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<p><b>New page</b></p><div><pre><br />
The 3 Button Serial Mouse mini-HOWTO<br />
Geoff Short, geoff@kipper.york.ac.uk<br />
v1.33, 31 May 1998<br />
<br />
How to get a 3 button serial mouse working properly under Linux.<br />
______________________________________________________________________<br />
<br />
Table of Contents<br />
<br />
<br />
1. Disclaimer<br />
<br />
2. Introduction<br />
<br />
3. Serial Ports<br />
<br />
4. Switched Mice<br />
<br />
5. Normal Mice<br />
<br />
6. Switching a Mouse to 3-Button Mode<br />
<br />
7. Wheeled mice<br />
<br />
8. Using gpm to Switch Mouse Modes<br />
<br />
9. Using two mice<br />
<br />
10. XF86Config and Xconfig file examples<br />
<br />
11. Cables, extensions and adaptors<br />
<br />
12. Miscellaneous Problems and Setups<br />
<br />
13. Models Tested<br />
<br />
14. Further Information<br />
<br />
15. Mouse Tail<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
______________________________________________________________________<br />
<br />
1. Disclaimer<br />
<br />
The following document is offered in good faith as comprising only<br />
safe programming and procedures. No responsibility is accepted by the<br />
author for any loss or damage caused in any way to any person or<br />
equipment, as a direct or indirect consequence of following these<br />
instructions.<br />
<br />
<br />
2. Introduction<br />
<br />
The most recent version of this document can always be found at<br />
http://kipper.york.ac.uk/mouse.html<br />
<br />
There is a Japanese translation at http://jf.gee.kyoto-u.ac.jp/JF/JF-<br />
ftp/euc/3-Button-Mouse.euc; and a French one at<br />
http://www.freenix.fr/linux/HOWTO/mini/3-Button-Mouse.html. Other<br />
translations may be available - check your local LDP mirrors.<br />
<br />
<br />
Most X applications are written with the assumption that the user will<br />
be working with a 3 button mouse. Serial mice are commonly used on<br />
computers and are cheap to buy. Many of these mice have 3 buttons and<br />
claim to use the Microsoft protocol, which in theory means they are<br />
ideal for the X windows setup. (The record for the cheapest working 3<br />
button mouse currently stands at $1.14!)<br />
<br />
<br />
Most dual-protocol mice will work in two modes:<br />
<br />
· 2-button Microsoft mode.<br />
<br />
· 3-button MouseSystems mode.<br />
<br />
This document leads you through the different steps needed to<br />
configure your mouse in these two different modes, especially the<br />
steps needed to use the more useful 3-button mode.<br />
<br />
<br />
As distributions become easier to set up, some of the problems ought<br />
to go away. For instance, RedHat have a mouseconfig program to set<br />
things up for you. However, some versions of RH5.0 had a bug in<br />
mouseconfig, so make sure you check for patches.<br />
<br />
<br />
3. Serial Ports<br />
<br />
The first thing to do is to make sure the software can find the mouse.<br />
Work out which serial port your mouse is connected to - usually this<br />
will be /dev/ttyS0 (COM1 under DOS) or /dev/ttyS1 (COM2). (ttyS0 is<br />
usually the 9 pin socket, ttyS1 the 25 pin socket, but of course there<br />
is no hard and fast rule about these things.) There are also an<br />
equivalent number of /dev/cua devices, which are almost the same as<br />
the ttyS ones, but their use is now discouraged. For convenience make<br />
a new link /dev/mouse pointing at this port. For instance, for ttyS0:<br />
<br />
<br />
ln -s /dev/ttyS0 /dev/mouse<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
4. Switched Mice<br />
<br />
Some mice, not usually the cheapest ones, have a switch on the bottom<br />
marked `2/3'. Sometimes this may be `PC/MS'. In this case the `2'<br />
setting is for 2 button Microsoft mode, and the `3' for 3 button<br />
MouseSystems mode. The `PC/MS' switch is a bit more complicated. You<br />
