HOWTO: USB Logitech mouse and 800 cpi with udev

[p!=f]

What is this good for?
This will double your mouse resolution from 400 to 800 cpi to make it more precise. It's very usefull if you spend some time by playing games, working on graphics or you just love moving your mouse around and around...

Requirements:
* USB bus
* Logitech Mouse
* Alexios Chouchoulas LMCtl
(Download the Debian package attached here to get the support for MX310 and MX510 mice)
(Original Debian package available)

Notes:
* Mouse used in this HOWTO is (or maybe was) the basic USB wheel mouse in the Logitech product line (M-BJ58 Wheel mouse) so I suppose MX series should be supported and working without a glitch.
* There's also Logitech Mouse Applet from Brad Hards (more devices supported) but I prefer LMCtl over it.

Download and install lmctl_0.3.2_i386.deb. If you use the one attached here you have to

gzip -d  lmctl_0.3.2_i386.deb.gz

it first. After that run lmctl with --help parameter to get the list of available parameters, especially -4, -8 and --sms ones.

* Basic operations *

Scan USB bus for supported Logitech mouse:

         [~] > sudo lmctl -s
         002.001: 0000:0000 Not a Logitech device
         001.002: 046d:c00e Wheel Mouse Optical (M-BJ58) Caps: RES
         001.001: 0000:0000 Not a Logitech device

Get the status of your mouse:

         [~] > sudo lmctl -i
         001.002: 046d:c00e Wheel Mouse Optical (M-BJ58) Caps: RES
         		Resolution (RES): 400 cpi

As you can see your mouse is probably running with 400 cpi. Something you want to change.

I want to ask something first. What does CAPS and RES mean? I also have SMS there.
CAPS are special capabilities available on your mouse. RES means resolution and SMS means that your mouse is SmartControl ready.

Setting up 800 cpi and SmartControl/Cruise control...
Note: Setting up SmartControl on this mouse is useless, it's used just for demonstration purposes.

         [~] > sudo lmctl -8 --sms
         001.002: 046d:c00e Wheel Mouse Optical (M-BJ58) Caps: RES
         		Resolution set to 800 cpi
         
         [~] > sudo lmctl -i
         001.002: 046d:c00e Wheel Mouse Optical (M-BJ58) Caps: RES
         		Resolution (RES): 800 cpi

Now enjoy the smoothness. Great isn't it?

I restarted my computer and my mouse is crawling again. How do I start it automagically on boot?
There're at least three choices to pick up from.
* a script put in /etc/rc.boot which configures the mouse every restart (obsolete)
* via hotplug (won't be described here)
* via udev which is easier to set up than hotplug (recommended)

* Setting the mouse up everytime you plug/unplug the mouse using a udev rule *

Check another file attached here - logitech-mice.rules.txt. This udev rule contains support for the following mice:
* Wheel Mouse Optical
* MouseMan Traveler
* MouseMan Dual Optical
* MX300 Optical Mouse
* MX310 Optical Mouse
* MX500 Optical Mouse
* MX510 Performance Optical Mouse
* iFeel Mouse (silver)

Download, rename it to logitech-mice.rules...

 [~/downloads] > mv -v logitech-mice.rules.txt logitech-mice.rules
`logitech-mice.rules.txt' -> `logitech-mice.rules'

... and put in
/etc/udev/rules.d/

[~/downloads] > sudo mv -v logitech-mice.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/
`logitech-mice.rules' -> `/etc/udev/rules.d/logitech-mice.rules'

List the directory to see we need to tweak permissions...

[/etc/udev/rules.d] > ls -l
-rw-r--r--  1 pef  pef  716 2004-12-01 00:20 logitech-mice.rules
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root  13 2004-10-05 14:59 udev.rules -> ../udev.rules
lrwxr-xr-x  1 root root  12 2004-11-29 13:51 z_hal-plugdev.rules -> ../hal.rules

[/etc/udev/rules.d] > sudo chown root.root logitech-mice.rules

[/etc/udev/rules.d] > ls -l
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 716 2004-12-01 00:20 logitech-mice.rules
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root  13 2004-10-05 14:59 udev.rules -> ../udev.rules
lrwxr-xr-x  1 root root  12 2004-11-29 13:51 z_hal-plugdev.rules -> ../hal.rules

This should be sufficient. You may try to replug your mouse now to check if it works.

* Executing on boot using a script
This is the obsolete approach. If you replug your mouse the settings will be lost. Use udev way instead.

Create a directory /etc/rc.boot ...

      sudo mkdir /etc/rc.boot

Create and edit a file inside this newly created directory called ie. logitech-mouse...

      sudo nano -w /etc/rc.boot/logitech-mouse

... and put this inside ...

#!/bin/sh
echo "Tunning Logitech mouse..."
lmctl -8 --sms

... finally give your script appropriate permissions so it can be executed

      sudo chmod u+x /etc/rc.boot/logitech-mouse

Note: There's no need to use sudo because every script in /etc/rc.boot directory is run under root privileges.

I want my old settings back! How?
Delete the /etc/udev/rules.d/logitech-mice.rules or /etc/rc.boot/logitech-mouse file (depends on the configuration you selected - udev or a script) and run...

         [~] > sudo lmctl -4 --no-sms

[zenwhen]

Along with the thumb button guide, this make my Logitech MX500 function just as it would with the Logitech drivers in Windows.

I'm getting everything I paid for when I bought the mouse. Imagine that.

[unikum]

This doesnt work for me. After reboot its back to 400 cpi.
I have doublechecked everything.

[p!=f]

This doesnt work for me. After reboot its back to 400 cpi.
I have doublechecked everything.

I just love this kind of post. "My printer doesn't print". More informations next time.

What's your mouse?
Can you get 800 cpi from your mouse just using CLI?
Did you really doublecheck everything? Is your startup script executable?

[unikum]

Logitech mouseman optical dual.

I can get 800 with sudo lmctl -8 --sms

What do you mean with CLI?

I did type sudo chmod u+x /etc/rc.boot/logitech-mouse but when i check its doesnt seems to have been executable.... I dont know... -rwxr--r--


Text in logitech-mouse:

      [~] > cat /etc/rc.boot/logitech-mouse
      #!/bin/sh
      echo "Tunning Logitech mouse..."
      lmctl -8 --sms

[p!=f]

CLI stands for Command Line.
-rwxr--r-- = as you can see it has the executable permission given to a user.

Can you try to run the script manually?

sudo /etc/rc.boot/logitech-mouse

If it works it should be working at the boot. Wierd...

Could you also list /etc/rc.boot directory and post it here?

ls -l /etc/rc.boot

And finally, post the output of

sudo lmctl -i
sudo lmctl -s

[Buffalo Soldier]

LMCtl

anyone else having problem accessing that URL?

[p!=f]

anyone else having problem accessing that URL?

Me. I'll rewrite this HOWTO to use logitech_applet instead.
LMCTL is still available at http://freshmeat.net/projects/lmctl/ just in case.