Brightness Fn keys work before booting arch but not after..

Aguex · 2008-10-08 20:14:21

Hello, I have a problem with my Samsung R60 notebook.
My Function Keys (Fn) that manage the brightness level are bios-controlled, because they work before Linux boot (in grub and in bios for example).
The problem is that they don't work after the boot. The only way to change the screen brightness is doing echo n>/proc/acpi/video/VGA/LCD/brightness (where n is the desired brightness level).
I can't assign any function to the brightness fn keys (I think that's because they're bios controlled).
Dbus is started, and I'm member of power, hal, dbus, power groups.
Launching dbus-monitor gives this output:

[aguex@lapt ~]$ dbus-monitor
signal sender=org.freedesktop.DBus -> dest=:1.17 path=/org/freedesktop/DBus; interface=org.freedesktop.DBus; member=NameAcquired
   string ":1.17"
method call sender=:1.17 -> dest=org.freedesktop.DBus path=/org/freedesktop/DBus; interface=org.freedesktop.DBus; member=AddMatch
   string "type='method_call'"
method call sender=:1.17 -> dest=org.freedesktop.DBus path=/org/freedesktop/DBus; interface=org.freedesktop.DBus; member=AddMatch
   string "type='method_return'"
method call sender=:1.17 -> dest=org.freedesktop.DBus path=/org/freedesktop/DBus; interface=org.freedesktop.DBus; member=AddMatch
   string "type='error'"

And when I press the Fn brightness keys it says nothing.

Can anyone help me?

Thank you

Diaz · 2008-10-08 21:45:42

don't really know because i can't control it with the keyboard keys, but in gnome i can control it with the brightness applet.

First i think you should have the acpi deamon running, if you're using gnome try lauching the gnome-power-manager...

well with a little google search i found: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=839000

Dheart · 2008-10-09 04:51:31

You have to set up your keyboard first. The problem probably is FN + Brightness producing an unknown keycode try this.

konni · 2008-10-09 12:40:24

mhhm... sounds similar to my samsung q45,
when auto adjust backlight brightness is enabled in bios programs like xbacklight can adjust it, but not above the current max setting which is like 100% on ac power and 50% on battery, so you could just disable the bios setting and map some keys for xbacklight.
but most other fn-keys don't work either, like wifi on/off etc.
for me the problem was solved upon a bios DOWNgrade... now i got fn keys and all working fine.

Aguex · 2008-10-09 16:55:36

Diaz wrote:

First i think you should have the acpi deamon running, if you're using gnome try lauching the gnome-power-manager...
well with a little google search i found: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=839000

Acpi daemon is running, and also gnome-power-manager, but the applet of gnome (brightness control) does not work).
The thread in the link does not explain anything about fn keys and brightness..

Dheart wrote:

You have to set up your keyboard first. The problem probably is FN + Brightness producing an unknown keycode try this.

the keys are not producing any keycode at all in xev. I think that's because they're bios programmed as I said.
EDIT: now I've managed to get one of the keys associated with a code (with setkeycodes), but it stays pressed forever... If I look in xev the "time" showing grows higher and higher. I tried to associate the key with a gnome function just to try, but if I press the key the gnome interface freezes (in fact it's like I'm keeping the key pressed forever).

Last edited by Aguex (2008-10-09 17:17:17)

john_schaf · 2008-12-24 02:47:58

Aguex wrote:

EDIT: now I've managed to get one of the keys associated with a code (with setkeycodes), but it stays pressed forever... If I look in xev the "time" showing grows higher and higher. I tried to associate the key with a gnome function just to try, but if I press the key the gnome interface freezes (in fact it's like I'm keeping the key pressed forever).

I have the same problem here on the samsung nc10 : the brightness key send a scancode when pressed, but does not send anything when released. Does somebody know how to use such a key in linux ?

edit :
I found a (quite old) patch for the kernel here : http://linux.derkeiler.com/Mailing-List … /4147.html
maybe not so interesting ...

Last edited by john_schaf (2008-12-24 03:41:30)

655321 · 2009-12-15 22:53:10

same problem here, Fn keys dont work, I have them fine in ubuntu karmic, no idea of what to do, running on an ACER Timeline 5810TZ

lswest · 2009-12-16 12:15:05

I noticed the same behaviour on my Samsung N110, but only when it's running KMS, since it loses it's backlight property. If you install xbacklight and run it in an attempt to lower/increase brightness, does it return an error, or does it change the brightness? If it does change the brightness, then it's a simple matter of binding the keys (brightness keys) using xbindkeys, and linking them to a script to raise/lower brightness on click. If you discover that xbacklight handles brightness, then I'd be more than happy to post all my configs and scripts from my Samsung N110 on github and drop you a link here (I think some of them are already up). If it doesn't work, and you have KMS enabled, try disabling it to see if that returns the backlight property.

Hope that helps,
Lswest

Oh, and if you discover that the maximum brightness is too low (stores the last brightness as max via BIOS), you can increase it to maximum with

sudo setpci 00:02.1 F4.B=FF

The 00.02.1 value may be incorrect for you. Find the right one using lspci, and searching for "Display Controller".

Last edited by lswest (2009-12-16 12:19:59)

Arch Linux

#1 2008-10-08 20:14:21

Brightness Fn keys work before booting arch but not after..

#2 2008-10-08 21:45:42

Re: Brightness Fn keys work before booting arch but not after..

#3 2008-10-09 04:51:31

Re: Brightness Fn keys work before booting arch but not after..

#4 2008-10-09 12:40:24

Re: Brightness Fn keys work before booting arch but not after..

#5 2008-10-09 16:55:36

Re: Brightness Fn keys work before booting arch but not after..

#6 2008-12-24 02:47:58

Re: Brightness Fn keys work before booting arch but not after..

#7 2009-12-15 22:53:10

Re: Brightness Fn keys work before booting arch but not after..

#8 2009-12-16 12:15:05

Re: Brightness Fn keys work before booting arch but not after..

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