Add a background frame pump so QMP load is constant

One thread grabs the LCD at a fixed rate into a shared buffer; HTTP clients serve
from that buffer. Before, every /stream iteration issued its own QMP reads, so
load scaled with client count and reconnects, and a slow reader could stall the
grab loop.

Encodes only when the framebuffer bytes change, and exposes generation so a client
can tell a new frame from the same one without comparing bytes.

rebind() is here for the power work in a later task: the emulator comes and goes
under the server, and rebind(None) blanks the screen instead of leaving a stale
frame that looks live. The run loop re-checks the grabber identity under the lock
after a read, so a rebind landing mid-read cannot be undone by the frame it was
already fetching.

A client that raises is swallowed on purpose -- a dead emulator must not kill the
pump, since power may come back.

Verified against a real emulator: 5000 latest() calls in 1 ms with no QMP traffic,
generation flat at 1 over a second of static screen, guest still running, and
rebind(None) going dark. 9 unit tests.
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mckero committed 2026-08-28 05:50:16 +01:00
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#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""Background frame pump for the web UI.
One thread reads the LCD at a fixed rate into a shared buffer, and every HTTP
client serves from that buffer. Previously each /stream iteration did its own QMP
reads, so load scaled with the number of clients and a slow reader could stall the
grab loop.
Encoding happens only when the framebuffer bytes actually change -- the LCD is
static most of the time, so idle CPU stays near zero. `generation` lets a client
tell "no new frame" from "same frame again" without comparing bytes itself.
`rebind` exists for power cycling: the emulator can come and go under the server,
and rebinding to None blanks the screen rather than leaving a stale frame that
looks live.
"""
import threading
import time
from uvk5_lcd import FrameGrabber, encode_png, unpack
class FramePump:
def __init__(self, client, frame_addr: int, status_addr: int,
fps: int = 15, scale: int = 4, spool_dir: str = "/dev/shm"):
self._frame_addr = frame_addr
self._status_addr = status_addr
self._spool_dir = spool_dir
self._interval = 1.0 / fps
self._scale = scale
self._lock = threading.Lock()
self._grabber = (FrameGrabber(client, frame_addr, status_addr, spool_dir)
if client is not None else None)
self._png = None
self._raw = None
self._generation = 0
self._stop = threading.Event()
self._thread = None
def start(self):
if self._thread is not None:
return
self._thread = threading.Thread(target=self._run, daemon=True)
self._thread.start()
def stop(self):
self._stop.set()
thread, self._thread = self._thread, None
if thread is not None:
thread.join(timeout=2)
def rebind(self, client):
"""Point at a new QMP client, or None when the emulator is off."""
with self._lock:
self._grabber = (
FrameGrabber(client, self._frame_addr, self._status_addr,
self._spool_dir)
if client is not None else None)
if client is None:
self._png = None # dark screen, not a stale frame
self._raw = None
self._generation += 1
def _run(self):
while not self._stop.is_set():
started = time.monotonic()
with self._lock:
grabber = self._grabber
if grabber is not None:
try:
status, frame = grabber.raw()
current = (status, frame)
with self._lock:
# Re-check: a rebind may have landed mid-read, and its
# blanking must not be undone by this stale frame.
if self._grabber is grabber and current != self._raw:
self._raw = current
self._png = encode_png(unpack(status, frame),
self._scale)
self._generation += 1
except Exception:
# A dead emulator must not kill the pump: power may come
# back, and latest() keeps serving the last good frame.
pass
slack = self._interval - (time.monotonic() - started)
if slack > 0:
self._stop.wait(slack)
def latest(self):
with self._lock:
return self._png
def generation(self) -> int:
with self._lock:
return self._generation