AlienFX Lite (Linux + Windows AlienFX tool)

In the windows AlienFX program There's an option to dim the lights (either force it to or set it to when it's on battery)

 

Any news from the new version that supports M11x ? !

Just can't wait !

Amazing Fx possibilities!

 

Does this allow one to program any of the lights other then the power button to indicate charging, standby, etc?

I'm not sure if its a hardware limitation in some cases or what.

On the M11x, there is no way to tell if your battery is charging or not with the lid closed... yet we have those perfectly good speaker-grill lights on the front corners that could pulsate to indicate charge and standby... for some this would be annoying, but othres I think would like this.

 

^^^ actually the alienhead on the lid should pulse different colors when charging. also dell does not make the nvidia drivers, so check nivida site for latest drivers.

 

The M11x really doesn't like nVidia drivers from OEM, it kills your ability to switch to/from IGP and dedicated with the FN key, and even when doing it through the software on the taskbar's icon, my battery life was 2-3 hours indicating that the 335 was still actually running and gulping down power, just not set as the primary adapter. Thus, Dell needs to release an update (or some one needs to figure out the trick to updating it, as I gave up after 3 hours of manually installing various versions).

The M11x's Alien head on the lid is lit up by the screen backlight (like a macbook)... so there is no controlling it (it's not a zone)

 

Finally, I finished the beta version of the next release. It now has support for the M11x. I call this version "Beta" as there are some new features which I did test but might have bugs.

Also, remember, if the AlienFX seems to be stuck, then do:

Turn off pc
unplug all cables + battery
hold power button for 10 seconds
start pc normally

Please leave some feedback .

Here is a video tutorial on how to use the app:

<param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3SPJAFx5Meo&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3SPJAFx5Meo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width='640' height="385"></embed></object>

 

So far it seems very nice and very customizable, however on my M11x it doesn't seem to identify the regions/zones properly.

for example, when I'm using preview mode, and I edit the keyboard, it will show the color on my Alienware logo beneath the screen.

Once applied it seems ok though.

 

I'm in love with this program, I figured out what I was going wrong (I was picking the zone, THEN trying to change it's color, instead of selecting a color and clicking the zone to apply it to).

 

can you customize keyboard zone's with this program on the m11x?

 

no, don't believe so because the m11x only has one zone for the keyboard.. and I don't see an option anyway.

Can i disable alienware's fxtool in services if i have this?

 

Hey uhm sorry but I cant really get it. What is the difference between this one and the alienfx made by alienware? It does the same thing, change the colors just how the way you want. How can you add a new feature if you based this one to the standard alienfx on the laptop? And what are the new features with this alienfx lite which the standard alienfx doesn't have?

 

:| .. it's not suppose to be that much different..only difference is the array of colors, copy paste.. etc. . it's just suppose to be a lighter suite.

 

So no major difference. Okay so what is the main purpose of this one? And it looks like it is more complicated to use than the standard one because of the i-face sorry to mention. :|

 

for starters, it works on Linux. Moreover, you can quickly switch profiles by right clicking on the alienfx icon in the tool bar. In the regular alienFX you need to open the application, open the theme and apply. In here you can do it with 2 mouse clicks. Finally, its a lot faster to create profiles, since you can insert in between actions and not only at the end

Also, you dont have to use the application if you dont like it

 

It's what the name suggests.. it's a lighter version.. :/ it's not that complicated..

 

Uses less resources, faster switching between profiles, way more color options (you can configure RGB, so instead of having BRIGHT red you can have a dim/dark red... i did this for my alienware logo so its not as in-your-face).

Question though, I made several profiles, and saved them and now when I've restarted the computer all the profiles are gone. I am at work and haven't really played around with it, but anyone seen this before?

 

did you press on the "save" button?

 

Yeah that is what I did wrong. I was fiddling with it for about 5 minutes before I had to rush out the door, I made a few different things and it seemed like they were saved, but I had only created and applied and it doesn't write the files if you don't push save.

Lesson learned!

 

One of the first things I do on a new laptop is tell it to "do nothing" when I close the lid. This is because I often close the lid to relocate the laptop or save power while downloading or listening to music and I do not want an interruption.

Of course, there is no reason for the backlight to remain on when the screen is closed, so every laptop still has a display cut-off. The same logic applies to the AlienFX lights that are covered, though I also want to have the speaker lights turn off too (they shine in my face if I leave it downloading as I sleep).

Yes, I can manually tell it to "go dark," but there is no reason I should not be able to automate this. Is the only system event really "New Email Message" or am I just too stupid to figure out how to select another? I looked on google and quickly determined that it is entirely possible for a program to receive notification that the lid is closed in Vista/Windows 7. From a programming standpoint, it's certainly possible for AlienFX or one of the programs with "3rd Party AlienFX Access" to do this.

For a program with automatic updates, they seem awfully resistant to suggestions and outside contact. Just how do the so-called "3rd Party" programmers collaborrate and get info on AlienFX? There's nothing in the end-user documentation. The support website with a supposed community forum requires an account number, which I don't have because I bought it at retail. I called support and was told that there was a forum specific to my model on Dell's support pages, though I'm trying to discuss AlienFX, not any specific laptop model. How do I reach the Alienware people regarding this specifically?

