Ubuntu Tip: Disable Synaptics touchpad while typing

Finally!!
If you are like me, and can't help but involuntarily touch the touchpad while typing on the keyboard, here is the solution (thanks to ubuntugeek.com):

1. Open a terminal and type: sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf_synbackup
2. Type gksudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf
3. Look for the section called: Section “InputDevice” / Identifier “Synaptics Touchpad”
4. Just above the line that says "End Section" type this line: Option “SHMConfig” “on”
5. Save, close all the windows and restart Gnome (Ctrl-Alt-Backspace)
6. Open the sessions manager: System -> Preferences -> Sessions
7. In the Startup Programs tab click the "New" button
8. Type "Syndaemon" in the name field and "syndaemon -i 1 -d" in the command field
9. Close and restart Gnome (Ctrl-Alt-Backspace)
10. Voila!
    

Battery very much OK

The replacement/spare battery I've bought on eBay from the Chinese seller shengz3 is very much OK.
Its price was very good indeed even after applying shipping costs and duties, it arrived very quickly and in very good conditions, and most of all it's 100% original and very high quality.
It's made by Sanyo (like the original one that came with my Si1520) and it's 100% functional: it charges up to 100%, while the one that came in the box with the laptop only charges up to 86%. Therefore I'm very satisfied, and can't help but suggest the seller to anyone in need of a second battery for their Amilo.

Spare battery arrived

The spare battery I talked about in a previous post, has arrived.

It's been blocked a couple of days by the customs (had to pay 13€ for custom duties and taxes). Anyway, it's 100% genuine, and I will test it tomorrow. So far I'm pretty satisfied by the service provided by the seller. I will keep you posted.

A summary of reviews on the SI1520

Notebookcheck.com has a nice summary page with links to various reviews of the SI1520.

You can find it here.

Installation of Ubuntu Feisty Fawn 7.04

Ubuntu Linux 7.04 is finally out: how does it behave on an Amilo SI1520?

Hardware Information

Screen & Monitors
Screen: Works
Correct resolution: Yes (after installing package 915resolution)
Correct refresh rate: Yes
3D Acceleration: Yes
External monitor works: Yes (tested by Juan)
External monitor - mirrors: Yes (tested by Juan)
External monitor - extend desktop: Yes (tested by Juan)

Power Management
Battery detected: Yes
Hibernates: Yes
Sleep: Yes (1)
Dim monitor on battery: No
Blank monitor on inactivity: Yes
Lid Close: Yes
Cpu frequency scaling: Yes (2)

Sound
Sound works? Yes
Correct volume? Yes (Although volume is pretty low)
Hardware volume switch: N/A (but Fn buttons to control volume work)
Headphone jack: Works
Mic jack: Does not work (I Couldn't manage to make it work)

Networking
Wired NIC: Works
Wireless NIC: Works
PCMCIA NIC: Untested
Firewire: Untested (Should work)
Bluetooth: Yes (Not personally tested. See Aron's comment.)
Modem: Untested
Infrared: N/A

Touchpad & Mice
Touchpad: Works
Touchpad - Doubletap = double click: Works
Touchpad - Scroll down side: Works
Touchpad - turned off while typing: Works (3)
External mouse - USB: Works
External mouse - Serial: Untested

Other Hardware
CD/DVD Burner: Works (Couldn't make it burn at speed >2x)
4-in-1 Card Reader: Works

Output of the lspci command:
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/PM/GMS, 943/940GML and 945GT Express Memory Controller Hub (rev 03)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) High Definition Audio Controller (rev 02)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) PCI Express Port 1 (rev 02)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) PCI Express Port 2 (rev 02)
00:1c.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) PCI Express Port 3 (rev 02)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 02)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 02)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 02)
00:1d.3 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI Controller #4 (rev 02)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 02)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev e2)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801GBM (ICH7-M) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 02)
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) IDE Controller (rev 02)
00:1f.2 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 82801GBM/GHM (ICH7 Family) SATA AHCI Controller (rev 02)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) SMBus Controller (rev 02)
01:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection (rev 02)
07:08.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation PRO/100 VE Network Connection (rev 02)
07:09.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Ricoh Co Ltd R5C832 IEEE 1394 Controller
07:09.1 Generic system peripheral [0805]: Ricoh Co Ltd R5C822 SD/SDIO/MMC/MS/MSPro Host Adapter (rev 19)
07:09.2 System peripheral: Ricoh Co Ltd Unknown device 0843 (rev 01)
07:09.3 System peripheral: Ricoh Co Ltd R5C592 Memory Stick Bus Host Adapter (rev 0a)
07:09.4 System peripheral: Ricoh Co Ltd xD-Picture Card Controller (rev 05)


