# Standby time **URL:** \ **Category:** Quad Cortex\ **Created:** [March 29, 2022, 12:55am UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/standby-time/7024 "2022-03-29T00:55:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![danimaetrix](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/unity.neuraldsp.com/danimaetrix/32/2658_2.png) [@danimaetrix](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/danimaetrix)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2022, 12:55am UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/standby-time/7024/1 "2022-03-29T00:55:46Z")
I assume there isn’t - but is there any risk leaving the QC plugged in 24/7 in standby? It seems to get fairly warm even in this mode which would suggest a fair amount of power usage. I wouldn’t want to prematurely kill anything ---
**Author:** ![nico2440443](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/41988e/32.png) [@nico2440443](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/nico2440443)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2022, 7:12am UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/standby-time/7024/2 "2022-03-29T07:12:24Z")
Here are some thoughts about this: [Standby vs. Shutdown?](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/standby-vs-shutdown/5276) Personally, I would at least shut it down over night. ---
**Author:** ![MP\_Mod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ccd318/32.png) [@MP\_Mod](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/MP_Mod)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2022, 1:35pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/standby-time/7024/3 "2022-03-29T13:35:24Z")
I usually leave mine on 24x7x365, unless its being moved etc., I keep mine on standby pretty much all the time since I purchased about a year ago. ---
**Author:** ![xush](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/unity.neuraldsp.com/xush/32/5100_2.png) [@xush](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/xush)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2022, 10:01pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/standby-time/7024/4 "2022-03-30T22:01:05Z")
Mine stays on all the time, in standby. I’ll unplug when electrical storms are predicted, but otherwise it stays plugged in and in standby when not in use. ---
**Author:** ![audioinfected](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/unity.neuraldsp.com/audioinfected/32/2687_2.png) [@audioinfected](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/audioinfected)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2022, 8:13am UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/standby-time/7024/5 "2022-03-31T08:13:20Z")
The “Standby” mode is not putting the device into a deep sleep. It seem to switch off the screen and that’s it. ```auto Mem: 185804K used, 35648K free, 136K shrd, 10628K buff, 57296K cached CPU: 2% usr 6% sys 0% nic 89% idle 0% io 0% irq 0% sirq Load average: 4.19 2.26 0.92 1/74 1771 PID PPID USER STAT VSZ %VSZ %CPU COMMAND 640 1 root S 270m 125% 5% ./ZenUI -qws ... ``` But I guess you need to measure the power consumption on the power supply unit to determinate if the is any significant difference between standby and normal operation without any workload. @ [danimaetrix](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/danimaetrix) But so if you observed that the device is getting still warm there will be no real/good standby at all. For all who let the device 24/7 running - at best with the wifi connection/internet connection: well, congratulation ! you are rich ! 🙂 P.S. these are the CPU speed values (MHz) in standby mode: ```auto # cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/cpuinfo_cur_freq 450000 # cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/cpuinfo_max_freq 450000 # cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/cpuinfo_min_freq 112500 # cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_available_frequencies 450000 225000 112500 ``` Also from this point it seems that the cpu will not go down to the lowest frequency in standby mode. But power consumption is not only a question of CPU - I guess also the rest of the hardware runs full power in standby and will not be powered off. ---
**Author:** ![Digitalchris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3be4f8/32.png) [@Digitalchris](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/Digitalchris)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2022, 12:58pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/standby-time/7024/6 "2022-03-31T12:58:29Z")
It is an odd unit: Power on uses 22 watts, normal operation 16, but standby uses 13, so it’s not really a standby - it just turns the screen off. ---
**Author:** ![Digitalchris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3be4f8/32.png) [@Digitalchris](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/Digitalchris)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2022, 1:01pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/standby-time/7024/7 "2022-03-31T13:01:10Z")
I reckon it’ll cost around £50 a year to leave on permanent standby. ---
**Author:** ![danimaetrix](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/unity.neuraldsp.com/danimaetrix/32/2658_2.png) [@danimaetrix](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/danimaetrix)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2022, 10:05pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/standby-time/7024/8 "2022-03-31T22:05:07Z")
these are awesome data @audioinfected - how did you obtain it? Are you able to access the QC root system?? Based on this thread, I’m definitely turning it off now if I don’t plan to keep using it for the day. It really was suspiciously warm for something supposedly in what I thought was a sleep mode. ---
**Author:** ![MP\_Mod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ccd318/32.png) [@MP\_Mod](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/MP_Mod)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2022, 8:36pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/standby-time/7024/11 "2022-04-01T20:36:55Z")
I think standby mode shuts the screen down and disables the I/O to prevent pops etc., going to PAs, mixers, FRFR, FOH etc. ---
**Author:** ![antoinevg](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/unity.neuraldsp.com/antoinevg/32/2611_2.png) [@antoinevg](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/antoinevg)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2022, 7:07am UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/standby-time/7024/12 "2022-04-02T07:07:17Z")
> [@danimaetrix](#): > > Are you able to access the QC root system?? Can haz root shell?! Enquiring minds must know! ---
**Author:** ![Digitalchris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3be4f8/32.png) [@Digitalchris](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/Digitalchris)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2022, 7:36pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/standby-time/7024/13 "2022-04-03T19:36:53Z")
Hi Xush: It uses 13 watts in “standby” (normal operation uses 16 w) so that’s around £50 a year, about to increase to more like £75… or £100… or… And… even when turned “off” it uses 1.3 watts. ---
**Author:** ![danimaetrix](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/unity.neuraldsp.com/danimaetrix/32/2658_2.png) [@danimaetrix](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/danimaetrix)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2022, 9:30pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/standby-time/7024/14 "2022-04-03T21:30:12Z")
when turned off it’s probably the power adapter consuming energy. This happens with most I think ---
**Author:** ![Digitalchris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3be4f8/32.png) [@Digitalchris](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/Digitalchris)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 11:05am UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/standby-time/7024/15 "2022-04-04T11:05:12Z")
Hi Danimaetrix The unit consumes 1.3 watts when off because it doesn’t have a ‘Proper’ on/off switch but an electronic one. If you disconnect its power lead the external psu consumption drops to zero. ---
**Author:** ![aa7bq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/13edae/32.png) [@aa7bq](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/aa7bq)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2022, 8:03pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/standby-time/7024/16 "2022-04-29T20:03:00Z")
I don’t worry about the cost, which is either small, or negligible to me. As far as the equipment goes, I subscribe to the belief that turning electronic equipment ON is more stressful than letting it run continuously. I let my desktop computers run 24/7/365 and there has never been a problem. ---
**Author:** ![danimaetrix](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/unity.neuraldsp.com/danimaetrix/32/2658_2.png) [@danimaetrix](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/danimaetrix)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2022, 10:18pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/standby-time/7024/17 "2022-04-29T22:18:23Z")
@aa7bq desktop computers are designed to run 24/7 and modern platforms include a lot of self management and error correcting behavior to maintain their state along with much more advance solid state storage. I’m not saying the QC doesn’t, but I highly doubt any level of stress incurred due to switching on and off will increase the risk of failure. It is after all, a pedal unit. That’s literally what it’s designed for. Also, the unit runs on a standard micro SD card. Letting it run continuously will potentially shorten the life of that card owing to the continuous read/write process.