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ALPS touchpad configuration [solved]


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'ning all,

 

This troublesome device is attached to a Toshiba Satellite A30-104 (sadly, a model not covered by the Linux-laptop sites) and, while it does work, it's temperamental.

 

Item 1: Just updated Mdk 10.1 to the new kernel 2.6.11-6mdk from thac's RPMs. Since then, the pad seems less responsive both to dragging and tapping. It feels like the sensitivity went down by about 40%, which is baaaaaad. (On a sidenote, I use a USB wireless mouse which doesn't seem affected. It's always worked well, and even in tandem with the touchpad which I hear often doesn't happen.)

 

Item 2: In Windows the pad has a vertical scroll-wheel functionality when dragging at the right-hand side of the pad. This is really useful, and I'd love to be able to use it in Linux too if it's supported.

 

So basically I'd like to learn how to configure this device. I guess I am off to a good-ish start if it works at all, but I don't know the first thing about what to do next. I've only found a couple of topics here about touchpads and XOrg configuration seems to be involved, but what does it all mean?

 

Any noobie guides and detailed info about this configuration task gratefully accepted.

Edited by Havin_it
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Hi, thanks for the reply.

 

I installed the ksynaptics package and opened it up, but don't like what I see. All the controls are greyed out, and in the 'detected information' panel I have the following:

 

XFree86 version: any

Synaptics driver version: none

 

bad - no driver installation detected!

bad - X Shared memory unaccessible!

 

That can't be good.

 

When I go to drakconf > Hardware > Mouse, the mouse is defined as Universal > Any PS/2 & USB Mice. If I change it to Synaptics Touchpad, both the mouse and the touchpad lose control, any use of either kicks the cursor to the corner of the screen and just jerks around crazily. (This happens with or without the USB mouse connected) So that's not so good.

 

I also looked in Hardware > Hardware and what's defined under 'Mouse' is, oddly enough, this: (copied from right pane)

 

Connection
Bus: ‎isa

Vendor ID: ‎0002

Device ID: ‎0008

Features
Emulated wheel: ‎No

Misc
Vendor: ‎

Description: ‎AlpsPS/2 ALPS TouchPad

Module: ‎mouse0

 

That's it - just one entry, for a touchpad.

 

Just for fullness, these are the mouse entries from /etc/X11/xorg.conf (which is a symlink to XF86Config):

 

Section "InputDevice"
   Identifier "Mouse1"
   Driver "mouse"
   Option "Protocol" "ExplorerPS/2"
   Option "Device" "/dev/mouse"
   Option "ZAxisMapping" "6 7"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
   Identifier "SynapticsMouse1"
   Driver "synaptics"
   Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
   Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
   Option "MaxSpeed" "0.12"
   Option "MinSpeed" "0.06"
   Option "BottomEdge" "4200"
   Option "SHMConfig" "on"
   Option "LeftEdge" "1700"
   Option "FingerLow" "25"
   Option "MaxTapTime" "180"
   Option "MaxTapMove" "220"
   Option "FingerHigh" "30"
   Option "VertScrollDelta" "100"
   Option "TopEdge" "1700"
   Option "RightEdge" "5300"
   Option "AccelFactor" "0.0010"
EndSection

 

I note that there's a lot more config information for the touchpad entry, though I'm not sure what that means.

 

Can anyone figure out what's going on?

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And here's some information about device files, if it helps:

 

/dev/mouse is a symlink to /dev/input/mice

 

There's also /dev/mouse1, which is another symlink to /dev/input/mice

 

/dev/input also contains (as well as 'mice') the files mouse0 and mouse1.

 

Please help me make sense of this, I've no idea which bits are wrong or odd because it's all 'odd' to me!

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Okay guys, I DL'd the driver package at

 

http://web.telia.com/~u89404340/touchpad/

 

and I'll install it and see what happens. Backing up my xorg.conf and removing the USB mouse in case things go haywire.

 

EDIT: No, hang on. This is just the same driver I've already got installed, isn't it? The driver (iif I understand) is already there at /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/input/synaptics_drv.o

 

So I'll just go ahead and add the boot line above and see what happens.

Edited by Havin_it
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Thanks to ac_dispatcher, Item #1 is nailed. Adding the boot option above has restored sensitivity to the pad so I don't have to jab it at finger-breaking force before achieving a click. Progress!

 

Still no joy with the scroller, though. Is there anyone with a working scroll-function on their pad that can post their xorg.conf for comparison?

 

All other symptoms/files/readouts described above are unchanged, BTW. Anything else I should be looking at?

