you generally use the device, what are the best ways to be frugal with battery power use, if at all possible?

The only one I came across was from some Youtube video. He stated that holding down Shift and pressing On/Off to power it down, would put the machine into conservation mode.

Joe Horn · 12-09-2019, 07:31 PM

(12-09-2019 02:57 PM)HP User Wrote: ... He stated that holding down Shift and pressing On/Off to power it down, would put the machine into conservation mode.

That's sometimes called "coma mode" (not the same as "comma mode"). Please note that this tip only works on G2 Primes (hardware version D), *and* it only work if you hold down both keys for at least half a second before releasing them. If you release them too soon, only an ordinary OFF is performed. When Prime is in coma mode, pressing On once wakes it up, but it takes a few seconds to turn back on. When a G2 Prime is unused for several days, it goes into coma mode automatically.

Has anybody done any actual measurements of power drain in normal Off mode versus coma mode? That would be very useful.

As for other tips & tricks for battery life optimization, one big power drain is the LCD's backlight, so keep the TDim setting as low as you can tolerate, and/or habitually use a lower backlight brightness setting (selected by holding down the On key and then pressing - to dim or + to brighten). Setting TOff as low as you can tolerate also helps of course. If you use your Prime on a desk, just leave it plugged into a powered USB cable and forget about worrying about the battery.

CyberAngel · 12-09-2019, 07:58 PM

Buy a replacement battery from China.
A slim Samsung Galaxy S3 battery.
Recharge that one, too. Keep it in your pocket as a spare.

(it may explode, though)

HP User · 12-12-2019, 06:32 PM

Alright. Thanks, guys.

Joe, can you clarify those TDim and TOff settings? I think I know what you mean, but clarification would certify it.

Joe Horn · (This post was last modified: 12-12-2019 09:26 PM by Joe Horn.)

(12-12-2019 06:32 PM)HP User Wrote: Joe, can you clarify those TDim and TOff settings? I think I know what you mean, but clarification would certify it.

Meta-answer: In Home view or CAS view, press Vars, then tap the Home tab, then press 7 (System). Now use the cursor wheel to highlight TOff, and then press Help. After learning all about TOff, press Esc, then highlight TDim and then press Help. Voila!

The larger those values are, the less annoying it is when Prime auto dims, and auto turns off... at the cost of using more battery power. So it's a tradeoff, allowing you to maximize battery life and minimize annoyance. Every user will have his or her own "sweet spot" for TDim and TOff. My current "sweet spot" is TDim=1 minute (60000), and TOff=5 minutes (300000).

Did you know that most things in menus have an associated Help screen? Even the Units menus. Prime has an amazingly robust Help system.

HP User · 12-16-2019, 05:39 PM

Thanks. I might have a look.

Yeah, I knew about the help sections (it's difficult to miss). It was just these specific settings I wondered about.

CyberAngel · 12-16-2019, 06:29 PM

(12-09-2019 07:58 PM)CyberAngel Wrote: Buy a replacement battery from China.
A slim Samsung Galaxy S3 battery.
Recharge that one, too. Keep it in your pocket as a spare.

(it may explode, though)

I ordered a strange looking spare battery for the [Samsung Galaxy S3] HP Prime.
I hope it is the slim one that fits...