Chip 1998 February/CHIP_2_98.iso/doc/HOWTO/mini/3-Button-Mouse

Text File | 1997-07-31 | 27KB | 608 lines

                     The 3 Button Serial Mouse mini-HOWTO

  Geoff Short ([e-mail])

   v1.26 11th July 1997

     _________________________________________________________________

          0. Disclaimer
          1. Introduction
          2. Serial ports
          3. Switched Mice
          4. Normal Mice
          5. Switching a Mouse to 3-Button Mode
          6. Using gpm to Change Mouse Modes
          7. Using two mice
          8. XF86Config and Xconfig file examples
          9. Cables, extensions and adaptors
          10. Miscellaneous Problems and Setup
          11. Models Tested
          12. Further Information
          13. Mouse Tail

     __________________________________________________________________

  0. Disclaimer

   The following document is offered in good faith as comprising only
   safe programming and procedures. No responsibility is accepted by the
   author for any loss or damage caused in any way to any person or
   equipment, as a direct or indirect consequence of following these
   instructions.

  1. Introduction

   The most recent version of this document can always be found at
   http://kipper.york.ac.uk/mouse.html
   There is a japanese translation at
   http://jf.gee.kyoto-u.ac.jp/JF/JF-ftp/euc/3-Button-Mouse.euc

   Most X applications are written with the assumption that the user will
   be working with a 3 button mouse. Serial mice are commonly used on
   computers and are cheap to buy. Many of these mice have 3 buttons and
   claim to use the Microsoft protocol, which in theory means they are
   ideal for the X windows setup. (The record for the cheapest working 3
   button mouse currently stands at $1.89!)

   Most dual-protocol mice will work in two modes:

     * 2-button Microsoft mode.
     * 3-button MouseSystems mode.

   This document leads you through the different steps needed to
   configure your mouse in these two different modes, especially the
   steps needed to use the more useful 3-button mode.

  2. Serial Ports

   The first thing to do is to make sure the software can find the mouse.
   Work out which serial port your mouse is connected to - usually this
   will be /dev/ttyS0 (COM1 under DOS) or /dev/ttyS1 (COM2). (ttyS0 is
   usually the 9 pin socket, ttyS1 the 25 pin socket, but of course there
   is no hard and fast rule about these things.) There are also an
   equivalent number of /dev/cua devices, which are almost the same as
   the ttyS ones, for instance /dev/cua0 should do the same as
   /dev/ttyS0. In some cases one might work better than the other. For
   convenience make a new link /dev/mouse pointing at this port. For
   instance, for ttyS0:

     * ln -s /dev/ttyS0 /dev/mouse

  3. Switched Mice

   Some mice, not usually the cheapest ones, have a switch on the bottom
   marked `2/3'. Sometimes this may be `PC/MS'. In this case the `2'
   setting is for 2 button Microsoft mode, and the `3' for 3 button
   MouseSystems mode. The `PC/MS' switch is a bit more complicated. You
   will probably find the `MS' setting is for Microsoft, and the `PC' is
   for MouseSystems. You may find the `PC' setting described as ps/2
   mode, but it should do MouseSystems as well. If you have such a mouse,
   you can switch the switch to `3' or `PC', put the MouseSystems
   settings in your XConfigs (see below) and the mouse should work
   perfectly in 3-button mode.

  4. Normal Mice

   If you don't have any switches, and no instructions, then a little bit
   of experimentation is needed. The first thing to try is to assume the
   mouse maker is telling the truth, and the mouse is full Microsoft. Set
   up your Xconfigs to expect a Microsoft mouse (see the Xconfig section)
   and give it try.

   If the mouse didn't work at all, then you don't have a Microsoft
   mouse, or there is some other problem. Try the other protocols in the
   configs, the man page for the config file is the best place to start
   looking. Also look in the Miscellaneous Problems section below.