will probably find the `MS' setting is for Microsoft, and the `PC' is<br />
for MouseSystems. You may find the `PC' setting described as ps/2<br />
mode, but it should do MouseSystems as well. If you have such a<br />
mouse, you can switch the switch to `3' or `PC', put the MouseSystems<br />
settings in your XConfigs (see below) and the mouse should work<br />
perfectly in 3-button mode.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
5. Normal Mice<br />
<br />
If you don't have any switches, and no instructions, then a little bit<br />
of experimentation is needed. The first thing to try is to assume the<br />
mouse maker is telling the truth, and the mouse is full Microsoft. Set<br />
up your Xconfigs to expect a Microsoft mouse (see the Xconfig section)<br />
and give it a try.<br />
<br />
<br />
If the mouse didn't work at all, then you don't have a Microsoft<br />
mouse, or there is some other problem. Try the other protocols in the<br />
configs, the man page for the config file is the best place to start<br />
looking. Also look in the Miscellaneous Problems section below.<br />
<br />
<br />
What you will probably find is that when you run X, the mouse works<br />
fine but only the outer two buttons do anything. You can of course<br />
accept this, and emulate the third button (press both buttons at once<br />
to click the middle one) like you do with a two button mouse. To do<br />
this, change your Xconfig file as shown in the Xconfig example section<br />
below. This may mean you have bought a 3 button mouse for no good<br />
reason, and you are certainly no further forward. So, now you need to<br />
look at your hardware.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
6. Switching a Mouse to 3-Button Mode<br />
<br />
Even cheap mice can also work under the Mouse Systems protocol, with<br />
all three buttons working. The trick is to get the mouse to think<br />
it's a Mouse Systems one, something you rarely see in your<br />
instructions.<br />
<br />
<br />
· Before you power up your computer, hold down the left mouse button<br />
(and keep it held down until it has booted to be on the safe side).<br />
<br />
When the mouse first gets power, if the left button is held down it<br />
switches into Mouse Systems mode. A simple fact, but not always<br />
publicised. Note that a soft reboot of your computer may not cut the<br />
mouse power and therefore may not work. There are a number of other<br />
ways of switching the mode, which may or may not work with your<br />
particular mouse. Some of these are less drastic than rebooting your<br />
computer, two are more so!<br />
<br />
<br />
· If your computer is get-at-able you can unplug the mouse and plug<br />
it back in with the button held down (although you shouldn't<br />
normally plug things in to a live computer, the RS232 spec says it<br />
is OK).<br />
<br />
· You may be able to reset the mouse by typing echo "*n" ><br />
/dev/mouse, which should have the same effect as unplugging it.<br />
Hold the left button down for Mouse Systems mode, not for<br />
Microsoft. You could put this in whatever script you use to start X<br />
up.<br />
<br />
· Bob Nichols (rnichols@interaccess.com) has written a small c<br />
program to do the same thing, which may work if echo "*n" does not<br />
(and vice versa). You can find a copy of his source code at<br />
http://kipper.york.ac.uk/src/fix-mouse.c<br />
<br />
· Someone has reported that the `ClearDTR' line in the Xconfig is<br />
enough to switch their mouse into Mouse Systems mode.<br />
<br />
· If you are brave enough, open the mouse up (remember that this will<br />
invalidate your warranty) and have a look inside. In some cases,<br />
the mouse may have a switch inside, for some strange reason known<br />
only to the manufacturer. More likely on the cheap mice is a jumper<br />
which you can move. The switch or jumper may have the same effect<br />
