calcomp, tablet - Configuring a CalComp graphics tablet
This reference page provides information about how you
configure a CalComp DrawingBoard III tablet, an input
device supported by the Xinput extension to the Xserver.
When the software for the tablet is installed on your system,
you can configure it to emulate a system mouse. Other
similar devices can be configured the samw way, but only
the CalComp DrawingBoard III has been verified.
Configuring the X Environment [Toc] [Back]
If you intend to use the CalComp DrawingBoard III tablet
software, you must edit the file /usr/var/X11/Xserver.conf
to turn on support for the X Input extension. To do this,
remove the comment characters surrounding the following
lines:
input _dec_xi_db3 lib_dec_xi_db3.so XiDb3Init
/dev/tty00:1:12:12:16:\ 1:8:1000:1:1 > >
The backslash in this example indicates line continuation
and is not in the actual display.
You should also review these lines to ensure that the
options specified for the tablet are correct, especially
for the tty (logical COMM port) that is specified as the
serial port, where the tablet is connected to your system.
The last line of the /usr/var/X11/Xserver.conf file has
the following syntax:
device:mode:tabletWidth:tabletHeight:numbtns:corePointer:mouseScale:\
resolution:Xincrement:Yincrement
The backslash in this example indicates line continuation
and is not in the actual display.
The following list can help you determine how to set up
the entries for the tablet in the
/usr/var/X11/Xserver.conf file: The port (tty) to which
the device is connected. The default is tty00. This
should be set to 1 for absolute motion. Width of the
active tablet area in inches, not the physical size. The
default is 12. Height of the active tablet area in
inches, not the physical size. The default is 12. Number
of buttons on the puck or pen. The maximum number is 16
and the default is 16. 0 indicates a native tablet mode
(no system mouse). 1 indicates emulate core pointer (the
mouse and tablet are both core pointer devices. The
default is 1. 1 to 50 scaling factor in relative mode.
Determines the speed of the cursor; the higher the number,
the slower the cursor moves. The default is 8. 1 to 2540
lines per inch (lpi). The default is 1000. How much the X
axis must be incremented to cause the tablet to send new
coordinates to the Xserver. The range is 0 to 65536. The
default is 1. How much the Y axis must be incremented to
cause the tablet to send new coordinates to the Xserver.
The range is 0 to 65536. The default is 1.
The device option is required and specifies which tty
device should be associated with the tablet. By default,
the installation software assigns the CalComp DrawingBoard
III tablet to tty00, which you may want to change if that
tty is already allocated. For information on how to
determine which serial port your tablet is connected to,
see the hardware documentation that was shipped with your
processor.
Note that when the stylus or puck is moved as far as the
minimum Xincrement or Yincrement value, the value of the
corresponding axis is updated. For example, if the Xincrement
value is set to 10 and the tablet is moved 10 units
along the X axis, the value of the Y axis will also be
updated simultaneously with the X axis, even if the Yincrement
value has not been reached. Keep this in mind when
setting the Xincrement and Yincrement options.
Configuring the Tablet into the X Server [Toc] [Back]
After you have configured the /usr/var/X11/Xserver.conf
file, you must follow these steps to turn on support for
the tablet in the Xserver: Plug the tablet into your system
and turn it on. Enter the following command to
restart the Xserver so that the Xinput extension can recognize
the tablet:
# /usr/sbin/shutdown -r +5 \ "Turning on support
for the Calcomp Drawingboard III tablet"
(The backslash in this example indicates line continuation
and is not in the actual display.)
When the system comes back up, the tablet will be configured
into the Xserver and ready to use.
When the Xserver first accesses the tablet, it performs
some hardware-specific initialization that can be saved in
the on-board memory of the tablet. To save these settings,
follow these steps: Press the EXIT CONFIG button on the
tablet's menu. Under the SAVE button, press the DEFAULT
button. Press the EXIT CONFIG button to save the settings.
The following notes and restrictions apply to the CalComp
DrawingBoard III tablet: If the puck or stylus is not used
within a 5 minute period, the tablet will automatically
shut off. To reactivate it, press any button on the puck
or stylus while they are in close proximity to the tablet.
If you configure the tablet as the system's core pointer,
moving the puck and the system mouse simultaneously will
cause the cursor to move in an unpredictable fashion. Use
only one puck or stylus at a time. If you try to use both
input devices simultaneously, you will encounter unpredictable
behavior. Manual configuration of the tablet via
the tablet buttons is not supported. If you try to use
these buttons to configure the tablet, the Xserver will
malfunction and may even crash. If you need to reconfigure
the tablet, edit the /usr/var/X11/Xserver.conf file and
then reboot the Xserver. You can modify some parts of the
tablet setup by programming the Xinput extension. For more
information on how to do this, see the XInput specification
provided by the X Consortium.
The X server configuration file, in which the tablet is
defined.
Xserver(1X), dc(7), scc(7), ports(7), tty(7)
calcomp(7)
[ Back ] |