   What you will probably find is that when you run X, the mouse works
   fine but only the outer two buttons do anything. You can of course
   accept this, and emulate the third button (press both buttons at once
   to click the middle one) like you do with a two button mouse. To do
   this, change your Xconfig file as shown in the Xconfig example section
   below. This may mean you have bought a 3 button mouse for no good
   reason, and you are certainly no further forward. So, now you need to
   look at your hardware.

  5. Switching a Mouse to 3-Button Mode

   Even cheap mice can also work under the Mouse Systems protocol, with
   all three buttons working. The trick is to get the mouse to think it's
   a Mouse Systems one, something you rarely see in your instructions.

     * Before you power up your computer, hold down the left mouse button
       (and keep it held down until it has booted to be on the safe
       side).

   When the mouse first gets power, if the left button is held down it
   switches into Mouse Systems mode. A simple fact, but not always
   publicised. Note that a soft reboot of your computer may not cut the
   mouse power and therefore may not work. There are a number of other
   ways of switching the mode, which may or may not work with your
   particular mouse. Some of these are less drastic than rebooting your
   computer, two are more so!

     * If your computer is get-at-able you can unplug the mouse and plug
       it back in with the button held down (although you shouldn't
       normally plug things in to a live computer, the RS232 spec says it
       is OK).
     * You may be able to reset the mouse by typing echo "*n" >
       /dev/mouse, which should have the same effect as unplugging it.
       Hold the left button down for Mouse Systems mode, not for
       Microsoft. You could put this in whatever script you use to start
       X up.
     * Bob Nichols ([e-mail]) has written a small c
       program to do the same thing, which may work if echo "*n" does not
       (and vice versa). You can find a copy of his source code at
       http://kipper.york.ac.uk/src/fix-mouse.c
     * Someone has reported that the `ClearDTR' line in the Xconfig is
       enough to switch their mouse into Mouse Systems mode.
     * If you are brave enough, open the mouse up (remember that this
       will invalidate your warranty) and have a look inside. In some
       cases, the mouse may have a switch inside, for some strange reason
       known only to the manufacturer. More likely on the cheap mice is a
       jumper which you can move. The switch or jumper may have the same
       effect as a `MS/PC' switch described in the Switched Mice section
       above. You may find that the circuit board is designed for a
       switch between 2 & 3 buttons, but it hasn't been fitted. It will
       look something like:

         -----------
        | o | o | o |  SW1
         -----------
          1   2   3
       Try linking pins 1-2 or 2-3, and see if it changes the behaviour of
       the mouse. If it does, you can either fit a small switch, or
       solder across the contacts for a quick and permenant solution.
     * Another soldering solution which might be a last-resort for mice
       which don't understand MouseSystems at all, from Peter Benie (
       [e-mail]). If the middle button's switch is
       double-pole, connect one side of the switch to the left button's
       switch, and the other side to right button's switch. If it's not a
       double pole switch then use diodes rather than wire. Now, the
       middle button pushes the left and right buttons down together.
       Select "chordmiddle" in the XF86Config and you have a working
       middle button.
     * The ultimate recourse with the soldering iron was first described
       to me by Brian Craft ([e-mail] ). Two common
       generic mouse chips are the 16 pin Z8350, and the 18 pin HM8350A.
       On each of these chips, one pin controls the mode of the chip, as
       follows.

    Pin 3   Mode
    -----   ----
    Open    Default Microsoft. Mouse Systems if a button is
            held on power-up.
    GND     Always Mouse Systems.
    Vdd     Always Microsoft.
       (Pins are usually numbered as follows:)

        ____
    pin1  -| \/ |-
    pin2  -|    |-
    pin3  -|    |-
          -|    |-
          -|    |-
          -|    |-
          -|    |-
    pin8  -|____|-

       (This info comes courtesy of Hans-Christoph Wirth, and Juergen Exner,
       who posted it to de.comp.os.linux.hardware) You can solder a link
       between pin 3 and gnd, which will fix the mouse into MouseSystems
       mode.

