Bluetooth Keyboard Plugin Update

[newsbot]

From Thomas Junnonen:

A new version of the Bluetooth keyboard plugin is available [LINK:
http://770.fs-security.com/keyboards.html] here

New stuff:
- You can search for keyboards and choose a specific one to connect to.
- You can pair the keyboard to the 770. Once paired, powering on the
keyboard will associate it with the 770 and you can simply start
typing away. Convenient!
- You can choose a keyboard layout, currently I have a Scandinavian
and a German layout bundled. Send me your layout if you want
it included (see the hacking section on the homepage).
- Matthew`s screen blanking fix is integrated (thanks!), but it doesn`t
seem to work all the time, needs some looki...Read the full article. (http://www.internettablettalk.com/content/view/161)

[Mike Cane]

Live via tapping 770:

Get out!!

Was just about to use my BT KB when I saw this!

D/Led. Now to play.

Back soon.

[fpp]

Is there any way to enjoy both benefits (screen blanking fix and localized layout) with plain old USB keyboards ?...

[Rezzo]

When I choose "Select keyboard from list" it says "Searching for devices" infinitely... It never stops.

That option could be a solution for me, cos I have a keyboard from Omiz (this one (http://www.omiz.com.cn/products/order.asp?type=4)) that wasn't recognized by bluetooth plugin v0.2.2.

[bowdie]

Hi, thanks for this, I can confirm that it also works with the freedom mini. (even though the old version also did)

I notice that there still is a problem with that KB and boxes in forums and things. Just like this one. Any lower case char works fine, but if you hold hold caps, or symbol shift (for any punctuation) it draws a square, and then refuses to type any character correctly until you delete that square.

Does not happen inside notes + url boxes of the broswer, everything works great there.

[Mike Cane]

When I choose "Select keyboard from list" it says "Searching for devices" infinitely... It never stops.

Live via 770 with *Bluetooth keyboard*

It was coincidental that I had my BT KB out when replying to this. Why should I bloody tap-tap when I can type?!

1234567890
!@#$%^&*()
_+
=-
><,.{}][:"';
~`

It seems I don' t have any problems getting all the keyboard characters in this text box. What problems are other people having?

Anyway, yes, it seems to never stop Searching -- but you should see your keyboard in the list of found devices. Click on it and the Search stops.

See my "blog" for my adventure with the latest driver.

[tjb]

I now have an apple bluetooth keyboard working with the new version of the plugin (this reply from the 770). It seems to be working fine, no problems WITH CAPS! or other shifted characters (!@#$%^&*).

I have had a couple of complete 770 resets when I was first trying to get it to pair but now it seems to just work. Thanks for making this available.

[eskin]

Hmm... still have the same issue with the Think Outside keyboard right or left FN key shifted characters, which include all the numbers, and multi-line browser text fields where the keyboard spews junk while either FN key is held down. Works perfectly for single line browser text entry fields, for example Google search.

Started playing with XEV and XMODMAP to see if I can make some sense of the raw data, but its not clear to me that this is an issue fixable just with a key map mod, seems like the modifier key key code which is properly ignored by the single line entry isn't ignored by the multiline entry, looking at the stream of events in XEV, I do see the correct shifted key codes along with events indicating the shifts. At least I think that's what I'm seeing... This is all new to me, I'm a windows hardware driver developer by profession...

Anyone else having any better luck with the Think Outside keyboard?

Cheers,

Michael

[anson]

Michael, look for the recent ThinkOutside thread where a xmodmap solution is posted!

[masdeirf]

Hi, greatly, thanks for this.

[bowdie]

Hi I am typing this on my nokia using the freedom mini keyboard

You will have to excuse the lack of punctuation

Caps work but if I hit the num key for numbers or special chars all I get is

[bowdie]

Wow, that was tricky! Anyway, I'm back on the PC now. It seems that when you hold shift, it seems to accept that as a key press, as opposed to a modifier of some kind. (If that's the correct word)

On my 770's screen I get little boxes, well - more like [ ] but rotated through 90degrees, so they're at the top and bottom of where a character would be.

