svlug_linux_usb_pointing_devices

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To: svlug@svlug.org
Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2000 14:41:43 -0800
From: J C Lawrence <claw@kanga.nu>
Subject: [svlug] Kensington TurboRing USB trackball, GPM, and a 2.2.18 kernel.


Simply, it works as a USB device just fine using a 2.2.18 kernel.  I
haven't tried other kernel versions yet.

Comments on the device:

  For pictures etc see:

    http://www.kensington.com/products/pro_mic_d1300.html

  Its a fairly typical asymetic 3 button trackball with a large ball
  and a scroll-wheel-like "turboring" surrounding the trackball.
  ObNote: I'm not fond of scrollwheels in the first place, but the
  grainy cheap plastic feel of the turboring is particularly
  unpleasant.

  The trackball has the typical unpleasantly slippery feel of
  optical trackballs.  The ball is quite light and the rolling
  friction is high enough that it can't be "spun" to a location
  (spin the ball rapidly in a direction and then "catch" it when the
  pointer gets to the right place).  There's also a problem with the
  trackball periodically not reporting horizontal motion (causing
  the pointer to seem to "stick").  I suspect thsi is a defect in
  this particular trackball hwoever, and not typical of the
  product.line.

After that configuring the device under a 2.2.18 kernel and XFree86
v4.0.1 (Debian) as per the guide at:

  http://www.linux-usb.org/USB-guide/book1.html

worked fine, tho I made a slight modification in that I first set up
GPM (IMPS2 device pointed at /dev/input/mice), and then setup
libsvga and XFree86 pointed at the GPM repeater.  

Setting up various X apps as per 

  http://www-sop.inria.fr/koala/colas/mouse-wheel-scroll/

Also worked well (tho I haven't tried XEmacs yet).

Controlling the direction of the turboring (which was was "up") is
just a matter of reversing the button assignments in XF86Config-4
among the following two lines.

  Option      "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
  Option      "ZAxisMapping" "5 4"

Summary: Its being returned this afternoon and I'm happily returning
to my 6 button Mouse-Trak Evolution:

  http://www.mousetrak.com/evolutio.htm

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