I’ve had a Logitech G15 gaming keyboard for over a year and a half already, and it’s pretty much been the best keyboard I’ve ever used. While it can’t compare to my old Fujitsu 4725, a “clicky” keyboard, in terms of tactile response, it’s built-in LCD and extra gaming macro keys put it on top in terms of usefulness. The LCD even has its own set of buttons for controlling programs or applets that are running on it.
Logitech bundled several applets with the G15 for displaying things like volume, resource usage and a clock. However, these things were on different screens, so if you wanted to see the clock you’d just have to wait for it to appear in the cycle, or else navigate to it using the buttons. This was annoying, and I ended up not really utilizing the screen to its full potential. That is, until I discovered SirReal’s multipurpose G15 plugin. This is the only G15 applet you’ll ever need. Please check out the screen shots and read more, and I guarantee you’ll love it.
Searching for the killer applet
I’d previously played around with G15 applets found at sites like G15 mods and G15 Forums, and while some of them were nifty, I couldn’t really find any that suited my needs. Some of them additionally required LCDStudio, another program, to run – which added more resource usage, something I was trying to avoid. I never really used the LCD for games, such as viewing status/ammo/info, which I guess is the intended usage, judging from Logitech’s marketing, so this ability did not matter to me.
So, what I really wanted was a multipurpose applet/utility based on Logitech’s SDK, so that it would run just using Logitech’s LCD Manager. This would eliminate the need to have separate LCD applets for each bit of info I wanted to see, and would simplify the display – no more having to cycle through multiple pages.
SirReal’s G15 plugin cometh
SirReal’s Multipurpose G15 plugin fit the bill. (Another link) This applet crams an astounding amount of information, almost everything you could want, into the G15’s 160 x 43-resolution LCD. The plugin is fully-configurable so you can define what and where you want to display certain modules of information. Here’s a shot of what mine’s currently displaying:
Along the top, we have the full date, number of unreal e-mails (displayed as envelopes) and the 24-hr time. The time and date format can be customized. In the next row, resource usage (CPU/MEM) is displayed. The CPU bar actually consists of three separate 1-pixel bars for my system: One for each core, and one for overall usage. To the right of that, the network usage (current KiB in/out) is displayed, using bars and the numerical value.
On the bottom row are four “slots”. These can be configured to display a variety of information from the supported modules of the plugin. I won’t repeat all of the features here, but it’s safe to say that most people will be satisfied. I have the a world-time clock in the first, the SpeedFan module (for system temperatures) in the second, speaker/volume information in the third and net-graph utilization in the fourth. Each module itself may have multiple screens of information, and you can cycle between them by pressing the LCD button below it. Furthermore, you can have multiple modules in each slot; just cycle between them by holding CTRL and pressing the corresponding LCD button.
A Power User’s dream
As if all of these features weren’t enough (everything from support of Winamp/iTunes, to SpeedFan and TeamSpeak 2, and even detecting unresponsive programs), the setup is completely customizable by editing a simple configuration file. Instructions are in the file itself, so it’s a no-brainer. Furthermore, the applet is small – less than 80 KiB as of version 2.5, and is taking up less than 3 MiB of RAM after several days of continuous usage. CPU usage is similarly small.
There’s simply no reason not to get this applet for your G15 keyboard – it’ll easily replace every other applet you’re running and more. SirReal’s G15 plugin seems to have been made by a true power user, who knows what other power users want from the G15 LCD – an easy to read screen that displays all the useful information you need, from the date/time, volume, CPU/Mem usage and more. It’s truly the uberOptions of the G15 LCD.
Will this work on the G15 version 2?
Thanks,
-J
Hi Jason,
It should (and IIRC it does), since the G15 v2 has an identical screen and control interface, except for superficial differences. (Different colour and LCD size)
Give it a try and start enjoying your G15 to its fullest!
EDIT: What i meant by different size was different physical size. The screen has the exact same resolution as the original, which is why all previous plugins (include SirReal’s) should work fine on the new G15v2.
how do i make the screen show the speedfan temps etc.
James,
If you look in the directory where you put the SirReal G15 plugin, there’s a config file named “lcdsirreal.txt”.
Open up that file, and you can then customize the settings to show specific SpeedFan temps, and what slot SpeedFan is in, etc.
The developer of the plugin has commented the file very well, so it serves as its own documentation and should be self-explanatory.
I have been using this for well over 6 months. A truly well made applet (the only one I ever use), for my G15.
Thanks Sir!!
any ideas as to why i cant get the speedfan slot display working? i am running xp pro and i hace configured the .txt doc to run fan but even if i put it on its own line it comes up blank for that slot, i.e nothing showing at all. any chance of someone screenshoting their file in the txt doc so i can see how its setup?
much appreciated,
jase
Jase,
Here’s the configuration I’m using in the `lcdsirreal.txt` file: (The relevant sections)
—————————————-
fan_cycle 0
fan_cycle_interval 30
fan_mode_0 CPU TEMP 1
fan_mode_1 Case TEMP 0
fan_mode_2 CPUFan FAN 1
fan_mode_3 CHAFan FAN 2
fan_mode_4 VCore1 VOLT 0
fan_mode_5 VCore2 VOLT 1
.
.
.
slot_0 FPS CLK
slot_1 FAN AMP TUN STW
slot_2 RIP SPK
slot_3 TS2 NET
—————————————-
Hope this helps,
Peter
I just installed SirReal v2.6.7 today and it does not work for the G15v2.. The bottoms are missing 1/3 of each slot display.
This mod is so good, I just wanted to thank you for giving us the most usefull mod. Thanks!
Hi PDO,
I just want to be clear: This G15 plugin/mod is not mine, it is the sole work of SirReal
However, I’m glad that you like it!
To view the SpeedFan data, you need to have SpeedFan installed and running. It’s shareware. Once you get it running, you can monitor the temps, fan speeds, etc. in a SpeedFan window. By trying various numbers from 0 to 9, and seeing the resulting temps in the LCD, you can compare the temps to determine which device corresponds with which number. Then you can name the devices. My dell Inspiron has 9 different things being monitored from a choice of: temps for CPU, GPU, DIMM, Fan1, Fan2, Fan3, HD0, HD1, and RPM for Fans 1,2,3. I love it!
FYI, to see the time in 12-hour format use the following:
time_format hh’:’mm’:’ss tt
Enjoy!
Thanks for the heads up on this plugin, I’ve just installed it on my G15 and it really is the puppy’s parts. Who’d have thought you could squeeze so much useful info into such a small screen?
Great to see SirReal’s excellent app getting some exposure. For those of you who are confused, the G15v1 and v2 have exactly the same display resolution and applet support – the physical difference in display size is inconsequential. ๐
how do i change the clock to 12 hour mode..thx
todd, edit the time_format line in the file ‘lcdsirreal.txt’ to look like the following:
time_format hhโ:’mmโ:’ss tt
Hope this helps!
Hi,
I checked it out,
the G15 v2.0 works fine and the app is wicked sick man.
nice job
keep up the good work.
Greetings from Belgium/France