Sorry I can't be more help.

[RogerS]

Hmm... still have the same issue with the Think Outside keyboard right or left FN key shifted characters, which include all the numbers, and multi-line browser text fields where the keyboard spews junk while either FN key is held down. Works perfectly for single line browser text entry fields, for example Google search.

...

Anyone else having any better luck with the Think Outside keyboard?It took me a while to encounter a multi-line text entry field in the browser.

My experience is identical to yours -- single line fine, multi-line yields garbage with either Fn (Function) key. And of course, as you say, to get a number you depress the left Fn key and then a QWERTY key, and for the symbols above a number on a traditional keyboard you depress the right Fn key and a QWERTY key.

If someone has a fix involving xmodmap, please do post with full(er) explanation.

Thx

Roger

[Fifer]

I have the (I think) same problem as bowdie with th Freedom mini keyboard. Any attempt to type punctuation or numbers fails. Pressing the 123/num key just generates a character which looks like a stretched '='. Any ideas? Brothers seems to have his working fine.

[brothers]

I may have misspoken - all I've done with the Freedom Mini so far is enter URLs and suchlike. I'm on a laptop right now; I'll play with the Mini a bit later and see what happens.

- Dennis Brothers

[Mike Cane]

Live via 770 with Bluetooth keyboard:

Well, it seems I somehow managed to make it *pair* with the the 770! And as all you poor ThinkOutside keyboard owners can see, I have no problem typing any characters at all (go on, I have to rub it in!)! I am still getting some duplicate characters at times, however. I still don't think this is the fault of the keyboard itself. It would have been nice if they had even included an instruction flyer in Chinese! I would have brought it to Chinatown and had it translated. Anyway, it works for me now. Thanks much to the author for his generosity!

[Mike Cane]

Live agaiin via 770 and Bluetooth keyboard:

Yep. I can now basically turn on the keyboard and it pairs quickly. (Well, there is this wee button I must also hold down that apparently makes the unit broadcast, "Yo! It's me, the Chinese keyboard!"

Ah, now if there was just a way to kill kill kill the duplcate characters!

[eskin]

OK, with the latest BT plugin and xmodmap I was able to get around the multiline browser field problem with the ThinkOutside keyboard. Using that info, I was able to make a custom .map file, but I can't copy the .map file into the /var/lib/install/usr/share/kb-maps/ directory without being root. So I tried using sudo, but I have no idea what the root password is for this device. I tried the one suggested, "rootme", it doesn't work.

I'm so close to having this work, its insane to have to reflash the device just to get root access, can anyone help me copy this one file?

[anson]

For root, you don't have to reflash the entire image, just flash on R&D mode. Then just leave your device in that mode.

[gnuite]

Live via 770 with Bluetooth keyboard:

Well, it seems I somehow managed to make it *pair* with the the 770! And as all you poor ThinkOutside keyboard owners can see, I have no problem typing any characters at all (go on, I have to rub it in!)! I am still getting some duplicate characters at times, however. I still don't think this is the fault of the keyboard itself. It would have been nice if they had even included an instruction flyer in Chinese! I would have brought it to Chinatown and had it translated. Anyway, it works for me now. Thanks much to the author for his generosity!

I can verify that pairing works fine with the ThinkOutside Stowaway keyboard. It's a little finicky to set up, but follow the pairing instructions in the Stowaway's instruction manual, and it works great.

The unblanking code that was added to the plugin works, too (usually).

The xmodmap solution (xmodmap -e "keycode 8 = Shift_L") mentioned by agentdr8 (http://www.internettablettalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1047#postmenu_7220) circumvenes the function-key problem, so the number keys and symbol keys work fine everywhere.

More importantly, the ThinkOutside Bluetooth keyboard folds (like many other bluetooth keyboards). So I don't have to carry it around like a laptop computer. Everything fits in my pockets. Life is good.