as a `MS/PC' switch described in the ``Switched Mice section''<br />
above. You may find that the circuit board is designed for a<br />
switch between 2 & 3 buttons, but it hasn't been fitted. It will<br />
look something like:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
-----------<br />
| o | o | o | SW1<br />
-----------<br />
1 2 3<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Try linking pins 1-2 or 2-3, and see if it changes the behaviour of<br />
the mouse. If it does, you can either fit a small switch, or solder<br />
across the contacts for a quick and permanent solution.<br />
<br />
· Another soldering solution which might be a last-resort for mice<br />
which don't understand MouseSystems at all, from Peter Benie<br />
(pjb1008@chiark.chu.cam.ac.uk). If the middle button's switch is<br />
double-pole, connect one side of the switch to the left button's<br />
switch, and the other side to right button's switch. If it's not a<br />
double pole switch then use diodes rather than wire. Now, the<br />
middle button pushes the left and right buttons down together.<br />
Select ChordMiddle in the XF86Config and you have a working middle<br />
button.<br />
<br />
· The ultimate recourse with the soldering iron was first described<br />
to me by Brian Craft (bcboy@pyramid.bio.brandeis.edu). Two common<br />
generic mouse chips are the 16 pin Z8350, and the 18 pin HM8350A.<br />
On each of these chips, one pin controls the mode of the chip, as<br />
follows.<br />
<br />
<br />
Pin 3 Mode<br />
----- ----<br />
Open Default Microsoft. Mouse Systems if a button is held on power-up.<br />
GND Always Mouse Systems.<br />
Vdd Always Microsoft.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
(Pins are numbered as follows:)<br />
<br />
<br />
____<br />
pin1 -| \/ |-<br />
pin2 -| |-<br />
pin3 -| |-<br />
-| |-<br />
-| |-<br />
-| |-<br />
-| |-<br />
pin8 -|____|-<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
(This info comes courtesy of Hans-Christoph Wirth, and Juergen Exner,<br />
who posted it to de.comp.os.linux.hardware) You can solder a link<br />
between pin 3 and gnd, which will fix the mouse into MouseSystems<br />
mode.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
· Peter Fredriksson (peterf@lysator.liu.se) has tried the SYSGRATION<br />
SYS2005 chip, and found that linking Pin 3 to Gnd forced Mouse<br />
System mode.<br />
<br />
<br />
· Uli Drescher (ud@digi.ruhr.de) confirms it works on an HN8348A<br />
chip; Ben Ketcham (bketcham@anvilite.murkworks.net) confirms the<br />
HM8348A (Pin 9 is Gnd).<br />
<br />
· Urban Widmark (ubbe@ts.umu.se) says the same applies to the<br />
EC3567A1 chip, where Pin 8 is ground. I've tried it as well and it<br />
works fine.<br />
<br />
· Timo T Metsala (metsala@cc.helsinki.fi) has found that on the<br />
HT6510A chip pin 3 is mode select, pin 9 is Gnd. The same works<br />
for the HT6513A chip. Holtek also make HT6513B and HT6513F chips -<br />
on these, pin 8 is Gnd.<br />
<br />
· Robert Romanowski (robin@cs.tu-berlin.de) says pin 3 - pin 8 (Gnd)<br />
works on an EM83701BP chip too.<br />
<br />
· Robert Kaiser (rkaiser@sysgo.de) confirms that pin 3 - Gnd works on<br />
a EC3576A1 chip too.<br />
<br />
· Sean Cross (secross@whidbey.com) found it was pin 2 - pin 7 (Gnd)<br />
on a HM8370GP chip.<br />
<br />
· Peter Fox (fox@roestock.demon.co.uk) used pin 3 - pin 8 on a<br />
HM8348A chip.<br />
<br />
· Jon Klein (jbklein@mindspring.com) found pin 3 - pin 9 did the<br />
trick for a UA5212S chip.<br />
<br />
· As an alternative to the above soldering methods, you can get the<br />
mouse to hold it's own button down when booting: this circuit from<br />
Mathias Katzer.<br />
<br />
<br />
-----<br />
--- R ---------O------ + Supply<br />
| ----- | | C = 100nF capacitor<br />
| | E | R = 100kOhm<br />
| __ / | T = BC557 transistor<br />
| / \ O<br />
| B | #V | T /<br />
|-----|-# | / Left button switch of the mouse<br />
