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Linux kernel battery driver for QC71/KC57 based laptops.

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What is it?

This a Linux kernel battery driver for Intel Whitebook LAPKC71F/LAPKC71E/LAPKC51F systems (Intel NUC X15, XMG Fusion 15m22, ...). This is a minimized battery kernel module, picked out from qc71_laptop module. You can use this module with TUXEDO Control Center.

The below is the original README

What is it?

This a Linux kernel platform driver for Intel Whitebook LAPQC71X systems (XMG Fusion 15, Eluktronics MAG 15, Aftershock Vapor 15, ...).

Disclaimer

This software is in early stages of developement. Futhermore, to quote GPL: everything is provided as is. There is no warranty for the program, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

This software is licensed under the GNU General Public License v2.0

Compatibility

It has only been tested on an XMG Fusion 15 device (BIOS 0062 up to 0120) and with the 5.4, and 5.8-5.13 kernel series. Some functions have been confirmed to work on the Tongfang GK7C chassis (XMG Neo 17, PCS Recoil III, Walmart OP17) (see #6).

Dependencies

Required

  • Your kernel has been compiled with CONFIG_ACPI and CONFIG_DMI (it probably was)
  • Linux headers for you current kernel

Optional

  • DKMS if you don't want to recompile it manually every time the kernel is upgraded

Features

Current

  • Integrate fan speeds into the Linux hardware monitoring subsystem (so that lm_sensors can pick it up)
  • Control the lightbar
  • Enable/disable always-on mode, reduced fan duty cycle (BIOS 0114 and above)
  • Fn lock (BIOS 0114 and above)
  • Change battery charge limit (BIOS 0114 and above)

How to install

Downloading

If you have git installed:

git clone https://github.com/pobrn/qc71_laptop

If you don't, then you can download it here.

Installing

Linux headers

On Debian and its many derivatives (Ubuntu, Pop OS, Linux Mint, ...) , run

sudo apt install linux-headers-$(uname -r)

to install the necessary header files.

On Arch Linux and its derivatives (Manjaro, ...), run

sudo pacman -Syu linux-headers

DKMS (optional)

DKMS should be in your distributions repositories. sudo apt install dkms, sudo pacman -Syu dkms should work depending on your distribution.

The module

Manually

Navigate in a terminal into the directory, then execute make. This should compile the module. If everything went correctly, a file named qc71_laptop.ko should appear in the directory.

To test the module try sudo insmod qc71_laptop.ko. Now you should see the fan speeds appear in the output of sensors, and the directory /sys/devices/platform/qc71_laptop should now exist. If you are done testing, unload the module using sudo rmmod qc71_laptop.

Now you could create a script that inserts this module at boot from this directory, or you could install it using DKMS.

With DKMS

Run

sudo make dkmsinstall

to install the module with DKMS. Or run

sudo make dkmsuninstall

to uninstall the module.

The module should automatically load at boot after this. If you want to load it immediately, run sudo modprobe qc71_laptop. If it reports an error, and you're convinced your device should be supported, please open an issue.

Upgrade

If you installed the module with DKMS, and you wish to upgrade, first open the directory of the old sources, and run

sudo make dkmsuninstall

then update the sources (pull the repository, download the sources again manually, etc.), then run

sudo make dkmsinstall

How to use

Fan speeds

After loading the module the fan speeds and temperatures should immediately appear in the output of sensors, and all your favourite monitoring utilities (e.g. the Freon GNOME shell extension) that use sensors.

Controlling the lightbar

The lightbar is integrated into the LED subsystem of the linux kernel. When the module is loaded, /sys/class/leds/qc71_laptop::lightbar directory should exist with the following important files:

/sys/class/leds/qc71_laptop::lightbar/brightness

It contains 1 if the lightbar is turned on in S0 sleep state (aka. when the device is powered on), 0 otherwise. You can turn on/off the lightbar by writing an appropriate number into this file:

# echo 1 > /sys/class/leds/qc71_laptop::lightbar/brightness

will turn the lightbar on. (Writing 0 will turn it off.) To check the current state:

$ cat /sys/class/leds/qc71_laptop::lightbar/brightness

/sys/class/leds/qc71_laptop::lightbar/brightness_s3

It contains 1 if the lightbar is turned on in S3 sleep state (aka. when the device is sleeping). If it is 1, the lightbar will "breathe" when the device is sleeping. You can control it the same way as brightness.


