OverClocking 101

[TuBitMittens]

I would gladly do a test for you. thanks.
just a few questions what is/where do I find this batterystats.bin??? I have the astro file manager so maybe I can find it in there??
An just an extra tidbit of info, I usually unplug my phone and then turn it off for a couple of minutes, don't know how much that makes a difference.
So for this experiment, should I disable setcpu and keep my phone at 600mhz max and 125 min??

I don't use Astro, I use "Root Explorer". So lets try it this way:

Launch Termnial.
su
cd /data/system
rm batterystats.bin
exit
exit
Then hit the home button.

Just unplug the phone and use as normal. No need to do anything special.

Setup your phone just like you want it to be as if everything was already perfect.

Alright guess I will leave the setcpu as it is even though it really isn't perfect?? lol sorry to be so difficult. and I have the terminal emulator app so hopefully that will work too.

 

[Skull One]

I would gladly do a test for you. thanks.
just a few questions what is/where do I find this batterystats.bin??? I have the astro file manager so maybe I can find it in there??
An just an extra tidbit of info, I usually unplug my phone and then turn it off for a couple of minutes, don't know how much that makes a difference.
So for this experiment, should I disable setcpu and keep my phone at 600mhz max and 125 min??

I don't use Astro, I use "Root Explorer". So lets try it this way:

Launch Termnial.
su
cd /data/system
rm batterystats.bin
exit
exit
Then hit the home button.

Just unplug the phone and use as normal. No need to do anything special.

Setup your phone just like you want it to be as if everything was already perfect.

Alright guess I will leave the setcpu as it is even though it really isn't perfect?? lol sorry to be so difficult. and I have the terminal emulator app so hopefully that will work too.

Seriously, install the kernel with the speed you want. Get SetCPU configured they way you think it should be. Then run the test.

And you are not being difficult at all.

 

[TuBitMittens]

I don't use Astro, I use "Root Explorer". So lets try it this way:

Launch Termnial.
su
cd /data/system
rm batterystats.bin
exit
exit
Then hit the home button.

Just unplug the phone and use as normal. No need to do anything special.

Setup your phone just like you want it to be as if everything was already perfect.

Alright guess I will leave the setcpu as it is even though it really isn't perfect?? lol sorry to be so difficult. and I have the terminal emulator app so hopefully that will work too.

Seriously, install the kernel with the speed you want. Get SetCPU configured they way you think it should be. Then run the test.

And you are not being difficult at all.

will do. thanks for your support.

 

[TuBitMittens]

My battery life may be draining A BIT LESS FAST NOW. idk been back n forth with the phone for maybe at least five hours. Having been good with consistent testing.(with one reset to flash a theme) so maybe my battery life really is justified by my use *smacks self* still feel I can do better though. I mean I DO TAKE BREAKS WITH IT. lol but it's still a constant factor to keep an eye on.

 

[TuBitMittens]

oh, and using the 125-1000 p3 kernel currently.
OH YEAH, question
with the setcpu profiles I'm just wondering. as far as it's effect are the profile listings from top to bottom a matter as to the consistency of when the cpu takes the change, or is that strictly just the priority that matters with the likeliness of the cpu settings??
hope that question made sense..

 

[Skull One]

oh, and using the 125-1000 p3 kernel currently.
OH YEAH, question
with the setcpu profiles I'm just wondering. as far as it's effect are the profile listings from top to bottom a matter as to the consistency of when the cpu takes the change, or is that strictly just the priority that matters with the likeliness of the cpu settings??
hope that question made sense..

The priority is what list them in order. So yes it looks at the list starting at the top and works its way done till it hits one that satisfies the condition.

 

[TuBitMittens]

Still only get like 6 hours of battery(okay maybe a bit more than that) unless I BARELY use my phone....I can't seem to get it straight. HOW MUCH BATTERY LIFE ARE YOU GETTING SKULL?? I'm using the same exact kernel; I know every cpu is different but I wonder what my battery life would be like if I set my settings EXACTLY as you posted yours.

 

[TuBitMittens]

Am actually wondering if maybe even downloading a HIGHER lv kernel like 1.1ghz and THEN underclocking it like a did with a 1.0ghz would actually make a difference in battery??? It personally doesn't really make any sense to me technically, but what do I know...on to more tedious experimentation. -_-

 

[furbearingmammal]

Still only get like 6 hours of battery(okay maybe a bit more than that) unless I BARELY use my phone....I can't seem to get it straight. HOW MUCH BATTERY LIFE ARE YOU GETTING SKULL?? I'm using the same exact kernel; I know every cpu is different but I wonder what my battery life would be like if I set my settings EXACTLY as you posted yours.

