Brightness up/down key sensibility on fujitsu u9200

[Patrick]

Hi there!!

I have a fujitsu esprimo u9200 and the brightness up/down key aren't behaving properly, since they increase/decrease to much.

cat /proc/acpi/video/GFX0/LCD/brightness reports the following:
levels: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
current: 7

If I press the key up key one time, it will decrease to 4, then to 1 or 0 and the to 0. Usually that means going from too bright to too dark... the brightness applet works fine, full control over the different levels.

lshal -m, pressing one up one down:
22:58:22.325: computer_logicaldev_input_0 condition ButtonPressed = brightness-up
22:58:32.482: computer_logicaldev_input_0 condition ButtonPressed = brightness-down

acpi_list, one up one down:
video LCD 00000086 00000000 // that's up
video LCD 00000087 00000000 // that's down

xev also doesn't seem to report anything abnormal

UPDATES:
sudo modprobe -r video solves the problem, it will go up/down just fine. However, acpi_listen and lshal -m won't report anything. Same way, without the video module, brightness won't go down automatically when in battery.

lshal -m reports:

modprobe -r video
  23:19:02.059: computer_backlight removed
  23:19:02.071: computer_logicaldev_input_0 removed

modprobe video
  23:18:59.710: computer_backlight added
  23:18:59.809: computer_logicaldev_input_0 added

Also, has running without the video module any side effects in performance?

[Patrick (patrick-voegeli)]

A quick update: may this be a bug upstream?

In Intrepid it worked fine, but it won't in Jaunty, Mandriva One 2009 nor Debian 5.0.1.

[Patrick (patrick-voegeli)]

Ok, quite solved this one. I must load the driver video with option brightness_switch_enabled=0

Then it works as expected.

[Patrick (patrick-voegeli)]

Here I am again,

the very same fix doesn't solve the issue in Karmic Koala.

I have checked /sys/module/video/parameters/brightness_switch_enabled and I get N, so the parameter is loading, but it still works the flacky way. Stopping hal and kill g-p-m doesn't change anything.

Could please somebody have a look into it, since it seems there's some kind of regression somewhere.

thanks

[Patrick (patrick-voegeli)]

hi again

I've double checked and, actually, when I kill the g-p-m brightness up/down works fine, with 8 different brightness states.

[Pascal Will (luciensan)]

I'm using Karmic on my U9200 and I have the same issue. Setting /usr/module/video/parameters/brightness_switch_enabled to N solves it for me.

[David Tombs (dgtombs)]

Hi Patrick, thanks for the report. So does this appear to be a bug in g-p-m now?

[Patrick (patrick-voegeli)]

Hi there,

I'm sorry, I don't have the Fujitsu laptop anymore, I sold it.

Now I do have an Acer 1810TZ. By default it also had some troubles, but adding the brightnes switch enabled trick solved those.

[David Tombs (dgtombs)]

OK, thanks for the update.

Anyone else experiencing the bug, please chime in.

[jetthe (jonas-dalom)]

I'm experiencing the same problems as described (brightness down works but up flickers and returns to lower setting). Using the Power Manager Brightness Applet works.

Using 10.04, had the same problem with 9.10.

[David Tombs (dgtombs)]

You also have a Fujitsu laptop, jetthe? Same model?

[slmagik (slmagik)]

I confirm this bug on my u9200 laptop, using Ubuntu 10.04. The /sys/module/video/parameters/brightness_switch_enabled N fix doesn't work for me.

[slmagik (slmagik)]

Btw, this bug is also actual for Debian squeeze/sid, I've just checked it.

[David Tombs (dgtombs)]

slmagik: Thanks for the info. What happens if you kill gnome-power-manager by running "killall gnome-power-manager"? Does it work after that?

[slmagik (slmagik)]

David Tombs: yep, after setting echo "N" > /sys/module/video/parameters/brightness_switch_enabled and killing gnome-power-manager it works. If I run gnome-power-manager after that it stops working again. BTW, how to set the brightness_switch_enabled to be constant? Because after rebooting it defaults itself to Y.

[David Tombs (dgtombs)]

slmaguk: What happens if you leave brightness_switch_enabled alone and kill g-p-m?

[David Tombs (dgtombs)]

Note: this is possibly similar to <http://mail.gnome.org/archives/gnome-power-manager-list/2009-April/msg00006.html>.

[slmagik (slmagik)]

David Tombs: if I leave the brightness_switch_enabled in it's default state (Y) and just do the killall gnome-power-manager - it doesn't work.

[David Tombs (dgtombs)]

What do you mean by "it doesn't work"? Do the keys stop working completely? Or are they still insensible?

[slmagik (slmagik)]

David Tombs: it doesn't work as it should: "brightness down works but up flickers and returns to lower setting".

[Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi)]

Hello.
Can someone confirm that this bug still existing with the latest updated Lucid packages ?
thanks in advance
:)Fabio

[David Tombs (dgtombs)]

I think the issue here is the same as the mail thread I linked in comment 16. Affected users can try adding the "brightness_in_hardware" hal key to their fdi file to see if it fixes it. See the mail thread for more information and "/usr/share/hal/fdi/information/10freedesktop/10-laptop-panel-hardware.fdi" for an example. If adding this key (without brightness_switch_enabled option) fixes the problem, then your hardware is broken and we need a quirk.

