Linux on Acer 1410, 1810TZ and 1810T

how strange...

the ones who are having troubles with that, have you done an upgrade or a fresh install?

 

Hi all,

This morning I've checked ubuntu kernels 2.6.31-14-generic and 16-generic.

The Script don't work, they won't execute. If you execute it manually, doing sudo /etc/pm/sleep.d/15_saving, it will indeed work.

So, it seems something is broken in the ubuntu kernel. I've tried blacklisting the acer-wmi module with no joy..

Could someone try this kernel: http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-pp...31-02063108-generic_2.6.31-02063108_amd64.deb

download, install and reboot using it. Does it work now? I'll try it too.

EDIT: forget about that, it doesn't work either.

 

So, this worked http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5594541&postcount=35

Thanks captive!

I believe the trouble lies in the wmi modules, since in my kernel I don't include it. We can blacklist the acer-wmi module, but not acpi-wmi which was built into the kernel. My guess is that the problem lies there, but who knows.

 

It's still not working 100% with the 15_saving script for me. Sometimes my system still thinks it's plugged in when it's not and visa versa. If that does happen, it will work properly if I suspend and resume.

 

Not working

Code:

mount: can't find /home in /etc/fstab or /etc/mtab

I commented out the mounts for /home in the script and then I get this:

Code:

/etc/pm/sleep.d/15_saving: 54: broken: not found

Edit: Strange. The Script won't work and my power usage is back up to 11.7W on battery from the 8.7-9.5W it has been using.

 

A fresh install.

/etc/pm/sleep.d/15_saving indeed works when run manually. With my present style of usage, it seems the most significant auto-power-saving effect it would have if running properly would come from switching wireless powersaving on and off.


[for the record]
- Acer AS1810TZ-4484 (a great buy except for the 2x1GB SODIMMs in memory slots)
- BIOS 1.3303
- fresh Ubuntu 9.10 x86_64 install (kernel 2.6.31-16-generic)
- linux-backports-modules-alsa-karmic-generic (sound, microphone, etc. work)
- linux-backports-modules-wireless-karmic-generic (works, apparently saves some 0.7W when enabled manually, sometimes more)
- everything else done as per the original post (15_saving doesn't run, though pm-powersave.log records "/etc/pm/power.d/15_saving true: success.")
- blacklist acer_wmi (otherwise suspend and hibernate are broken)
- bluetooth toggled off (switch under front left of machine, absent from Acer's "Quick Guide")

 

have you tried what captive said?: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5594541&postcount=35

 

the script should indeed work, just remove the 2 mount -o lines, both under on_ac_power and under else

Make sure you copied everything correct.

 

Nope, but now I have and, as captive said, "It works!"

Funny, editing /etc/acpi/power.sh as per captive's recommendation didn't work for me earlier -- maybe because I'd not yet blacklisted acer_wmi.

edit: Whoops, spoke too soon: now the the gnome power manager applet and PowerTOP seem to be misreporting the state of the machine, though CheckPowerSaving.sh still reports as expected. E.g., the 'battery applet' is occasionally sticking around when I'm on AC -- it may have been a random/intermittent occurrence of this that earlier persuaded me captive's edit of /etc/acpi/power.sh had no effect on 15_saving.

 

Hello everyone, great thread! Many thanks for all the tips. I just received my 1810T and am about to install Ubuntu 9.10 64 bit. I'm coming from a faithful old workhorse IBM ThinkPad T23 with Xubuntu 9.04. Although the T23 has some nice points, I am really looking forward to the light weight, battery life and all the rest on the 1810T.

Two questions, is there any real advantage to using UNR instead of straight Ubuntu on the 1810T? Given the CPU and RAM that it has I wouldn't think there was a need for UNR. Am I missing something?

Secondly, about the factory partitions. I made the recovery DVD's under Win 7 in case I ever want to restore the HD. Now I see with GParted that there are four existing partitions:

unallocated - 1MB
/dev/sda1 ntfs PQSERVICE 12GB
/dev/sda2 ntfs SYSTEM RESERVED 100MB
/dev/sda3 ntfs Acer 285.99GB

Should I keep any of those or can I safely remove them all and install Ubuntu on one partition?

