WIP:T1000E some ideas for power usage improvements

[prusnak]

Various T1000-E power usage improvements

This hasn't been tested on real hardware yet and is posted as a draft to discuss things

[446564]

Have you seen the testing being done on discord?

[prusnak]

Have you seen the testing being done on discord?

Yes, but I do not have time to participate unfortunately.

Posted my ideas here - might be worth integrating ... or not.

Feel free to cheery-pick the changes if it makes sense.

[trakais]

If I can chime in, none of the improvements so far have made significant improvements, I'm on the dev branch and the battery still does not last nearly as long as on MT. So I'll gladly take any attempt at further improvement 

…

---- On Sun, 10 Aug 2025 00:16:06 +0300 Ded ***@***.***> wrote ---- 446564 left a comment #596 (comment) Have you seen the testing being done on discord? — Reply to this email directly, #596 (comment) , or https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ABNC2746WGC6274VCUNCZPD3MZQJNAVCNFSM6AAAAACDQK6BMSVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZTCNZSGEYDGNRZGU . You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread.

[fdlamotte]

seems ok to me,

I'm giving it a try on a device and will merge if ok

edit: Some good ideas, but doesn't compile straight away, device is acting really weird ... I'll need some time to work on this (power optim for t1000 are on my todo ...)
edit2: changed title to reflect state of the patch

[fdlamotte]

On my platformio setup, it won't compile if I let this ... don't know about radio on board

[ventz]

There are a few things that can be optimized from a security, performance, memory perspective.

Adding some improvements here -- @prusnak feel free to pick/choose whatever makes sense - providing as a zip (I don't want to push anything since you are making a lot of great changes!)

modified: src/helpers/nrf52/SerialBLEInterface.cpp
modified: src/helpers/nrf52/SerialBLEInterface.h
modified: variants/t1000-e/T1000eBoard.cpp

updates.zip

Key Issues Identified

1. Security Issues

• Insufficient Authentication: While the code used MITM (Man-in-the-Middle) protection, it lacked stronger authentication mechanisms.
• No Connection Timeout: Connected devices remained connected indefinitely, creating potential security vulnerabilities.
• No Adaptive Security: Security levels didn't adjust based on connection failures or suspicious activities.

2. Performance Bottlenecks

• Inefficient Reconnection Strategy: The advertising strategy used fixed intervals and timeouts, consuming unnecessary power.
• No Rate Limiting for Reconnections: Failed connections could continuously retry without backoff periods.
• Fixed MTU Size: The MTU size wasn't optimized for data throughput.

3. Memory/CPU Usage Issues

• Inefficient Buffer Management: No handling for partial writes or buffer overflows.
• Memory Leaks: Memory allocated for disconnected sessions wasn't properly released.
• Inefficient Queue Management: The send queue used shifting operations for each deletion.

Implemented Optimizations

1. Security Enhancements

• Improved Device Identification: Added unique device ID to BLE name for better identification.
• Connection Timeout: Implemented a connection timeout mechanism to disconnect inactive sessions.
• Activity Monitoring: Added tracking of communication activity to detect stale connections.

2. Power & Performance Optimizations

• Maximum TX Power: Set TX power to maximum (4) for optimal transmission range and reliability.

• Smart Advertising Strategy:

  • Created adaptive advertising intervals based on connection retry count
  • Adjusted timeouts based on connection history
  • Added backoff periods after multiple failed connection attempts

• Optimized MTU Configuration: Adjusted the MTU size for better data throughput.

• Improved Reconnection Logic: Implemented exponential backoff for reconnection attempts to reduce power consumption.

3. Memory & CPU Optimizations

• Enhanced Buffer Management:

  • Added proper handling for partial writes
  • Implemented flow control checking with bleuart.notifyEnabled()

• Optimized Queue Management: More efficient handling of the send queue with proper error checking.

4. Code Quality Improvements

• Better Error Handling: Added checks for error conditions during BLE operations.
• Improved Logging: Enhanced debug logging for better troubleshooting.
• Code Documentation: Added comments explaining the purpose and functionality of complex sections.

Implementation Details

The optimizations were implemented in two main files:

1. variants/t1000-e/T1000eBoard.cpp:

   • Enhanced the OTA update implementation (currently disabled)
   • Improved the BLE initialization process
   • Added more descriptive comments

2. src/helpers/nrf52/SerialBLEInterface.cpp and SerialBLEInterface.h:

   • Implemented adaptive power management
   • Added connection retry limiting and backoff
   • Improved buffer handling and flow control
   • Added activity monitoring and timeout handling
   • Implemented more efficient queue management