Toughbooks and Linux

Ape, you need to post your complete model number. Did your touchscreen work in Windows before you switched to Linux? Are you sure you have a touchscreen or do you maybe have a digitizer? The digitizer is a completely different animal from the touch, but can probably be gotten to work as someone is probably using Wacom tablets with Linux.
CAP

 

The complete model number: CF-18 BHAZXFT.
Yes, my touchscreen work in Windows before switched to Linux and I'm sure I have a touchscreen.
Ape

 

Hi guys,

First post here but since I've had such luck with my CF-29 Mk4 and Dual-boot Kubuntu 10.04 Linux/Factory XP (touchpad/touchscreen/WWAN/SSD) I thought I would join in and help where I could.

I used evtest to calibrate my touchscreen. As root (or sudo) I ran:

evtest /dev/input/by-path/platform-i8042-serio-1-event-mouse (if I remember correctly)

and moved my finger to the top left and bottom right. Noted the range of X and Y in the evtest output and applied it to my /etc/xorg.conf.d/90-touchscreen.conf. It is pretty much spot-on and haven't felt the need to recalibrate it. I used pretty much exactly what was specified here 'cept for the Max and Min X and Y.

For the Touchpad I'm accelerating the slow movement with
xset m 6 0 #YMMV

Pretty much none of the options for evdev in Xorg have any effect to make it as linear as it is in Windows but xset goes a long way to helping.

 

Have you been reading the cz75danwesson posts below? He is running kubuntu and I know zip about how the files are laid out.
You are the first person to 'fess up to running a TouchScreen on a Mark4.
Go give it a look please see if anything pops out.
Thanks.

Jeff

 

Sure thing. I'll give it a shot.

 

Made a little progress this evening.
AS I UNDERSTAND IT..... The touchscreen calibrator that comes with xserver-xorg-input-evtouch writes the numbers gathered from calibration and inserts them in /etc/evtouch.config. Great. BUT when hal loads it uses the numbers from /usr/share/hal/fdi/policy/20thirdpolicy/50-Toughbook.fdi.

So after that mouth full I took the top four numbers in the evtouch.config and entered them in the appropriate places in 50-Toughbook.fdi. Works great.

But I would like to understand why.

Jeff

 

Please someone help me!!!!
I have a Panasonic Toughbook CF-18 BHAZXFT and I've installed Ubuntu 9.10 the touchscreen work in Windows before switched to Linux but now does not work, I have followed several guides to operate the touchcreen but it was all in vain. I have need to solve this problem or will I have to turn to windows.
Thanks!

 

Did you read and follow the instructions exactly as stated in #79 of this thread. That is the best information you will find here.

 

I want to add a few things that work for Linux Mint 8 so it is all on one page.

As stated in Google the calibration utility does not work. It does not work in that the numbers are fed into the evtouch.config instead of 50-Toughbook.fdi. But it does work in that the numbers are there to use when we find out how.

I just finished a new install and this did not take all that long to accomplish. The other thing I did was the touchpad fix described in an earlier post.

All the above is on various Mark 3 computers running Linux Mint 8 Linux kernel 2.6.31-14 generic.

Respectfully submitted,

Jeff

 

Hi Gork!:
The first thing is that in my xorg.conf configuration file does not exist in the folder etc/X11 / and I tried to create and it seems that the system does not recognize.
What do you think of this?
Ape76

 

Hey Ape76,
First of all we are talking Linux Mint 8 here and early Ubuntu (not sure of the version).
The quote above was from 9nine9 in post #20.
Plus some of the other stuff I have read mentioned the same thing. On the Mint 8 fresh install the file does not exist even though I always run this command first. 9 explains why we need to lose it I think a few months back.
What flavor and version are you running?

Jeff

 

Gork!
First of all I want to apologize because my English is not very good. I don't know much about Linux, I wanted to try, I installed Ubuntu 9.10 few days ago, nothing more.
Ape76

 

From the information I have Ubuntu should work if you follow the directions on post #79. If the cursor is not right you might (may) be able to use post#109 to make small corrections. I do not know if the Touchscreen configurator writes information to the evtouch.config in Ubuntu like it does in Mint.The programs are a lot the same and then sometimes they are different.
I will be glad to help you if I can.
What computer do you have?

Jeff

 

I have a Panasonic Toughbook CF-18BHAZXFT.

 

First of all we don't apologize for anything except rudeness here. Your English is fine. If I don't know what you mean I will ask. And you do the same if I am unclear. Capisce?

Don't worry about /etc/x11/xorg.conf....you don't need or want it at this time.

Go back to page 2 of this thread. Read anything 9nine9 wrote. He knows what he is talking about. He was writing to me and I was new to Linux then. Be aware that I was trying to use this information on a broken Touchscreen. Of course it did not work. Ignore most of what I wrote.

What I did is take his information and put it all in two places. #79 and then some information I dreamed up on #109.

Let me know what you do? O.K?

Jeff

 

Hi Gork!
I did this yesterday:

sudo apt-get install xserver-xorg-input-evtouch
$sudo gedit /usr/share/hal/fdi/policy/20thirdparty/50-Toughbook.fdi

I did a reboot after and touchscreen works finally but the pc is very very slow and is completely out of calibration, when 9nine9 says:

"4. run the calibration utility, follow the directions"
What I have to do exactly?