          + Peter Fredriksson ([e-mail]) has tried the
            SYSGRATION SYS2005 chip, and found that linking Pin 3 to Gnd
            forced Mouse System mode.
          + Urban Widmark ([e-mail]) says the same applies to the
            EC3567A1 chip, where Pin 8 is ground. I've tried it as well
            and it works fine.
          + Timo T Metsala ([e-mail]) has found that on the
            HT6510A chip pin 3 is mode select, pin 9 is Gnd. The same
            works for the HT6513A chip. Holtek also make HT6513B and
            HT6513F chips - on these, pin 8 is Gnd.
          + Robert Romanowski ([e-mail]) says pin 3 - pin 8
            (Gnd) works on an EM83701BP chip too.
          + Robert Kaiser ([e-mail]) confirms that pin 3 - Gnd
            works on a EC3576A1 chip too.

     * As an alternative to the above soldering methods, you can get the
       mouse to hold it's own button down when booting: this circuit from
       Mathias Katzer.

         -----
      ---  R  ---------O------ + Supply
     |   -----   |        |                     C = 100nF capacitor
     |           | E      |                     R = 100kOhm
     |       __ /         |                     T = BC557 transistor
     |      /  \          O
     |   B | #V | T         /
     |-----|-#  |          /   Left button switch of the mouse
     |     | #\ |         O
     |      \__/          |
    ---         \  C      |
    --- C        ------O----------> (to somewhere deep inside the mouse)
     |
    ###  Ground

       The test mouse was a no-name model MUS2S - whether this works in other
       mice depends on the circuit of the mouse; if the switch is
       connected to ground and not to +Supply, an npn-transistor like the
       BC547 should work; R and C have to be swapped then, too.

   So there you have it, the choice is yours. Stick with the default
   Microsoft two buttons, or work out how to switch the mode and set X up
   to take advantage of this.

  6. Using gpm to Switch Mouse Modes

   gpm is the program that lets you use the mouse in console mode. It is
   usually included in linux distributions, and can be started from the
   command line or in the startup script /etc/rc.d/rc.local. gpm is the
   cause of much problem to people using bus mice, since it locks the
   mouse and stops X from using it - those of us using serial mice don't
   have this problem.

   The two main modes for serial mice under gpm are:

     * gpm -t ms for Microsoft mode;
     * gpm -t msc for MouseSystems mode.

   To run gpm in MouseSystems mode, you may need a -3 flag, and possibly
   a DTR option, using the -o dtr flag:

     * gpm -3 -o dtr -t msc

   You may also be able to use gpm to probe the mouse for you and tell
   you what protocol the mouse is currently using:

     * gpm -t help

   However, gpm is often able to recognise all three buttons of the mouse
   even in Microsoft mode. And newer versions (Version 1.0 and later (?))
   can then make this information available to other programs. For this
   to work, you need to run gpm with the -R tag, like this:

     * gpm -R -t ms

   This will make gpm re-export the mouse data to a new device, called
   /dev/gpmdata, which looks like a mouse to any other program. Note that
   this device _always_ uses the MouseSystems protocol. You can then set
   your Xconfig to use this instead of /dev/mouse as shown below, but of
   course you must ensure gpm is always running when you use X. Some
   people have reported that some middle-button events are not correctly
   interpreted by X using this technique, this may be down to an
   individual mouse setup.

   Changing button mapping for gpm and X ([e-mail])

   You may find that gpm uses different default button mappings to X, so
   using both systems on the same machine can be confusing. To make X use
   the same buttons for select and paste operations as gpm, use the X
   command

     * xmodmap -e "pointer = 1 3 2"

   which causes the left button to select and the right button to paste,
   for either 2-button or 3-button mice. To force gpm to use the X
   standard button mapping, start it with a -B command, eg:

     * gpm -t msc -B 132

  7. Using two mice

   In some cases, for instance a laptop with a built-in pointing device,
   you may wish to use a serial mouse as a second device. In most cases
   the built-in device uses the ps/2 protocol, and can be ignored if you
   don't wish to use it. Simply configure gpm or X to use /dev/ttyS0 (or
   whatever) as usual.