[anson]

Rather than running xmodmap every time, just create a .xmodmap file in /home/user. Place "keycode 8 = Shift_L" (without the double quotes) in the first line. The new BT driver will execute this configuration when you connect the keyboard. Problem permanently solved, at least until you reflash a new version of the ROM and have to do this all over again :)

I haven't been able to connect the Stowaway using a passcode so I just use the "Connect Input Device" option of the BT driver. Couldn't be easier after that. Many thanks for the updated driver!

Question, though: How does one get the arrow keys to repeat inside an Opera text area? It seems to accept the first arrow key but then sends the key to the browser as opposed to the text area.

-anson (Typing on the Stowaway, 9797392732@#$#@%$@@% Fn testing)

[eskin]

OK, tried that, created the .xmodmap file in /home/user with the single keycode 8 entry, still not getting proper shifted symbols in multiline text fields after reconnecting the Think Outside BT keyboard. This is with the latest .3 BT keyboard plugin. If I manually execute the xmodmap command things do work right. Is there another file that has to be replaced along with doing the end user install of the latest BT keyboard plugin?

What I'd really like to be able to do is copy my custom .map file into the /var/lib/install/usr/share/kb-maps/ directory. cp won't do it due to permissions. So I tried using sudo, but I have no idea what the root password is for this device. I tried the one suggested, "rootme", it doesn't work. Isn't there some very simple way to do this that doesn't involve having a full linux development system handy, i.e. I just want my browser to work with my keyboard, and I want to copy my file onto a directory on my device? I have xterminal on the 770, and can edit files on the mmc via USB2 to my XP system, those are the only tools I have, should be enough, I'd think...

Thanks for any tips!

Michael
(frustrated being locked out of my own device)

[anson]

Oh, darn, you're right. I must have not rebooted before I created my .xmodmap and the original call to xmodmap -e was still in affect. I'm going to have to re-read the thread that originated this solution.

In the meantime, I created a oneline stowaway.map file and placed it in the directory you mentioned, pointed the plugin at it, and now it works as expected. Had to gainroot first, of course. Hopefully we can get a non-root method to work. Either that or just get the distribution to include a stowaway .map file :)

[Fifer]

As brownie and I appear to have the same problem with the Freedom Mini and brothers isn't certain that his works ok, I'd suggest no-one else buys this keyboard for their 770 until we get to the bottom of the issue (and hopefully resolve it). I wonder if wendo got his working?

Given that Freedom claim that the mini is HID compliant, has anyone any suggestions why it doesn't appear to work? I can understand why some of the more esoteric functions might not work, but surely numbers and basic punctuation are fundamental requirements?

[Mike Cane]

@ desktop:

Is this the folding Freedom or the handheld thumbing one? Or do both have the same problems? I'd like a thumbboard down the road, I think...

[bowdie]

It's this one...

http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=124250

[Mike Cane]

@ desktop:

Ouch!

[christianhauck]

looks very interesting: affordable, small enough.
About compatibility issues: http://freedominput.com/mainsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=44 does not yet list the Nokia 770.
Users of other devices seem to have some problems too, and drivers on their site are new (from 2006), so they may still be working on it.
I don't want another driver, I just want something that works out of the box.

[Fifer]

I don't want another driver, I just want something that works out of the box.
Me too. This should (I think) being HID compliant, but unfortunately it doesn't. It's a real shame because the size and ergonomics are good.

[raminf]

Every once in a while the Think Outside Stowaway goes into a strange mode where the Enter key stops working. Instead, pressing it keeps turning on and off the on-screen keyboard. Kind of a pain, especially in xterm.

Any ideas as to what is going on?

[gnuite]

Every once in a while the Think Outside Stowaway goes into a strange mode where the Enter key stops working. Instead, pressing it keeps turning on and off the on-screen keyboard. Kind of a pain, especially in xterm.

Any ideas as to what is going on?

This happens to me when you first turn on and turn off the keyboard. Not sure of the cause, but it appears to stem from the application not being notified completely of the input method change. Minimizing and unminimizing the application (or selecting a different application, then returning) seem to knock some sense into the app.

[Mike Cane]

@ desktop:

Do you guys ever lose the BT connection with your keyboards (FM & TO)?