Are you running with WiFi turned on but no network available? Are you in a low signal area? Both will drain your battery faster. Going into a no-signal area will suck battery life through a hose instead of a straw as your phone struggles to boost whatever signal it DOES get to increase service.

Of course, you probably already knew all this, and if so I apologize. I don't mean to offend, just trying to eliminate some possible problems.

It's also possible you're running some apps that Skull isn't that drain more battery. Anything that's data-intensive if you're not on WiFi will eat your battery alive, especially if it's cpu-intensive as well. Streaming music apps, for example.

My battery life is no great shakes if I'm using my phone much at all (O/C'd to 1.1Ghz with Chevy's ULV kernel), but I also have one of those lucky phones with a battery that reports in 10% increments instead of the 1%ers and even at stock speeds it didn't last very long. FroYo ROMS seem to handle the battery better on my phone, though, and some days I'll get a 40% battery go to 100% when plugged into my computer's USB port for about 20 minutes.

 

[rmart88]

Ok, so I def want to root... but only really to Overclock, I want to stick with 2.1 for now (I dont want to mess around with ROMs... yet). This is possible correct? I know that I need to download a new kernel to OC, but that is something I can do without flashing an entire ROM right?

 

[DF Smod]

Ok, so I def want to root... but only really to Overclock, I want to stick with 2.1 for now

2.2 is 3-5X faster than 2.1 without O/Cing so if it is speed you are looking for go ahead and make the jump to 2.2 then throw in a O/Ced Kernel, you will be amazed. There are clean, untouched, and rooted 2.2 versions out there without the extras that ROM makers like to add

 

[EbE404]

Ok, so I def want to root... but only really to Overclock, I want to stick with 2.1 for now (I dont want to mess around with ROMs... yet). This is possible correct? I know that I need to download a new kernel to OC, but that is something I can do without flashing an entire ROM right?

Well, sort of. To go from stock V2.1 to rooted and get to where you want to be, there are several things you need to do:

• Flash a new recovery (which will likely be used to flash the new kernel)
• Gain root access

Now, how to go about that. There are a few methods, including a new "rooting app" that Droid Life has discussed, but at this time I am not clear on what exactly is does or what recovery it leaves you with.

My advice is to follow this tutorial:

How to: Root Android 2.1 and Install Android 2.2 on Motorola DROID | Droid Life: A Droid Community Blog

This tutorial explains how to load the rooted V2.2 ROM (stock, otherwise), which you might want to do since the Froyo OTA will be starting today, and once you get that, it might take some time for people to gain root again.

However, if you really, really want to stick with V2.1, there are some rooted versions of the stock V2.1 floating around (do a search).

Once you gain root, you will have the possibility to get ROM Manager, which will make it a bit easier to switch between kernels and ROMs (including the stock, rooted ROM), however, I have found it to be rather flaky in my experience and I prefer to keep SPRecovery and do all of the flashing that way.

 

[Skull One]

Ok, so I def want to root... but only really to Overclock, I want to stick with 2.1 for now (I dont want to mess around with ROMs... yet). This is possible correct? I know that I need to download a new kernel to OC, but that is something I can do without flashing an entire ROM right?

If you have not rooted yet and you simply want speed, wait for the OTA 2.2 update.

When I was doing testing under 2.0 thru 2.1, using the Linkpack benchmark, I would use a divisor of .0084 to calculate the clockrate of the CPU. Under 2.2 I have to use .01606. Simply math shows it is baseline two times faster than what you are using now.

Now, if you want to be more than merely two times faster, you will have to root, learn about kernels, figure out thru testing which kernel is right for your phone, purchase SetCPU from the market, learn how to use recovery mode, learn how to do nandroid backups and restores and have at least two to three hours set aside to make this all work. And that is if everything goes perfect and you do a through job. If you run into any issues, you better have a computer handy along with the needed recovery files.

And yes, I will admit, I am trying to get your undivided attention with that paragraph. But I would rather you know ahead of time what you are getting into so your phone is still working when you need it versus spending half a day down while you plead for help on the forum.

 

[xowktiger]

How do I test out the kernels? Do I just install them and watch the temperature or do I need to reconfigure through setcpu?

 

[Skull One]

How do I test out the kernels? Do I just install them and watch the temperature or do I need to reconfigure through setcpu?

There are no "good" rules on testing. And your question is actually the best answer. You run your phone normally with each kernel and watch the temps and battery life. When you find that sweet spot of performance and temp/battery, you call it a day and have fun.