Linux Space Navigator Development Thread - Page 2

kraft · 07-26-2007, 03:22 AM

Thank you for the effort

You can draw your own keyboard and target each button with xautomation so you can get rid of the keyboard if any and the touchscreen as well.
I did it with the Mercedes in my signature with a simple powermate which has less functions.

shotgunefx · 07-26-2007, 09:43 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by kraft

Thank you for the effort

You can draw your own keyboard and target each button with xautomation so you can get rid of the keyboard if any and the touchscreen as well.
I did it with the Mercedes in my signature with a simple powermate which has less functions.

xautomation was a great tip. I asked the author about a function for getting the current input window in xdotool, it should be pretty simple. If not, I'll just do a little doc searching and submit a patch.

The code I used outside of the tweaks to fake the SDL mouse events was the same as that posted here. Currently, I'm ignoring the fwd/back left/right axes.

Tilt Fwd/Back for scanning through the Playlist.
Tilt Left/Right is prev/next.
Rotate Left/Right is volume.
Push Down plays/queues
Right button toggles random mode.

I'm thinking a few things, for some devices, why let X handle it at all, especially on something that's supposed to be so context aware. The other thing I've been thinking is making this more generic since pretty much all input devices work this way. I could see taking over the touchscreen as well. At least for my front end. I haven't found where it's written, but testing seems to show that a number of readers can read the kernel input events, and all readers get all events (instead of FIFO).

For you python people, I found something similar to what I'm doing but it's already done and in Ubuntu's repository. Gizmo Daemon, The Linux Input Device Utility. Haven't installed it, but from the docs, it looks pretty slick.

One thing I can't figure out is how to get X to NOT detect a serial mouse. I want to take over the trackball shifter I have, but no matter what I do, X keeps finding it. I suppose it would be easier to use a PS/2 -> USB adapter and hide it then it would be modifying the mouse drivers for X.

shotgunefx · 07-28-2007, 04:25 AM

I've posted a video, nothing too special, just playing with the Space Navigator, controlling volume, playing/queuing songs. May want to skip ahead a minute or two.

@ Google video

kraft · 07-28-2007, 04:34 AM

Don't know what's happening with google but it's damn slow.
Could it be possible to post the video to youtube or dailymotion ?

kraft · 07-28-2007, 04:39 AM

I was just thinking that DBUS could be interesting to be used to interact with apps running inside the window manager.
To deactivate serial mouse you should use setserial and statserial to see which port you want to deactivate, with this you can forbid uart to send and receive events on one defined port.

shotgunefx · 07-28-2007, 09:57 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by kraft

Don't know what's happening with google but it's damn slow.
Could it be possible to post the video to youtube or dailymotion ?

Still having a problem? If so, I'll upload it to youtube when I'm at that machine.

In other news, the newest version of xdotool fixed the input problems I was having so I don't really need xte.

I also made an additional command "getwindowfocus", so you can track the current window, and restore when your done. Most of these tools I've found lacked that. My C is a little rusty but everything seems to work fine.

I'm going to send it off to the other of xdotool, but in case anyone is interested, the modified source is available http://www.leeland.net/lib/leeland/x...722-lee.tar.gz

update Author added it to the main source with some slight modifications.

kraft · 07-29-2007, 03:17 AM

Well i think i that my firefox is attempting to download the whole video instead of starting playing it, when i click on the video thumbnail, nothing happens apart the whirling dots that shows it's busy and working. I'll let it run in background.

Playing with window's focus could be sometimes a real pain especially when a modal window appears and steal the focus. Fortunately it the Desk configuration some option exists to avoid focus theft

shotgunefx · 07-29-2007, 03:32 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by kraft

Well i think i that my firefox is attempting to download the whole video instead of starting playing it, when i click on the video thumbnail, nothing happens apart the whirling dots that shows it's busy and working. I'll let it run in background.

Playing with window's focus could be sometimes a real pain especially when a modal window appears and steal the focus. Fortunately it the Desk configuration some option exists to avoid focus theft

Weird. Here's a link on Youtube

I'm not really familiar with X on that level yet, though I suppose by the time I'm done, I'll know a hell of a lot more about it than I care to

kraft · 07-29-2007, 03:55 PM

Thanks for the video

I love the VFD look of your frontend, simple and elegant

So now what is the next step ?

shotgunefx · 07-29-2007, 04:34 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by kraft

Thanks for the video

I love the VFD look of your frontend, simple and elegant

So now what is the next step ?

Thanks.

Well, Sirius tuner this week. Then a ground up rewrite. Also need to get the Video quad and a bunch of other stuff straightened out. The Quad's RS232 interface isn't working, and the lack of docs and answer from China are A. Slow, B. Not too helpful

kraft · 07-29-2007, 04:44 PM

Try to spy the logs and/or have a look into your kernel, maybe some support is not activated ?
Setserial can be helpfull as well if modules are mounted right in the kernel, this tiny tool has a query mode

shotgunefx · 07-29-2007, 05:14 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by kraft

Try to spy the logs and/or have a look into your kernel, maybe some support is not activated ?
Setserial can be helpfull as well if modules are mounted right in the kernel, this tiny tool has a query mode

Not even in Linux, doesn't work in Windows with the app they provided (eventually) either. Tried every cable combo I could think of too.

kraft · 07-29-2007, 05:58 PM

mmm, so i would see an irq battle for the title

Jump to your BIOS configuration and try to eventually deactivate the internal uart just to see if some changes occurs.
Maybe this could help the card to say it's word

shotgunefx · 07-29-2007, 06:03 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by kraft

mmm, so i would see an irq battle for the title

Jump to your BIOS configuration and try to eventually deactivate the internal uart just to see if some changes occurs.
Maybe this could help the card to say it's word

I really think it's the quad (or cabling). Tried it from multiple computers. Computers that I use the serials for programming PICs and controlling VCRs etc.

I've tried real serials and usb ones too. It sees the connection with the app, meaning if I'm not connected, the quad screeches an alarm, if I connect through the software, it stops, but no commands are acknolwedged, I'm going to have to look into some windows serial sniffing tools or put a computer in between.

kraft · 07-29-2007, 06:26 PM

arf these are bad news

If connectors are like some HE-10 connectors, unplug them and try to pressure them gently with tool, of course protect the plastic part to avoid the tool to crush them, maybe they were fast mounted with not enough pressure ?
if soldered check them too but as you speak of PIC, you are familiar with electronics so i won't explain you what to check

What could i say more, in then end if everything fails, maybe minicom could help enter in deep with serial ports to watch what is going on.