Once I've done the basic install I'll start with all the tweaks mentioned here. Thanks for your help. John

 

UNR is pretty much just a different user interface. I really, really like the way it's set up and works and I knew it as soon as I used it, but you should try a Live USB of it to see what you think.

 

Thanks, sounds like my experience with XFCE. It had a good feel and fit the way I work. But does UNR have a 64 bit version that takes advantage of the dual core CPU in the 1810T? All I've seen so far seems to be 32 bit.

 

I've installed Win7 and Ubuntu 9.10 (both 64-bit) in my 1810TZ. Windows 7 only runs in AHCI Mode and Ubuntu in IDE Mode. Is there any AHCI driver for ubuntu? I'm tired of changing SATA Mode in BIOS everytime I restart to change my OS.

 

With BIOS updated to version 3303 Ubuntu should boot in AHCI mode.

 

@basicasic Thanks for the tip on SATA mode. Installed ubuntu 9.10 on my 1810T and needed that bit of information. After initial installation rebooting would get as far as a blinking caps lock light and stall (kernel panic?). Anyway, your tip came to mind and after making that change in the BIOS settings it boots like its supposed to. Works great now.

 

That happened to me with 9.04, but AHCI is working fine with 9.10. Maybe I updated my BIOS somewhere along the line, but I'n not 100% if that was it or not.

 

I got it working. I accidentally uncommented one of the commented lines. Everything appears to be working properly.

 

Thank you for your help!! It really worked. Now ubuntu runs OK flashing the BIOS to the last update.

 

I've been looking for directions how to flash the BIOS of my 1810T under Linux but haven't found any yet. I did find the 3303 version of the BIOS on the Acer web site but not the steps needed to actually install it. Thanks for any pointers. Probably right in front of me.

 

Use a "Windows XP Live USB Edition", get the BIOS update from the Acer Support web and run the .exe if you don't have a Windows installed in your laptop.

 

Ahhh, okay. I was making it too complicated. Thanks.

 

I am noticing the exact same thing. Sometimes my gnome power management setting take affect and sometimes they don't. The battery meter shows full charge even though it's running on battery and the back-light doesn't dim, etc. The CheckPowerSaving.sh reports that the script is working but PowerTop shows about 1W more power usage than expected. Usually either suspending the computer or plugging in the power supply and unplugging it again will make it work.

 

An ugly hack to get two-finger scrolling working. Only Vertical two-finger scroll works. Not relly usable if you have large fingers or like to use your thumb to move the pointer. But try it out It's better than nothing.

<code>
xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Synaptics Two-Finger Pressure" 32 40
</code>

 

How close do you get your Linux set-up to match the windows battery life ?

 

My Windows 7 has no tweaks. I have never used it long enough to run the battery to less than 60-75% but it seems as though I would get around 4.5 hours of battery life under normal conditions. That seems to be pretty close to what I'm getting out of Linux. I might be able to get closer to 5 hours using the tweaks in this thread, but I have been doing a lot of work with VMs and heavy multitasking lately so I'm not sure.

I have seen people on here claiming as low as 5.5W power consumption in Windows with wifi enabled. If that's actually true, I can't see ever touching that with my Linux install. I'm using 7.5 watts with Wifi off.

 

Thanks, works great.

 

Got a as1410-2936 as a Christmas present yesterday. Whoa! this thing rocks. Didn't really consider using Ubuntu as the OS as I've had issues with many previous netbooks/laptops but thought I'd try it out to get a feel for how well the hardware is supported in case I want to change later on.