 

EDIT: The last line was not true. The second config (the ALPS one) is now gone from the xorg.conf, so I'm gonna try replacing it from the backup, plus to change the device reference to /dev/psaux. Pray for me...

Edited by Havin_it
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Okay, here's the new conf I hacked together from my old one and the one ac_dispatcher posted in the linked thread.

 

Section "InputDevice"
   Identifier "Mouse1"
   Driver "mouse"
   Option "Protocol" "ExplorerPS/2"
   Option "Device" "/dev/mouse"
   Option "ZAxisMapping" "6 7"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
   Identifier "SynapticsMouse1"
   Driver "synaptics"
   Option "Protocol" "ImPS/2"
   Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
   Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
   Option "MaxSpeed" "0.12"
   Option "MinSpeed" "0.06"
   Option "BottomEdge" "4200"
   Option "SHMConfig" "on"
   Option "LeftEdge" "1700"
   Option "FingerLow" "25"
   Option "MaxTapTime" "180"
   Option "MaxTapMove" "220"
   Option "FingerHigh" "30"
   Option "VertScrollDelta" "100"
   Option "UpDownScrolling" "on"
   Option "TopEdge" "1700"
   Option "RightEdge" "5300"
   Option "AccelFactor" "0.0010"
EndSection

...

Section "ServerLayout"
   Identifier "layout1"
   InputDevice "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard"
   InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer"
   InputDevice "SynapticsMouse1" "AlwaysCore"
   Screen "screen1"
   Screen "screen2" RightOf "screen1"
   #Option "Xinerama"
EndSection

 

Both mice are still working at this stage, but ksynaptics is still dead. The Hardware panel is still showing one mouse only, but now it's a PS/2 Generic Mouse.

 

It doesn't seem to matter what I do to the xorg.conf, but the synaptics configs there are still over my head so I can't be sure of anything. Can anyone help? Ideas about where the problem might lie would be great.

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Try "nano" instead. simple and easy to use.

 

Also since I moved to xorg I had to change it to

 

Driver "mouse"

 

for both the usb mouse and the touchpad.

 

Also with my Laptop it says no synaptics found - both scrool and taps work. Ill post my XF86Config-4 when I get home for ya.

 

 

Plug-

 

If you have a broadband connection try and download the Mepis3.3 cd - Its a "live-cd". It found and correctly setup my touchpad. You could boot to the cd check to see if it works then check the settings.

Edited by ac_dispatcher
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Here is the sections out of my XF86Config-4

 

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Touchpad"
Driver "synaptics"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
Option "LeftEdge" "1700"
Option "RightEdge" "5300"
Option "TopEdge" "1700"
Option "BottomEdge" "4200"
Option "FingerLow" "25"
Option "FingerHigh" "30"
Option "MaxTapTime" "180"
Option "MaxTapMove" "220"
Option "VertScrollDelta" "100"
Option "MinSpeed" "0.06"
Option "MaxSpeed" "0.12"
Option "AccelFactor" "0.0010"
Option "SHMConfig" "on"
Option "Repeater" "/dev/input/mice"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
 Identifier "USB Mouse"
 Driver "mouse"
 Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
 Option "Protocol" "ExplorerPS/2"
 Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
 Option "Buttons" "5"
EndSection

 

and

Section "ServerLayout"
 Identifier "XFree86 Configured"
 Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0
 InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
 InputDevice "USB Mouse" "CorePointer"
EndSection

 

 

 

What I have also seen in this setup is an addition to the Serverlayout:

 

InputDevice "Touchpad" "SendcoreEvents"

Edited by ac_dispatcher
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Thanks ac, looks like good info - will try out the configs shortly (might have a look at this nano first ;) ) and report.

 

Can I ask a couple of clarifications/expansions on the above?

 

1 - You mention both devices use "driver" "mouse" under XOrg but the config shows otherwise. Are you currently back with XFree86?

 

2 - My config file doesn't have the '-4' suffix - is this relevant, if so how?

 

3 - Do you know what the config entries for the pad mean? I guess the '-Edge' ones are defining its area, but what about FingerLow/High, ZAxisMapping, SHMConfig, VertScrollDelta? Can't find man pages for the driver so I'm a bit lost on it all.

 

Thanks again for the input, I _really_ appreciate it.

 

PS - Do you work on MEPIS? :deal: I have heard of it as "a Knoppix that doesn't suck for HD install" - accurate? I've briefly tried Knoppix 3.7 on this box (not installed) but I don't recall having better results with the pad. Might have another go, to refresh my memory.

Edited by Havin_it
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