DPMS problem

While activating DPMS from the configure menu, after set the computer reverts to a 640 × 480 mode and the file monitor in predesk.configure turns out to be empty. Is this a known feature or is it just me?

While activating DPMS from the configure menu, after set the computer reverts to a 640 × 480 mode and the file monitor in predesk.configure turns out to be empty. Is this a known feature or is it just me?

No it isn’t just you.
You don’t say what board type you are using – beagle, panda, pandora or Pi, but I’m not sure that is relevant.

My experience is that the display resolution and DPMS settings can be saved but are ignored/lost when a plain beagleboard machine is rebooted.
If you have a beagleboard with the ROOL widget fitted then the display resolution is retained as is the DPMS setting.
I would conclude from this that the code for saving the CMOS settings to the widget does not match the code for saving settings in file on the boot device.

In short, I believe it is a bug.

Some might say that people should shell out for a widget, but that rather ignores the future boards that will not have a facility for that kind of fitment.

Sorry, should have mentioned it, this is on a Pi, using the image riscos-2012-11-01-RC6.zip.
Although DPMS seems to work it only blanks the screen, the monitor keeps consuming the same amount of power.

Although DPMS seems to work it only blanks the screen, the monitor keeps consuming the same amount of power.

My first port of call on that would be checking the DPMS setting number in the MDF (display definition) file.

DPMS has various setting numbers that vary from “full” shutdown to just blanking the screen or even no action.
IIRC the difference you are looking at the difference between DPMS 0 and DPMS 1 (I’m nowhere near a RO machine or emulator at present and due into a lengthy meeting straight after lunch)
However: https://www.riscosopen.org/wiki/documentation/show/HAL_VideoSetBlank should help

Thanks, Steve
In the configure menu the monitor is set to auto, selecting the generic definition file gives the proper choices and shows the DPMS setting to 3, which should switch off the backlight too. In reality it still has no effect, may be the monitor, although I expect the HDMI connection to do the switching.

This is a limitation of the Pi firmware. The “blank screen” message which we send to the firmware doesn’t seem to do any power saving stuff.