So far:
* Upgraded hard disk to WDC 7200RPM 320GB
* Upgraded ram to 4Gb (2x 2GB @ 800Mhz)
* Retrofitted Bluetooth (BCM2045A from ebay)
* Updated BIOS to v3303 using win7 flasher (left SATA mode as AHCI in BIOS)
* Installed Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic amd64 Alternate from USB Thumbdrive (converted using LiveCD)
* Using Ext4 with LVM2 Full Disk Encryption
* Installed power script and fixed mic using tweaks from this thread (and adjusted volumes to get it to work properly)
* Got bluetooth mouse & tethering to Sprint working (install blueman)
* Played some DivX movies fullscreen using VLC - no issues!
* Installed virtualbox-ose (will try some VMs later)

Everything is working great! With full disk encryption, bluetooth tethering, and Virtualbox to run windoze specific apps I need for work this may be the first Linux install that I can use as my main laptop OS!

Only issue so far - keyboard stopped responding after hibernate. No biggie - don't use hibernate much.

Battery life isn't great with Bluetooth & Wifi-N active - getting about 3.5hrs (although battery monitor claims about 4hrs at startup).

BTW - the AC adapter from the Dell Mini 9 works fine with the as1410 and has a much better form factor.

Thanks for the great tweaks/tips.

-PG

 

If you got problems with hibernating try unloading the kernel module "acer_wmi", it does not support the 1410/1810s yet. After unloading this module suspend to ram and hibernate worked quiet well for me.
You can add acer_wmi to /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf to prevent it from getting loaded automatically.

 

Hi,

I think I've come across a way to make the scripts execute. It's not a very elegant solution, but it should work. I've tried it and it seems to work well.

The solution is adding the script directly to /etc/acpi/power.sh:

gksudo gedit /etc/acpi/power.sh

in that file, below "#!/bin/sh " and above "test -f /usr/share/acpi-support/key-constants || exit 0 " put the script location. For example: /etc/pm/sleep.d/15_saving

If you had commented out some lines, remove the comments. It has to be like the original file plus the script line.

Then, save and close and the script should start executing properly, both when waking up from suspend/hibernate and when changing ac state.

I reattach the CheckPowerSaving script, it will help diagnosing whether it works or not.

Please report back!

 

Thanks - that seems to have helped a lot. Resume from hibernation works well now (screen stays black until I hit enter - but thats trivial).

-PG

 

Hi everyone.

This message is cross posted on both Mandriva Forum http://forum.mandriva.com/viewtopic.php?p=765805#765805 and Netbookreview forum.

I installed the Mandriva 2010 on my brand new Acer Aspire Timeline 1810tz.

The Mandriva is a 2010 x64 pwp with KDE 4. Here is a small report...

Out of the box, what works:

Most works out of the box. For instance:
- Fn-keys (tested: Fn-F6: switch off the screen, Fn-F7: switch off the pad, Fn-F8: switch off the sound, Fn-F11: Numlock, Fn-arrows: screen light/sound up and down).
- The card reader
- USB
- Wifi
- sound and jack-out (sound in not tested)
- screen is correctly detected (1366x768)
- 3D acceleration is working fine (mesa-demo full screen gears runs around 25 frames/s)
- suspend to RAM /resume very well

Out of the box what don't:

- webcam seem not working: when launching Camorama: could not connect to /dev/video0 (Chicony Electronics CNF9011). I also tried Camstreams without success.
- pad is not multi touch (and the pad is too sensitive)
- no undervolting (only two steps for the SU4100): 1200Mhz and 1300Mhz.
- no info on power consumption in powertop
- CPU are fast going hot (>45°C): issue with power management?
- fan is working permanently: too noisy: issue with power management?
- ICC Profiles found here: http://www.focus-numerique.com/test...-calibre-pour-son-ecran-portable-acer-64.html (acer One 751 may have the same screen) works fine with Windows, but makes colors strange with X (xcalib).


What I managed to fix for now:
- temperature: it is necessary to run sensors-detect once for having temperature monitored

Not tested yet:

- Fn-F2, Fn-F1, Fn-F3, Fn-F4, Fn-F5
- Recording jack (sound in plug)
- VGA and HDMI
- Ethernet
- Suspend to disk

Anyone else uses this laptop with a Mandriva ? Anyone managed to fix some of these glitches (I tried acerhdf with no luck: acerhdf: Acer Aspire One Fan driver, v.0.5.13
acerhdf: no Aspire One hardware found) ?


