Getting a Multimedia Keyboard Supported [SOLVED]

[Cabhan]

Alrighty. Hi all!

I have recently purchased a Logitech Cordless Desktop LX 500 Keyboard after my old one somehow broke. It is a beautiful creature, and I am typing with it now.

The problem comes with enabling all the extra features. I've done some searching and I've fiddled with lineakd, but I am having a fair amount of difficulty with its configuration and proper use. Especially since my keyboard doesn't seem supported.

Can anyone either point me to an easier-to-use app or help explain how lineakd works?


Thanks!

[dylunio]

When you say "not supported" it is realy easy to mod linEAK to do what you want.

There are three steps to doing this.

1. You must discover the keycodes sent by each key. to do this type

xev

and with each key that you press you will get output like:

KeyPress event, serial 23, synthetic NO, window 0x1800001,
root 0xb6, subw 0x0, time 64010982, (25,575), root609,597),
state 0x10, keycode 29 (keysym 0x66, f), same_screen YES,
XLookupString gives 1 bytes: (66) "f"
XmbLookupString gives 1 bytes: (66) "f"
XFilterEvent returns: False

this is for the F key (dvorak layout) and the importaint thing to remember is the keycode 29. Write down the keycodes for each extra key you have.

2. The next stage is to edit the /etc/lineakkb.def file as root. And then add your keyboard in the right alphabetical place. Here you will add something like:

[Direct Access]
brandname = "foo"
modelname = "42"
[KEYS]
Back = 234
Forward = 233
Stop = 232
Refresh = 231
[END KEYS]
[END direct access]

3. Once you have done this, run

lineakconfig

and choose the keyboard you added, and set the commands to run when a key is pressed.


i hope this helps

dylunio

[Cabhan]

Hey hey.

Thanks a bunch. I was doing that, but it was a tad confusing .

I'll go and have another go at it. Out of curiosity, what is the command to run for Volume Up/Down?

[Cabhan]

Hrmm...

Well, lineakconfig segfaulted, so I did my own configuration. However, nothing is working, despite X Server restarts.

Here is my /etc/lineakkb.def file, the relevant section:

[LTCDLX500]
   brandname = "Logitech"
   modelname = "Cordless Desktop LX 500"
 [KEYS]
   Home                  = 178
   Next                  = 153
   Mail                  = 236
   Mute                  = 160
   Previous              = 144
   Search                = 229
   VolumeDown            = 174
   VolumeUp              = 176
 [END KEYS]
[END LTCDLX500]
# end Logitech Cordless Desktop LX 500

And here is my ~/.lineak/lineakd.conf file:

# LinEAK Configuration for Logitech Cordless Desktop LX 500
# (generated by lineakconfig)

# Global settings
KeyboardType            = LTCDLX500
CdromDevice             = /dev/cdroms/cdrom0
MixerDevice             = /dev/mixer

# Specific keys of your keyboard
Home            = "KONQUEROR_HOME"
Next            = "xmms -f"
Mail            = "firefox http://www.gmail.com"
Mute            = "KMIX_MUTE"
Previous        = "xmms -r"
Search          = "kfind"
VolumeDown      = "KMIX_VOLDOWN"
VolumeUp        = "KMIX_VOLUP"

# end lineakd.conf

(the file was generated by lineakconfig, but I put in all the commands manually)

I can't quite see what I'm doing wrong. Can anyone help?


EDIT:

I seem to have fixed it. I emerged the latest, ~x86 version, and ran lineakd again, and now it suddenly works.

So thanks for inspiring me!

[dylunio]

I'm glad that you got it to work

I'm afraid I don't know the command for the vorlumes, but I do know the linEAK team have a few addons for amaroK which let you do this.

If yo are fealing comunity minded send off your keyboard config to the maintainer of the linEAK project.

dylunio

[Cabhan]

Yeah, the commands are EAK_VOLUP and EAK_VOLDOWN. There are KDE plugins (KMIX_VOLUP, KMIX_VOLDOWN) that didn't seem to work.

I've mapped out all the already-detected keycodes, so I'll probably send the config off. But I'm working on mapping non-detected keycodes, so if you know anything about that, check out the other thread at:

http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/topic-44926.html


Thanks.