ThermaCore

Open-source thermal control for Acer Predator systems on Linux

ThermaCore is a Linux-native utility for monitoring and controlling fans on Acer Predator Orion desktops via the Embedded Controller.

Supported Hardware

• Acer Predator Orion 3000 (PO3-640)

Note on Hardware Support

Support for more models can be added in the future, but it is heavily dependent on community involvement. I cannot add support for hardware I do not physically own.

If you would like your specific PC to be supported, please open an issue with a request. To assist in development, you will need to provide Embedded Controller (EC) memory dumps using the included debugger tool. This helps reverse-engineer how PredatorSense interacts with your specific hardware registers.

Building

This project uses a containerized build process to avoid installing development dependencies on your host system.

1. Build the compiler image

Create the Arch-based builder image:

podman build -t thermacore-builder .

2. Compile the TUI

Run the compiler inside the container to build the main interface:

podman run --rm -v ".:/workdir:Z" thermacore-builder g++ src/tui/orion_tui.cpp -o thermacore -O2 -lncurses -std=c++17

3. Compile the Debugger (for EC Dumps)

Run the compiler without the ncurses requirement to build the testing utility:

podman run --rm -v ".:/workdir:Z" thermacore-builder g++ src/debugger/fanctl_embedded.cpp -o thermacore-debugger -O2

Usage

Both utilities require raw I/O port access to communicate with the hardware and must be run with root privileges.

Running the TUI

sudo ./thermacore

Dumping EC Memory for Hardware Support

To help add support for a new model, run the debugger and use the dump command:

1. Start the debugger: sudo ./thermacore-debugger
2. At the > prompt, type: dump
3. Copy the output (the 00-FF hex table) into your GitHub issue.

Cleanup

Remove the builder image:

podman rmi thermacore-builder

Remove the binaries:

rm thermacore thermacore-debugger

Roadmap

These features are planned for future updates with no specific due dates:

• Background Daemon: For persistent fan control without keeping a terminal open.
• Systemd Integration: Auto-start fan profiles on boot.
• Custom Fan Curves: Set RPM targets based on temperature thresholds.
• Graphical User Interface (GUI): A dedicated desktop application.
• RGB Control: Reverse-engineering the EC registers for internal LED management.