https://github.com/korzewarrior/thinkpadfancontroller
Simple GTK Tray Applet to manually override Thinkpad fan speeds.
https://github.com/korzewarrior/thinkpadfancontroller
Last synced: 2 months ago
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Simple GTK Tray Applet to manually override Thinkpad fan speeds.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/korzewarrior/thinkpadfancontroller
- Owner: korzewarrior
- License: mit
- Created: 2025-02-16T04:44:26.000Z (4 months ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-03-31T14:16:53.000Z (3 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-03-31T15:39:46.648Z (3 months ago)
- Language: C
- Size: 107 KB
- Stars: 0
- Watchers: 1
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: License
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README
# ThinkPad Fan Controller
## Overview
This is a simple **GTK-based system tray application** for controlling and monitoring the **fan speed on ThinkPad laptops**.
It retrieves **fan speed, CPU temperature**, and allows for **fan level adjustments** with real-time monitoring.
## Features
✅ Displays **fan speed, CPU temperature, and CPU utilization**
✅ **Visual fan level indicator** with color-coded levels
✅ **Temperature and CPU usage history graph** for monitoring trends
✅ Integrates with the **system tray** using `libappindicator`
✅ Reads data from `/proc/acpi/ibm/fan` (ThinkPad-specific ACPI interface)
✅ No longer requires `sudo` for fan control after proper setup
---
## 🛠 Requirements
This program is designed for **Linux systems**, specifically **Arch Linux** with **ThinkPad hardware**.
It may work on other distributions with minor adjustments.
### 🔧 Dependencies
Install the required dependencies using **pacman**:
```sh
sudo pacman -S gtk3 libappindicator-gtk3 thinkfan acpi_call-dkms glibc
```
### ⚙️ Additional Kernel Module
Ensure the `thinkpad_acpi` kernel module is loaded:
```sh
sudo modprobe thinkpad_acpi
```
If necessary, **enable auto-loading** at startup:
```sh
echo "thinkpad_acpi" | sudo tee /etc/modules-load.d/thinkpad_acpi.conf
```
### 🔑 Fixing Permissions for `/proc/acpi/ibm/fan`
To allow the program to control fan speeds **without requiring sudo**, set proper permissions:
```sh
sudo groupadd thinkpad
sudo chown :thinkpad /proc/acpi/ibm/fan
sudo chmod 664 /proc/acpi/ibm/fan
sudo usermod -aG thinkpad $USER
```
Make this permission persist across reboots:
```sh
echo 'f /proc/acpi/ibm/fan 0664 root thinkpad' | sudo tee /etc/tmpfiles.d/thinkpadfan.conf
sudo systemd-tmpfiles --create
```
Reboot your system to apply the changes.
---
## 📥 Installation
### 1️⃣ Clone the repository:
```sh
git clone https://github.com/korzewarrior/thinkpadFanController.git
cd thinkpadFanController
```
### 2️⃣ Compile the program:
```sh
make clean
make
```
### 3️⃣ Install the application system-wide:
```sh
sudo make install
```
### 4️⃣ Run the application:
```sh
thinkpadFanController
```
✅ **No need for `sudo` if permissions were set correctly!**
---
## 🔧 System-wide Installation
To install it as a system-wide application:
```sh
sudo make install
```
To remove it:
```sh
sudo make uninstall
```
---
## 🚀 Usage
Run the program from the terminal:
```sh
thinkpadFanController
```
Or add it to your **startup applications** if using a window manager like **i3wm** or **LXQt**.
### Key Features
- **Fan Level Control**: Set your fan speed to Auto, Low (1), Mid (3), High (5), Full (7), or Unlimited (Max)
- **Visual Fan Indicator**: See your current fan level with an intuitive color-coded visualization
- **CPU Monitoring**: Track both CPU temperature and utilization in real-time
- **Temperature History**: Click "Show Graph" to view a history graph of temperature and CPU usage over time
### 🌡️ Fan Levels and Performance Impact
Different fan levels have varying effects on system performance, noise, and battery life:
| Fan Level | Noise Level | Cooling Efficiency | Battery Impact | Recommended Use Case |
|-----------|-------------|-------------------|----------------|----------------------|
| Auto | Variable | Adaptive | Best | Everyday use, balanced performance |
| Low (1) | Very quiet | Minimal | Good | Light tasks, quiet environments |
| Mid (3) | Moderate | Adequate | Moderate | Regular work, mild workloads |
| High (5) | Noticeable | Good | Higher | Gaming, video editing, sustained loads |
| Full (7) | Loud | Excellent | High | Heavy workloads, hot environments |
| Max | Very loud | Maximum | Highest | Emergency cooling, extreme situations |
**Note**: Higher fan speeds will consume more battery but will keep your CPU cooler, potentially allowing it to maintain higher performance for longer periods before thermal throttling occurs.
### 🚀 Using with Hyprland
To use this application with Hyprland:
1. Ensure your Hyprland configuration supports system tray applications.
2. Add this application to your Hyprland autostart by editing your Hyprland config file (typically `~/.config/hypr/hyprland.conf`):
```
# Start ThinkPad Fan Controller
exec-once = thinkpadFanController-hyprland.sh
```
3. Make sure you have a status bar that supports XDG system tray (like Waybar) and it's configured correctly:
If using Waybar, make sure your Waybar config (typically `~/.config/waybar/config`) includes the "tray" module:
```json
{
"modules-right": ["tray", "clock", ...],
"tray": {
"icon-size": 21,
"spacing": 10
}
}
```
4. If the tray icon doesn't appear, you may need to install `xdg-desktop-portal-wlr` and `xdg-desktop-portal-gtk`:
```sh
sudo pacman -S xdg-desktop-portal-wlr xdg-desktop-portal-gtk
```
5. The included `thinkpadFanController-hyprland.sh` script sets necessary environment variables for better compatibility with Hyprland. It's automatically installed by `make install`.
6. If you're migrating from i3wm to Hyprland, make sure to remove any i3-specific autostart entries for thinkpadFanController and use the Hyprland approach described above.
---
## 🔧 Troubleshooting
### Common Issues
#### Fan Control Not Working
- **Issue**: Fan speed doesn't change when selecting different levels
- **Solution**:
- Check that the `thinkpad_acpi` module is loaded: `lsmod | grep thinkpad_acpi`
- Verify permissions on `/proc/acpi/ibm/fan` with `ls -l /proc/acpi/ibm/fan`
- Make sure your user is in the `thinkpad` group with `groups $USER`
- Some newer ThinkPad models may have different fan control interfaces
#### Fan Control Permission Denied
- **Issue**: "Permission denied" errors when changing fan levels
- **Solution**: Follow the permission setup steps in the Requirements section
#### Application Not Appearing in System Tray
- **Issue**: Icon doesn't appear in your system tray
- **Solution**:
- For Waybar: Ensure you have the "tray" module enabled in your Waybar config
- For other DEs/WMs: Make sure you have a system tray implementation running
- Try restarting your status bar after launching the application
#### Compatibility
This application is specifically designed for ThinkPad laptops and relies on ThinkPad-specific interfaces. It will not work on other laptop brands. It has been tested on various ThinkPad models including:
- ThinkPad X series (X220, X230, X1 Carbon, etc.)
- ThinkPad T series (T420, T430, T480, etc.)
- ThinkPad L series and others with standard ThinkPad ACPI interfaces
## 📜 License
This project is licensed under the **MIT License**.
See the [`LICENSE`](./LICENSE) file for details.
## 🤝 Contributing
Feel free to **submit issues** or **pull requests** on **GitHub**!
**⭐ If you find this useful, consider starring the repo!**