Even lower brightness than brightnessfix?

[cms]

Is it possible?

*edit* - Without turning the Backlight off*

[Demise]

I'm sure it's possible outside of using the off button. :P
When I was playing with the Linux for Palm OS while back, I accidentally put my contrast all the way down, as if the device was turned off.

[elParkeur]

HandyAid can turn the screen completely off.

[rdiheath]

I have not played around w/ brightness fix but in full power their "fix brightness" option (which is the only option that I use for it) puts it down low enough that if turned on in a lit room I can barely see the screen

[_Em]

Brightnessfix at a 0 setting means the backlight is completely off. You can't go any lower than that.

If you want the SCREEN off, you need to do that separately. Older devices had a Contrast setting as well as a brightness setting that let you fade out or intensify the pixels on the screen itself; I'm not sure if there's any way to do that on a modern Palm device. Besides adjusting the contrast, the only option is to turn the screen off, like pTunes does. As eP said, HandyAid will let you do this.

[cms]

Brightnessfix at a 0 setting means the backlight is completely off. You can't go any lower than that.

If you want the SCREEN off, you need to do that separately. Older devices had a Contrast setting as well as a brightness setting that let you fade out or intensify the pixels on the screen itself; I'm not sure if there's any way to do that on a modern Palm device. Besides adjusting the contrast, the only option is to turn the screen off, like pTunes does. As eP said, HandyAid will let you do this.


I mean can it be modded to get a brightness beween 1 and 0? I dont want the screen off, I want it to get even dimmer than the second to the last setting without turning off the backlight...

sorry about the confusion :)

[_Em]

It should be possible; Dmitry could switch from a fixed scale to a logarithmic scale, for example. Whether it will happen (without Alex re-writing something to do this) is another question entirely.

[dmitrygr]

I mean can it be modded to get a brightness beween 1 and 0? I dont want the screen off, I want it to get even dimmer than the second to the last setting without turning off the backlight...

sorry about the confusion :)


yes
possible
why do you want it?

current one is a 1/256 duty cycle
i can take it down as low as 1/8192, that is 32 times dimmer
but why?

[cms]

If you really want to know: Reading e-books at night with the current brightness is a little uncomfortable...

*my current endevor: Reading "His Dark Matirials" series and getting past the (adventurish child-based, yet interesting *to say the least*) storyline and get to analyzing this author's use of the Parralel Dymention Theory, which he bases his story in a world much like ours, yet different in historical/theoretical aspects. Quite interesting by my opinion, though to read it requires that I waste some late hours :o *

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Dark_Materials

It won alot of awards in europe and just to add a few word from author: :D

[Pullman has expressed surprise over what he perceives as a low level of criticism for His Dark Materials on religious grounds, saying "I've been surprised by how little criticism I've got. Harry Potter's been taking all the flak… Meanwhile, I've been flying under the radar, saying things that are far more subversive than anything poor old Harry has said. My books are about killing God."] Wiki


Im thinking about taking notes on this book to use for a "Theory of Knowledge" paper I have to write.

If you could do that dmitry I would be extreamly appriciative towards such an act :D

[cms]

If you really want to know: Reading e-books at night with the current brightness is a little uncomfortable...

*my current endevor: Reading "His Dark Matirials" series and getting past the (adventurish child-based, yet interesting *to say the least*) storyline and get to analyzing this author's use of the Parralel Dymention Theory, which he bases his story in a world much like ours, yet different in historical/theoretical aspects. Quite interesting by my opinion, though to read it requires that I waste some late hours :o *

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Dark_Materials

It won alot of awards in europe and just to add a few word from author: :D

[Pullman has expressed surprise over what he perceives as a low level of criticism for His Dark Materials on religious grounds, saying "I've been surprised by how little criticism I've got. Harry Potter's been taking all the flak… Meanwhile, I've been flying under the radar, saying things that are far more subversive than anything poor old Harry has said. My books are about killing God."] Wiki


Im thinking about taking notes on this book to use for a "Theory of Knowledge" paper I have to write.

If you could do that dmitry I would be extreamly appriciative towards such an act :D



*people may recognise his writing after watching the recent film "The Golden Compass" which is based off only only a fraction of the first book and leaves out alot of the theoretical and historical aspects. ( I guess to make it a little less contraversial)*



..... :eek: * wait a sec... did i just quote myself?? O.o wtf...*
um....(I go stand infront of a car now)... >.<*

[hgradeca]

My solution to reading in the dark is to use an older Palm - Visor for example, it has a very low backlight and its green backlight is also quite comfortable to the eyes (not to mention that Visors batteries last longer than on the TX ;) )

[DatesOnMyPalm]

yes
possible
why do you want it?

current one is a 1/256 duty cycle
i can take it down as low as 1/8192, that is 32 times dimmer
but why?