| | #\ | O<br />
| \__/ |<br />
--- \ C |<br />
--- C ------O----------> (to somewhere deep inside the mouse)<br />
|<br />
### Ground<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The test mouse was a no-name model MUS2S - whether this works in other<br />
mice depends on the circuit of the mouse; if the switch is connected<br />
to ground and not to +Supply, an npn-transistor like the BC547 should<br />
work; R and C have to be swapped then, too.<br />
<br />
So there you have it, the choice is yours. Stick with the default<br />
Microsoft two buttons, or work out how to switch the mode and set X up<br />
to take advantage of this.<br />
<br />
<br />
7. Wheeled mice<br />
<br />
Mice with wheels have emerged in the last few years, starting with the<br />
Microsoft Intellimouse and spreading to other manufacturers. The<br />
wheel can be clicked like a button, or rolled up and down. Far and<br />
away the best reference for information is<br />
http://www.inria.fr/koala/colas/mouse-wheel-scroll/ which describes<br />
how to get lots of X applications to recognise the scrolling action.<br />
<br />
<br />
In general, you'll need a fairly new Xserver to use the scrolling<br />
action, but some older servers will recognise the clicking actions.<br />
For instance, the Intellimouse is supported by XFree 3.3.1 and later.<br />
<br />
<br />
8. Using gpm to Switch Mouse Modes<br />
<br />
gpm is the program that lets you use the mouse in console mode. It is<br />
usually included in linux distributions, and can be started from the<br />
command line or in the startup script /etc/rc.d/rc.local. Note that<br />
distributions don't always have the most recent version (1.13 at time<br />
of writing) which can be found on mirrors of sunsite.unc.edu.<br />
<br />
<br />
The main modes for serial mice under gpm are:<br />
<br />
<br />
gpm -t ms<br />
gpm -t msc<br />
gpm -t help<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
for Microsoft or MouseSystems modes, or to probe the mouse for you and<br />
tell you what it found. To run gpm in MouseSystems mode, you may need<br />
a -3 flag, and possibly a DTR option, using the -o dtr flag:<br />
<br />
<br />
gpm -3 -o dtr -t msc<br />
<br />
<br />
gpm is often able to recognise all three buttons of the mouse even in<br />
Microsoft mode. And newer versions (Version 1.0 and later (?)) can<br />
then make this information available to other programs. For this to<br />
work, you need to run gpm with the -R tag, like this:<br />
<br />
gpm -R -t ms<br />
<br />
<br />
This will make gpm re-export the mouse data to a new device, called<br />
/dev/gpmdata, which looks like a mouse to any other program. Note<br />
that this device always uses the MouseSystems protocol. You can then<br />
set your Xconfig to use this instead of /dev/mouse as shown below, but<br />
of course you must ensure gpm is always running when you use X. Some<br />
people have reported that some middle-button events are not correctly<br />
interpreted by X using this technique, this may be down to an individ<br />
ual mouse setup.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Changing button mapping for gpm and X (gustafso@math.utah.edu)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
You may find that gpm uses different default button mappings to X, so<br />
using both systems on the same machine can be confusing. To make X<br />
use the same buttons for select and paste operations as gpm, use the X<br />
command<br />
<br />
<br />
xmodmap -e "pointer = 1 3 2"<br />
<br />
<br />
which causes the left button to select and the right button to paste,<br />
for either 2-button or 3-button mice. To force gpm to use the X stan<br />
dard button mapping, start it with a -B command, eg:<br />
<br />
gpm -t msc -B 132<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
9. Using two mice<br />
<br />
In some cases, for instance a laptop with a built-in pointing device,<br />