NOTES:
(1) Suspend to RAM works only with BIOS version 1.10. Later versions have something wrong and this feature will not work properly. You can downgrade to v1.10 if your laptop does NOT mount an Intel Core Duo (Yonah) D0 stepping processor (which basically means those CPUs coded T2x00). Check here for more detailed information.
(2) You can manually set the CPU frequency and the operative mode by reconfiguring the Gnome applets ($ sudo dpkg-reconfigure gnome-applets) and answering “Yes” to the question regarding setting the suid of the cpufreq-selector executable. Now you can left click on the CPU Frequency Monitor Applet and choose the CPU frequency and/or operative mode (Conservative, Ondemand, Powersave, Performance).
(3) Needs this trick

Last update: June 19, 2007

Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn finally out

The final version of Ubuntu 7.04 "Feisty Fawn" is finally out. Download is nearly impossible right now, because servers are way too overcrowded. Even the page where the torrents are stored is unreachable.
Anyway, as soon as I manage to download it, I'll install it on the SI1520, and we'll see how it goes now that it's been finally released.

Touchpad finally working again after a Suspend/Resume in Feisty

As suggested by fellow user skipper (who I thank very much) there is a way to make the touchpad work after a suspend/resume.

The solution is a downgrade of the BIOS of the laptop to version 1.10. The problem, in fact, seems to be related to the two latest versions of the BIOS (v1.19 and v1.20). Anyone who does not necessarily need one of these two later BIOS versions, should downgrade to v1.10 to make suspend work.

If your SI1520 does not mount an Intel Core Duo (Yonah) D0 stepping processor (which means mainly those CPUs coded T2x00) you can downgrade to version 1.10. Otherwise you'll have to stick with a BIOS version >= 1.17 and with no touchpad after resume. :-(

v1.19 is officially the initial BIOS for Windows Vista 32bit, so downgrading could bring up problems with Vista. I couldn't find anything wrong in my brief test, but I don't plan to be using Vista much, so that's not so important to me.

Please leave a comment with your experiences with this matter, as it can help other fellow SI1520 owners. Thanks.

Necessary legal disclaimer:

Reasonable effort is made to ensure that the information provided on this blog is accurate, however, no guarantees for the currency or accuracy of information are made. This blog's information is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, whether expressed or implied.

This blog and its author make no guarantee and hold no responsibility for any damage, injury, loss of property, loss of data, loss of any and all resources, or any negative influence what-so-ever, that may result from any and all usage of the information found on this blog, or linked from this blog.

Negative consequences of your usage of this blog are solely your problem and your responsibility. All consequences of the usage of this blog do not involve this blog and its author, at all, ever. You hold full responsibility for your actions.

Use this blog's information resources at your own risk.

4-in-1 Card Reader working again

Updating the kernel to version 2.6.20-15-generic in Ubuntu Feisty 7.04 beta (which should become soon a no-more-beta, since the definitive launch is expected for the end of this week) has fixed the problem with the internal 4-in-1 card reader of the SI1520 that was mentioned in this previous post.

Keep it cool!

The SI1520 tends to produce a lot of heat. After a few minutes, using it on your lap becomes impossible due to excessive heat.
Notebook coolers are nice gadgets, but most of them cost a lot of money, they are heavy and loud.
Here is a nice alternative: Vantec's LapCool 4. There are two versions of this cooler, one with code LPC-420 or 430, which is not suitable for our needs. The other, coded LPC-402, is great: it is cheap, it has a cool "X" shape, and sports a single fan with a diameter of 160mm!
This is important because it allows the cooler to move a LOT of air in a very silent way. Its noise level is only 16dBA, which is soft and gentle and barely audible.
It's a very basic cooler: it has no extra USB ports, it has neither a selector for fan speed nor an on-off switch. It's just a huge fan with an X-shaped plastic shell around, but its lightness makes it very transportable, it's cheap (I paid 15EUR for it), it has the same exact dimensions of the SI1520 and does what it's designed for.
I have no accurate temperature tests to demonstrate the efficiency of its job, and can't confirm if it actually cools the internal components of the SI1520, but it definitely keeps the external shell and keyboard touchable. And, since the SI1520 has a lot of apertures on its bottom side, the cooler definitely sends air inside it (it can be felt exiting the aperture on the laptop's right side) so I suspect that it somewhat cools the inside of the notebook too.
Anyway, it's a small investment which can help protecting the SI1520 from overheating, and prolonging its lifespan.

Replacement battery

For anyone interested in buying a genuine Fujitsu-Siemens replacement/spare battery for their Amilo SI1520 without spending >100€/$130 (which is current price for it), there is a Chinese seller on eBay who often has them in stock at very good prices.

http://stores.ebay.com/shengz3-electronics

His feedbacks are very good, and previous buyers of the items left positive feedback and are very satisfied with the product. I've just ordered one, I'll let you know when it arrives.

Feisty beta's Network Manager OK Again

A new update of the Network Manager package for Ubuntu Feisty beta has been released today.
The first reports indicate that everything has gone back to normal.
I have not updated yet, so I can not verify. I will do ASAP.
But the network should now work again.

*EDIT*: I've just updated. Everything looks fine.

WARNING: Feisty beta, Updates of April 11, 2007

If you have installed Ubuntu Feisty beta on your SI1520:

DO NOT INSTALL TODAY'S UPDATES (April 11).