   To use both at once, you might be able to use gpm to re-export one or
   both devices. One person who has done this is Patrick Canupp
   ([e-mail]) - you can check out his web pages at
   http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~canupp/install_index.html for details.

  8. XF86Config and Xconfig file examples

   The location of your configuration file for X depends on the
   particular release and distribution you have. It will probably be
   either /etc/Xconfig /etc/XF86Config or /usr/X11/lib/X11/XF86Config.
   You should see which one it is when you start X - it will be echoed to
   the screen before all the options are displayed. The syntax is
   slightly different between the XF86Config and Xconfig files, so both
   are given.

    Microsoft Serial Mouse

     * XF86config:

    Section "Pointer"
        Protocol "microsoft"
        Device "/dev/mouse"
    EndSection

     * Xconfig:

    #
    # Mouse definition and related parameters
    #
    Microsoft      "/dev/mouse"

    Microsoft Serial Mouse (2 or 3 button) with Three Button Emulation

     * XF86config:

    Section "Pointer"
        Protocol "microsoft"
        Device "/dev/mouse"
        Emulate3Buttons
    EndSection

     * Xconfig:

    #
    # Mouse definition and related parameters
    #
    Microsoft      "/dev/mouse"
    Emulate3Buttons

    MouseSystems Three Button Serial Mouse

     * XF86config:

    Section "Pointer"
        Protocol "mousesystems"
        Device "/dev/mouse"
        ClearDTR            #  These two lines probably won't be needed,
        ClearRTS            #  try without first and then just the DTR
    EndSection

     * Xconfig:

    #
    # Mouse definition and related parameters
    #
    MouseSystems    "/dev/mouse"
    ClearDTR                #  These two lines probably won't be needed,
    ClearRTS                #  try without first and then just the DTR

    Microsoft Serial Mouse with gpm -R

     * XF86config:

    Section "Pointer"
        Protocol "MouseSystems"
        Device "/dev/gpmdata"
    EndSection

     * Xconfig:

    #
    # Mouse definition and related parameters
    #
    MouseSystems      "/dev/gpmdata"

  9. Cables, extensions and adaptors

   The only wires needed in a mouse cable are as follows: TxD and RxD for
   data transfer, RTS and/or DTR for power sources, and ground.
   Translated into pin numbers, they are:

            9-pin port     25-pin port
        TxD     3                2
        RxD     2                3
        RTS     7                4
        DTR     4               20
        Gnd     5                7

   The above table may be of use if you wish to make adaptors between 9-
   and 25-pin plugs, or extension cables.

  10. Miscellaneous Problems and Setups

     * If you have trouble with your mouse in X or console mode, check
       you are not running a getty on the serial line, or anything else
       such as a modem for that matter. Also check for IRQ conflicts.
     * It is possible that you need to hold down the left button when
       booting X windows. Some systems may send some sort of signal or
       spike to the mouse when X starts.
     * Problems with serial devices may be due to the serial port not
       being initialised correctly at boot. This is done by the setseral
       command, run from the start-up script /etc/rc.d/rc.serial. Check
       the man page for setserial and the Serial-HOWTO for more details.
       It may be worth a little experimentation with types, for instance
       try setserial /dev/mouse uart 16550 or 16550a regardless of what
       port you actually have. (For instance, mice don't like the
       16c550AF).
     * The ClearDTR flag may not work properly on some systems, unless
       you disable the RTS/CTS handshaking with the command:
          + stty -crtscts < /dev/mouse
       (Tested on UART 16450/Pentium by Vladimir Geogjaev
       [e-mail])
     * Logitech mice may require the line ChordMiddle to enable the
       middle of the three buttons to work. This line replaces
       Emulate3Buttons or goes after the /dev/mouse line in the config
       file. You may well need the ClearDTR and ClearRTS lines in your
       Xconfig. Some Logitech mice positively do not need the ChordMiddle
       line - one symptom of this problem is that menus seem to move with
       the mouse instead of scrolling down. (From: [e-mail])
     * Swapping buttons: use the xmodmap command to change which physical
       button registers as each mouse click. eg: xmodmap -e "pointer = 3
       2 1" will turn round the buttons for use in the left hand. If you
       only have a two-button mouse then it's just numbers 1 & 2.
     * Acceleration: use the xset m command to change the mouse settings.
       eg xset m 2 will set the acceleration to 2. Look at the manpage
       for full details.
     * Pointer offset: If the click action appears to be coming from the
       left or right of where the cursor is, it may be that your screen
       is not aligned. This is a problem with the S3 driver, which you
       may be able to fix using xvidtune. Try Invert_VCLK/InvertVCLK, or
       EarlySC. This info from Bill Lavender ( [e-mail]) and
       Simon Hargrave. In the XF86Config, it might look like this:
          + XF86Config:

        Subsection "Display"
        Modes       "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480" "1280x1024"
        Invert_VCLK "*" 1
     * If you are getting `bouncing' of the mouse buttons, ie two clicks
       when you only wanted one, there may be something wrong with the
       mouse. This problem has been solved for logitech mice by Bob
       Nichols ( [e-mail]) and involves soldering some
       resistors and a chip in the mouse to debounce the microswitches.
     * If some users cannot get the mouse to work but some (eg root) can,
       it is possible that the users are not running exactly the same
       thing - for instance a different version of X or a different
       Xconfig. Check the X start-up messages carefully to make sure.
     * If you find the mouse pointer is erasing things from your screen,
       you have a server config problem. Try adding the option linear, or
       maybe nolinear to the graphics card section, or if it is a PCI
       board, the options tgui_pci_write_off and tgui_pci_read_off. (This
       seems to be a Trident Card problem.)
     * If your mouse stops working when its sunny or when you turn a
       light on, it may be that the sensors are being swamped by light
       getting through the case. You could try painting the inside of the
       case black, or putting some card in the top.

  11. Models Tested

   There are a lot of different mice out there, and I cannot honestly say
   that you should go out and buy one rather than the other. What I can
   do is give a list of what I think these mice do, based on experience
   and heresay. Even with this information you should be a little
   cautious - we have two identical mice in our office on two computers,
   some things work on one and not t'other! Any additions to this list
   would be welcome.

