PRS-T1 /system/bin/switcher: Battery drain, USB misbehavior

altruizine · 09-12-2012, 08:41 AM

I have seen /system/bin/switcher and its wake lock causing battery drain. Maybe switcher also plays a role in an USB issue where sometimes an USB plug / unplug event is not correctly handled (device thinks USB is still connected / disconnected when it's not, ADB connection cannot be established, freezes / crashes after USB unplug).

I'd like to understand what Switcher actually does and why it misbehaves. Maybe we can collect some observations about it and perhaps even come up with a fix?

Here's what I know so far:

Switcher is a system service run from /init.rc. When it's killed, init immediately restarts it.

Switcher seems to play a role in driving the USB port. I have experimented replacing /system/bin/switcher with a shell script that does nothing but sleep forever. This certainly solved the battery-drain issue, but also rendered the USB port unusable: The Reader couldn't detect host connections or chargers anymore.

From looking at the strings embedded within the binary, Switcher also seems to play a role in Adobe DRM activation over USB.

An strace reveals that Switcher listens on all input events: It registers all touch events and button presses. No idea why. Scary.

My workaround for the ADB and hang-after-USB-disconnect issues: After connecting the USB cable to the host PC, enter the application debugging settings screen, disable USB debugging, then re-enable it. Now ADB works. Before removing the USB cable, enter the settings screen again and disable USB debugging. Optionally, re-enable it after removing the cable (I usually do this because otherwise Titanium Backup sometimes complains and hangs.)

uboot · 09-12-2012, 10:56 AM

Does disabling + re-enabling usb debugging stop battery drain for you?

I ran into the same issue: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=181673

My workaround for battery drain: disconnect usb cable and soft reset.

Maybe it is also a good idea to keep usb debugging disabled if not needed.

altruizine · 09-17-2012, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uboot

Does disabling + re-enabling usb debugging stop battery drain for you?

I'll let you know when I see the problem next time. It hasn't occurred for a couple of weeks.

Thanks for your reply, uboot!

09-12-2012, 08:41 AM	#1
altruizine Senior Altruist Posts: 77 Karma: 600554 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: Sony Reader PRS-T1	/system/bin/switcher: Battery drain, USB misbehavior I have seen /system/bin/switcher and its wake lock causing battery drain. Maybe switcher also plays a role in an USB issue where sometimes an USB plug / unplug event is not correctly handled (device thinks USB is still connected / disconnected when it's not, ADB connection cannot be established, freezes / crashes after USB unplug). I'd like to understand what Switcher actually does and why it misbehaves. Maybe we can collect some observations about it and perhaps even come up with a fix? Here's what I know so far: Switcher is a system service run from /init.rc. When it's killed, init immediately restarts it. Switcher seems to play a role in driving the USB port. I have experimented replacing /system/bin/switcher with a shell script that does nothing but sleep forever. This certainly solved the battery-drain issue, but also rendered the USB port unusable: The Reader couldn't detect host connections or chargers anymore. From looking at the strings embedded within the binary, Switcher also seems to play a role in Adobe DRM activation over USB. An strace reveals that Switcher listens on all input events: It registers all touch events and button presses. No idea why. Scary. My workaround for the ADB and hang-after-USB-disconnect issues: After connecting the USB cable to the host PC, enter the application debugging settings screen, disable USB debugging, then re-enable it. Now ADB works. Before removing the USB cable, enter the settings screen again and disable USB debugging. Optionally, re-enable it after removing the cable (I usually do this because otherwise Titanium Backup sometimes complains and hangs.)

09-12-2012, 10:56 AM	#2
uboot Addict Posts: 329 Karma: 6884 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: old europe Device: PRS T1	Does disabling + re-enabling usb debugging stop battery drain for you? I ran into the same issue: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=181673 My workaround for battery drain: disconnect usb cable and soft reset. Maybe it is also a good idea to keep usb debugging disabled if not needed. __________________ Be sure to check out the Wiki for Sony PRS-T1 Rooting and Tweaks! . Many questions are answered there already... If not - feel free to add . Disclaimer: Some modifications will void warranty and may irreversibly destroy the device. I won't take responsibility if you damage your reader by using one of my files or following my suggestions.

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