Reduce brightness on all kobo devices / challenge for developers

[akorx]

Hi guys,

First sorry for my very bad english, Im' french.

I've got a Glo (not HD) on which I've added a resistor in order too reduce the brightness since 2013 and all is ok still today after 6 years; I was the first person to ask the question and Yok and others guys have found a solution here : https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...=200706&page=7 ).

I've got a second kobo (aura HD) and the brightness is too high...

So I've got a question : is there a way with a plugin too reduce brightness on all Kobo devices ? if not, a good solution would be to create a plugin that can divide the settings by 2 or 3 or why not 10, in order to reduce brightness under 1% like 0.1%, 0.2%, etc.
If the brightness slider does not accept a setting under 1%, another solution coud be to mislead the value send to the LEDS (we set 10% on the slider but the real value send is 1%, 9% send 0.9%, etc).

Developers : do you see a solution , it could be a good challenge, no ?

A good add-on is nightmode, it can be found here : https://github.com/gtalusan/kobo-nig...de_build13.zip but it doesn't reduce the level of the leds.

[plusz]

I use my H2O with the backlight turned off However I see often people with the different Kobos reading with a very bright backlight, even though there is really enough ambient light to read comfortably a newspaper or an e-ink without backlight. Is it because the other models won't let you turn the backlight off?

[akorx]

I don't know but the only thing I can say is that a lot of people, like me, are sensitive to light and the lowest setting of brightness on kobos is again too high; and it's the reason why I try to find help from developers to reduce this value.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by plusz

I use my H2O with the backlight turned off However I see often people with the different Kobos reading with a very bright backlight, even though there is really enough ambient light to read comfortably a newspaper or an e-ink without backlight. Is it because the other models won't let you turn the backlight off?

The light on all Kobo devices can be turned off. I adjust the light level frequently. Exactly what level the light is at depends on the light around me. Generally, I find the screen looks better with the light on. It is pretty much only in full daylight that I consider turning it off.

[koboy]

i prefer the light off because i find it more like reading a physical/real book. which is the whole reason why i bought/own an ereader. although i do find the light comes in handy when it's dark

each to their own of course.

best wishes koboy

[frostschutz]

you might have to go the physical route, open it up and add a color filter / shade

[akorx]

There is really no solution with a patch ? Could this link https://github.com/koreader/koreader/issues/4186 be a lead for all devices (even on devices without cold or warm setting) ?

[Mrs_Often]

Originally Posted by akorx

There is really no solution with a patch ? Could this link https://github.com/koreader/koreader/issues/4186 be a lead for all devices (even on devices without cold or warm setting) ?

You might get more luck/response if you post your question in the developer’s corner of this forum instead of here

And I would definitely also be very happy with lower brightness!!

[akorx]

Originally Posted by Mrs_Often

You might get more luck/response if you post your question in the developer’s corner of this forum instead of here

And I would definitely also be very happy with lower brightness!!

Oh yes it's a good idea...

[akorx]

Here is the new post https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...81#post3816181 in the Developer's Corner.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by akorx

I don't know but the only thing I can say is that a lot of people, like me, are sensitive to light and the lowest setting of brightness on kobos is again too high;

Which Kobos? The last one I felt was still a bit high on the lowest setting was the Glo, which was a 2012 device, discontinued about one average battery lifetime ago.

In the meantime your best workaround is probably to have a reasonable amount of ambient light instead of reading in darkness.

[murraypaul]

I'd say the Aura One is much too bright for reading in bed, it is bright enough to annoy my wife, even on 1%.

[frostschutz]

maybe related: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...78#post3529978

not sure if those color filters also reduce brightness somewhat, and/or whether suitable brightness-reducing filters exist. in the past I used regular paper, or even black tape, to reduce brightness of overbright status LEDs, but in case of ereader frontlight it might be harmful. only one way to find out...

most developers are also users so they read both forums

[dordale]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

I'd say the Aura One is much too bright for reading in bed, it is bright enough to annoy my wife, even on 1%.

Interesting...I frequently read in bed, but need the light on my Aura One set at 6%. At 1% I wouldn't be able to see anything at all. I wonder if it's my eyes or differences in Kobos--probably a combination of the two.

[plusz]

I know, that it's off topic to you as you are looking for a solution to lower the light...

Below certain light level our eyes turn into night/evening vision. See out of focus, don't recognize colors properly, but otherwise let us see even just a silhouette of the object in those unfavorable conditions. It's really bad to demand your eyes to read in such mode for prolonged time.

I've been prescribed reading glasses at the age of 34 and it only went up. Eye doctors kept saying, "don't worry, we see it common nowadays that people experience old age vision problems much earlier, about at the age of 30". By a chance I read one day about a study done in Australia (I believe) about the light contribution to vision problems. They have patched the eyes of chickens, introducing slight vision issue, and after a period of time measured the eye refraction. In typical indoor light condition the chickens with the patched eyes developed bad sight. However when the luminosity was at the level of a bright sunny day outdoors the eye patching did no harm to the eye, that is even if the vision was not perfect they eye did not develop the issue further.

I'm 40 and I don't need reading glasses anymore I've been cured in a matter of 2 years from +1. I just did a radical changes in my life. I have my work place close to the window, in the evening illuminated by 4 x 7W LED. I changed the color schemes on my computer from dark colors to white background, black text and I just make sure it's bright enough so the environment brightness is not disturbing. I don't read in bed. Before sleep, with a dim light, I just watch some movie or listen to an audiobook.

That being said, don't get my rant too seriously Keep living as usual if you're happy. It wasn't my intention to preach that you cannot not read in darkness. You're the owner of your body