This leaves AlienFX Lite as my only option. If the author would add something like this I am sure others would appreciate it also. It may get Alienware to take notice and improve their own product as well. Yes, it'd be weird that the "Lite" prpgram can do more than the "full" version, but that's already the case (able to insert actions rather than simply add/append).

And that's not all I wanted to do either. I also wanted my whole lighting scheme to change between power states. For example, I want a blue sceme when plugged in and a red theme when running on battery power so that I am always aware of my power source/state. I can't believe that the power button is the only thing that changes. It should be another system event.

And it doesn't take the opportunity to make up for ANY shortcomings or add ANY improvements? I think you're short-changing the usefulness of the program, which is exactly what that guy was asking about.

 

Hey!

The AlienFX SDK is very limited in use and also very slow. Also, the application which is changing the colors needs to be in the foreground.

This is already supported in the 4.0b version. You can change the profile for battery state or ac power state.


Also, if you want, I can implement the lid, but that will take a day or two and I need to be kinda sure that it's going to be used by at least one person, otherwise its wasted time ^^

 

That would be awesome. I know I'd use it. It should turn off the lights that aren't visible by default, so people may use it without even knowing. I would use it to also kill or dim the speaker lights or make them blink slowly (like a sleep indicator) just so that I know it's still on.

I'm glad to hear that your program is already more capable than the original. I haven't tried it yet because I've been busy loading all my Steam games for the past few days and I didn't want to start installing other stuff and fragmenting the drive. Thanks!

 

I'd be interested in turning the lid colors off, especially in Linux.

Wouldn't mind keeping it closed when I play games, but I wonder about heat buildup.

 

i'm wondering is it possible to have some software control over the m17 keyboard in anyway?

 

I forgot to mention that, like the backlight, the Alienware logo properly turns off when the lid is closed, which only makes sense. Kinda makes you wonder why nothing else does. Why does a covered keyboard need to remain lit?

 

Hi!

Great app! I love it! So much easier to create and edit color themes!
I just get a few glitches sometimes, where one or two zones would flicker a bit. Besides that, it's awesome!
I cant wait to see what's coming next!

 

The alienhead is using the screen light in the M11x. SO when the screen turns off, so does the head.

Maybe Ill get some time to work on this next week to include lid closing events

 

I would also be really interested in this! I also often close the lid to download, I have been currently turning off the lights but the problem with that is there is no external light indicators that the m11x is on so slow blinking speaker grills would be awesome.

Thanks so much for all your hard work Wattos, it is really appreciated. rep added.

 

I tried to run the app on my M17x R1, running Ubuntu 9.10 but when i run it I first get a popup saying that I dont hae a system tray and the app will not run in the background, but when I click OK, in the console I get:

Then the main window appears but is non-responsive and I have to kill the app.

Any clues?

 

yeah, its a bug. Ill have it fixed. Also, are you running compiz by any chance?

 

That'd be awesome!

Oh, and I wasn't talking about an alien head. I was talking about the word "ALIENWARE" just under the screen, above the power button. If you close the lid slowly while peeking in, it will turn off along with the backlight but comes on slightly before the backlight. It may not be intentional though (shared power is most likely).

Note: This is accurate for an M11x.

 

excellent program mate, ++rep for that!
why aren't people sharing their themes ?

EDIT: sorry, no rep, must spread some...

 

A couple suggestions, now that I've tried it:
An option to save current state as a new profile would be useful for copying your AlienFX "full" scheme and modifying it from there. It would also simplify 1st time use/profile setup.

Some simple profiles, like "Red" and "Blue" built-in could help a lot too.

Simple color selectors like the full AlienFX app would be nice for color-blind fellows like myself. I have to guess if my specific color is close to what I had before. *shrug*

Pop-up tool-tips for the different effect would be helpful (hover over with mouse to see what it does, then select). The icons are way too small to tell what they might be trying to indicate and it's considered proper practice even if the meaning of each was obvious.

Yes, I know this is supposed to be "light," but it already does so much more, why not perfect it?

Anyway, I made simply "Red" and "Blue" profiles for "On Battery" and "External Power," and I encountereda few inconsistencies that are probably to be expected, seeing how the app interfaces:

The first time I set everything to Red, my default blue lights all went blank then, switched to red, then the keyboard went blank. Turning it off and on again had them all go red. It looked a little funny during the transition! One speaker grill red, one blue, then the blue goes blank when everything else seems to stabilize on red, then it finally comes on in red as it should be. It did the same thing when creating a Blue profile to switch back, but the keyboard didn't get stuck off.

Then, I set Blue to external power and Red to battery power and tested it. I unplugged and everything switched to red except my keyboard turned off completely! I plugged it back in, everything went blue and my blue keyboard came back on, unplugged and everything switched to red just fine. Weird.