/sys/class/leds/qc71_laptop::lightbar/rainbow_mode

It contains 1 if the "rainbow mode" is enabled (aka. the color will continuously cycle). Controlling works the same way as before.

Note: Enabling/disabling the rainbow mode will not turn the lightbar on/off. Note: The rainbow mode takes precedence over the color.


/sys/class/leds/qc71_laptop::lightbar/color

This file controls the color of the lightbar. It is a three digit number (possibly with padding zeroes). The first digit is the red component, the second one is the green componenet, the third one is the blue component.

$ cat /sys/class/leds/qc71_laptop::lightbar/color

tells you the current color, while

# echo 591 > /sys/class/leds/qc71_laptop::lightbar/color

will change the current color.

Note: Chaning the color will not turn the lightbar on.

Controlling the fans

These can be controlled directly from the BIOS as well.

Passive cooling

I call this feature "always on" because that's less confusing than "passive cooling".

# echo 1 > /sys/devices/platform/qc71_laptop/fan_always_on

will cause the fans to run continuously. Writing 0 will turn it off.

Reduced duty cycle

# echo 1 > /sys/devices/platform/qc71_laptop/fan_reduced_duty_cycle

will cause the fans to run at 25% of their capacity (about 2300 RPM) at idle (instead of 30% - about 2700 RPM). Writing 0 will restore the 30% idle duty cycle.

Fn lock

# echo 1 > /sys/devices/platform/qc71_laptop/fn_lock_switch

will enable changing the Fn lock state by pressing Fn+ESC. If this file contains 1, then pressing Fn+ESC will toggle the Fn lock; if this file contains 0, then pressing Fn+ESC will have no effect on the Fn lock.

# echo 1 > /sys/devices/platform/qc71_laptop/fn_lock

will directly enable the Fn lock. If this file contains 1, then pressing the functions keys will trigger their secondary functions (mute, brightness up, etc.); if this file contains 0, then pressing the functions keys will trigger their primary functions (F1, F2, ...).

Battery charge limit

The file /sys/class/power_supply/BAT0/charge_control_end_threshold contains the current charge threshold. Writing a number between 1 and 100 will cause the battery charging limit to be set to that percentage. (I did not test extremely low values, so I cannot say if they work). For example:

# echo 60 > /sys/class/power_supply/BAT0/charge_control_end_threshold

will cause charging to stop when the battery reaches 60% of its capacity.

Super key (windows key) lock

It is possible to disable the super (windows) key by pressing Fn+F2 (or just F2 if the Fn lock is enabled). This can be also achieved by changing the writing the appropriate value into /sys/devices/platform/qc71_laptop/super_key_lock.

# echo 1 > /sys/devices/platform/qc71_laptop/super_key_lock

disables the super key, while

# echo 0 > /sys/devices/platform/qc71_laptop/super_key_lock

enables it. Reading the file will provide information about the current state of the super key. 0 means enabled, 1 means disabled.

Example use

The XMG Control Center can change the color if the device is on battery or plugged in. Fortunately you can easily achieve the same using acpid. Modifying the appropriate part of /etc/acpi/handler.sh like this:

    ac_adapter)
        case "$2" in
            AC|ACAD|ADP0|ACPI0003:00) # the "ACPI0003:00" part was not there by default
                case "$4" in
                    00000000)
                        logger 'AC unplugged'
                        
                        # change color to red
                        echo 900 > /sys/class/leds/qc71_laptop::lightbar/color
                        ;;
                    00000001)
                        logger 'AC plugged'
                        
                        # change color to blue
                        echo 009 > /sys/class/leds/qc71_laptop::lightbar/color
                        ;;
                esac
                ;;
            *)
                logger "ACPI action undefined: $2"
                ;;
        esac
        ;;

You can use acpi_listen to see what events are generated when you plug the machine in or disconnect the charger. You might need to modify the third line (in this snippet).

Troubleshooting

  • The TUXEDO Control Center may interfere with the operation of this kernel module. I do not recommend using both at the same time.

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Linux kernel battery driver for QC71/KC57 based laptops.

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