[lon]

I have finally got my keyboard (the Freedom mini) working satisfactorily (not perfectly), and thought that I would share all the tips and tricks involved. So I wrote up a wiki page on Maemo. Check out http://maemo.org/maemowiki/HowTo_SetupKeyboard for the details. There isn't anything terribly new there, but it puts together bits and pieces from many different sources; I haven't found anywhere else that puts them all together.

Unresolved problems for me are:

Typing still does not disable the screen blanking.
The keyboard seems to disconnect excessively often.


I suppose that someone will eventually get the screen blanking sorted.

I think that using a newer version of the bluez drivers/utils might help with the disconnections. Does anyone know when Maemo is going to upgrade from the upstream source?

[Fifer]

lon, that looks like excellent progress. I'd be happy justy to get the Num key working properly, which your fix appears to do. However, although I am reasonably PC literate from a hardware/windows perspective, I don't know Linux and I don't have a Linux box (which I think I'd need to get root?). Is there any way of achieving what you have without access to a Linux box and/or Linux guru?

[luminaix]

I have finally got my keyboard (the Freedom mini) working satisfactorily (not perfectly), and thought that I would share all the tips and tricks involved. So I wrote up a wiki page on Maemo. Check out http://maemo.org/maemowiki/HowTo_SetupKeyboard for the details.

Many thanks for this information :)

Without activating xmodmap, I had been able to use lower case, upper case and numerical characters in xterm. The Alt Gr key however is a bit strange. Pressing it with another key does not produce anything, for example E, R and T do not give the dollar, pound and euro signs as suggested by the green signs on the keyboard. However, pressing Num and Alt Gr simultaneously gives a numerical lock which gives a series of new characters with the shift key. In fact the shifted number keys are exactly what you get on the top row of a qwerty keyboard (for example shift-4 gives a dollar sign). Is this the same for your freedom mini when paired with the 770 without xmodmap?

[Michael]

I don't know Linux and I don't have a Linux box (which I think I'd need to get root?). Is there any way of achieving what you have without access to a Linux box and/or Linux guru?Download the VMWare Player here:
http://www.vmware.com/products/player/

Download the Umbuntu virtual machine for the player here:
http://www.vmware.com/vmtn/vm/ubuntu.html

Then you can hook up your 770 to your Windows machine via USB and run the needed app to unlock root access. This is how I did it myself. You'll need the default root/user password for Umbuntu, which I forget, but somebody should be able to help you with that. I found it after a few minutes using Google.

[eskin]

Or you can use the Windows based release -51 firmware patcher posted in another thread, re-flash your 770 with the patched Nokia release using the Nokia firmware updater utility for windows, and then get access to root from xterm. Worked great for me and I'm a Linux neophyte...

[Fifer]

Thanks Michael and eskin. I'll give one of those suggestions a try and report back.

[boresch]

Set up my su-8w with the 0.3 version of the BT plugin. Before I managed
to pair, this produced a few reboots, but it seems to be stable now.

My main trouble at the moment is that I can work via ssh on the
command line and in nano, but not in emacs, as many keys are not
correctly interpreted by emacs (in xterm). Could this be related to
the Opera bugs / multiline text input methods discussed in this thread?

To make my set-up clear: osso-xterm on the 770, ssh into a work
machine, all commands are run in the xterm window (no X forwarding!):

Examples of problematic inputs are ' ` (tick and backtick), which (on the
Nokia) one has to produce with the Fn key. (Interestingly, the numbers
and the +? sign work) I realize that the remote shell already gets
strange(?) characters, but seems to interpret them correctly:

When I type under od -ta
0+'
on the remote machine, I get as keys pressed
0+B4
i.e., the ' is seen as B4 although, e.g., the shell interprets this correctly.
Emacs, however, reads this as M-B M-4 with nonsensical results.

Anyone having any ideas? I am very much an emacs person, so this
"hurts" -- thanks,

Stefan

[lon]

When I type under od -ta
0+'
on the remote machine, I get as keys pressed
0+B4
i.e., the ' is seen as B4 although, e.g., the shell interprets this correctly.
Emacs, however, reads this as M-B M-4 with nonsensical results.


