Low memory mode #1239
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Low memory mode #1239
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BitMaker-hub
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Nov 27, 2025
Add conditional initialization to support devices without PSRAM, preventing crashes and ensuring basic functionality remains operational. Changes: - Skip BAP initialization when PSRAM unavailable - Skip statistics and hashrate monitor tasks when no PSRAM detected - Add clear warning messages for low memory mode - Mining core functionality remains unaffected Based on upstream PR: bitaxeorg#1239 This allows devices with misconfigured or missing PSRAM to boot successfully and mine normally, with only non-critical features disabled (BAP, statistics logging). Web UI remains fully accessible.
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@mutatrum Can you pls resolve conflicts so I can push some frontend improvements. |
BitMaker-hub
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Nov 28, 2025
Additional fixes to prevent crashes on devices without PSRAM by adding fallback to internal RAM for critical allocations. Changes: - ASIC task: Use malloc() fallback for job buffers when no PSRAM - LVGL display: Use MALLOC_CAP_INTERNAL when no PSRAM - Websocket task: Disable completely in low memory mode These allocations were causing immediate crashes on boot before the conditional task creation in main.c could take effect. Related to: bitaxeorg#1239
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Nov 28, 2025
Critical fix: Disable forced PSRAM requirements in ESP-IDF config to allow device to boot when PSRAM is not present or misconfigured. Changes: - Disable CONFIG_SPIRAM_MODE_OCT (was forcing Octal mode) - Disable CONFIG_SPIRAM_ALLOW_BSS_SEG_EXTERNAL_MEMORY (crash if no PSRAM) - Enable CONFIG_SPIRAM_IGNORE_INIT_FAIL (boot even if PSRAM init fails) - Keep CONFIG_SPIRAM_IGNORE_NOTFOUND enabled This prevents the bootloader from aborting with: 'E cpu_start: Failed to init external RAM!' Related to: bitaxeorg#1239
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Nov 28, 2025
Self-test was aborting boot when PSRAM not found, preventing device from running in low memory mode. Changes: - Skip PSRAM test failure in low memory mode - Show 'PSRAM:NONE' message instead of 'PSRAM:FAIL' - Continue self-test execution when no PSRAM detected - Only fail if PSRAM was expected but initialization failed This allows factory self-test to complete successfully on devices without PSRAM, entering low memory mode normally. Related to: bitaxeorg#1239
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Dec 15, 2025
Critical fix: hashrate_monitor_task is essential for display updates, it cannot be disabled even in low memory mode. Instead, make it use internal RAM when PSRAM is unavailable. Problem: - Previous implementation disabled hashrate_monitor_task without PSRAM - This task updates SYSTEM_MODULE->current_hashrate shown on display - Display would show "Gh/s: --" and appear frozen without this task Solution: - Modified hashrate_monitor_task to use MALLOC_CAP_INTERNAL when no PSRAM - Task stack also uses internal RAM via task_mem_caps variable - Only statistics_task remains disabled (non-critical for display/mining) Impact: - Display now works perfectly in low memory mode - Hashrate, temperature, and all stats update normally - Small RAM footprint (~3KB for measurements + 8KB stack) Related to: bitaxeorg#1239
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Dec 15, 2025
Comprehensive audit revealed 3 more critical hardcoded SPIRAM usages that would cause crashes without PSRAM. Added automatic fallback to internal RAM for all of them. Problems fixed: 1. LVGL memory pool (lv_conf.h) - MOST CRITICAL - All LVGL allocations were hardcoded to SPIRAM - Would crash immediately on any display operation - Now tries SPIRAM first, falls back to internal RAM 2. DNS server task (dns_server.c) - CRITICAL - Task creation hardcoded to SPIRAM - Would crash when enabling AP mode (captive portal) - Now falls back to internal RAM automatically 3. Stratum heartbeat task (stratum_task.c) - CRITICAL - Heartbeat task hardcoded to SPIRAM - Would crash when connecting to mining pool - Now falls back to internal RAM automatically Solution: Changed all from MALLOC_CAP_SPIRAM to MALLOC_CAP_SPIRAM | MALLOC_CAP_INTERNAL This makes FreeRTOS automatically use internal RAM if SPIRAM unavailable. Impact: - Prevents 3 different crash scenarios in low memory mode - Mining, display, WiFi AP, and pool connection all work now - Total additional RAM usage: ~24KB (3 x 8KB task stacks) Related to: bitaxeorg#1239
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Dec 15, 2025
After comprehensive RAM analysis, determined that ESP32-S3 has sufficient internal RAM (~320KB) to run both statistics and websocket features even without PSRAM. Memory usage analysis shows safe margins. Changes: 1. Statistics task - ENABLED with internal RAM fallback - Modified statistics_task.c buffer allocation to use fallback - Task always created, uses MALLOC_CAP_SPIRAM | MALLOC_CAP_INTERNAL - Buffer grows gradually (0→32KB over 1 hour) - Enables historical stats graphs in AxeOS 2. Websocket logs - ENABLED with internal RAM fallback - Modified http_server.c to always create websocket task - Modified websocket.c queue to use standard xQueueCreate - Only ~8.5KB overhead, mostly unused without connected clients - Enables live log streaming in Web UI for debugging RAM Analysis (see MEMORY_ANALYSIS.md): - Base system: ~130-140KB - With statistics + websocket at boot: ~173KB used, 147KB free (46%) - Worst case after 1 hour: ~217KB used, 103KB free (32%) - Minimum recommended free: 80KB (25%) - Safety margin: Excellent ✅ Benefits: - Full AxeOS functionality (statistics graphs work) - Better debugging experience (websocket logs) - Only BAP remains disabled (rarely used, 26KB overhead) Impact: Low memory mode now has nearly full feature parity with PSRAM mode, only missing BAP protocol which is non-essential for most users. Related to: bitaxeorg#1239
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Skip statistics and bap when no PSRAM detected, adds warnings.
Runs with ~30kb free memory. Without this change, everything starts crashing and AxeOS is not reachable if PSRAM is not there or not configured correctly.
See #1234 and #826