you may wish to use a serial mouse as a second device. In most cases<br />
the built-in device uses the PS/2 protocol, and can be ignored if you<br />
don't wish to use it. Simply configure gpm or X to use /dev/ttyS0 (or<br />
whatever) as usual.<br />
<br />
<br />
To use both at once, you can use gpm -M to re-export the devices.<br />
More details in the gpm man page. Also, XFree 3.3.1 and later support<br />
muliple input devices, using the XInput mechanism. Auto-generated<br />
XF86Config files should have the necessary comments in them.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
10. XF86Config and Xconfig file examples<br />
<br />
The location of your configuration file for X depends on the<br />
particular release and distribution you have. It will probably be<br />
either /etc/Xconfig, /etc/XF86Config or /usr/X11/lib/X11/XF86Config.<br />
You should see which one it is when you start X - it will be echoed to<br />
the screen before all the options are displayed. The syntax is<br />
slightly different between the XF86Config and Xconfig files, so both<br />
are given.<br />
<br />
<br />
Microsoft Serial Mouse<br />
<br />
<br />
· XF86config:<br />
<br />
<br />
Section "Pointer"<br />
Protocol "microsoft"<br />
Device "/dev/mouse"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
· Xconfig:<br />
<br />
<br />
#<br />
# Mouse definition and related parameters<br />
#<br />
Microsoft "/dev/mouse"<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Microsoft Serial Mouse with Three Button Emulation<br />
<br />
<br />
· XF86config:<br />
<br />
<br />
Section "Pointer"<br />
Protocol "microsoft"<br />
Device "/dev/mouse"<br />
Emulate3Buttons<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
· Xconfig:<br />
<br />
<br />
#<br />
# Mouse definition and related parameters<br />
#<br />
Microsoft "/dev/mouse"<br />
Emulate3Buttons<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
MouseSystems Three Button Serial Mouse<br />
<br />
<br />
· XF86config:<br />
<br />
<br />
Section "Pointer"<br />
Protocol "mousesystems"<br />
Device "/dev/mouse"<br />
ClearDTR # These two lines probably won't be needed,<br />
ClearRTS # try without first and then just the DTR<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
· Xconfig:<br />
<br />
<br />
#<br />
# Mouse definition and related parameters<br />
#<br />
MouseSystems "/dev/mouse"<br />
ClearDTR # These two lines probably won't be needed,<br />
ClearRTS # try without first and then just the DTR<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Microsoft Serial Mouse with gpm -R<br />
<br />
<br />
· XF86config:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Section "Pointer"<br />
Protocol "MouseSystems"<br />
Device "/dev/gpmdata"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
· Xconfig:<br />
<br />
<br />
#<br />
# Mouse definition and related parameters<br />
#<br />
MouseSystems "/dev/gpmdata"<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
11. Cables, extensions and adaptors<br />
<br />
The only wires needed in a mouse cable are as follows: TxD and RxD for<br />
data transfer, RTS and/or DTR for power sources, and ground.<br />
Translated into pin numbers, they are:<br />
<br />
<br />
9-pin port 25-pin port<br />
TxD 3 2<br />
RxD 2 3<br />
RTS 7 4<br />
DTR 4 20<br />
Gnd 5 7<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The above table may be of use if you wish to make adaptors between 9-<br />
and 25-pin plugs, or extension cables.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
12. Miscellaneous Problems and Setups<br />
<br />
<br />
· If you have trouble with your mouse in X or console mode, check you<br />
are not running a getty on the serial line, or anything else such<br />
as a modem for that matter. Also check for IRQ conflicts.<br />
<br />
· It is possible that you need to hold down the left button when<br />
booting X windows. Some systems may send some sort of signal or<br />