(Sorry for my English speaking !)

 

Anyone have success with getting the internal microphone to work with skype?

I installed linux-backports-modules-alsa-karmic-generic and the mic works with sound-recorder but not skype or the Gizmo flash applet. External mic works fine but is not convenient.

Skype only has sound options for pulseaudio on the config screen. I've tried setting/unsetting the auto mixer level settings.

 

Try cheese. Camorama won't work, because it is a V4L1, and I'm quite sure camstream too could have that issue. Cheese works fine here, while camorama and camstream both fail.

Sorry to say, but the SU4100 only has 2 steps, it's not a bug. Note that stepping and undervolting are different things. Undervolting IS possible, but you have to build a kernel and patch it, but the difference you get is very small. While on1200MHz, it is already on the lowest voltage possible, and you can lower the 1300MHz state from 1.025 V to 0.925V: that's it, 0.1V difference. Negligible. But it IS possible.

The fan is BIOS controlled and, in a standard installation, the OS isn't able to control it. The solution is very easy: install acerhdf.

Download acerhdf from the acerhdf website, and edit the file as explained in the first post. It should work after adding the definitions for the different bios for the 1810TZ. Newest version (0.5.22) already has some definitions for the 1810TZ (bios v3320 and v3303), but you may have to add more. See 1st post please.

Which powertop version are you running? In ubuntu 9.10 it works fine.
The cpu going hot... don't worry, after installing acerhdf it will even run a little hotter, but it shouldn't be an issue. The CPU will run up to nearly 100º before failing, so temperatures of ~50º aren't too much of a problem. In acerhdf you can tune when the fan should kick in and when it should stop (default: start at 63º, stop by 58º. User adjustable)

It should be as easy as loading the coretemp module.

Hope that helps!

 

Some users have, by setting the Gnome sound preferences 'Input' very high (i.e., really cranking up the mic's volume) and --this is the weird part-- pushing the ' Output' balance to the extreme right or left.

It's annoying, it's inexplicable, but it works for me (with the 64-bit variant of the Skype 2.1 beta, as it happens).

I seem to recall that earlier I'd also opened a terminal and maxed all the settings I could in alsamixer, but I'm not at all sure that made a difference. Anyway, can't hurt.

 

Wow! Crazy stuff but it works in Skype and also seems to have fixed the 'Input Level' monitor in gnome-volume-control as well. Sounds Recorder still works but there is background humming noise. Gizmo web applet sounds awful and is unusable.

 

Hi Patrick,

Thank you for your answer...

It's simply working... Awesome !

Yes I know that... A small undervolting is a little more for the battery... even a few.

Yes, I already red that and tried to install acerhdf and it didn't work... But I managed to find why: Mandriva Installed a prior acerhdf module (gzipped). And the gzipped module (acerhdf.ko.gz) was loaded instead the new complied one (acerhdf.ko).
I moved the old module and now the new one seems to work flawlessly... I can feel the heat under my palms (60°C...). (and the fan is mostly quiet).

Mandriva 2010 is bundled with Powertop 1.11.


Thanks again for all the help !

Many things still to test...

 

Looks like the latest linux-backports-modules in karmic-proposed includes the wireless module recommended in the original post:

1410/1810Tz/1810T users updating with the karmic-proposed repository will still have to remember to rebuild and reinstall the acerhdf module, though.

 

Does the as1410 really support 8GB RAM?

Code:

$ sudo dmidecode -t 5 -t 16
# dmidecode 2.9
SMBIOS 2.6 present.