 

There is a calibration program called Calibrate Touchscreen. Select this. Read the instruction information. When the screen changes to white there will be 9 + signs. Take a pen with the point retracted. Run this around the "very"edge of the screen. The numbers in the upper left will change. Go around three or four times. Then press [enter] The upper left + sign should be red. Press it and the next + sign will turn red. 1 2 3at the top. 4 5 6 across the middle. 7 8 9 on the bottom. Just push the red one and then look for the next red one. When you get to the bottom right and push number nine when it is red the screen will reset and tell you to reboot. After reboot let me know if the cursor is close to your finger.
Good luck.

Jeff

 

If you can't find the program then from the command line do:

Jeff

 

I understand this part, but I could not do anything yet because the pc is very slow and I have the following error:
"The panel has encountered a problem during the execution of <<OAFIID: GNOME_indicatorApplet>>
Remove the configuration applet? Yes or No

What I should do?

 

I have no idea. Did you google the error message?

I'll look into it this evening.
..............................................................................
I was busy on 10.04. See the new post.
Don't mix up information from 10.04 and 9.1 though.
Stick with the plan that works. I found a lot of people that had your problem on Google. It does not sound like the Calibrator is causing your issue. Can you reload your system completely from a Live C.D. and start over? That is one idea.
Good luck.



Jeff

 

a76,
Look at this.

Jeff

 

Hello Gork!
All those problems were solved with a reboot, but now the problem is that the calibration is not working, run correctly but when I do reboot the touchscreen is not calibrated.
Ape76

 

I see some errors when running, I'll posting soon.
Ape76

 

Excuse Gork!, the errors are not important, the touchscreen are not calibrated because I forgot to do this:

I do it and then tell you how everything goes.
Ape76

 

Great! everything is perfect.
Thanks Gork!
Your council has helped me a lot, I deeply appreciate the time you have spent to help me, thank you very much.
Ape76

 

Gork!
If you have time, you could help me has to operate the front panel brightness buttons??.
Ape76

 

Thank you for the reply. It is good to see at least one person got some help. (and that the programming works)
I will have to look into the other question. Look at page 2 or maybe 3. 9nine9 talks about gps and also there is another command for hotkeys. This might help. But the real answer is"I don't know".

Jeff

 

A little housekeeping here. I corrected a couple of typos.
Jeff

 

I found it with Google "cf-18 front panel buttons".

Jeff

 

Thanks guys..
Been trying to solve that touchscreen problem for ages..

 

As a good chance to bump this thread I vetted the information on TS and TP plus 9nine9 on pana in the kernel by loading and modding Crunchbang #! Linux. It is based on Ubuntu but NOT on 10.04.

Jeff

 

Is there a problem with 10.04? Xubuntu 10.04 is what is running under Enlightenment for me and it's been working just fine. Of course I don't have a touchscreen... yet.

 

No, not a problem just a different way of doing business. I wanted to emphasize that the two systems are not completely interchangeable and mix and match is not an option. You have your early systems that employ hal and the later systems that do not. So we have to get hal back in the picture for one thing.
If it's not fixed don't break it or something.

My newest trial is Crunchbang#! Linux. The instructions for setting it up are in this thread which is why I checked in. Now what was I doing?

 

but on further review

sudo vi /etc/modprobe.d/psmouse.conf

"options psmouse resolution=888888880"

oops pays to check your work after editing

"options psmouse resolution=800" is what I meant to ..

system>preferences>mouse>pointer speed>max

umm , different , moving slowly it's like , well normal .
move quickly and zooooooooooommmmmm>>>>>>
will take some getting used to
I'm sure I'll be editing this post

first edit: I'll live w/ it for a bit and no , I have no fsck'n idea what effect it has on the touchscreen

~kop

 

Yah, it's different but does not effect the touch screen. They share the connection but not this code.
I set my system preferences mouse sensitivity to low and speed so that a quick swipe from bottom left to top right or vice versa happens in one pass over the pad.

Investigate code for acceleration.

Let us know.

Jeff

 

$ cd /usr/sbin
$ sudo wget http://imbezol.org/sysinfo/sysinfo281.16.pl
$ sudo chmod 777 /usr/sbin/sysinfo281.16.pl
$ /usr/sbin/sysinfo281.16.pl

my sig line

hope I got that right

~kop

 

Had to think about it for a while but it looks like you got it right. I forgot to put that stick of RAM in. I know I'm running 10.10. It must be picking up the original download. Kool!

Jeff

 

only a lil off topic but worthwhile I hope
~kop

 

You may have noted a little off topic interplay on some other threads. This is usable and a good way to learn a little code and if you think about it keeps your head exercised.
You were using a Toughbook and Linux so where's the off-topic portion?

Thanks again.

Jeff

 

For those working with Linux on CF-28 I offer this thread. In post 1 is my latest edit.

The 10.? versions (desktops) have gotten bigger and more (slightly) resource hungry.
IOW if 10.? Mint does not work, try Mint 8.04. There are some other chip-set issues going on too, that are over my head. I can't explain it, I just make it work.

Several folks have been helped by doing a fresh install and following #79 exactly.

CF-28 in this case would use

. Edit grub menu and tag this on after

.
Or delete quiet splash if you want to watch the numbers roll by. (thanks Klonsdale)
If none of this works( low ram etc.) give #!Crunchbang Linux a try using these instructions. It has a very lightweight desktop.

You will be frustrated if you do not try Mint 8 from a fresh install. Trying to patch what you have already probably won't work.

Subtle bump.

Respectfully submitted,

Jeff