Notebook switches to standby sleep mode randomly - TUXEDO Computers

Why does my TUXEDO randomly switch to standby mode while typing?

Don't worry! This does not necessarily indicate a hardware defect, but can have a surprisingly simple and banal reason: A magnetic wristband, e.g. from a smartwatch or similar.

At the front of most (also non-TUXEDO) notebooks is the so-called Hall effect sensor, which is triggered magnetically and is meant to detect when the notebook lid is closed or opened in order to then execute an pre-defined action, such as switching to standby mode.

If you now wear a magnetic wristband, e.g. a fitness wristband or a smartwatch or similar, while working on your notebook, this can accidentally activate the sensor on the front of the notebook and thus the pre-defined action resulting in your notebook switching off of the display and going into standby mode.

Other magnetic objects that are located very closely to the notebook's front edge, such as the Mag-Safe chargers of current Apple iPhone generations, can also trigger the sensor.

How to solve that issue:

If possible, please keep magnetic objects at least 5 cm away from the front of the notebook. This of course also excludes wearing any magnetic wristbands while working on your laptop.

If you do not want to do without it, we recommend either working on an external keyboard or removing the standby mode function from the Hall sensor. Alternatively, you can move the standby function to the power button, so that a short press on it puts your TUXEDO "to sleep".

How do I stop my notebook from going into standby mode when closing the lid?

The procedure differs depending on your Linux distribution or - better said - your desktop environment. For Gnome-based desktop systems (e.g. on Ubuntu 22.04), you need to download the free extension software called "Gnome Tweaks", which you can find in the AppStore. There you can set that no action should be executed when closing the notebook lid.

With the KDE Plasma Desktop, which is also used with TUXEDO OS 1, you can choose from a drop down menu in the settings menu "Power Management" which action shall be executed when the lid is closed. In the same window you can set the Standby mode to be activated when the start button is pressed.

Alternatively, you can change the setting via the terminal console. Open your preferred termanl and type in:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/logind.confand confirm with the Enter key. A configuration text file will open. In it find (CTRL + F) the line HandleLidSwitch=suspend, replace suspend with the word ignore and save the file via CTRL + S (or File » Save). Then go back to your terminal app and enter the commandsudo systemctl restart systemd-login and again confirm with the Enter key.