200 lines
9.1 KiB
Markdown
200 lines
9.1 KiB
Markdown
# GAMEMAX LCD — Linux bridge & tray app
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Drive the LCD panel of a GAMEMAX **IceBurg Digital** AIO cooler from Linux: a small
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sender plus a tray application (GUI) with live monitoring, settings and autostart.
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Reverse engineered independently from the Windows vendor software
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(`PcInfoMonitorPro.exe` / "IceBurg Digital Software"); the protocol notes are in
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[`docs/reverse-engineering.md`](docs/reverse-engineering.md) (Indonesian).
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[](https://github.com/oxpoe/Gamemax-linux-apps/releases)
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[](LICENSE)
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Author: **oxpoe** · License: **MIT** · Independent project, **not affiliated with the
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vendor** — please read [DISCLAIMER.md](DISCLAIMER.md) before using it.
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> **Compatibility**
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> - **OS:** Linux only (Windows is handled by the vendor software). No kernel module,
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> no patched driver — it talks to the standard `hidraw` interface.
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> - **Tested on:** CachyOS (Arch) · kernel 7.2.9 · KDE Plasma Wayland · Python 3.14,
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> with the panel of a **GAMEMAX IceBurg 240 Digital BK** (HID `5131:2007`,
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> vendor-defined usage page `0xFF00`, 64-byte reports).
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> - Other IceBurg Digital models/sizes very likely share the same protocol; if a panel
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> revision differs, `gamemax_report.py --dry-run` lets you inspect the report without
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> writing to the device.
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> - The panel keeps animating on its own; the firmware offers **no command to power the
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> display off** and **no way to change the logo** — blank mode simply sends zeros.
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### On real hardware
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*The cooler's LCD while driven by this project on Linux, during protocol testing
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(GAMEMAX IceBurg 240 Digital BK).*
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### Screen modes
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| Normal — sensor values | Blank — zeros (indicator is clear) |
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|---|---|
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|  |  |
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## Tested hardware
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The target is the **LCD block of an AIO cooler**. Two things confuse people, so they are
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stated up front:
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1. `lsusb` shows this device as *"MSR MSR-101U Mini HID magnetic card reader"*. That is a
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**VID/PID collision in the `usb.ids` database** (the `0x5131` range is shared by cheap
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OEM modules), not what the device is. The HID report descriptor is vendor-defined
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(`0xFF00`, 64-byte input + 64-byte output, no report IDs) — a card reader or keyboard
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looks completely different. Check it yourself:
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```bash
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cat /sys/class/hidraw/hidraw*/device/report_descriptor | xxd | head
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```
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2. The panel is not a general monitor. It belongs to one specific cooler family, and its
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firmware decides what it renders (two digits, fixed `°C` label, its own animations).
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| Component | What it is / what it provides |
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|---|---|
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| Cooler + LCD panel | **GAMEMAX IceBurg 240 Digital BK** — 240 mm AIO, round 66×45 mm LCD block |
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| Panel USB identity | `VID 0x5131` / `PID 0x2007` · USB 1.10 full-speed · 2 × 64-byte interrupt endpoints · `bInterval` 160 ms · no report IDs |
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| Vendor software analysed | `PcInfoMonitorPro.exe` **V_1.0.0.04** ("IceBurg 240 Digital Software", [product page](https://gamemaxpc.com/cpu-liquid-cooler/1550.html)) |
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| CPU (temperature source) | AMD Ryzen 5 5600 → `k10temp` (`Tctl`, `Tccd1`; the script sends the highest) |
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| Motherboard (fan source) | ASUS PRIME B550M-A WIFI II → Nuvoton **`nct6798`** (`fan1..fan7`; only the connected headers read non-zero) |
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| GPU | AMD Radeon RX 6600 (Navi 23) → `amdgpu` hwmon (temp, fan, power, busy %) |
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| Memory / storage | 32 GB RAM · NVMe root filesystem |
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| OS / session | CachyOS (Arch) · kernel 7.2.9 · KDE Plasma on Wayland |
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| Tooling | Python 3.14.7 · PySide6 6.12.0 · hidraw (no kernel module, no driver patch) |
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Because fan headers differ per board, the fan channel is a **setting**, not a constant:
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the GUI lists every `fan*_input` channel with its current RPM and (if the chosen one reads
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0 RPM while another spins) tells you which channel to pick. Same idea for the CPU
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temperature source (Tctl vs Tccd).
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## Features
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- Sends CPU temp/load/clock/fan/power, GPU temp/load/clock/fan/power, RAM and disk
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usage to the panel as a 65-byte HID report (the layout the firmware understands)
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- Reads sensors from standard Linux interfaces: `hwmon`, `/proc/stat`, `cpufreq`,
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`/proc/meminfo`, `statvfs` — no extra dependencies (pure Python, stdlib only)
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- **Tray app** (`--tray-only`) plus a window with an animated gauge, bars and details
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- **Settings**: fan channel (pick the header your fans are on), CPU temperature source,
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send/sample interval — saved to `~/.config/gamemax-report/config.json`
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- **Clear mode indicators**: green "showing sensor data" / orange "blank (zeros)" /
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grey "sending stopped", dimmed tray icon and a desktop notification per change
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- **Autostart** via a systemd user unit (equivalent of the vendor's Task Scheduler trick)
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- **Plug and play**: the service waits for the device, streams while present and keeps
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waiting through unplug/replug; a udev rule grants access to the logged-in user
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- **Single instance**: launching the app again just raises the running window
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- **AppImage build** script (`packaging/build_appimage.sh`, PySide6 bundled)
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The GUI labels are in Indonesian.