spike to the mouse when X starts.<br />
<br />
· Problems with serial devices may be due to the serial port not<br />
being initialised correctly at boot. This is done by the setserial<br />
command, run from the start-up script /etc/rc.d/rc.serial. Check<br />
the man page for setserial and the Serial-HOWTO for more details.<br />
It may be worth a little experimentation with types, for instance<br />
try setserial /dev/mouse uart 16550 or 16550a regardless of what<br />
port you actually have. (For instance, mice don't like the<br />
16c550AF).<br />
<br />
· The ClearDTR flag may not work properly on some systems, unless you<br />
disable the RTS/CTS handshaking with the command:<br />
<br />
<br />
stty -crtscts < /dev/mouse<br />
<br />
<br />
(Tested on UART 16450/Pentium by Vladimir Geogjaev geog<br />
jaev@wave.sio.rssi.ru)<br />
<br />
· Logitech mice may require the line ChordMiddle to enable the middle<br />
of the three buttons to work. This line replaces Emulate3Buttons or<br />
goes after the /dev/mouse line in the config file. You may well<br />
need the ClearDTR and ClearRTS lines in your Xconfig. Some<br />
Logitech mice positively do not need the ChordMiddle line - one<br />
symptom of this problem is that menus seem to move with the mouse<br />
instead of scrolling down. (From: chang@platform.com)<br />
<br />
· Swapping buttons: use the xmodmap command to change which physical<br />
button registers as each mouse click. eg: xmodmap -e "pointer = 3<br />
2 1" will turn round the buttons for use in the left hand. If you<br />
only have a two-button mouse then it's just numbers 1 & 2.<br />
<br />
· Acceleration: use the xset m command to change the mouse settings.<br />
eg xset m 2 will set the acceleration to 2. Look at the manpage<br />
for full details.<br />
<br />
· Pointer offset: If the click action appears to be coming from the<br />
left or right of where the cursor is, it may be that your screen is<br />
not aligned. This is a problem with the S3 driver, which you may be<br />
able to fix using xvidtune. Try Invert_VCLK/InvertVCLK, or EarlySC.<br />
This info from Bill Lavender (lavender@MCS.COM) and Simon Hargrave.<br />
In the XF86Config, it might look like this:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Subsection "Display"<br />
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480" "1280x1024"<br />
Invert_VCLK "*" 1<br />
...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
· If you are getting `bouncing' of the mouse buttons, ie two clicks<br />
when you only wanted one, there may be something wrong with the<br />
mouse. This problem has been solved for Logitech mice by Bob<br />
Nichols (rnichols@interaccess.com) and involves soldering some<br />
resistors and a chip in the mouse to debounce the microswitches.<br />
<br />
· If some users cannot get the mouse to work but some (eg root) can,<br />
it is possible that the users are not running exactly the same<br />
thing - for instance a different version of X or a different<br />
Xconfig. Check the X start-up messages carefully to make sure.<br />
<br />
· If you find the mouse pointer is erasing things from your screen,<br />
you have a server config problem. Try adding the option linear, or<br />
maybe nolinear to the graphics card section, or if it is a PCI<br />
board, the options tgui_pci_write_off and tgui_pci_read_off. (This<br />
seems to be a Trident Card problem.)<br />
<br />
· If the mouse cursor doesn't show up on the screen, but otherwise<br />
seems to be working, try the option "sw_cursor" in the Device<br />
section of the config file.<br />
<br />
· If your mouse stops working when its sunny or when you turn a light<br />
on, it may be that the sensors are being swamped by light getting<br />
through the case. You could try painting the inside of the case<br />
black, or putting some card in the top.<br />
<br />
· Microsoft Brand mice are often a cause of problems. The newest<br />