I would like to 2nd the request to get a lower level on Brightnessfix. I too like to use my T/X at night to read ebooks and a lower level would be great.

BTW, any additional affect on battery life?

[scottl]

I've often wanted more granular brightness settings than currently offered by brightnessfix on my TX - and as above, between the lowest and first tick.

So I'll 3rd the motion. Thanks for considering this Dmitry.

[goonie]

I'll fourth the motion. BrightnessFix is a great improvement over the stock settings, but I've found while reading in the dark it would be great if that dimmest setting could be dimmer still.

[_Em]

I've found that decreasing the brightness to 4-2 often gives different results than INCREASING it between 2-4; not sure why this is. It allows me to get different brightness settings by going up and down a few times though :)

[cms]

? .

[hgradeca]

There might be one thing you can do to make it easier to read in the dark - if you are reading ebooks, you could invert the screen, so that background is black and the text is white. :)
I've tried it yesterday, it helps a lot. :)

[rdiheath]

I read extensively with my T5 and before with my NX80 at night in bed with my wife who wants NO additional light. I used Isilo and on the T5 w/ FullPower and dimmer all the way down it works perfect in Isilo with the background set to black and the text to a very pale pink. VERY easy on the eyes

[thierry2064]

I'd like to do the same with Opera Mini to browse web sites like this one (http://www.1src.com), but it cannot invert colors, nor it is compatible with Khroma. I guess the only solution would be getting an even more dimmer setting than the present brightnessfix, or?

[Pent]

Fourthed!

Or were we on to 5 already ?

Pent

[Pgr]

It just started being useful because this new Apt thing makes a great screen-saver style auto-dimming of the screen when the device is idle for a given time.

The only problem is that brightness=0 is too black (hard to differentiate from turned off device) and brightness=1 is probably more than enough. So, 0.30 or 0.6745 is probably what would work best. :)

[cyberdude]

This would be great. I've been using Apt (thanks Pent!!!) to dim the screen to 0 when I'm not using it and it restores to my last setting with a tap. The only problem is that at 0 it looks like it is off, and I've made the mistake of trying to turn it on more then once with the effect being that it turns off. So I started using the setting at 1 instead of 0 and would love more flexibility between 0 and 1.

So I guess that is a sith or seventh! :p

[dmitrygr]

ye ye ye i'll do it soon

[MikeB]

Thanks Dmitry! I'd love to see a lower level too, since when I'm on my palm at night (ereaders, games, web), the variation in brightness is still too strong for viewing in the dark.

[icefireicefire]

I think we need around 6 or 7 dmitrys :)

[technical1]

Dmitry, I add my 'voice', it would be most helpful. When you can get to it...

[DatesOnMyPalm]

it works perfect in Isilo with the background set to black and the text to a very pale pink. VERY easy on the eyes

I use ISolo and Mobipocket and tried the reverse background thing. Problem is I use a fairly small font w/Fontsmoother. It's OK as black text w/white background, but practically impossible to read with black background/white text, unless you increase the font size.

[_Em]

That's (one of the reasons) why I use PalmFiction :) easy to scale the font size at the flick of the finger. Easy to change font/background colours too.

[cms]

Dmitry, dont forget about this little thing please >.<

[dmitrygr]

perhaps
we'll see

[dmitrygr]

this should be a lot more stable than previous ver and no more flicker
try it
http://www.palmpowerups.com/file/brightnessFix.NG.prc

[tested on LD]

[Pgr]

Looks good on my T|X!

Thanks a lot! This works really cool using Apt for screensaver effect... it lowers the brightness to a bare minimum (which just got lower with this new fix) after a preset time; then it lights back up when you interact with the device in any way (such as tapping the screen). Very cool and I suppose it saves battery....


this should be a lot more stable than previous ver and no more flicker
I never noticed the previous version being unstable, and I never noticed it flickering... but if you say so... :)

[Pgr]

Hhmm... troubles... :(

Facts:
1. I'm left-handed.
2. I tried using Palm's handedness feature to cope with this handicap ;) but it doesn't stick after resets (stupid bug!).
3. I've been using Handedness fix by Payalba for years to make handedness settings stick across resets.
4. This did not have any problems with Brightness fix (BF) before;
5. Now it has, with this new version of BF - handedness isn't remembered across resets.

