The Nostromo N52. If you’re a gamer and you have this baby, chances are you won’t game without it, trust me I know. This is why when I ditched Windows for Ubuntu Ultimate 1.9 Linux, getting my Nostromo to work with full functionality in Linux was a VERY big deal for me.
There are 2 ways you can get the Nostromo N52 to work in Linux.
Download the Nostromo 0.1.3 or 0.1.4 drivers and follow one of the several guides out there that try to explain how to get it working.
Or
Download Pystromo from Raumkraut and follow my guide here.
The down and dirty on the Nostromo Linux drivers from Sourceforge is that they work but are glitchy when it comes to macros and repeating. I have my Nostromo spam the button I am pressing every 100 milliseconds. With the Nostromo Linux drivers this will freeze up my game. At 200 milliseconds it does work but will glitch out and lock into a spam and not stop spamming the key when I release the key. I then have to press the key again to get it to stop.
That being said… I suggest you steer clear of the Nostromo Linux drivers!
Raumkraut has worked very hard to create this program and give it to us for free, don’t let his hard work go to waste.
Raumkraut has included a README file with his Pystromo that details how to install it and what files to look into to learn how to configure it. However for those of us who, like me, need lengthy step by step instructions to get the job done, keep reading.
Raumkraut's README file is basically the installation instruction file.
His test.map file located in the config directory is his instructions on how to program Pystromo.
His constants.py script shows every key Pystromo understands and can bind to your Nostromo.
Here goes the tutorial.
Raumkraut’s website for Pystromo is located here.
https://launchpad.net/pystromo
1. Download version 0.6.0 of Pystromo.
2. Go to /home/username/.config
3. Create a folder in this directory called “pystromo” (without quotes)
4. Extract the files from the 0.6.0 tar you downloaded to this new pystromo directory.
5. Open a terminal window and do the following commands.
Code:
sudo gedit /etc/modules
This will open the file “modules” with the gedit program.
6. In there add "uinput" (without the quotes) to the file and save and close it.
7. Open another terminal window and do the following command.
Code:
sudo modprobe uinput
This will eliminate the need to reboot after adding that line to the modules file.
8. Now close that terminal window.
9. Now if you are running Ubuntu open another terminal window and do the following command.
Code:
sudo cp /home/username/.config/pystromo/config/52-pystromo-debian.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/
10. Now close that terminal window and open another terminal window and do the following.
***ATTENTION*** -This section is only for those using this guide to install Pystromo to use with another game controller. If you are using the Nostromo N52 or Nostromo N50 skip this section. *NOTE* If you are using the Nostromo N52te version, you will need to follow this section of the guide. (To be removed later: If someone using this guide has a Nostromo N52te and has success with it, please respond to my post with the vendor and product number you received when following this guide.)
This should output a list of USB devices connected to the computer. Now I use a Belkin Nostromo N52 and the line for my controller looks like this:
Code:
Bus 002 Device 004: ID 050d:0815 Belkin Components
But yours should say something with the name or brand of your controller in it.
What we are looking for is the Vendor number and Product number. Notice the parts I have in red and blue in the above line. The red part is the vendor number and the blue part is the product number.
Write this part from your game controller line down. We will be adding it to one of Pystromo's config files.
Now from a terminal window do the following command.
Code:
gedit /home/username/.config/pystromo/default.map
In this file put the following info.
Code:
# Descriptive name of your controller.
[Device:mypad]
vendor=0x(Put in the red numbers I had you right down)
product=0x(Put in the blue numbers I had you right down)
[Map:mypad]
***End Optional Section***
Those who followed the above optional section due to having an originally unsupported controller should skip this next part.
11. Now from a terminal window do the following command.
Code:
gedit /home/username/.config/pystromo/default.map
In this file put the following info.
Code:
# Nostromo N52 Speedpad
[Device:n52]
vendor=0x050d
product=0x0815
[Map:n52]
**Everyone should be following the guide now**
12. Now save and close that file.
13. Open another terminal window and do the following command.
Code:
gedit /home/username/.config/pystromo/monitor.conf
14. Now copy and paste the following information.
Code:
# This is the configuration file for Pystromo's monitoring script.
# Each line herein specifies a mapping file to use when certain
# processes are detected as running.
# With the exception of "*", whitespace in the key IS NOT ignored.
# "=" is an invalid character in keys.
# The * defines mapping files to use all the time
*=default.map
15. Now save and close this file.
16. Now open another terminal window and do the following command.
Code:
gedit /home/username/.config/pystromo/default.map
Now here we want to put the information all after the last line in the current file, the [Map:n52] part.
