OS2 World.Com Forum

Subject  :  USB extended keyboard driver
Author  :  Kim
Date  :  01 Jan, 2006 on 20:02
Supporting thread for the USB extended keyboard driver bounty.

Subject  :  Re:USB extended keyboard driver
Author  :  flywheel flywheel@worldonline.dk
Date  :  01 Jan, 2006 on 21:44
Doesn't the driver pass on the keycodes so that Win95Key can utilize them ?

Subject  :  Re:USB extended keyboard driver
Author  :  Martin
Date  :  31 Jan, 2006 on 23:34
Is there any specifc USB Keyboard brand/model that want to be supported for this bounty ?

Subject  :  Re:USB extended keyboard driver
Author  :  Peter.OS/2
Date  :  01 Feb, 2006 on 20:09
Not intended for a special keyboard ,since most keycodes can be used in the keyboard settings of x-workplace.

Peter
(who made the bounty)


Subject  :  Re:USB extended keyboard driver
Author  :  flywheel flywheel@worldonline.dk
Date  :  05 Feb, 2006 on 05:31

Peter.OS/2 (01 Feb, 2006 20:09):
Not intended for a special keyboard ,since most keycodes can be used in the keyboard settings of x-workplace.

Peter
(who made the bounty)


Or Win95Key


Subject  :  Re:USB extended keyboard driver
Author  :  flywheel flywheel@worldonline.dk
Date  :  12 Feb, 2006 on 17:56
I've heard that it should work, if you disable USB keyboard support in the BIOS.

Subject  :  Re:USB extended keyboard driver
Author  :  Shai robin.haberkorn@googlemail.com
Date  :  11 Aug, 2006 on 14:02
Hi,
I think there is the necessity of a new USB keyboard driver or at least a fix to the existing one (a hack if you consider that IBM won't fix it).
I recently bought an Apple USB keyboard and I'm trying to get it to work with eComStation. My BIOS supports USB keyboards but when the system starts up this support ist deactivated (maybe because I activated the USB controller???), so I needed the IBM USB keyboard driver. The basic keys work of course. The Apple/Windows keys work, too. However the F13 to F16 and sound control keys don't work, which means they don't even throw a key scan code (I use a tool shipped with Win95key to get them). I can't explain why but it has nothing to do with the BIOS - I deactivated the support and nothing changed. Interestingly it works with a Windows XP machine using the Windows standard USB keyboard driver. I get a scan code for nearly all additional keys. So it's obviously a bug or missing feature in IBM's driver. It would be nice to get it to work because the Apple keyboards lack a Print, Scroll and Pause key so it would be useful to remap the F14/F15/F16 keys.
Is there maybe already an alternative driver I could try? And yes I'm already using the latest one from IBM.

Robin


Subject  :  Re:USB extended keyboard driver
Author  :  warpcafe warpcafe@yahoo.de
Date  :  14 Aug, 2006 on 21:21
Hi all,

what I'm wondering is:
What does it take to make a keyboard driver? How does it work? There are so damn many keyboards with multitudes of buttons (multi-purpose, volume, apm, navigation, etc.) out there but nothing works the way it should in eCS. Also, there's different notebook models with buttons that enable e.g. wireless NICs.
Are all keys of such keyboards sending scancodes using the "usual registers" or is there something "magic" involved that only the manufacturers know of?
Next, can someone make a driver that accepts all scancodes but uses a mapping file (preferrably plain text) that can be changed on the fly?
What about a driver set that is made up of two components: a hardware specific nucleus (physical) and the hardware-independant (logical) part - ehh... like Scitech's snap in graphics for example. Would that improve the stuff somehow? Extendable to PS/2 models?
Do we need information from an OEM manufacturer of keyboards... is there something "portable" from Linux?

Concerning the apple keyboard: Maybe it's related to the integrated USB hub and the fact that it might require more power?

Greetings
Thomas


Subject  :  Re:USB extended keyboard driver
Author  :  rudi
Date  :  14 Aug, 2006 on 23:08

warpcafe (14 Aug, 2006 21:22):
What about a driver set that is made up of two components: a hardware specific nucleus (physical) and the hardware-independant (logical) part

OS/2's keyboard driver is already structured that way. That's why we have IBMKBD.SYS and KBDBASE.SYS.



warpcafe (14 Aug, 2006 21:22):
Concerning the apple keyboard: Maybe it's related to the integrated USB hub and the fact that it might require more power?

I don't think so. The reason why these additional keys are not "visible" is USBKBD.SYS. This driver will map the scan codes defined by the USB specification to a standard 102/104 keyboard and injects those into IBMKBD.SYS. All scan codes for which no such mapping exists (and this includes "F13".."F24" as well as "Volume up/down" etc.) will be discarded.


Subject  :  Re:USB extended keyboard driver
Author  :  Shai robin.haberkorn@googlemail.com
Date  :  15 Aug, 2006 on 14:33

I don't think so. The reason why these additional keys are not "visible" is USBKBD.SYS. This driver will map the scan codes defined by the USB specification to a standard 102/104 keyboard and injects those into IBMKBD.SYS. All scan codes for which no such mapping exists (and this includes "F13".."F24" as well as "Volume up/down" etc.) will be discarded.

Interesting, so it's really a missing feature. However I read about people who were able to use all special keys (and eCS supports the mapping of special keys - not just the Windows keys). I guess they had PS/2 keyboards. Does the PS/2 keyboard driver support the mapping of non-standard key codes?
Maybe we could use the Windows drivers with Odin ... just kidding...

Subject  :  Re:USB extended keyboard driver
Author  :  USBGuy usbguy@netlabs.org
Date  :  21 Mar, 2007 on 16:56
To add to Rudi's reply: Even if the usbdriver correcly assigns a scancode
and passes this on. The normal keyboard driver filters and translates those codes as well to "support" some special IBM/PS2 keyboards.
While doing this it filters out keys like the "suspend/power" key.

Subject  :  Re:USB extended keyboard driver
Author  :  Kim
Date  :  20 May, 2007 on 00:15
This thread has been closed and will continue in the new forum.

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