~Toughbooktalk~

Right-oh. Here are two new tools in figuring out if passing module parameters, in one way or another, can fix this issue once and for all.

This one lists all possible i915 parameters, passable during kernel boot or module load: This one lists your currently active i915 parameters:
Jeff, if you have a minute, shoot me the output of that last command while I wait for your TB to arrive. I might spot something obvious.

O.K. Will do. I'm on CF-53 right now Mint 17 no flicker.
/sys/module/i915/parameters/disable_power_well=1
/sys/module/i915/parameters/enable_hangcheck=Y
/sys/module/i915/parameters/enable_ips=1
/sys/module/i915/parameters/enable_pc8=1
/sys/module/i915/parameters/enable_psr=0
/sys/module/i915/parameters/fastboot=N
/sys/module/i915/parameters/fbpercrtc=0
/sys/module/i915/parameters/i915_enable_fbc=-1
/sys/module/i915/parameters/i915_enable_ppgtt=-1
/sys/module/i915/parameters/i915_enable_rc6=-1
/sys/module/i915/parameters/invert_brightness=0
/sys/module/i915/parameters/lvds_channel_mode=0
/sys/module/i915/parameters/lvds_downclock=0
/sys/module/i915/parameters/lvds_use_ssc=-1
/sys/module/i915/parameters/modeset=-1
/sys/module/i915/parameters/panel_ignore_lid=1
/sys/module/i915/parameters/pc8_timeout=5000
/sys/module/i915/parameters/powersave=1
/sys/module/i915/parameters/prefault_disable=N
/sys/module/i915/parameters/preliminary_hw_support=1
/sys/module/i915/parameters/reset=Y
/sys/module/i915/parameters/semaphores=-1
/sys/module/i915/parameters/vbt_sdvo_panel_type=-1

MK3 in a sec.

disable_power_well=1
enable_hangcheck=Y
enable_ips=1
enable_pc8=1
enable_psr=0
fastboot=N
fbpercrtc=0
i915_enable_fbc=-1
i915_enable_ppgtt=-1
i915_enable_rc6=-1
invert_brightness=0
lvds_channel_mode=0
lvds_downclock=0
lvds_use_ssc=-1
modeset=-1
panel_ignore_lid=1
pc8_timeout=5000
powersave=1
prefault_disable=N
preliminary_hw_support=1
reset=Y
semaphores=-1
vbt_sdvo_panel_type=-1

From flickering MK3 (30) The i915 LVDS lines are different whatever that means.

Adding this to kernel boot solves the issue on Jeff's CF-30.

O.K. kode,
I edited /etc/default/grub #by adding video=1024x768@76 between the "" after quiet. Then did update-grub.

It works but is this the right way to do it? Seems to be as it works fine in WattOS 64bit.

# If you change this file, run 'update-grub' afterwards to update
# /boot/grub/grub.cfg.
# For full documentation of the options in this file, see:
# info -f grub -n 'Simple configuration'

GRUB_DEFAULT=0
GRUB_TIMEOUT=5
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR=`lsb_release -i -s 2> /dev/null || echo Debian`
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="video=1024x768@76"
GRUB_BACKGROUND=/usr/share/wattOS/green-grub.jpg

# Uncomment to enable BadRAM filtering, modify to suit your needs
# This works with Linux (no patch required) and with any kernel that obtains
# the memory map information from GRUB (GNU Mach, kernel of FreeBSD ...)
#GRUB_BADRAM="0x01234567,0xfefefefe,0x89abcdef,0xefefefef"

# Uncomment to disable graphical terminal (grub-pc only)
#GRUB_TERMINAL=console

Sorry but I used sudo. Thanks mate.

Jeff

Sadlmkr wrote:
It works but is this the right way to do it?

In what way? If you are talking specifically about putting it in GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX and not GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT, I would have to say that it would be safer to use the _DEFAULT section for these sorts of things. It only affects normal default boot and won't muck up the single-user recovery boot options, if any.

If you're talking in general as for why does this little hack work, well it takes quite a bit of explanation.

I have to understand a little to be able to tell others what to do.
I have a glimmer of why it works so explanations not necessary.

So my question then is or more accurately my understanding is this is in GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT and it's working so run with it.

Sent from first Mint 17 that I tweaked.

My machines are User/Admin = me.

I don't see a CF-30 on your list.

Thanks man.

The real reason is still a mystery to me. But I suspect that this a combination of a hardware and software bug.

Modesetting is setting a display resolution, depth and refresh.
KMS is Kernel ModeSetting, where you configure a display when the kernel boots up, before the rest of your OS loads in userspace.


First I tried disabling KMS with nomodeset:There was no flicker. The display came up as 76Hz for some reason once Mate loaded. But this was also a step backwards as it broke a few other minor things and the LCD wasn't being properly probed or detected. But now I knew that 76Hz was a valid refresh rate for this display and it didn't flicker.


Removing nomodeset to re-enable KMS and adding a kernel boot option to force 76Hz seemed like the smart thing to do:No flicker but xrandr still says that 60Hz is the only option available. The display might have been briefly set to 76Hz while it was booting and Mate set it back to 60. To me this doesn't really matter and seems like the easiest fix for the flickering issue. To have more control over refresh, you would have to use modelines in xorg conf files to make the other rates available to you.

O.K. I see what I did, I'll sort it.
You replaced quiet with 1024x768@76. I dropped down to the next line and entered it between the quotes.

Interesting.

Like I wrote earlier, try to keep our experiments within GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT.

I removed quiet in order to see the startup messages. You can also see the exact moment when the resolution changes while the text scrolls down the screen. To better illustrate that moment, put 640x480@60, remove quiet and watch the font size change. Of course, Mate will set it back to full res when it comes up.


I'll post later today with the xorg config method.