PW3: anything available to turn off LED

[Zeya]

I'm looking to buy a PW2 or PW3, but I will need to be able to turn the LEDs completely off. I've seen the thread for the Front Light Master extension for the PW2. Is there anything like this for the PW3 yet? If not and if there isn't anything on the horizon then I'll probably rule out the PW3. If the magnet trick still works on the PW3 then maybe I'll still consider it, but I'd rather modify the software if possible.

I mostly plan to read pdf's on the device, so will likely install koreader. Is there any advantage to using a PW2 or PW3 for this purpose? If I were to get the newest PW3 with updated firmware would I have to downgrade it in order to jailbreak it?

[knc1]

My PW-3 can turn the front lights completely off, without any changes.

- - - -

While waiting for your PW-3 - -
Read the software jail break directions (at least the first post) -

When it arrives -
**DO NOT** let it connect to the Internet.
Use the link of the swjb first post to get and install PW-3, firmware 5.6.5 -
Follow rest of instructions in first post.

[Zeya]

Originally Posted by knc1

My PW-3 can turn the front lights completely off, without any changes.

Really? My understanding was that the lights can be turned down very low, but even on the lowest setting there would still be a faint light. I know this annoys some people, hence the need for something like the FLM extension to turn the lights completely off, but it doesn't look like FLM will work on a PW3. Can anyone else confirm that the PW3 lights can be turned 100% off (with or without modification). I know it sounds weird and unnecessary, but I have my reasons for wanting this feature.

Oh, and thanks for the jailbreak info.

[geekmaster]

My brightness slider only goes down to '1' (just like my other paperwhites). You need to be in a really dark room (or have the front bezel off) to see the difference.

I just did some poking around in my PW3 over usbnet. I found this:

PHP Code:

echo 0 > /chroot/sys/devices/platform/imx-i2c.0/i2c-0/0-003c/max77696-bl.0/backlight/max77696-bl/brightness 


Other numbers are brighter, but '0' is off...

That should be easy to squeeze into a KUAL extension... Or perhaps up and down buttons, without that pesky (lower limit of '1').

You can also read that location to see the current brightness level. It says '1' after you run the brightness slider all the way down to minimum (i.e. "almost" off).

If nobody has posted a "Frontlight OFF" KUAL extension yet when I get back from my evening walk (and I still remember), I will whip up a KUAL extension to turn frontlight off. You can use the frontlight slider control to turn it back to other brightness levels.

Now that I know how to control the frontlight, it is time to see how fast I can toggle it, and if it is fast enough for PWM optical sound output.

EDIT: See post below for "shorter path" version, with examples for MAX, MIN, and OFF brightness values: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...03#post3323903

[knc1]

Originally Posted by Zeya

- - - -
Can anyone else confirm that the PW3 lights can be turned 100% off (with or without modification).
-

You need to limit (or to address) your question to those who know how to do it.

There has been so much posted about this, that it must not be obvious - - -

The light adjustment is a segmented, touch-screen, slider -
Your finger can only drag it down to the last segment (because after that, your finger is off the slider).

1) Drag slider down to only one segment showing
2) Tap '-' (minus) once to turn off that last segment

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by knc1

You need to limit (or to address) your question to those who know how to do it.

There has been so much posted about this, that it must not be obvious - - -

The light adjustment is a segmented, touch-screen, slider -
Your finger can only drag it down to the last segment (because after that, your finger is off the slider).

1) Drag slider down to only one segment showing
2) Tap '-' (minus) once to turn off that last segment

Ahh... I did not know that (nor did I read it). I was one of the first to own a PW1 around here, end back then we quickly had a script to do that last '-'.

I just tried it on my PW2 (with latest firmware). Nope. You instructions do not work on it (and I am pretty sure they did not work on my PW1 (original firmware) either. I did use the '-' button.

But now instead of '+' and '-' the new interface has a large (bright) light icon and a small (dim) light icon.

So, was your room dark enough when you hit that '-' after sliding to minimum brightness?

[geekmaster]

And on my PW3, I FINALLY got the touchscreen to work long enough to test the brightness slider AND the "-" button. Then polling that location posted above, it was ONE, not ZERO, and in a really dark room I could see it was still (barely) lit. Poking a ZERO in there definately turned the frontlight ALL THE WAY OFF (just like we did for the PW1 original firmware, but a different location)...

So if your frontlight LEDs really DO turn off with that '-' button, you can see easily with the front bezel off. None of my PW kindles ever did what you describe, as I recall...

[geekmaster]

What is curious is that there ARE controls labelled "frontlight", but none of them worked. So I decided to try "backlight" controls, and I found that one, and it worked.