Basically what we are doing now is telling Pystromo first what the button on the Nostromo we are wanting to configure is bound to by default.
17. The easiest way to do this is write the following to the file.
18. You will then press the button on the Nostromo that you want to configure. This will out put a character to your document or it will do something else, such as shift or capslock or tab.
If you want to know *precisely* what value to use (even for keys with non-visible output), do the following.
Open a terminal window and put in these commands.
Code:
gedit /home/username/.config/pystromo/output.map
In this file put the following text and save and close it.
Code:
# Nostromo N52 Speedpad
[Device:n52]
vendor=0x050d
product=0x0815
[Map:n52]
Now open a terminal window and put in the following commands.
Code:
cd /home/username/.config/pystromo
./pystromo-remap.py -m output.map -vv
You can now press any button on the Nostromo and it will output data in this terminal window telling you what exactly is bound to that key.
Now back to configuring our default.map file.
Let’s say it output the character “A”, but the character will be lower case so it will look like this:
19. Delete the lower case "a" and replace it with an upper case "A"
20. We will now tell it what we want to bind that key to.
This will bind the key "1" to the Nostromo key we are programming.
21. Do this for each key that you want to program. For a list of keys Pystromo can understand and bind to your Nostromo open up the constants.py file with a text editor. That file is located here:
/home/username/.config/pystromo/lib/constants.py
Now for specific programming such as delays or having the key repeat itself every so many milliseconds take a look at the test.map file located at: /home/username/.config/pystromo/config/test.map
It gives a list of commands you can use to configure it.
22. Once you have every key you want configured on the Nostromo open a terminal window and type the following commands.
Code:
cd /home/username/.config/pystromo
./pystromo-remap.py –m default.map
23. Now minimize this terminal window.
24. Open a text editor and test your Nostromo by pressing its keys. If all went well it should now be outputting whatever key you programmed to each key on the Nostromo!
*Note if this still does not cause your Nostromo to use the keys you programmed to it, find the python process in your System Monitor and kill it. Then run the following commands from a terminal*
Code:
cd /home/username/.config/pystromo
sudo ./pystromo-remap.py –m config/default.map
The reason it wouldn’t run without sudo has something to do with the .rules file. Raumkraut would know about that, he made Pystromo… I personally have no clue how to program and am only providing a detailed guide to his excellent work.
If you were able to run pystromo-remap.py without the "sudo" command then you can follow this next section to have Pystromo run when a certain process starts.
25. Open your System Monitor and minimize the window.
26. Run the program or game you wish to use your Nostromo with.
27. Find this program or game's process in the System Monitor. Write it down.
28. Open a terminal window and do the following commands.
Code:
cd /home/username/.config/pystromo
gedit monitor.conf
The file should look like this from before:
Code:
# This is the configuration file for Pystromo's monitoring script.
# Each line herein specifies a mapping file to use when certain
# processes are detected as running.
# With the exception of "*", whitespace in the key IS NOT ignored.
# "=" is an invalid character in keys.
# The * defines mapping files to use all the time
*=default.map
29. Edit the "*=config/default.map" and replace the "*" with the process name of the program you wish to use your Nostromo with. For instance if you wanted to use it with the process "wow.exe" it would look like this:
Code:
# This is the configuration file for Pystromo's monitoring script.
# Each line herein specifies a mapping file to use when certain
# processes are detected as running.
# With the exception of "*", whitespace in the key IS NOT ignored.
# "=" is an invalid character in keys.
# The * defines mapping files to use all the time
wow.exe=default.map
30. Save and close this window.
31. Right click on your desktop and select "Create Launcher".
Name it whatever you want but put the following line in the command text box.
Code:
/home/username/.config/pystromo/./pystromo-mon.py
32. The last step of all, but the most important… ***MOST IMPORTANT*** Enjoy your Nostromo in Linux and be sure to stop by Raumkraut’s website and thank him for his hard work!
Good luck and happy gaming!!
[How To] Installing/Using Nostromo N52 with Linux
Adv Reply
Originally Posted by imlost
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