Nitro AN517-55 How to control fans and lighting on Linux?

MrBorys

We can easily install tradingview on linux. But we can't install drivers from laptop.
How to control fan rotation?🤨🤔

We can control the keyboard brightness via the fn key. And it would be even cooler if we could also control the fan rotation.

If you are interested, then:
OS: CachyOS x86_64
Host: Nitro AN517-55
Kernel: Linux 6.15.6-2-cachyos
DE: KDE Plasma 6.4.3
WM: KWin (Wayland)

[Edited the thread to add model name to the title]

Axxo

To control fans and lighting on an Acer Nitro laptop running Linux, you can use the nbfc-linux tool, which is a community-developed alternative to Acer's NitroSense software. You'll need to install and configure nbfc-linux, and then you can use commands to manage fan speeds and potentially lighting, depending on your model and the available configurations.

Here's a breakdown of the process:
1. Install and Configure nbfc-linux:
Install:
Use your distribution's package manager to install nbfc-linux. For example, on Arch Linux, you can use yay -S nbfc-linux. On other distributions, use apt, dnf, or zypper as appropriate.
Configure:
Find your laptop's model configuration file in the nbfc-linux's config directory (usually /opt/nbfc/Configs/ or similar).
If there isn't one, you might need to adapt an existing configuration (like one for a similar Acer Predator model) or create a new one, according to this Reddit thread.
Apply the configuration using sudo nbfc config --apply "Your Laptop Model".
Start the Service:
Start the nbfc service with sudo systemctl enable nbfc_service to have it run on startup, or start it manually with sudo nbfc start.

2. Manage Fan Speeds:
Check Status: Use nbfc status to see the current fan speeds and status.
Set Fan Speed: Use nbfc set -f <fan_number> -s <speed> to control fan speeds. <fan_number> is usually 0 or 1 for dual-fan systems. <speed> is a percentage or a value specific to the configuration (e.g., 60 for 60% speed).

3. Manage Lighting (If Supported):
Check for Support:
The nbfc-linux project includes support for some lighting controls, but it depends on your specific laptop model and the configuration files available.
Explore Configurations:
Examine the configuration files for your laptop model to see if there are any lighting-related settings or commands.

Use nbfc commands:
If supported, you might be able to use nbfc commands to control lighting effects. Check the nbfc-linux documentation or configuration files for specific commands.
4. Alternative Approaches:
fancontrol: For more advanced fan speed control based on temperature sensors, you can explore the fancontrol package and its configuration. This involves using pwmconfig to detect your hardware, then configuring /etc/fancontrol with appropriate temperature thresholds and fan speeds.
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MrBorys

I had a chat with gpt4.5 and Gemini 2.5pro and they answered the same thing, 1v1. I would like someone human to answer me, are there human here?🤔

and as a bonus, Gemini explained in detail how to port the NitroSense application from Windows by creating and editing dumps of the application and its work. but I won't go into that because it's too complicated.