NitroSense for Linux

A native, modern, and fully functional alternative to Acer NitroSense designed specifically for Linux (Ubuntu/Debian). It allows you to control fan speeds, customize RGB keyboard lighting, monitor real-time temperatures, and sync power profiles on Acer Nitro series laptops.

✨ Features

• Fan Control: Auto, Max, and Custom modes (with real-time synchronization and RPM readings via NBFC).
• RGB Keyboard Customization: Full control over the 4 keyboard zones, solid colors, and dynamic effects (Neon, Wave, Breathing) via the facer module.
• Real-time Monitoring: Live graphs and temperature sensors for both CPU (coretemp) and GPU (nvidia-smi).
• Power Plans: Bidirectional synchronization with GNOME/Linux Power Profiles.
• Dedicated "N" Key Support: Launch the app globally by pressing the physical NitroSense button on your keyboard.
• Modern Interface: A dark-themed, premium, and minimalist UI replicating the original NitroSense design, built with React and Tauri.

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🛠 Prerequisites

To allow this application to communicate with your Acer's hardware at a low level, you must disable firmware locks and install community drivers.

1. Disable Secure Boot

It is strictly required to disable Secure Boot in your laptop's BIOS (press F2 on boot) so Linux can load the third-party kernel modules controlling the keyboard backlight and fan speeds.

2. Install Hardware Drivers

Helper scripts are included in this repository to automate the driver installation process:

A. RGB Keyboard Driver (Facer Module): Enables communication with the keyboard's hardware backlight controller.

chmod +x install_driver.sh
sudo ./install_driver.sh

B. Fan Driver (NBFC-Linux): Bypasses Acer's EC (Embedded Controller) to adjust fan speeds directly.

chmod +x install_nbfc.sh
./install_nbfc.sh

Make sure to select and load the NBFC profile that matches your exact laptop model (e.g., Acer Nitro AN515-57).

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🚀 Application Installation

Go to the Releases tab on GitHub and download the latest .deb installer.

Install it using:

sudo dpkg -i NitroSense_1.0.0_amd64.deb

(Once installed, you can search for "NitroSense" in your application drawer).

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⌨️ Enable the Nitro Key ("N")

If you want the dedicated physical "N" key to launch the app (just like it does on Windows), simply run this script:

chmod +x bind_nitro_key.sh
./bind_nitro_key.sh

If your distribution uses a different keycode, you can manually bind the global command nitrosense under your system's Keyboard Shortcuts settings.

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💻 Development (Build from Source)

This application is extremely lightweight, built with Tauri (Rust) on the backend and React (TypeScript) on the frontend.

Requirements:

• Node.js (v18+)
• Rust (curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh)
• WebKit libraries: sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev build-essential curl wget file libssl-dev libgtk-3-dev libayatana-appindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev

Run in development mode:

npm install
npm run tauri dev

Build the final .deb package:

npm run tauri build

(The .deb file will be generated in src-tauri/target/release/bundle/deb/)

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Disclaimer: This is an open-source project driven by the community and is not officially affiliated with Acer Inc. Modifying your system's hardware cooling profiles is at your own risk.