Idea/Discussion: Extending Acer Keyboard RGB capabilities (more zones, effects & patterns) inside DAMX?

[scherenhaenden]

Hi everyone,

First of all, I want to say a huge thank you to the maintainers and contributors of DAMX! It has easily become my favorite utility for managing my Acer laptop under Linux. The unified user experience, combining power profiles, battery limits, fan curves, and keyboard backlighting all in one clean application, makes Linux gaming on Acer hardware feel so much more complete.

Currently, DAMX already has support for keyboard RGB control. However, the existing functionality is somewhat basic compared to what the hardware can support on some models.

I'm starting this thread to discuss the idea of extending DAMX's RGB capabilities. Specifically, I think it would be amazing to expand the interface to support:

1. More Lighting Zones: Extending the interface beyond basic zones to support more detailed layouts (e.g. 4-zone control or even per-key setups if supported by the model).
2. Additional Effects & Patterns: Incorporating other dynamic effects (like Shifting, Zoom, Neon, or customizable breathing speeds) that are already exposed by other Acer-specific driver projects like:
   • acer-helios-300-rgb-keyboard-linux-module
   • acer-predator-turbo-and-rgb-keyboard-linux-module

To be absolutely clear, I am not proposing a fork or a technical migration. I am suggesting a discussion about whether we can leverage these existing driver patterns and extend DAMX's capabilities so that it remains the central, all-in-one control center for all Acer laptop features under Linux.

I would love to open the floor to hear your thoughts on this:

For the Maintainers:

1. Do you think extending the RGB capabilities to include more zones and more complex effects is desirable and fits the long-term vision of DAMX?
2. Are there technical limitations or driver compatibilities (e.g., within the underlying Linuwu driver) that would make expanding the zones or patterns particularly complex to maintain?

For the Users / Community:

1. Would you find value in having more granular zone control and animation patterns inside DAMX?
2. If you are using different Acer Nitro/Predator models, what specific lighting patterns or zone configurations are you currently missing in DAMX?

Thank you so much for reading, and for all the work you put into this project!