Neo-6M Power Save Mode

kb9nate · July 13, 2023, 1:14pm

I was taking some current measurements on my various Meshtastic devices yesterday (initiated to see just how horrible the current draw on the Heltec Wireless Stick is) and in the process noticed that the T-Beam (v1.1) draws around 100mA in normal operation. If I turned off the GPS then it dropped to around 50mA. I thought that seemed a bit much just for GPS so I pulled up the datasheet for the Neo-6M. I notice it has a Power Save Mode that reduces the current to around 11mA with an update rate of 1Hz. I would think that would be a sufficient update rate for most uses. Certainly the device isn’t transmitting it’s location even that often.

Is there an option in the Meshtastic FW that can be turned on to put the GPS in the Power Save mode? I looked through the configuration documentation but didn’t see anything for it

Crichton · July 14, 2023, 3:42am

github.com/meshtastic/firmware

GPS: Implement Power Management, Refactor Code and Fix GSA Message Configuration for U-Blox hardware

meshtastic:master ← D4rk4:GPS

opened 12:40PM - 11 Jul 23 UTC

D4rk4

+164 -27

In this merge request, I introduce several enhancements and fixes to improve the… overall functionality and power efficiency of our GPS module. Here's a summary of the changes made: 1. Power Management: I have integrated power management support using the UBX-CFG-PMS message. This allows us to configure the GPS module's power consumption according to our needs. For now, it is set to "Aggressive with 1 Hz: The module operates in a power saving mode with a 1 Hz update rate." 2. Code Refactoring: I've cleaned up and improved the readability of our existing code base. This includes better structuring the code, adding descriptive comments, and optimizing existing functions for better performance. 3. Fix GSA Message Configuration: I've fixed an issue in the GSA message configuration that was causing unexpected behavior. The correct UBX message format and parameters are now used. These changes contribute to a more power-efficient, stable, and reliable operation of the GPS module, ensuring optimal functionality while minimizing power consumption. The revised code is also more maintainable and easier to understand. I request the team to review the proposed changes and provide feedback.

Very recently added. Hasn’t been released yet though, as far as I know.

kb9nate · July 14, 2023, 4:09am

Cool! Looking forward to trying it out

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Neo-6M Power Save Mode

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