[geekmaster]

That link I posted for the frontlight brightess has a "shorter path" version:

PHP Code:

# set full brightness:
echo 999 > /sys/devices/platform/imx-i2c.0/i2c-0/0-003c/max77696-bl.0/backlight/max77696-bl/brightness

# set "minimum" brightness:
echo 1 > /sys/devices/platform/imx-i2c.0/i2c-0/0-003c/max77696-bl.0/backlight/max77696-bl/brightness

#set frontlight OFF:
echo 0 > /sys/devices/platform/imx-i2c.0/i2c-0/0-003c/max77696-bl.0/backlight/max77696-bl/brightness 


[Zeya]

Originally Posted by geekmaster

That link I posted for the frontlight brightess has a "shorter path" version:

PHP Code:

# set full brightness:
echo 999 > /sys/devices/platform/imx-i2c.0/i2c-0/0-003c/max77696-bl.0/backlight/max77696-bl/brightness

# set "minimum" brightness:
echo 1 > /sys/devices/platform/imx-i2c.0/i2c-0/0-003c/max77696-bl.0/backlight/max77696-bl/brightness

#set frontlight OFF:
echo 0 > /sys/devices/platform/imx-i2c.0/i2c-0/0-003c/max77696-bl.0/backlight/max77696-bl/brightness 


This is going to be my first time owning a Kindle, but it looks like the process is to first jailbreak it, then install KUAL, and then I can add these extensions in order to turn the lights completely off on the lowest setting? Are all three extensions needed to do this or just one or two of them? Looks like I can go for a PW3 after all. Thanks so much!

[geekmaster]

Okay, I suppose we could post this attachment with KUAL too, but here it is (for relevancy). Extract the file to your kindle. It expands into:
extensions/frontlight_control/config.xml
extensions/frontlight_control/menu.json


menu.json:

PHP Code:

{
    "items": [
        {
        "name": "Frontlight Control",
        "priority": 0,
        "items": [
            {"name": "Frontlight OFF", "priority": 1, "action": "echo 0 > /sys/devices/platform/imx-i2c.0/i2c-0/0-003c/max77696-bl.0/backlight/max77696-bl/brightness", "params": ""},
            {"name": "Frontlight Low", "priority": 1, "action": "echo 1 > /sys/devices/platform/imx-i2c.0/i2c-0/0-003c/max77696-bl.0/backlight/max77696-bl/brightness", "params": ""},
            {"name": "Frontlight Medium", "priority": 1, "action": "echo 500 > /sys/devices/platform/imx-i2c.0/i2c-0/0-003c/max77696-bl.0/backlight/max77696-bl/brightness", "params": ""},
            {"name": "Frontlight High", "priority": 1, "action": "echo 999 > /sys/devices/platform/imx-i2c.0/i2c-0/0-003c/max77696-bl.0/backlight/max77696-bl/brightness", "params": ""}
        ]
        }
    ]
} 


config.xml:

PHP Code:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<extension>
    <information>
        <name>Frontlight Control</name>
        <version>1.0</version>
        <author>geekmaster</author>
        <id>pw_led_off</id>
    </information>
    <menus>
        <menu type="json" dynamic="true">menu.json</menu>
    </menus>
</extension>

I tested it on my PW2 and my PW3, in a very dark room, and it does indeed turn the frontlight completely off (when that option is selected). It also provides options for minimum brightness (1), medium brightness (500) , and maximum brightness (999).

Beware that when you kindle resumes from screensaver mode, it returns to whatever brightness was last set with the control panel slider, so the framework must be storing it somewhere. There may be another method of controlling brightness that uses that value instead, but then we may be subject to the original minimum brightness level.

Enjoy!

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by Zeya

This is going to be my first time owning a Kindle, but it looks like the process is to first jailbreak it, then install KUAL, and then I can add these extensions in order to turn the lights completely off on the lowest setting? Are all three extensions needed to do this or just one or two of them? Looks like I can go for a PW3 after all. Thanks so much!

If you only want "off", you can edit out those other values, but be sure to remove any trailing comma between the options as well. And be sure to use linux line endings if you edit the files in Windows.

It makes more sense to use the control panel slider anyway for turning the frontlight back on, because that is the brightness that will be restored when resuming from a screensaver. This was just a quick hack, after I read this thread and saw a need to be filled.

Anybody is welcome to modify this KUAL extension hack however they see fit. It is just some tiny data files, and therefore "fair use" and/or public domain.

[Zeya]

Originally Posted by geekmaster

If you only want "off", you can edit out those other values, but be sure to remove any trailing comma between the options as well. And be sure to use linux line endings if you edit the files in Windows.

I still want the light to function as normal, just that they also go completely off when the slider is set all the way down. I'll give it a try when the PW3 arrives. First time doing anything like this, so I'll bump the thread if I need help or if I'm somehow successful on my own.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by Zeya

I still want the light to function as normal, just that they also go completely off when the slider is set all the way down. I'll give it a try when the PW3 arrives. First time doing anything like this, so I'll bump the thread if I need help or if I'm somehow successful on my own.

In that case, we could have a little task that runs in the background, checks for a '1' value at that location and changes it to '0', then sleeps awhile (perhaps one second) then loops back to check again.

That would behave as you wish, with up to a one second delay before that "almost off" changes to an off.

Again, that could be an option added to the KUAL extension (or a different extension even, or a startup script that ALWAYS runs in the background, spending MOST of its time just sleeping between brightness checks). And it could sleep for longer periods when it detects screensaver mode...

There is probably a better way, but this way I know...

[Zeya]

Originally Posted by geekmaster

In that case, we could have a little task that runs in the background, checks for a '1' value at that location and changes it to '0', then sleeps awhile (perhaps one second) then loops back to check again.

If that's something you could whip up easily and that could run in the background without issue then I'd be curious to see how it works. Either way I'm happy that there's now an option to turn the light off at all.