``Microsoft Serial Mouse 2.1A'' has been reported not to work on<br />
many systems, although unplugging it and plugging it in again may<br />
help. gpm version 1.13 and higher should also support 2.1A mice,<br />
using the pnp mouse type. (See the gpm section for how to re-<br />
export this.) The ``Microsoft Intellimouse'' also causes problems,<br />
although it should now be supported by XFree version 3.3 and later.<br />
<br />
<br />
13. Models Tested<br />
<br />
There are a lot of different mice out there, and I cannot honestly say<br />
that you should go out and buy one rather than the other. What I can<br />
do is give a list of what I think these mice do, based on experience<br />
and heresay. Even with this information you should be a little<br />
cautious - we had two identical mice in our office on two computers,<br />
some things worked on one and not t'other! Any additions to this list<br />
would be welcome.<br />
<br />
<br />
Mouse Systems optical mouse, serial version<br />
Works well (as you might expect from the name!) without ClearDTR or<br />
ClearRTS in the config.<br />
WiN mouse, as sold by Office World for eight quid.<br />
Standard dual-mode Microsoft/MouseSystems.<br />
Agiler Mouse 2900<br />
Standard dual-mode Microsoft/MouseSystems. SYSGRATION SYS2005 chip is<br />
solderable.<br />
Sicos mouse,<br />
Works ok, needs ClearDTR & Clear RTS in config.<br />
Index sell a mouse for 10 quid,<br />
Doesn't work in 3 button mode, but does have nice instructions :-)<br />
Artec mouse<br />
Usual dual-protocol mouse, needs `ClearDTR' set in config, NOT<br />
`ClearRTS'<br />
DynaPoint 3 button serial mouse.<br />
Usual dual-protocol mouse, needs `ClearDTR' AND `ClearRTS' in Xconfig.<br />
Genius Easymouse 3 button mouse<br />
Works fine with Mouseman protocol without the ChordMiddle parameter<br />
set. From Roderick Johnstone (rmj@ast.cam.ac.uk)<br />
Truemouse, made in Taiwan<br />
Works OK, needs `ClearDTR' in config. (From Tim MacEachern)<br />
Champ brand mouse<br />
Needs to have switch in PC mode, which enables MouseSystems protocol<br />
also. (From tnugent@gucis.cit.gu.edu.au)<br />
MicroSpeed mouse<br />
Usual dual-protocol mouse.<br />
Venus brand ($7)<br />
Has a jumper inside to switch between 2 and 3 button mode. (From<br />
mhoward@mth.com )<br />
Saturn<br />
Switched mouse, works OK as MouseSystems in 3-button position. (From<br />
grant@oj.rsmas.miami.edu .)<br />
Manhattan mouse.<br />
Switch for `MS AM' / `PC AT' modes, MS mode works fine with the gpm -R<br />
method. (From komanec@umel.fee.vutbr.cz).<br />
Inland mouse.<br />
Switch for `PC/MS' modes, works fine. (From<br />
http://ptsg.eecs.berkeley.edu/~venkates).<br />
qMouse (3-button), FCC ID E6qmouse X31.<br />
Sells in the USA for about $10. Works with `gpm -t msc -r 20'. No<br />
jumpers or switches for MouseSystems 3-button mode. Unreliable in X.<br />
Does not respond to echo "*n" > /dev/mouse.<br />
Mitsumi Mouse (2-button), FCC ID EW4ECM-S3101.<br />
Sells in the USA for about $12. Reliable in X and under gpm, smooth<br />
double-button. (These two from gustafso@math.utah.edu)<br />
PC Accessories mouse that i got from CompUSA for under $10.<br />
Has PC/MS switch on bottom. Works OK. (From steveb@communique.net)<br />
First Mouse - seriously cheap at 7.79 pounds at Tempo.<br />
Dual Microsoft/MouseSystems, mode set by button depress at power-up.<br />
No switches, no links. Four wire connection, echo '*n' doesn't work.<br />
`gpm -R' works a treat. (From peterk@henhouse.demon.co.uk)<br />
Trust 3-button mouse.<br />
Dual-mode with switch, works OK as MouseSystems in `PC' mode. gpm<br />
doesn't like the Microsoft mode.<br />
Chic 410<br />
Works perfectly when kept in ms mode and used with the gpm -R command.<br />
From Stephen M. Weiss (steve@esc.ie.lehigh.edu)<br />
KeyMouse 3-button mouse.<br />
Works OK with ClearDTR and ClearRTS in Xconfig; `-o dtr' needed with<br />