Also note that g-p-m will no longer use HAL in Maverick so I don't know what the workaround will be there.

[Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi)]

Hello to all.
Can someone running Lucid attach here these files:

/var/log/syslog
/var/log/dmesg
/var/log/kern.log
/var/log/Xorg.0.log

then open a terminal and run this command:

apport-collect -p gnome-power-manager 352699

Thanks in advance
:)Fabio

[Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi)]

We are closing this bug report because it lacks the information we need to investigate the problem, as described in the previous comments. Please reopen it if you can give us the missing information, and don't hesitate to submit bug reports in the future. To reopen the bug report you can click on the current status, under the Status column, and change the Status back to "New". Thanks again!

[slmagik (slmagik)]

Hi there, I've attached those log files, but from Ubuntu 10.10 (it still has this bug).

Btw, I don't think this bug is directly connected to gnome-power-manager,
because brightness-up key doesn't work even without X and g-p-m:
the screen just flickers while pressing the key.

[Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi)]

Hello slmagik
Oct 8 01:20:02 WIZARD kernel: [ 28.064486] atkbd serio0: Unknown key pressed (translated set 2, code 0x83 on isa0060/serio0).
Oct 8 01:20:02 WIZARD kernel: [ 28.064492] atkbd serio0: Use 'setkeycodes e003 <keycode>' to make it known.
Let's take a look at this.
Are you able to folllow the procedure described in /usr/share/doc/udev/README.keymap.txt from a live Cd session '
Thanks
Fabio

[slmagik (slmagik)]

Hi, Fabio

I've tried to follow those instructions, but I've got some problems with step 3:
the program doesn't show anything at all for several of my multimedia keys (there are no scan codes for some of those pressed keys, not anything, just like I've haven't pressed them), and pressing "brightness up/down" keys (fn+F8/F9) prints two characters: "^@" (four characters "^@^@" for the "brightness up" key, actually), but the "brightness down" key works fine even without printed scan code and "brightness up" doesn't.

what should I do?

[slmagik (slmagik)]

Btw, I've just rechecked: both "brightness" keys work just fine in debian's and ubuntu-alternate's text-mode installers, but after installing the CLI system the "brightness up" key stops working as it should, just flickering the screen.

[Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi)]

Hello slmagik
This comment help on excluding linux and evdev problem.
so run in a console
sudo killall gnome-settings-daemon gnome-power-manager
then hit not woking key, if it works is a g-p-m issue if not is xserver.
Thanks
Fabio

[slmagik (slmagik)]

Hi, Fabio

I've installed and tested a CLI (text-only) sytem, so there are no g-p-m or X installed. So, it's not directly connected to X or g-p-m, it's something else, I think.

[Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi)]

Hello
can you run in a terminal, from maverick
apport-collect -p linux 352699
Thanks
Fabio

[slmagik (slmagik)]

AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.23.
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: slmagik 1475 F.... pulseaudio
CRDA: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
Card0.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:0 'Intel'/'HDA Intel at 0xfc400000 irq 47'
   Mixer name : 'Realtek ALC262'
   Components : 'HDA:10ec0262,17340000,00100202 HDA:10573055,10573055,00100700'
   Controls : 18
   Simple ctrls : 13
CheckboxSubmission: b1c050e455ab3046dd5901a2310a5c9d
CheckboxSystem: 331fbefb4b1f6727f4a8261fee7507c9
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.10
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Release Candidate amd64 (20100928.1)
MachineType: FUJITSU SIEMENS ESPRIMO Mobile U9200
Package: linux (not installed)
ProcCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.35-22-generic root=UUID=703ff430-e720-4aa6-8080-7a385e918bc2 ro splash quiet
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_US:en
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=ru_RU.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.35-22.33-generic 2.6.35.4
Regression: No
RelatedPackageVersions: linux-firmware 1.38
Reproducible: Yes
Tags: maverick kernel-uncat needs-upstream-testing
Uname: Linux 2.6.35-22-generic x86_64
UserGroups:

dmi.bios.date: 10/26/2007
dmi.bios.vendor: FUJITSU SIEMENS
dmi.bios.version: 1.07 - 061T02 - 1471
dmi.board.name: S11D
dmi.board.vendor: FUJITSU SIEMENS
dmi.board.version: 1.0
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: FSC
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: FUJITSU SIEMENS
dmi.chassis.version: 1.0
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnFUJITSUSIEMENS:bvr1.07-061T02-1471:bd10/26/2007:svnFUJITSUSIEMENS:pnESPRIMOMobileU9200:pvr1.0:rvnFUJITSUSIEMENS:rnS11D:rvr1.0:cvnFUJITSUSIEMENS:ct10:cvr1.0:
dmi.product.name: ESPRIMO Mobile U9200
dmi.product.version: 1.0
dmi.sys.vendor: FUJITSU SIEMENS

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[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

The original submitter no longer has the HW this was filed against. If this bug still exists for someone, please open a new one for that issue on that specific HW.