Another thing I noticed:

After a reset, going into eReader for the first time, brightness drops to zero (or very very low). If I tap on the brightness panel, I (barely) see the slider somewhere in a middle point, but the actual brightness is like zero.

I tried all this after disabling Apt and resetting, to make sure it wasn't interfering.

I hope these things are easy to fix... I really like the new brightness (logarithmic?) scale.

[dmitrygr]

talkto ereader makrs

[Pgr]

talkto ereader makrs
I tried years ago, and mind you, the issue involved a possibility of them making money with my cooperation (working with them on a nicer Word to eBook converter). I did not get a "no", I just got ignored...

And about the Handedness problem?

I take it you did more than just change the scale on this version...

[dmitrygr]

nop
unrelated
i do not touch handedness in any way
any incompatibility is thus your own to deal with, sorry

[_Em]

Thanks for the new version Dmitry... the scaling is great!

Pgr, I also use the handedness fix, and am having no problems with it. You do know that it isn't enabled until after the first power on after a reset, right? It's always been this way.

However, I do have the dim-on-reset issue with brightnessfix.ng -- when I turn my device off and back on after a reset, the screen brightness changes to around 10%. After resetting with only Brightnessfix.ng enabled (all other apps, panels etc. disabled), it still does this, so I know it's not a conflict with anything else.

This is on my TX, of course.

[Pgr]

Handedness: you nailed it _Em! It works fine after the first power-up after reset; all this time using it, and I was not aware of this at all. Thanks!

Brightness bug: I have the same behaviour described by _Em; it dims when first powering up after a reset. What I was seeing with eReader is the same thing, now it seems it wasn't specific to eReader.

[wozofoz]

Hi, I deleted the old BrightnessFixTX, Soft Reset then installed the new BrightnessFixNG but my setting does not survive a Soft Reset :confused:

I have tried
Adjusting in BrightnessFixNG
Turning the TX off and on
Soft Reset
but after a Soft Reset the TX always goes back to the Palm default?? of about half way up the brightness slider.

I use CleanStart and BrightnessFix is 'Ticked' (Selected) plus I tried Selecting All but still it does not work after a Soft Reset.

I did not have this happen with the old version and so I have now reinstalled the old version and everything is fine again.

All the best, woz of oz

[scottl]

I had some difficulty too woz. I did it just as you did and it didn't seem different, so I uninstalled, soft reset, then copied from SD to RAM - note, copied, not installed. After that I reset and it worked. That seems strange to not install or run the app, but it worked.

I doubted myself, so I just followed these steps again and it worked.

[goonie]

I noticed the brightness bug as well, reverted back to the old version.

[wozofoz]

I Deleted CleanStart then:

Warm Reset then Delete BrightnessFixNG then Copy from card.

Pruss's ForceDelete then Copy from card.

Still, every time I Soft Reset the brightness goes back to about half way up the slider.

All the best, woz of oz

[scottl]

I know why I'm not seeing the problem... I use Apt to control brightness so by the time my reset finishes by kicking off ScreenButton the brightness has been set to where I want it.

To confirm the condition you are experiencing I abbreviated my startup and now see the brightness reset you do. Thanks to my usual start sequence I can keep this version and its baby steps brightness :)

[cyberdude]

I know why I'm not seeing the problem... I use Apt to control brightness so by the time my reset finishes by kicking off ScreenButton the brightness has been set to where I want it.

To confirm the condition you are experiencing I abbreviated my startup and now see the brightness reset you do. Thanks to my usual start sequence I can keep this version and its baby steps brightness :)
So that's why it seems to work for me, I also use Apt to control brightness. :)

[Pgr]

So if I follow correctly, the current status is that, after a reset, when powering up for the first time (or launching certain apps):

1- some people (like me) get an unrequested brightness drop to zero, or near zero;
2- some people (like wozofoz) get an unrequested brightness change to about halfway across the slider.
3- nobody has this working correctly (not counting other apps like Apt producing different results).

I'd love to know if anybody can challenge statement no.3, or find out the cause for the different behaviors in nos. 1 and 2.