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## Requirements
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- A GAMEMAX IceBurg Digital panel connected over USB (VID `0x5131`, PID `0x2007`)
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- `hidraw` access for your user (see the udev rule in *Install*)
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- Linux with a working `hidraw` stack (tested on CachyOS / Arch, KDE Wayland)
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- Python 3.10+ for the sender (stdlib only)
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- For the tray app: PySide6 (`uv run --with pyside6 python src/gamemax_gui.py`)
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or use the prebuilt AppImage
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## Install
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```bash
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# 1. device access for the logged-in user (once, needs root)
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sudo cp packaging/70-gamemax.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/
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sudo udevadm control --reload && sudo udevadm trigger --subsystem-match=hidraw
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# 2. try it without installing anything
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cd src
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python3 gamemax_report.py --dry-run # build and print a report, no device writes
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python3 gamemax_report.py --listen 5 # read panel -> host reports (none on this panel)
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# 3. send for real
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python3 gamemax_report.py --count 3 # a few reports
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python3 gamemax_report.py # keep streaming (Ctrl-C to stop)
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```
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## Run as a background service (autostart + plug and play)
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```bash
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mkdir -p ~/.local/share/gamemax-report ~/.config/systemd/user
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cp src/gamemax_report.py ~/.local/share/gamemax-report/
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cp packaging/gamemax-report.service ~/.config/systemd/user/
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systemctl --user daemon-reload
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systemctl --user enable --now gamemax-report.service
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journalctl --user -u gamemax-report -f # shows "waiting for 0x5131:0x2007" / "opened ..."
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```
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The tray app can do all of this for you (buttons *Pasang / perbarui layanan*,
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*Mulai otomatis saat login*).
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## Tray app / AppImage
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**Download (recommended):** grab `GAMEMAX-LCD-x86_64.AppImage` from
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[Releases](../../releases) — it bundles PySide6, the sender script and the icon, and is
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built automatically from source by `.github/workflows/release.yml`.
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```bash
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chmod +x GAMEMAX-LCD-x86_64.AppImage
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./GAMEMAX-LCD-x86_64.AppImage --selftest # verify it starts (no display needed)
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./GAMEMAX-LCD-x86_64.AppImage # window + tray
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# or run from source
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uv run --with pyside6 python src/gamemax_gui.py # window + tray
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uv run --with pyside6 python src/gamemax_gui.py --tray-only
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bash packaging/build_appimage.sh # -> dist/GAMEMAX-LCD-x86_64.AppImage
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```
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## Protocol (verified on hardware)
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VID `0x5131` / PID `0x2007`, vendor-defined HID page `0xFF00`, 64-byte IN + 64-byte OUT,
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no report IDs. The host sends 64 data bytes:
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| Offset | Field | Notes |
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|---|---|---|
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| 0 | report ID | always 0 |
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| 1 | 64 | payload length |
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| 2 | CPU temp | 0..99 °C, two digits only; values ≥ 128 are ignored by firmware |
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| 3 | CPU load % | |
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| 4..5 | RPM slot | big-endian u16 — the panel shows *this* field next to the fan icon |
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| 6..7 | CPU clock MHz | big-endian u16 |
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| 8..9 | CPU power W | big-endian u16 |
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| 10 | GPU temp | 0..99 °C |
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| 11 | GPU load % | |
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| 12..13 | GPU clock MHz | big-endian u16 |
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| 14..15 | GPU fan RPM | big-endian u16 |
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| 16..17 | GPU power W | big-endian u16 |
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| 18 | RAM usage % | |
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| 19..20 | total RAM MiB | big-endian u16 |
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| 21 | disk free % | |
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| 22..23 | total disk GB | big-endian u16 |
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| 24..64 | unused | zero |
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Firmware behaviours worth knowing: the panel latches values it accepts, blinks the
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value area when the data stops changing, cannot display three digits, has a fixed `°C`
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label, and offers no command to power the display off.
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## Repository layout
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```
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src/ gamemax_report.py (sender) gamemax_gui.py (tray app) icon.png
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packaging/ build_appimage.sh 70-gamemax.rules gamemax-report.service
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tools/ ildump.py, string_refs.py — helpers used to read the vendor MSIL
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docs/ reverse-engineering.md — full analysis (Indonesian)
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assets/ previews and icon
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```
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## Credits
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Reverse engineered and written by **oxpoe**, with the help of
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[REA](https://github.com/morluto/rea) (managed-code analysis) and Ghidra.
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Not affiliated with GAMEMAX/GameMax — see [DISCLAIMER.md](DISCLAIMER.md).
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