xmodmap with PS/2-USB Converter

[oaul]

So I am running an old Trackpoint-enabled IBM keyboard into my computer via a ps2 to usb CONVERTER (according to dmesg. On newegg it was advertised as a simple adapter). When ever i do any sort of xmodmap to the left and right mouse buttons (the only two buttons this thing has), the buttons ALWAYS RETAIN THEIR ORIGINAL BUTTON ID.

For instance, when I assign 'middle click' to the right button:

$ xmodmap -e "pointer = 1 9 2 ... 3"

xev reports the right mouse button as pushing buttons 2 and 3, even though three is impossible to hit with my current configuration. No matter what button id i assign to the right mouse button, it ALWAYS comes up as both 3 and whatever i assigned as the third arg to pointer. Same thing if instead i modify the left mouse button. This does not happen with my other usb mice (no converter). I suspect this is a side effect of the active electronics inside the coverter, but i don't see why... Anyone familiar with this?

*Extra Credit regarding mice and openbox wm*:
Why do mouse-specific bindings defined in rc.xml (like alt+left click to drag windows) COMPETELY stop working when you use xsetpointer to change the core pointer as openbox is running? Even after doing a

$ openbox --reconfigure

EDIT: I must be hearing voices in my head because to fix the Extra Credit question you have to do a .... openbox --reconfigure...

[oaul]

So it turns out the problem i had was related to the active electronics in the converter. If I plug this KB/Mouse into a PS2-enabled computer it works as expected.

But now i have a new question. I want to enable mousewheel emulation from this two-button trackpoint (something ive done countless times w/ a 9 button trackBALL). Say I put something like this in my xorg.conf:

    Option         "Protocol" "ExplorerPS/2"
    Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
    Option         "Emulate3Buttons" "on"
    Option         "EmulateWheel" "on"
    Option         "EmulateWheelButton" "8"

And then from xterm:

$ xmodmap -e "pointer = 1 2 8 4 5 6 7 3 9"

It doesn't work! However xev correctly reports that button 8 is being pushed for the third (right) physical button. But the mouse currsor isn't "grabbed" and theres no scrolling.

If I use 3 instead of 8 in xorg.conf:

...    
    Option         "Emulate3Buttons" "on"
    Option         "EmulateWheel" "on"
    Option         "EmulateWheelButton" "3"
...

While keeping the default xmodmap for the core pointer:

$ xmodmap -e "pointer = 1 2 3..."

It works as expected. Do I have to apply a button layout directly from xorg? I can't find an option tag to do that and frankly the xorg documentaiton is stupidly organized. But maybe im just looking in the wrong places...

[oaul]

I feel like a douche bag replying to myself twice, but it turns out that any button layouts that EmualteWheel responds to has to be assigned directly in xorg.conf, as I thought. EmulateWheel does not acknowledge changes made to xmodmap. Pity..

Now to assign a xmodmap-style layout directly in xorg.conf you use the "ButtonMapping" option. I really wish this was easier to find. Does anyone know of a list of all the xorg.conf options/etc. that i can just search through? I loath how xorg thinks their considerate enough to provide (some but not all) of the xorg.conf options in a chapter-based presentation. Screw that. I want something resembling a developer's reference manual, like what gtk gives for their documentation. I don't think its asking too much...

If anyone cares I came up with a useful and simple (IMO) bourne script way to use a two-button trackpoint for day-to-day web-browsing and terminal use:
-Right button enables scroll emulation
-Left Button does either right click, left click, or middle click depending on the argument given to the actual script
-Script is called by left-hand key combinations given to the WM.

Hopefully this thread will be useful for people doing the same thing i did...