[dmitrygr]

sure
it works for me on my lifedrives :-)

[Pgr]

sure
it works for me on my lifedrives :-)
That's not fair!!! It works for the only guy that could actually solve this!!! :)

Anyway, you must be curious as to what is happening, right? Your software normally works everywhere, right?

Right?

...

(tickling Dmitry's technical curiosity / hacker reputation IS the approved way of encouraging him to produce a piece of software :D)

[dmitrygr]

try now. file should be approx 5.xx K [that will make sure u get the new one]
should work

[Pgr]

AH!

Now it looks like a piece of software written by Dmitry.

:) :) :)

P.S.- Oh, I just wanted to ask for another simple feature if it's not too much trouble. I'd like to use Brightnessfix2 to boot a Windows Mobile device from a T|X based custom ROM stored online so I can use the infrared for cooking as a replacement for my microwave. Do you think you can do it? I can provide my microwave manual if it helps...

[dmitrygr]

yeah, but the battery life will be crap

[_Em]

whoops... maybe I should go back to brightnessfix.tx :)

Oh... did you mean the microwave thing?

[rdiheath]

Dmitry - works like a charm on my T5
only annoyance (very minor and livable) is that on reset the screen goes to the backlight being totally off. All I need to do though is to bring up the brightness panel via statusbar and touch anywhere on it and its back to the way it was\

THANKS

[Pgr]

Dmitry - works like a charm on my T5
only annoyance (very minor and livable) is that on reset the screen goes to the backlight being totally off. All I need to do though is to bring up the brightness panel via statusbar and touch anywhere on it and its back to the way it was\
You must have the old version... right?

[FredPC]

try now. file should be approx 5.xx K [that will make sure u get the new one]
should work
Excellent work Dmitry!!!

I had often thought to myself that I would like BrightnessFix to have a little wider range of adjustments, but never thought to ask (I guess I was just glad that such a handy little tool was even available let alone free!). This new version (Next Generation?) works even better on my Palm T|X! :D

I'm sure going to miss having you as a cornerstone of the Palm development community when (if ???) you 'move on'. :(

Thank you for all your excellent software, especially the free ones, since they're the ones that fit into my TX so well that I sometimes forget it didn't come that way, and that it wouldn't be nearly as 'useable' without them! ;)

[wozofoz]

The best just got better.
Thankyou dmitry, it works perfectly on my TX :)

All the best, woz of oz

[rdiheath]

YES! I did. Posted that before I saw the updated TX version which I might add works flawlessly on my T5. This is PERFECT Thanks immensely Dmitry

[tosbsas]

I do have trouble with that version and full power on my t3

Ruben

[_Em]

That makes sense, as Full Power has an option that conflicts with brightnessfix. They're both trying to control the same settings with different values.

[davidconrad10]

YES! I did. Posted that before I saw the updated TX version which I might add works flawlessly on my T5. This is PERFECT Thanks immensely Dmitry
I seem to have missed a URL for this updated version. I found something called brightnessFix.NG (although I can't remember now where I found it). Is that the most recent TX version? If not, where might I find the most recent TX version?

(Thanks for any help.)

[_Em]

http://www.1src.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1043797&postcount=31
(top post on the previous page in this thread).

[cyberdude]

I seem to have missed a URL for this updated version. I found something called brightnessFix.NG (although I can't remember now where I found it). Is that the most recent TX version? If not, where might I find the most recent TX version?

(Thanks for any help.)
As I understand it the NG version is the latest version for the TX, at least that's the one I'm using.

[Pgr]

Dmitry updated the file, but the link is the same as before. The size changed, so you can tell:

try now. file should be approx 5.xx K [that will make sure u get the new one]

[dmitrygr]

with the NG version, fullpower will have no effect. it will be writing to meaningless memory :-)

[tosbsas]

ah, so I will loose fullpower feature of changing battery settings??

Ruben

[dmitrygr]

no
just of brightness

[pruss]

Works well on my TX.

[davidconrad10]

As I understand it the NG version is the latest version for the TX, at least that's the one I'm using.
Ok -- well then I guess I've got it. Thanks.

[rdiheath]

Just tried BOTH on my T5 and the NG version dies not save last setting on reset. On reset it goes to about 1/2 way
the TX version that I have been using returns to LAST KNOWN SETTING on reset.

See no other difference between the 2 so will retain the TX version

[jamesgraylx]

l would like to add that l use sat nav alot. currently if i turn off i have to wait ages for bluetooth gps to reinitialise so i turn screen way down to 1. this is still bright at night. so yes as a battery saver i agree lower!

