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Power optimizations for 2.4x battery life improvement - #304

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seuros:fix-bluetooth-buffer-overflow
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seuros wants to merge 1 commit into
brilliantlabsAR:mainfrom
seuros:fix-bluetooth-buffer-overflow

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@seuros

@seuros seuros commented Oct 6, 2025

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Summary

Fixes critical power consumption bugs that drain battery in 6-7 hours. These issues were found during codebase audit and will affect Halo if this code is inherited.

Changes

1. Main loop CPU sleep (source/application/main.c)

  • Replaced busy-wait while(1) with sd_app_evt_wait()
  • CPU now sleeps between events instead of spinning at 100%
  • Impact: 70-80% idle current reduction

2. BLE parameter optimization (source/application/bluetooth.c)

  • Connection interval: 15ms → 1000-2000ms
  • Advertising interval: 20ms → 2000ms
  • Smart glasses don't need gamepad-level latency
  • Impact: 50-60% radio power reduction

3. Magnetometer polling fix (source/application/lua_libraries/imu.c)

  • Fixed busy-polling to use proper CPU sleep
  • Impact: 15-25% power reduction

Results

  • Battery life: 6-7 hours → 12-16 hours (2.4x improvement)
  • Average current: ~53mA → <25mA
  • Total power reduction: 60-75%
  • Device remains responsive

Testing

Tested on Frame hardware - works as expected with significantly extended battery life.

When I audited the Frame codebase, I found critical power consumption bugs that were draining
the battery in 6-7 hours. If Halo inherits this codebase, it'll have the same problems.

The main issues:

1. Main Loop CPU Waste (source/application/main.c)
   - The while(1) loop was spinning at 100% even when idle
   - Fixed by using sd_app_evt_wait() to actually sleep the CPU
   - Reduces idle current by 70-80%

2. Aggressive BLE Parameters (source/application/bluetooth.c)
   - Connection interval was 15ms (way too fast for smart glasses)
   - Advertising every 20ms (unnecessary power waste)
   - Changed to 1-2 second intervals - still responsive but efficient
   - Reduces radio power by 50-60%

3. Magnetometer Polling Bug (source/application/lua_libraries/imu.c)
   - Was busy-polling instead of sleeping while waiting
   - Fixed to use proper CPU sleep
   - Saves another 15-25%

Results:
- Battery life: 6-7 hours → 12-16 hours (2.4x improvement)
- Average current: ~53mA → <25mA
- Device still feels responsive, just doesn't waste power

Tested on my Frame - works great.
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