Registry Edits for Backlight and Screensaver

[Guest kyrkesmith]

Because the Power Management options are pretty ineffective, I’ve spent quite a while figuring out the registry edits to change the backlight settings to how I want them. As I understand it, they are as follows.

There are only two registry keys that affect the backlight and screensaver. They are “HKCUControlPanelBacklight”, and “HKCUControlPanelScreenSaver”. From my experimenting, the two other “potentials” in the “HKCUControlPanel” key: “Power” and “NewPower” do absolutely nothing, and I have deleted them, with no harm done.

The “HKCUControlPanelBacklight” key has two values, “ACTimeout” and “BatteryTimeout”. The former controls the backlight whilst connected to external power, the latter whilst running on battery power. The values set the time in milliseconds (i.e. one second = 1000) before the backlight turns off. The backlight will automatically dim slightly after half the specified time has elapsed. Setting either to “99999” (dec) will keep the backlight on permanently. The maximum value able to be set is 4294967295, i.e. FFFFFFFF in hex base.

The “HKCUControlPanelScreenSaver” key has only one value, “Mode”. This is simply used to set whether or not the “screensaver” (the screen turning itself off, on the SPV) is enabled. Screensaver only works on battery power. If you set the value of “Mode” to “2”, the screensaver will come on after one minute, if you set it to any other value, the screensaver is disabled. If you have set the aforementioned “BatteryTimeout” to “99999”, the display will dim 30 seconds prior to the screensaver being activated. If you want to avoid this, just set the “BatteryTimeout” value to 4294967295, as I don’t really see the phone lasting 7 weeks on battery power, let alone with the screen on full brightness for half that time.

That’s it. I don’t know how much interest there would be in a little application to set this to avoid editing the registry, but I’ll look into it.

[Guest nickcornaglia]

funny....that number is the same number that pops up on my VMAIL.

[Guest nedge2k]

Thought it looked familiar. App might be nice idea.

[Guest ziggystardust888]

How about if I want to have the backlight on dim instead of full power to save battery power.

Are the registry values that appear by default the only ones applicable or is it possible to add others that may affect this eg Lightness? eg:

> hkey_current_user -> ControlPanel -> Backlight -> value -> Lightness -> Value data

[Guest markgamber]

The registry editor is a free download., what are you waiting for?

[Guest lowbug]

Because the Power Management options are pretty ineffective, I’ve spent quite a while figuring out the registry edits to change the backlight settings to how I want them. As I understand it, they are as follows.

There are only two registry keys that affect the backlight and screensaver. They are “HKCUControlPanelBacklight”, and “HKCUControlPanelScreenSaver”. From my experimenting, the two other “potentials” in the “HKCUControlPanel” key: “Power” and “NewPower” do absolutely nothing, and I have deleted them, with no harm done.

The “HKCUControlPanelBacklight” key has two values, “ACTimeout” and “BatteryTimeout”. The former controls the backlight whilst connected to external power, the latter whilst running on battery power. The values set the time in milliseconds (i.e. one second = 1000) before the backlight turns off. The backlight will automatically dim slightly after half the specified time has elapsed. Setting either to “99999” (dec) will keep the backlight on permanently. The maximum value able to be set is 4294967295, i.e. FFFFFFFF in hex base.

The “HKCUControlPanelScreenSaver” key has only one value, “Mode”. This is simply used to set whether or not the “screensaver” (the screen turning itself off, on the SPV) is enabled. Screensaver only works on battery power. If you set the value of “Mode” to “2”, the screensaver will come on after one minute, if you set it to any other value, the screensaver is disabled. If you have set the aforementioned “BatteryTimeout” to “99999”, the display will dim 30 seconds prior to the screensaver being activated. If you want to avoid this, just set the “BatteryTimeout” value to 4294967295, as I don’t really see the phone lasting 7 weeks on battery power, let alone with the screen on full brightness for half that time.

That’s it. I don’t know how much interest there would be in a little application to set this to avoid editing the registry, but I’ll look into it.

Hi i have tried to set HKCUControlPanelBacklight ACtimeout to 99999 but the screen still dims? Have i missed something? What i am tried to do is while on AC power keep the screen on. Is this possible?

