Tag: ubuntu

Function keys not working on E15 Gen 2 & linux

Post author By cedric
Post date September 25, 2020
3 Comments on Function keys not working on E15 Gen 2 & linux

I keep on trying different distributions on my E15 Gen 2 laptop.

Fedora, KDE Neon, now Kubuntu 20.04 (want to upgrade to 20.10) when it will be ready.

First thing is always to install a recent kernel that will not prevent the system coming back from sleep mode. It can be done by following instructions for Ubuntu wiki or using the mainline application (continuation of the free version of ukuu).

The Function keys are working after computer wnet to sleep mode. Here is a way to get the computer to go in sleep mode and wake up automatically at boot.

The rtcwake command enters a system sleep state until specified wakeup time. it is part of util-linux package on ubuntu based distributions, so install it if it is not done already:

sudo apt install util-linux

Then modify the root crontab:

sudo crontab -e

Add this line to the file:

@reboot sudo rtcwake -m mem -s 2

Save the file.

This will put the computer in sleep mode for 2 seconds after boot.

Reboot your computer and login into your user session the Function keys should be working.

Thanks to ONDRA5 who pointed me to the right direction

Tags E15, kubuntu, Linux, ubuntu

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Black image with skype for linux on macbook and ubuntu

Post author By cedric
Post date April 23, 2020
No Comments on Black image with skype for linux on macbook and ubuntu

This kernel module enables the macbook webcam on linux.

On my Ubuntu 20.04 Gnome Cheese works perfectly with the webcam. Skype for linux works also but the video shows the “facetimehd” camera name with a black image.

The problem is the way Chromium (yes skype for linux relies on chromium…) handles the camera resolution, for more technical info see here: https://github.com/patjak/bcwc_pcie/issues/123

This fork of the original kernel module solves the issue and adds a “switch” to enable correct handling of webcam resolution.

Install the driver

sudo apt-get install git
sudo apt-get install curl xz-utils cpio
git clone https://github.com/patjak/facetimehd-firmware.git
cd facetimehd-firmware
make
sudo make install
cd ..
sudo apt-get install kmod libssl-dev checkinstall
git clone https://github.com/apunto13/bcwc_pcie.git
cd bcwc_pcie
make
sudo make install
sudo depmod
sudo modprobe -r bdc_pci
sudo modprobe facetimehd

At this stage Cheese can use the camera but not Skype.

It is recommended to install the sensor calibration files.
To load the module at boot

sudo nano /etc/modules

Add facetimehd on a new line and close the file

To enable this workaround pass the module parameter "enable_chromium_workaround" when loading the module
Permanent activation on Ubuntu 20.04

sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/facetimehd.conf

Add options facetimehd enable_chromium_workaround=1 and close the file.

Apply the new setting

sudo rmmod facetimehd
sudo modprobe facetimehd

After this, Skype will correctly display the camera image but not cheese.
you can always revert back by setting the option enable_chromium_workaround to 0

Thanks a lot to all people who worked on this.

As a additional note, you can find latest debian packages here: https://repo.skype.com/deb/pool/main/s/skypeforlinux/

Resources:

https://askubuntu.com/questions/990218/camera-not-working-on-macbook-pro
https://github.com/patjak/bcwc_pcie
https://github.com/apunto13/bcwc_pcie

Tags macbook, skype, ubuntu, webcam

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How to change Ubuntu gdm login resolution on a macbook

Post author By cedric
Post date January 24, 2020
1 Comment on How to change Ubuntu gdm login resolution on a macbook

After installing ubuntu 19.10 on my macbook, I changed the resolution to 2560×1600 and scaling to 100% instead of the default 200%.

Ubuntu supports very well the retina screen but the login screen was still at the old resolution after reboot.

To have the same resolution during the login with gdm you need to copy the monitors.xml file from your personal config to the /var/lib/gdm3/.config folder:

cd;sudo cp .config/monitors.xml /var/lib/gdm3/.config/

The content of my monitors.xml file is:

<monitors version="2">
  <configuration>
    <logicalmonitor>
      <x>0</x>
      <y>0</y>
      <scale>1</scale>
      <primary>yes</primary>
      <monitor>
        <monitorspec>
          <connector>eDP-1</connector>
          <vendor>APP</vendor>
          <product>Color LCD</product>
          <serial>0x00000000</serial>
        </monitorspec>
        <mode>
          <width>2560</width>
          <height>1600</height>
          <rate>59.971588134765625</rate>
        </mode>
      </monitor>
    </logicalmonitor>
  </configuration>
</monitors>

On next login after reboot the solution will be the same as it is during the gnome session.