I have been hearing a lot about the cache memory but I don’t know what it means. Can you please explain what the cache memory in my electronic devices do?

— Mr A

Dear Mr A,

The cache memory is the bridge between slower computer components and the faster ones. The CPU inside your computer or your mobile devices are extremely fast but the CPU gets bottlenecked by the other slower components in the system. You might think that the RAM can keep up with the CPU but in actuality, even the RAM cannot keep up with the fast CPU. So, to bridge this gap, engineers came up with a small but extremely fast storage module called the cache, that can hold a small number of data so that when the CPU requires this information, it can immediately pull it from the faster cache memory. To avoid any latency, the cache memory is also placed closer to the CPU which is why cache specifications are usually specified with CPU specifications. To put this into perspective, an average CPU runs at around 2.5 GHz whereas a normal RAM module would run at 800 MHz or if you have a faster module it could go up to 1600 MHz. Which does not meet the processing capacity of the CPU, this is called the Von Neumann bottleneck. The Van Neumann bottleneck refers to latency that occurs when you pull data from the storage device to the RAM before the CPU needs to access the data. So, here the cache memory refers to the small amount of memory that can keep up with the CPU and acts as a bridge between the RAM module and the CPU to reduce latency as much as possible. The cache memory, therefore, is just a module that aims to reduce data latency among slower internal hardware.

I use the Micromax Q380 (Canvas Spark) and have rooted and unlocked the recovery with the help of the TWRP 3.0 custom recovery. I have tried many third-party ROMs but have been running into a problem that does not let me play my FM radio through the loudspeaker. If I route the sound to the headphones then it works fine but it refuses to play through the loudspeaker, except on Knight OS. I have installed the ROMs very carefully, following the instructions provided by the developer but still the problem persists. How do I fix this?

—Rupesh Pathak

Dear Rupesh,

The fact that the FM radio routes perfectly to the loudspeaker when you’re using the Knight OS means that there is nothing wrong with the hardware of your phone. The problem lies in the software side and the fact that most of the ROMs that you’re installing come from third-party developers might mean that the ROM developers don’t know about this issue or haven’t implemented codes for this problem. Third-party ROM developers don’t have access to abundant resources and usually don’t have in-house testing teams, which is why they depend on user feedback to help them identify the issues prevalent in their ROMs. If you’ve been downloading ROMs from the xda-developers forums, I would suggest dropping a message for the developer in the thread. The xda-developers are really helpful and they are really active on the site too, which means that you should get a direct response from the developer for your problem. The problem you’re facing might just be a technical oversight that the developer forgot to look into. If you just bring this problem to the developer, they might be willing to fix it in a newer version of the ROM. But again, your phone is fine and the problem definitely is rooted in the software. Just try to contact the developer and find out if they are willing to fix it.

I use the Lenovo Zuk Z1 as my daily driver. It’s been around 4 months that I’ve been using the device but recently, I’ve run into a problem where the smartphone does not show any indication of charging. When I bought the phone, it charged really quickly but now it’s charging, but it’s really show. Can you please tell me what’s causing this problem?

—Niraj Bro

Dear Niraj,

This seems to be a persistent problem with the Lenovo Zuk Z1 devices. There are a lot of people complaining about the issue on the internet but the solution seems to be simple. The problem, fortunately, is not rooted in the device’s hardware or software; the problem is caused by the USB-C cable that Lenovo shipped with the device. Check if the phone charges fine when plugged into a PC, if it does, you will need to replace your cable. The one from One Plus works great with your device. This happens because there are different wirings inside your cable, different cables help your device interact with a PC and different cables make sure that high-voltage electricity reaches your device properly. The charging wires might be faulty in Lenovo’s cables and a quick replacement should do the trick for you. I have personally had this problem with the fake charging cables found in New Road. My Samsung Galaxy Tab would charge really slow and would not even interact with my PC. All of these problems got resolved once I invested in an original charger from Samsung. So, I would recommend replacing your cable to solve this issue.