USB Touchpad ?

stephandale · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 28 Jan 2006 Posts: 86

I'm currently dealing with what I suspect is the onset of RSI, so I'm going to get an ergonomic keyboard and external touchpad.

I don't suppose anyone has installed an external (USB or otherwise) touchpad, something like the Cirque / Adesso EastCat (http://www.adesso.com/products.asp?categoryid=5)?

I suppose even better would be a combined ergonomic keyboard with integrated touchpad (like this one: http://www.adesso.com/products_detail.asp?productid=295 although the product quality isn't meant to be so good).

So far, I think I'm going to get the latest M$ ergonomic keyboard, which I can probably get working under gentoo, but the touchpad is the important thing - I've not been able to find much information about external touchpad support (everything's about laptop touchpads).

Steph
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stephandale · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 28 Jan 2006 Posts: 86

bump

So no one's installed a USB touchpad successfully?
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dsd · Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 10:21 pm Post subject:

it should be a normal HID device which means it will work fine on linux
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obrut<- · Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 8:13 pm Post subject:

if the touchpad is based on a synaptic or alps device you can use the synaptics driver for xorg and ksynaptics as a configuration programm for kde (embeds itself into kde's control center).

stephandale · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 28 Jan 2006 Posts: 86

Thanks.

I suspect that it may be based on the alps glidepoint technology, because I believe alps licensed it from cirque. I can't find an external synaptics touchpad, which would be ideal given that I've got my laptop one working perfectly, so I guess I'll just have to get a cirque easycat and see what happens. I'll update this post with the results in a few weeks when I've bought it.

Until then, if anyone knows whether it's possible to buy an external synaptics touchpad, please let me know.
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slinkp · n00b Joined: 22 May 2003 Posts: 25

so... how did it work out?

stephandale · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 28 Jan 2006 Posts: 86

I haven't got one yet. I will. <s>Some time.</s> I did! Hopefully it'll arrive within a week.
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slinkp · n00b Joined: 22 May 2003 Posts: 25

Thanks, let us know!

stephandale · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 28 Jan 2006 Posts: 86

Just received it. Plugged in, started computer and it works perfectly straight away! - both buttons, left/right tap click and scroll.
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SwissBushIndian · n00b Joined: 13 May 2007 Posts: 27

I would've bought a Logitech Wave instead of the MS-Model though

slinkp · n00b Joined: 22 May 2003 Posts: 25

Cool, thanks! Did you use the synaptics driver? Did you have to do anything special to get scroll, etc. working?

stephandale · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 28 Jan 2006 Posts: 86

Edit: Ignore this - I'm not using the synaptics driver. See later posts.

Yes, I used the synaptics driver. No special config necessary. http://gentoo-wiki.com/HARDWARE_Synaptics_Touchpad

Specific details here: http://mindspill.net/computing/linux-notes/gentoo/installing-gentoo-linux-on-an-acer-travelmate-8104wlmi.html#9

The only thing that doesn't work is the two finger click to emulate a 3rd button, though clicking the two buttons on the touchpad works.
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albright · Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 8:41 pm Post subject:

Without any special configuration, my touchpad maps a single
tap in the upper right corner of the pad onto the 3rd button
click ...
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stephandale · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 28 Jan 2006 Posts: 86

Mine does a right-click. Odd. Perhaps I do have some special config in there..
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stephandale · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 28 Jan 2006 Posts: 86

Actually, now that I think about it, I'm not using the synaptics driver at all (the new pad is obviously on a different device than the in-built one) I'm using the following config, which I guess is largely an X default:

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse1"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "Auto"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice" # From old backup conf
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5" # From old backup conf
EndSection
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