Thanks :)

[Guest kyrkesmith]

What phone and updates etc. are you using?

To be honest, it's a while since I've fiddled about with this, I've just learnt to accept that it's never going to be as I want it!

I seem to remember that just after I posted this I realised that if it's set to 99999 it will go to half brighness after 50 seconds, because that's half way through when it would be turning off if 99999 wasn't a "special" value. A workaround, I assume, would be to set it to the maximum value of 4294967295.

[Guest Dr_StrangeTrick]

I have the Orange SPV E100, 1.6 update and found that changing the ACTimeout and Batterytimeout made no difference on my phone and even after downloading various utils it was still the same.

I want the back light to stay on when the phone is on external power, but not when it is charging in the cradle and I am next to my PC.

I changed these.

HKEY_CURRENT_USERControlPanelPowerDisplay to 6000000

HKEY_CURRENT_USERControlPanelNewPowerBacklightTimeout to 1000000

This way if I go to power managment and set backlight to never it stays on (useful for driving with Mapopolis) then when I am my PC or at work (both have cradle power mods) I set the backlight to 10 seconds and it does not come on.

Hope this helps.

[Guest lowbug]

I have E200 with lastest update on :lol:

pls help! :)

[Guest kyrkesmith]

Hmm....I wrote this for SPV/E100. I don't have a Sp2003 device, so can't look into it.

Are you saying that it goes to half brightness even when set to 99999, or that it still turns off when set to 99999?

[Guest smeg36]

On my Compal Developers phone running SP2003, the backlight will stay on longer when set to 99999, but it still turns off. I don't know about the E200, but the brighness on my phone doesn't go to half like it did on my old SPV.

[Guest kyrkesmith]

Yeah, I'm almost certain the half brightness thing is an HTC thing. The MPx200 definately doesn't do it at all, which is much better.

[Guest smeg36]

I went from a MPx200 to the Red-E. It was like going back into a time warp having to deal with the backlight issues that my old SPV used to have. The MPx is great when it comes to backlight settings.

[Guest TANKERx]

Be careful when playing with the power setting on the MPx200. Once I started fiddling with mine, everything went haywire and it's had to be sent off for repairs :-(

[Guest BrAGoL]

did it goes dead?

Posted from my SmartPhone!

[Guest Dr_StrangeTrick]

Sorry dident see post.

I tried those on my E100 1.6, the only difference it makes is that the light stays on for 60 seconds then goes off, no half brightness just off.

[Guest kyrkesmith]

Is that not because you've got the screen saver on?

[Guest Dr_StrangeTrick]

My screensaver is set to turn off, but I have my home screen not to timeout (kills the phone when PocketMusic is playing and it goes to the homescreen)

But those settings work fine for me :)

[Guest A.Hughes]

Was reading this post with interest, then went away and had a play with my E200, didnt touch the registry, just went to power management settings, set the backlight timeout to never, screen saver mode to none. That was at 8.50 am, 20 mins later the backlight is still on.

I dont know whether this would be the same for all other models SVP, E100 etc, or whether it was a fix from the update, it works, and i will use it when i have got mapopolis running, didint even think about this function until reading this post, ive always been frustrated with the light going out when i wanted it to stay on!!!

Hasnt really affected the battery thus far, its now been beaming for 25 mins or more,,,amazing

[Guest gpcarreon (MVP)]

I have a folder in my Start Menu containing backlight settings. These are shortcuts to .reg files.

Choices are: turn off backlight after 5 sec, 10sec, 15 sec, 30 sec, 1 min of being idle. I also have an Always On tweak/shortcut.

I use these tweaks together with Hot Button Plus...double click home button, shortcut to tweaks pops, click desired settings, wait for the regstry script to be imported then viola! Instant backlight tweak.

I'm on Orange 1.6 and the tweaks/shortcuts works well.

Posted from my 3210! :)

[Guest dh]

It be great if an app could detect the connection of external power and amend the registry to force the screen to stay on, then change when external power os removed, just a thought, must be possible.

[Guest Face]

I would like to put "Screensaver On/Off" on mij Home Screen as a plugin simular as to the alarm plugin below

Alarm:

Alarm:

Can this be done?

[Guest Face]

What I really need I think is that CLSID number.

Does anybody know how this can be achieved?