gpm. (From EZ4PHIL@aol.com)<br />
Qtronix keyboard `Scorpio 60'<br />
All three buttons work in MouseSystems protocol. (From<br />
hwe@uebemc.siemens.de)<br />
Tecra 720 laptop<br />
The glidepoint is on /dev/cua0; the stick is on /dev/psaux. (From<br />
apollo@anl.gov)<br />
Anubis mouse<br />
Works fine, need to hold down left button whenever switching to the X<br />
virtual console. (From Joel Crisp)<br />
Yakumo No.1900 mouse<br />
Works with gpm -R -t ms exporting to X. (From Oliver Schwank)<br />
Genius `Easy Trak' Trackball<br />
Is not Microsoft compatible, use Mouseman in the Xconfig and it will<br />
work fine. (From VTanger@aol.com.)<br />
Highscreen Mouse Pro<br />
`Works fine' says alfonso@univaq.it.<br />
Logitech CA series<br />
Works in X using MMseries protocol, at 2400 Baud, 150 SampleRate.<br />
(Should also apply to Logitech CC, CE, C7 & C9 mice). (From<br />
vkochend@nyx.net.)<br />
A4-Tech mouse<br />
Works OK, needs DTR line under both X and gpm. (From<br />
deane@gooroos.com)<br />
Vertech mouse<br />
Normal Microsoft/Mousesystems behaviour, can be soldered for a<br />
permenant fix. (From duncan@fs3.ph.man.ac.uk.)<br />
Boeder M-7 ``Bit Star'' (and other M series apart from M13)<br />
Switches to Mousesystems protocol by holding any button down at power-<br />
on. (From mailto:sjt@tappin.force9.co.uk.)<br />
Mouse Systems ``Scroll'' Mouse (four buttons and a roller/button)<br />
Has a 2/3 switch - in mode 3 functions as a three button MouseSystems<br />
mouse, ignoring extra button & wheel. Doesn't need ClearRTS/DTR.<br />
(From parker1@airmail.net.)<br />
Radio Shack 3-button Serial Mouse<br />
Model 26-8432, available in Tandy for about 20 quid. Works as<br />
Mousesystems with ClearDTR. (From Sherilyn@sidaway.demon.co.uk.)<br />
Dexxa serial mouse<br />
Works fine using Microsoft protocol in Xconfig, no ChordMiddle or<br />
anything needed. (From mailto:slevy@ncsa.uiuc.edu.)<br />
Belkin 3 button mouse<br />
As purchased from Sears (\$10), needs -o rts under gpm (and probably<br />
ClearRTS under X) when in PC mode. (From mailto:mmicek@csz.com.)<br />
<br />
14. Further Information<br />
<br />
<br />
· Mouse Systems has a web site at http://www.mousesystems.com/. They<br />
have a Windows driver if you need one.<br />
<br />
· The Linux Serial HOWTO is available from mirrors of sunsite around<br />
the world. If you don't know where your nearest mirror is, start<br />
at http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/linux.html<br />
<br />
· There is a very good explanation of how mice work at<br />
http://www.4QD.co.uk/faq/meece.html.<br />
<br />
· Fuller details of the Xconfig and XF86Config files are found on the<br />
relevant man pages, and in the documentation about installing X<br />
windows such as the Xfree86 HOWTO. Also, see the XFree86 FAQ at a<br />
mirror of http://www.XFree86.org/.<br />
<br />
· Information about gpm can be found on the man page, also try the<br />
web page of Darin Ernst at http://www.castle.net/X-<br />
notebook/mouse.txt.<br />
<br />
· Lots of information on mice hardware and software can be found at<br />
http://www.hut.fi/Misc/Electronics/pc/interface.html#mouse<br />
<br />
<br />
15. Mouse Tail<br />
<br />
Much of the information for this document has been trawled from the<br />
various linux newsgroups. I am sorry I did not keep a record of<br />
everyone who has indirectly contributed by this route, thank you all<br />
very much.<br />
<br />
<br />
So, to sum up:<br />
<br />
<br />
· Even cheap 3 button Microsoft mice can be made to work.<br />
<br />
· Configure your copy of X to expect a Mouse Systems mouse.<br />
<br />
· Hold down the left button at power-on to switch the mouse to<br />
MouseSystems mode.<br />
<br />
· You might need to hold the left button down when starting X.<br />
<br />
· Mice are more intelligent than you think.<br />
</pre><br />
<br />
[[Category:How-To]]</div>Netfreak