Edit: Tried it again and the kayboardstuck on blue. Tried it again and the keyboard and left speaker were stuck on blue. Huh. Again after telling the full Alien FX to "Go Dark" and it all switched fine. Again, and a speaker remained blue. Again and a speaker remained red when plugged in. Again and a speakerturned off when plugged in. Again and all worked fine when unplugged and plugged in. ?!

 

Did you happen to update your app to turn off the keyboard lights when you close the lid? Do you need command center installed for this to work?

 

Hi, error message on Ubuntu 9.10 64 bits



Also try on windows 64 bits, but i have also a problem because i've try degradiant color on "media panel" on my AREA51-M15x, and now when i want to change it to a single color, the "media panel" bug.

Do you have an idea to restore my alienfx to default setting ? (don't work with alienfx, alienfxlite)

Sorry for my english, i'm french =)

 

Just tried this on the M11x, works perfectly. Turns out that the M11x has more individual zones then the alienfx software lets on!

 

Ok, so I'm trying to modify the AlienFX lights with my own code (for all powerful systems), I'm using C#, are there any DLLs that I can reference from an SDK? Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this question.

 

hey, not totally wrong post. I will be probably rewriting this into daemon + front end version, where I will also supply a dll for third party apps. As for SDK, there should be the official alienware DLL's inside the Command Centre installation folder. It is quite limiting and slow though

 

Hey Wattos i would like to thank you for an awesome little tool. I've been hoping to ditch the Command center and your little app was just what I needed.

I'm not sure if this has already been mentioned but after some quick googling I've found a method to launch the app on start up without a UAC prompt coming in, while still having UAC enabled.

Basically it involves using task scheduler.

I've tested it on my M11x with Windows 7 64 and so far it appears to work great. Just remember put "C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre6\bin\javaw.exe" in the program field and use "-jar "C:\jar_location\AlienFXLite-0.4b.jar" -s" in the argument field .

I also had to put a 30 second delay on the trigger. Otherwise javaw.exe would load but the system tray icon would not show up. I think it might have something to do with the process loading before the taskbar and might only be relevant to my system.

 

Aside from making a daemon or providing the DLLs for working with AlienFX, is it possible to document the protocols used for talking with the hardware? This may be easier for those who want to write tools in other languages, e.g. C# or Python.

 

Hi Wattos,

great work.I am using Ubuntu (x64) with the firs version of the m15x but AlienFX Lite 0.3 is not working (nothing happens when applying) and 0.4b crashes Linux.
I successfully tried it with Windows XP (32-bit) and VirtualBox. But when i want to change the colors a second time i got the following error message
"Error occured while trying to communicate with AlienFX device: Data length should be 9 but was 0"
and the the whole USB-system of VirtualBox crashes.
After shutting down the virtual machine and executing "sudo /etc/init.d/vboxdrv restart" i can use AlienFX Lite again for one time.

As i saw in your signature you own the first version of the m15x too it would be great if you make it work with the x64-version of Ubuntu.

Robert

 

watto's i love the program to bits
there is one niggling issue which really bugs me however.

if i edit the colours for a while, the app will hang
once it has hung, any animation/morphing in the theme will stop

only a full restart and power drain will fix it after this.

i'm using windows 7 x64.

once again tyvm and ++rep

 

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I would also definitely be interested in a documentation of the protocols or just a release of the source code for version 0.4 as that would be just as good. I have just recently bought a m11x and want to change the lights from inside a program without the restrictions that come with the alienfx sdk but, I am having trouble figuring out the protocol.

 

Looks like a great tool!

Is there a way for your app to change the colors of the Alienware tactx devices (im pretty sure the keyboard is a G19 and mouse is a G9).

It would really complete the setup I have.

-Ash

 

Hey Everyone,

I'm new to Linux, I have a M17X and have been trying to get AlienFX Lite to work but so far I've had bad luck. I have downloaded the first version from the url posted and it's I keep it in my downloads folder. I have installed Java and libusb-1.0-0 with out any problems. However, when I try to manually open the file "sudo java -jar AlienFXLite-0.1.jar “ I get an “Unable to access jarfile AlienFXlite-0.1.jar” I have tried many things but I have a feeling I'm doing something stupid and I'm going to want to hit myself when I figure it out. Any Ideas what I'm doing wrong, any help would be greatly appreciated. Also, I am running Ubuntu 10.04.

 

You're sure you've downloaded v0.1? Current version is 0.4b.
Change the path and it should work

 

Hey,

I just want to be sure I understand because I am so new at this. When you say change the path do you mean change the Java path? If so what should I change it to? "which java" shows that it currently set to /usr/bin/java.

 

nvm, I got it and yea I was doing some stupid lol thanks for the help I'm happy I actually decided to ask or else It would of taken a lot longer to realize what I was doing. Very Nice program

 

Just installed on my m11x r2, and working great

+rep

 

I dont have any of these, therefore I cannot reverse engineer nor test this for this stuff. As a matter of fact, I wanted to get the tactx keyboard, but its not available in europe (and Im addicted to the UK keyboard layout)

Glad it works out for you guys