Something is wrong with the update, and the network manager stops working. As a consequence, network adapters are not recognized anymore, the wireless IPW3945 will not work, and the "cabled" network will work only after setting it up again (but you will not have any confirmation from the network manager icon, since this won't work).

You have been warned! ;)

*EDIT*:

Temporary solution:
Until the problem is solved, it is possible to downgrade the network manager to the previous (working) version:

sudo dpkg -i /var/cache/apt/archives/
network-manager_0.6.4-6ubuntu4_i386.deb
(please notice: it's a single line of code)

This will work if you still have the package in your cache.

Installation of Ubuntu Feisty Fawn 7.04 beta

WARNING: Click HERE if you want information on installing Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn FINAL.

---

How does Ubuntu 7.04 beta behave on an Amilo SI1520?

Hardware Information

Screen & Monitors
Screen: Works
Correct resolution: Yes (after installing package 915resolution)
Correct refresh rate: Yes
3D Acceleration: Yes
External monitor works: Untested
External monitor - mirrors: Untested
External monitor - extend desktop: Untested

Power Management
Battery detected: Yes
Hibernates: Yes
Sleep: Yes (1)
Dim monitor on battery: No
Blank monitor on inactivity: Yes
Lid Close: Yes
Cpu frequency scaling: Untested

Sound
Sound works? Yes
Correct volume? Yes (Although volume is pretty low)
Hardware volume switch: N/A (but Fn buttons to control volume work)
Headphone jack: Works
Mic jack: Does not work (I Couldn't manage to make it work)

Networking
Wired NIC: Works
Wireless NIC: Works
PCMCIA NIC: Untested
Firewire: Untested (Should work)
Bluetooth: Untested (Should work)
Modem: Untested
Infrared: N/A

Touchpad & Mice
Touchpad: Works
Touchpad - Doubletap = double click: Works
Touchpad - Scroll down side: Works
Touchpad - turned off while typing: Does not work
External mouse - USB: Works
External mouse - Serial: Untested

Other Hardware
CD/DVD Burner: Works (Couldn't make it burn at speed >2x)
4-in-1 Card Reader: Works (2)

NOTES:
(1) Suspend to RAM works only with BIOS version 1.10. Later versions have something wrong and this feature will not work properly. You can downgrade to v1.10 if your laptop does NOT mount an Intel Core Duo (Yonah) D0 stepping processor (which basically means those CPUs coded T2x00). Check here for more detailed information.

(2) The built-in Card Reader works with kernel 2.6.20-12-generic and 2.6.20-15-generic. Booting with other kernels will result in not being able to use the card reader.

OpenSUSE 10.2 LiveDVD

I wanted to try OpenSUSE 10.2, since it's said to have the best hardware support among all distros. I inserted the LiveDVD in the CD/DVD reader of the SI1520, and it booted.
After a few seconds, a choice is given to boot the Gnome LiveDVD or the KDE LiveDVD. I chose Gnome and pressed Return.
The DVD started to spin, a splash screen appeared, and then the screen went black with a number of errors. The last few rows stated:

"Cannot find the CD I was booted from - doh!"

And everything stopped. If this is the distro with the best hardware support... :)

*EDIT*: I managed to make the LiveDVD boot by entering the BIOS and enabling 32-bit performance for the CD/DVD drive. Now testing.

Installing Ubuntu

I've installed Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn beta on my Amilo.
In the beginning I installed Kubuntu, but having been a Gnome user for some time, I really don't feel at home with KDE. Anyway, since Ubuntu and Kubuntu share the same structure, only with different desktop managers, the results should be the same.

Installation runs smoothly and no particular instructions are needed. After a couple of days of use I can say that all the most important things work, with a few exceptions:

- 4-in1 card reader worked until the Update Manager asked me to make a "Partial Upgrade". That caused the installation of a new kernel (2.6.20-13) that seems not to like the card reader. Solution: boot with the older kernel (2.6.20-12).
- The touchpad won't work after a "resume" from suspend-to-ram. This seems to be a common problem with Synaptics touchpads, as a quick google search showed. Solution: none at the moment.
- Microphone: another long-known problem, still with no solution. I've found a tutorial that claimed to solve the problem but instead it made Ubuntu not recognize my sound card anymore.
- The light sensor that automatically adjusts the display's contrast/brightness does not work actually works! Solution: none needed.
- The silent mode button does not work. Solution: none at the moment.
- The Num Lock button does not work.

Power management in Gnome is not the greatest. Anyway with the default settings, both suspend-to-ram ("Suspend") and suspend-to-disk ("Hibernate") work.
It's said that installing powersaved helped but I couldn't manage to make it work. Probably powersaved works better, but I could not manage to make Suspend and Hibernate work with this method, so I went back to the default power management.

That's all I can think of right now. I'll make a complete report about what works and what doesn't soon. But in a few words I can say that the Amilo SI1520 is reasonably linux-friendly.