HOW TO Set Up a Wacom Serial Tablet in Ubuntu

[bserem]

same output with the new .c file

Feb 29 03:58:49 redliner kernel: [  185.534884] serio: Serial port ttyS0
Feb 29 03:58:50 redliner kernel: [  186.534121] input (null): Timed out waiting for tablet to respond with model and version.
Feb 29 03:58:50 redliner kernel: [  186.534135] wacom_serial: probe of serio22 failed with error -5

and you've got mail

[palhmbus]

First of all...

A huge thanks to tokenrove &`Roaldfre who got this working...

I'm a Intous2 GD-1218-R user on Ubuntu 11.10 (just upgraded today).

Using the awesome how to, I now have a working tablet (so long Windows XP!)

I have a couple of questions still though, can I enable Mode "Relative" ?

I've read that this mode is the equivalent "Mouse Mode"
and that my cursor will behave more like a mouse, which is what I'd like for my normal use, (since I'm using a keyboard on top of my wacom).

Also, is there any way of using the new Wacom Control Panel in Ubuntu 11.10 ?

[Favux]

Hi palhmbus,

can I enable Mode "Relative" ?

Sure. You can use a xsetwacom command or the control panel applet. See below or man xsetwacom (and man wacom) in a terminal.

Also, is there any way of using the new Wacom Control Panel in Ubuntu 11.10 ?

The Wacom tablet applet is in System Settings and lets you use Absolute or Relative Mode. This Gnome 3.2 version is the first version and doesn't do much yet. To access some of the gnome-settings-daemon hooks for Wacom you still have to use dconf-editor: http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawik...ettings-daemon Higher up on that page are examples re. the stylus and eraser. From the LWP mediawiki HOWTO page: http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawik...Category:HOWTO

[tokenrove]

Thanks very much to bserem, the protocol 4 driver should now support PenPartners, and possibly other previously-failing tablets.

The latest version can be obtained here:
http://cipht.net/releases/wacom_serial-120301-1.tar.bz2

I would appreciate feedback on it, as I may soon make an attempt to get it into the kernel mainline. I know there are probably still some problems in tool switching and due to the lack of supression/filtering.

[bserem]

Since I am the only beta-tester at the moment I'll speak first and say many, many thanks to tokenrove! He did a magnificent job and in very little time I must say... You should see this guy coding!

I played a bit with the penpartner, it works just fine.
I fired up Gimp once tokenrove finished his job and tested the tablet there.

Gimp succesfully recognizes all three tools provided (pen, eraser, side button) and works with them fine. It can handle differences in pressure and it switches tools when I flip the pen.
So everything registers fine!

This was my first ever experience with tablets so I do not know if things could be better or not. I'm still trying to see if/how I can change the pressure sensitivity.
The tools available (GUIs) do not yet recognize the Penpartner. I'm pretty sure that once tokenrove polishes the code they will start to provide options for protocol IV devices too!

It is amazing how a really really old device, given to me by somebody that was going to trash it, is now fully functional again. The greatest hardware companies aren't capable of such things, yet tokenrove did it in linux. Congrats once again!

[Favux]

Hi bserem,

Thanks for your testing. Glad to hear the PenPartner is working now.

To change pressure you can use a xsetwacom command with the PressureCurve parameter. Run man xsetwacom in a terminal for instructions. To get the "device name" run xinput list. You can read various useful HOWTOs here: http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawik...Category:HOWTO

So the Wacom tablet applet in System Settings doesn't see your PenPartner?

[bserem]

Thanks for the info on pressure, I'll look into it. You see I am a total nood when it comes to wacoms.

I also don't have a tablet applet (archlinux+xfce, I might haven't installed something)

[Favux]

Oops. The applet is with Gnome 3.2. That's why you don't have it using xfce. They're working on the Gnome Wacom applet, trying to catch up to the KDE one. The new libwacom (supplies tablet metadata) should help folks writing a tablet configuration gui. So maybe someone will write an xfce one in the not too distant future.

[palhmbus]

Sure. You can use a xsetwacom command or the control panel applet. See below or man xsetwacom (and man wacom) in a terminal.

Afraid I've tried and it doesn't work...

sudo xsetwacom set "Wacom protocol 5 serial tablet pad" Mode "Relative"
X Error of failed request: XI_BadMode (invalid Mode parameter)
Major opcode of failed request: 140 (XInputExtension)
Minor opcode of failed request: 5 (X_SetDeviceMode)
Mode id in failed request: 0x17
Serial number of failed request: 15
Current serial number in output stream: 15

Please tell me I'm missing something obvious.

Also, I'm using the Lubuntu version of 11.10, I'll have to install gnome3 and swap over to get the wacom control panel working...

[Favux]

Ah Lubuntu, so you don't have the System Settings control panel applet. That's with the Gnome 3.2 in regular Ubuntu. KDE has a applet too.

You don't need sudo with a xsetwacom command. They're runtime so once entered in a terminal they apply immediately but you lose them if you hot plug, log out, or restart. So a startup script is helpful.

The Mode parameter doesn't apply to the Pad. The Pad is the Linux version of the Wacom ExpressKeys, the tablet buttons in other words. The name difference isn't to confuse you, it's because Wacom has apparently trademarked ExpressKeys.

Mode applies to stylus, eraser, cursor (Wacom tablet mouse), or touch. So what you are looking for is:

xsetwacom set "Wacom protocol 5 serial tablet stylus" Mode "Relative"

Assuming "Wacom protocol 5 serial tablet stylus" is the "device name" xinput list is returning for the stylus.