        Mouse Systems optical mouse, serial version
               Works well (as you might expect from the name!) without
               ClearDTR or ClearRTS in the config.
        WiN mouse, as sold by Office World for eight quid.
               Standard dual-mode Microsoft/MouseSystems.
        Agiler Mouse 2900
               Standard dual-mode Microsoft/MouseSystems. SYSGRATION
               SYS2005 chip is solderable.
        Sicos mouse,
               Works ok, needs ClearDTR & Clear RTS in config.
        Index sell a mouse for 10 quid,
               Doesn't work in 3 button mode, but does have nice
               instructions :-)
        Artec,
               Usual dual-protocol mouse, needs `ClearDTR' set in config,
               NOT `ClearRTS'
        DynaPoint 3 button serial mouse.
               Usual dual-protocol mouse, needs `ClearDTR' AND `ClearRTS'
               in Xconfig.
        Genius Easymouse 3 button mouse
               Works fine with Mouseman protocol without the ChordMiddle
               parameter set. From Roderick Johnstone (
               [e-mail])
        Truemouse, made in Taiwan
               Works OK, needs `ClearDTR' in config. (From Tim
               MacEachern)
        Champ brand mouse
               Needs to have switch in PC mode, which enables
               MouseSystems protocol also. (From
               [e-mail])
        MicroSpeed mouse
               Usual dual-protocol mouse.
        Venus brand ($7)
               Has a jumper inside to switch between 2 and 3 button mode.
               (From [e-mail] )
        Saturn
               Switched mouse, works OK as MouseSystems in 3-button
               position. (From [e-mail] .)
        Manhattan mouse.
               Switch for `MS AM' / `PC AT' modes, MS mode works fine
               with the gpm -R method. (From [e-mail]).
        Inland mouse.
               Switch for `PC/MS' modes, works fine. (From
               http://ptsg.eecs.berkeley.edu/~venkates).
        qMouse (3-button), FCC ID E6qmouse X31.
               Sells in the USA for about $10. Works with `gpm -t msc -r
               20'. No jumpers or switches for MouseSystems 3-button
               mode. Unreliable in X. Does not respond to echo "*n" >
               /dev/mouse.
        Mitsumi Mouse (2-button), FCC ID EW4ECM-S3101.
               Sells in the USA for about $12. Reliable in X and under
               gpm, smooth double-button. (These two from
               [e-mail])
        PC Accessories mouse that i got from CompUSA for under $10.
               Has PC/MS switch on bottom. Works OK. (From
               [e-mail])
        First Mouse - seriously cheap at 7.79 pounds at Tempo.
               Dual Microsoft/MouseSystems, mode set by button depress at
               power-up. No switches, no links. Four wire connection,
               echo '*n' doesn't work. `gpm -R' works a treat. (From
               [e-mail])
        Trust 3-button mouse.
               Dual-mode with switch, works OK as MouseSystems in `PC'
               mode. gpm doesn't like the Microsoft mode though.
        Chic 410
               Works perfectly when kept in ms mode and used with the gpm
               -R command. From Stephen M. Weiss
               ([e-mail])
        KeyMouse 3-button mouse.
               No switch, works OK with ClearDTR and ClearRTS in Xconfig;
               `-o dtr needed with gpm. (From [e-mail])
        Qtronix keyboard `Scorpio 60'
               All three buttons work in MouseSystems protocol. (From
               [e-mail])
        Tecra 720 laptop
               The glidepoint is on /dev/cua0; the stick is on
               /dev/psaux. (From [e-mail])
        Anubis mouse
               Works fine, need to hold down left button whenever
               switching to the X virtual console. (From Joel Crisp)
        Yakumo No.1900 mouse
               Works with gpm -R -t ms exporting to X. (From Oliver
               Schwank)
        Genius `Easy Trak' Trackball
               Is _not_ Microsoft compatible, use Mouseman in the Xconfig
               and it will work fine. (From [e-mail].)
        Highscreen Mouse Pro
               `Works fine' says [e-mail].
        Logitech CA series
               Works in X using MMseries protocol, at 2400 Baud, 150
               SampleRate. (Should also apply to Logitech CC, CE, C7 & C9
               mice). From [e-mail].
        A4-Tech mouse
               Works OK, needs DTR line under both X and gpm. (From
               [e-mail])

  12. Further Information

     * Mouse Systems has a web site at http://www.mousesystems.com/. They
       have a Windows driver if you need one.
     * The Linux Serial HOWTO is available from mirrors of sunsite around
       the world. If you don't know where your nearest mirror is, start
       at http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/linux.html
     * There is a very good explanation of how mice work at
       http://box.argonet.co.uk/users/4qd/meece.html.
     * Fuller details of the Xconfig and XF86Config files are found on
       the relevant man pages, and in the documentation about installing
       X windows such as the Xfree86 HOWTO. Also, see the XFree86 FAQ at
       a mirror of http://www.XFree86.org/.
     * Information about gpm can be found on the man page, also try the
       web page of Darin Ernst at
       http://www.castle.net/X-notebook/mouse.txt.
     * Lots of information on mice hardware and software can be found at
       http://www.hut.fi/~then/electronics/pc.html#pc_mouse

  13. Mouse Tail

   Much of the information for this document has been trawled from the
   various linux newsgroups. I am sorry I did not keep a record of
   everyone who has indirectly contributed by this route, thank you all
   very much.

   So, to sum up:
     * Even cheap 3 button Microsoft mice can be made to work.
     * Configure your copy of X to expect a Mouse Systems mouse.
     * Hold down the left button at power-on to switch the mouse to
       MouseSystems mode.
     * You might need to hold the left button down when starting X.
     * Mice are more intelligent than you think.