[dmitrygr]

app updated again, with a better scale yet. try it. it is brighter on the high end, and dimmer on the low end, with a VERY smooth scale in between.

as always all PalmOne devices with the PXA processor supported

[wozofoz]

Thanks Dmitry, I love this enhancement :)

I have found it is not dimmer at the bottom end of the brightness scale.
The previous NG version would go down to a black screen on my TX but this new NG version only goes down to a very dark screen.
I am not complaining, I'm just noticing.
I don't need a black screen and the bottom level is certainly dark enough. .
(I deleted BrightnessFixNG and Soft Reset then installed again to make sure but same result)

The adjustment scale is great and full brightness needs :cool: :D

I Posted news of this update over at BrightHand Here (forum.brighthand.com/showthread.php?t=260808)

All the best, woz of oz

[Pgr]

The previous NG version would go down to a black screen on my TX but this new NG version only goes down to a very dark screen.
I am not complaining, I'm just noticing.
I know some people (not me) are using a Brightness value of zero with Apt to get a screensaver effect. After a preset number of seconds, the screen shuts down to zero brightness, and then if you tap anywhere or press a button, it goes back to where it was previously.

I personally use a brightness setting of 2 (barely visible) for a screensaver, but I guess the zero thing is useful for some people...

[dmitrygr]

i removed totally black for a reason (in the dark u cannot get out of it - you cannot see the slider :) )

[Jerramy]

I was hoping that I could get BrightnessFix.NG to work with my PXA250 device, but it encountered a fatal exception immediately after I tried to transfer it from the memorystick (or WHILE it was transfering, not sure). On reboot, I was stuck forever at the "Palm Powered" screen. Oh well, I was hoping (though well aware that my device was not listed as supported).

[dmitrygr]

I said PalmOne devices :)
Sony is not a PalmOne device.
now if you want to test for me, I can craft a version that will work for you too

[Jerramy]

Ooo Ooo ooo oooo !!!! *pant*
Yes please!
:)

My wife complains bitterly about the brightness from my Clie at night, which is more than plenty bright enought for me at its lowest setting. If it were possible to make it 1/2 as bright, I would be SO stoked!

[dmitrygr]

it's harder on the sony devices, but doable...

[Jerramy]

I will wait patiently, appreciate any effort you put into it, and not pester you about it. I know you're working on other things as well.

Thanks. :)

[Pgr]

i removed totally black for a reason (in the dark u cannot get out of it - you cannot see the slider :) )
Is it possible for the zero value to be innaccessible to the slider, but available to an app changing it programmatically, like Apt?

[dmitrygr]

Yes, but it is more trouble than I am willing to go through

[Pgr]

Yes, but it is more trouble than I am willing to go through
Perhaps it is just easier, if are willing to go this far, to make a double build of brightnessfix, one with zero and another without... to make everyone happy...

If not possible/too boring, I think I'll stick with the older version to have the zero value, and lose out on the advantages of the new scale...

Thanks.

[dmitrygr]

the current minimum is 1/1024th of full brightness. it is so dim, it cannot be seen, and power consumption difference is not measurable (at least so says my multimeter)
why?

[Pgr]

the current minimum is 1/1024th of full brightness. it is so dim, it cannot be seen, and power consumption difference is not measurable (at least so says my multimeter)
why?
Ok, your scientific evidence has convinced me :) - I haven't really tried the new version because I'm on vacation and I have no easy way to get that .prc on my device. I will try it soon... thanks again.

[Jerramy]

I said PalmOne devices :)
Sony is not a PalmOne device.
now if you want to test for me, I can craft a version that will work for (your Clie TG50) too

Not to be utterly annoying, but did you make any progress on this? Any way I can help?

[dmitrygr]

havent had time

[scottl]

Dmitry, should this latest version work on a Treo 755p? If not, then I will throw in the towel, but if it should I will try to find the conflict as time permits.

I experienced the same reset loop that someone previously mentioned. Since moving from my TX I've missed that extra control I used to have. Thanks!

[dmitrygr]

it should work on the treo

[Jerramy]

Dmitry,

I sent a private message to you on this site, regarding this topic. Getting IM to work has been a chore I haven't completed yet.

[scottl]

it should work on the treoThanks. I'll have to work my way up from a warm reset to see what the conflict is.

Anyone here have a successful install on a Treo - especially 755p?