I can't speak as to all the details of your setup, but it is clear what is happening in your example: the keyboard is generating the Unicode character U+00B4 (ACUTE ACCENT), not the character U+0027 (APOSTROPHE), which is probably what you wanted instead. The character is then UTF-8 enccoded, which results in the two bytes 0xC2, 0xB4 being transmitted to the remote computer. Emacs isn't expecting UTF-8 input, so it interprets the 8th bit as "meta", resulting in M-B, M-4.

Solution: change your modmap so that apostrophe is generated, rather than acute accent. You may also want to configure emacs to accept 8-bit input (UTF-8 encoded).

Lon

[boresch]

Lon,



Solution: change your modmap so that apostrophe is generated, rather than acute accent. You may also want to configure emacs to accept 8-bit input (UTF-8 encoded).

Lon

thanks for the pointer. Emacs is working fine now. I want to finetune this
and post a brief summary: It feels as if the usefulness of my 770 just
doubled.

Thanks again,

Stefan

[luminaix]

I just tried lon's recipe for xmodmap modifiers on both the stowaway and freedom mini keyboards. All is hunky-dory for typing on sites like this one. Thanks again lon for your good work!

A cheap Y usb cable together with a usb hub also allows a normal USB keyboard to be connected,
as detailed elsewhere on this site. Going mini, I decided to order the inexpensive and tiny "keysonic" nano usb keyboard:

https://linitx.com/product_info.php?products_id=838

However at the moment the stowaway Think Outside is my favourite. :)

[deepsicario]

I m really having a hard time installing the keyboard (no nothing about linux or any other programing expirience)

I have an Omiz Bt kb, which seems not to be HID.

Can anyone help me? i ve ben reading bits and pieces from lots of forums but havent been able to get it. thanx
deepsicario



Live via 770 with *Bluetooth keyboard*

It was coincidental that I had my BT KB out when replying to this. Why should I bloody tap-tap when I can type?!

1234567890
!@#$%^&*()
_+
=-
><,.{}][:"';
~`

It seems I don' t have any problems getting all the keyboard characters in this text box. What problems are other people having?

Anyway, yes, it seems to never stop Searching -- but you should see your keyboard in the list of found devices. Click on it and the Search stops.

See my "blog" for my adventure with the latest driver.

[ploum]

I just bought a stowaway BT keyboard and it works great !

The only point is that I have the french version and the keymap doesn't exist.

I'm trying to create it myself with xev :
http://ploum.fritalk.com/stowaway-fr.map

But I don't understand how to set the symbol of a blue modified/green modified key. (in xev, it appears like I don't have the modifier key pressed)

Also, I don't know how to obtain the name of some symbols ? (for example, I want keycode 48 to be "ù" or how do I set "é" "è" ?)

Also, the keycode 20 must be a deadkey, don't know how to configure that.

Thanks for informations.

[fanoush]

I m really having a hard time installing the keyboard (no nothing about linux or any other programing expirience)

I have an Omiz Bt kb, which seems not to be HID.

Can anyone help me? i ve ben reading bits and pieces from lots of forums but havent been able to get it. thanx
deepsicario

You may check this http://fanoush.webpark.cz/maemo/#kbdd but you need some linux skills. In worst case you will need to figure out keyboard keycodes for proper support. It is doable but a bit hard for newbie. Or you may ditch the keyboard and buy one that supports HID profile.

[kcallis]

I have just acquired a Think Outside BT keyboard. I have no doumentation to get bonded with my 770. If some one could tell me how to do that, I would be very appreciative.

[aflegg]

Hi,

Ctrl-Fn-Fn puts the ThinkOutside Stowaway into pairing/discoverable mode, use this with the BlueTooth plugin (http://770.fs-security.com/maemo-bt-plugin/) - more instructions at its homepage.

HTH,

Andrew

[Rocketman]

I am curious as to whether anyone has tried the new Brando mini-bluetooth keyboard with their 770, and if so, what they thought of it? It is amongst the cheapest bluetooth keyboards I have found.

http://shop.brando.com.hk/minibluetoothkeyboard.php