I just found out that you can use systemd to run python scripts (via the same instructions from @Stike on May 25). So I wrote an auto-brightness script in python. This is my first python script ever! So bear with me; I got a little carried away and it may not be best coding practices, but it works flawlessly on my Framework 12th gen running Kubuntu 22.10.
#!/usr/bin/env python3
import os
import time
from math import copysign as cpsign
# Main Parameters
sensor_delay = 0.400
sensor_count = 5
brightness_adjust = +1.0
# Other Parameters for extra tweaking
min_brightness = 1
max_brightness = 96000
fps = 30
half_life_doubling_time = 600
threshold_ratio = 1.10
threshold_delta = 1000
min_change = int(1000/fps)
######################################
# Parameter Hints for Main parameters
# sensor_delay:
# - positive float
# - how often to take readings from sensor (in seconds)
# - recommended range: 0.1 - 3.0
# sensor_count
# - positive integer
# - number of measurements to average together from ambient light sensor
# - recommended range: 3 - 5 (use lower value for lower sensor_delay)
# brightness_adjust:
# - float
# - skews the screen brightness brighter (positive values) or dimmer (negative values) without affecting the min or max brightness
# - recommended range: -2.5 - +2.5
######################################
# Parameter Hints for Other parameters
# min_brightness:
# - integer
# - screen brightness will not go below this value; values less than one will cause the screen to reach 0% brightness before light sensor bottoms out
# - recommended range: -10,000 - 10,000
# max_brightness:
# - positive integer
# - numbers above 96,000 will cause the screen to reach 100% brightness before light sensor maxes out
# - recommended range: 60,000 - 120,000
# fps:
# - positive float
# - the "smoothness" of brightness change; when a change is brightness is triggered, this is the number of steps of intermediate brightness per second
# - recommended range: 5 - 45
# half_life_doubling_time:
# - positive integer
# - time (in milliseconds) to double or halve the current brightness, ie, rate of change
# - recommended range: 200 - 5000
# step_ratio:
# - float > 1.0
# - rate at which the screen brightness changes (per step). 1.01 is slow, 2+ is nearly instant
# - recommended range: 1.01 - 1.50 (can be smaller if steps value is high)
# threshold_ratio
# - float >= 1.0
# - minimum ratio of `target `to `current` before brightness change is triggered
# - recommended range: 1.0 -1.2
# threshold_delta:
# - non-negative integer
# - minimum difference between `target `and `current` before brightness changes
# - recommended range: 100 - 5000
# min_change:
# - positive integer
# - the minimum possible brightness change (per step). (set very high for instant change)
# - recommended range: 5 - 1000
#################################
# Function Definitions
echo = lambda str : os.system(f"echo {str}")
def getAmbientLight():
f = open("/sys/bus/iio/devices/iio:device0/in_illuminance_raw")
light = int(f.read())
f.close()
return light
def getScreenBrightness():
f = open("/sys/class/backlight/intel_backlight/brightness")
raw_bright = int(f.read())
f.close()
# return math.log(raw_bright/960, 10) * 50
return raw_bright
def light2bright(light):
percent = light / 3984
adjusted_percent = percent ** brightness_power
return round(adjusted_percent * (max_brightness - min_brightness) + min_brightness)
# initialize
brightness_power = 1 / (2**brightness_adjust)
steps = max(1, int(fps * sensor_delay))
step_ratio = 2 ** (1000/half_life_doubling_time/fps)
lights = [ getAmbientLight() ] * sensor_count
n = 0
# loop
while True:
n = (n+1) % sensor_count
l = getAmbientLight()
lights[n] = l
light_avg = sum(lights) / sensor_count
echo(f"light={l} and light_avg={light_avg}")
target = light2bright(light_avg)
current_bright = getScreenBrightness()
delta = target - current_bright
ratio = (target / current_bright) ** cpsign(1, delta)
echo(f"current_bright={current_bright} and target={target} so delta={delta} and ratio={ratio}")
if abs(delta) > threshold_delta \
or ratio > threshold_ratio:
for i in range(1, steps+1):
echo(f"' i={i}'")
b = current_bright * step_ratio ** cpsign(i, delta)
if abs(b - current_bright) < (i * min_change):
b = current_bright + cpsign(i*min_change, delta)
if (delta > 0 and b > target) or (delta < 0 and b < target):
os.system(f"brightnessctl -q s {target}")
echo(f"' set brightness to {target}'")
time.sleep((steps+1-i) * sensor_delay/steps)
break;
else:
os.system(f"brightnessctl -q s {round(b)}")
echo(f"' set brightness to {round(b)}'")
time.sleep(sensor_delay/steps)
else:
time.sleep(sensor_delay)
I made it highly tweakable for those who want more control over the sample rate, brightness curve, the rate and smoothness of transition, etc. Hope someone enjoys this!