Handle 0x0004, DMI type 5, 20 bytes
Memory Controller Information
	Error Detecting Method: None
	Error Correcting Capabilities:
		None
	Supported Interleave: One-way Interleave
	Current Interleave: One-way Interleave
	Maximum Memory Module Size: 4096 MB
	Maximum Total Memory Size: 8192 MB
	Supported Speeds:
		Other
	Supported Memory Types:
		Other
	Memory Module Voltage: Unknown
	Associated Memory Slots: 2
		0x0000
		0x0000
	Enabled Error Correcting Capabilities:
		None

Handle 0x001A, DMI type 16, 15 bytes
Physical Memory Array
	Location: System Board Or Motherboard
	Use: System Memory
	Error Correction Type: None
	Maximum Capacity: 8 GB
	Error Information Handle: No Error
	Number Of Devices: 2

 

I just did a fresh install of 9.10 Remix and added the script location to the power.sh file. the CheckPowerSaving script reports that it is working properly and powertop reported <10W consumption, but Gnome power management still hangs up. For example, I had suspended my computer while on power last night to allow it to charge. I unplugged it this morning and resumed operation. The CheckPowerSaving script reported that it was running on battery, but the gnome battery meter showed that it was still plugged in and fully charged. After a couple of hours of use, I suspended and resumed the computer and the battery then showed that it was discharging and had 59% remaining,

 

I have the opposite problem: on my 1810TX everything seems be working smoothly with captive's original edit of /etc/acpi/power.sh (commenting out the checks for other power-management processes) ever since I blacklisted the acer_wmi module and I have no idea why this should be so! Assuming gnome power management problems might be intermittent, I've been waiting well over a week for it to misbehave again.

 

Great thread Patrick, it's really usefull.

I added the line to power.sh, but now the script is running twice.
When I delete the line from power.sh, it isn't running at all. Weird.

I'm running now 8.3 - 9 watt with the script.
Can't reach Windows 7 yet, unfortunately. Windows seems to be more power efficient.

 

hi Janghou,

yes, I did realize that the script run twice, but I thought about it as a very minor problem.. not optimal but it wouldn't screw up anything, so the solution seemed OK to me.

 

How do you know it's running twice?? Ones from the power.sh and once from the link to power.d ?

 

I did some testing putting /bin/date >> some-file and everytime it did that twice.

But.. no worries, I'd say! In this case, 2 times is equal to 1 and much better than 0.

 

I added the echo date line

Can't we add the contents of your script to power.sh instead of calling the script from there.

Or save the script in the user-directory or usr/bin and leave the reference in power.sh.

I guess power.sh is run every the laptop is going from power to battery and vice-versa

 

BTW In the Netherlands you can save 40 euro's by not accepting the Windows 7 license.

You have to send the Acer to their service-center in Holland, they will remove windows and refund 40 euro's.

Must be the same in other countries.

 

Hi Patrick,

I think we should use relatime instead of atime, when switching back to power.
Relatime is the default since Ubuntu 8.04, I'm not sure if diratime is necessary, it should be a subset.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Fstab

Probably using relatime or noatime as default is better then changing between them.
Then users should edit fstab and make noatime the default, AFAIK only email client Mutt is needing atime.
http://thunk.org/tytso/blog/2009/03/01/ssds-journaling-and-noatimerelatime/

 

True. It was posted on here a while back. Unfortunately, I had already accepted the windows licence. I was tempted to sell mine and buy another just to get the refund but was a little tight on the cash. Oh well, I'll get it next time.

Edit: Found the link: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=427347

 

you shouldn't add all what the script does directly to power.sh, don't do that. But, of course, you can move the script to /usr/local/bin, or /opt or wherever you like and make power.sh call it from there. No problems, but I doubt it will solve the double executes.

 

Great thread - a million thanks. Very keen to get Ubuntu on my new machine.

I would very much appreciate a sanity check before going ahead... I have the Aspire 1412 with Celeron 743 processor (1.3GHz, 1Mb L2 cache) with 3115 BIOS. The posts here suggest that before installing Ubuntu I should update to the latest BIOS (3303), and of course I am VERY concerned that I don't end up with a brick. Acer provides 2 BIOS update files:

ZH7_3303_x86.exe and
ZH7_3303_x64.exe.

The ZH7_3303_x64.exe is the right one to use, yes? And do I just open a terminal and run the exe?

Reassurances (or corrections!) would be most welcome...