Since everyone is contributing their scripts, Iād like to share mine too! Itās actually part of my framework_toolbox, although you could separate out just the auto-brightness binary and run it on its own. I can write up instructions on how to do that if anyoneās interested.
I plan on doing a rewrite of brightnessctl so that it stops being an external dependency, but currently you still need it.
The killer feature? If you manually adjust your brightness, it will remember it!
Currently forgets after the session, and because it saves the changes for each sensor value, the brightness curves can become kinda wobbly. I also need to ignore when screen dims due to idle.
Hi Guys,
Glad to see the community is active in this matter!
I have been using the original script for more than 8 months now, it is great and I thank a lot the @Monster_user that took time and patience to make it.
I will surely try @Ryan_Martensā script soon.
If I may, there is one feature that is absent from the scripts that are proposed:
The screen backlight brightness should not be set as an absolute value, is should be a value that the user can off-set using the keyboard keys.
It is a matter of practicality, if someone turn on the light behind you that is in sight with the sensor, it will take in account this light because it shines on it, where it does not always reflect the ambient light conditions.
Hence I think the final setting should be a value you can offset with the screen-brightness manual setting.
For instance, when the sensor reads a 0 value, you should be able to offset the value higher to allow for increase of screen back-light.
If memory serves me right, it was the case with Apple laptops, you were still able to change the brightness, but actually you were simply offsetting the back light.
Yep, that is what my tool is meant to address. What I have done is added a brightness curve, sort of like a fan curve, that will save any adjustments you make per-ambient sensor reading.
I did a rewrite of the program logic a day ago, and I will give it a separate release with binaries and instructions as soon as I can get to it.
I just need to finish a function for cleaning up the curve and making sure it goes in one direction only (so that you donāt have a curve that goes dark-bright-dark-bright), but it is currently working otherwise. I also need to have it save your preferences so that changes persist across sessions.
Welp Iām stumped trying to find this online, but suddenly my /sys/bus/iio/ folder is now missing. For me the only thing in there was the ambient light sensor.
I know often everything in there is a symlink. Could anyone here tell me what the sensor folders beneath it point to? Or if anyone knows the hardware device name thatād help greatly in figuring out what happened.
Iām unsure whatās caused this, so any ideas there would be great too.
iio:device0
points to ../../../devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:12.0/{33AECD58-B679-4E54-9BD9-A04D34F0C226}/001F:8087:0AC2.0004/HID-SENSOR-200041.3.auto/iio:device0
trigger0
points to ../../../devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:12.0/{33AECD58-B679-4E54-9BD9-A04D34F0C226}/001F:8087:0AC2.0004/HID-SENSOR-200041.3.auto/trigger0
Both of these are inside the /sys/bus/iio/devices/ folder
Putting this out there for any newcomers to this thread. Op and other participants, carry on.
Everyone just visiting this: 11th gen has auto-brightness working find out of the box on Fedora 37/38 and Ubuntu 22.04, and the brightness keys also work out of the box.
12th/13th gen has auto-brightness working out of the box on Fedora 37/38 and Ubuntu 22.04, but to get the brightness keys working as expected, we would ask you to utilize one of our guides for Fedora or Ubuntu.
There is a grub parameter that you would add that disables auto-brightness, while providing support for the brightness keys.
For Ubuntu/Fedora/likely other distros as well, itās either auto-brightness or the recommended parameter to get the the brightness keys working. On my Framework 13, I use the brightness keys.
Is this something that will be changed in the future? I donāt have an immediate answer for that at this time. However, the official recommendation is to simply use the brightness keys as auto-dim under Power on GNOME still works out of the box.
No. Itās something that would be addressed at the firmware level when a solution is available. Right now, the current practice of using the appropriate parameters is what we are recommending.
I had illuminancedconfigured and working nicely on my Framework which runs openSUSE Tumbleweed, but after a reboot /sys/bus/iio/drivers is now empty. Iām not sure what changed; any ideas? I donāt have hid_sensor_hub blacklisted and indeed itās happily loaded:
Weirdly after another reboot the ALS devices reappeared and it started working again. Not sure what changed. Anyway I made some suggestions to illuminanced on GitHub and the author was nice and responsive but said he doesnāt use or really maintain it any more, so ideally I guess someone else would take it over.
Thought I would show off the new version of this script
It now can be stop, started, and kill (some what like a service), and with a easily modifiable sensor offset that can be changed while running (flags provided to the script ran separately will directly modify the offset)
Also the brightness only changes when the sensor sees a X% of change (10% by default)
