Author Topic: Keyboard special keys on OS/2-ArcaOS  (Read 7876 times)

Martin Iturbide

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Keyboard special keys on OS/2-ArcaOS
« on: April 16, 2021, 12:08:03 am »
Hi

This is a subject that I have left behind and I don't know much about it.

I know there is the "Keyboard - OEM Keys / Windows Keys" on ArcaOS's "System Setup" and works fine here.
But what about the other special keys that a keyboard may have? Volume, mute, play, etc, etc.. is someone there with experience mapping those keys, or any other software that is recommended for this ?

Regards
Martin Iturbide
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Pete

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Re: Keyboard special keys on OS/2-ArcaOS
« Reply #1 on: April 16, 2021, 12:45:18 am »
Hi Martin

Use the XWP Keyboard, Function Keys, RightMouseClick and select New Function Key to display the Edit Function Key Definition window.

Click in the Hardware scan code field (red) and press a key. Most keys respond by giving you the key scan value in Hex (and Decimal), you can give the key a description in the above field.

An example:

I have a keyboard with a Play/Pause button which I  setup to Play/Pause in SMPlayer.

In the Edit Function Key Definition window mentionhed above I clicked in the Hardware scan code field and then pressed the keyboard Play/Pause button. This displays the scan code 0x53 (83). I used Media Play as Key description.

Next I opened SMPlayer, Options -> Preferences, selected Keyboard and Mouse and then scrolled down to find and select Media Play, Toggle Media Play/Pause. Then I pressed the Play/Pause button.

I can now Play/Pause playback in SMPlayer using the keyboard Play/Pause button.


Hope the above gives you an idea how to setup all those extra keys  :-)

Pete

Martin Iturbide

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Re: Keyboard special keys on OS/2-ArcaOS
« Reply #2 on: April 16, 2021, 02:48:55 am »
Hi Pete

Thanks for the reply. I started to play with " XWP Keyboard, Function Keys, RightMouseClick and select New Function Key".

My issue seems to be:

1) For the Thinkpad L420 (Internal Keyboard). I have four special buttons on the right (Mute mic, vol+, vol-, Mute). All, with the exception of "Mute Mic" are recognized, which is good.
2) On the same Thinkpad L420, I have the special Fn keys for "Petsis, lock, battery, sleep, wireless?, camera.... etc. Those keys should be pressed with the Fn key, but the FN key gets recognized (0x89 (137) ) . the special Fn keys only get recognized for F9 = Despl, F10 = Numloc, F11 = Pause, Insert=PrintScreen, Esc=Inter, and the special ones on the arrows work.


Is there something else that can be done for the one missing?  F2 to F8 ?
Wait, If I turn "PSD=ACPI.PSD /NOACPI" I get the brightness up and down buttons (del and home) working with Fn with the screen brightness and the XWP Key Mapper. And also all the missing Fn keys, including the "Mute mic" button.

I will try some other USB keyboards withe special keys.

Regards
« Last Edit: April 16, 2021, 02:56:07 am by Martin Iturbide »
Martin Iturbide
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ivan

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Re: Keyboard special keys on OS/2-ArcaOS
« Reply #3 on: April 16, 2021, 02:59:17 pm »
Hi Martin,

You might find the utilities in Win95Key (on hobbes) to be useful sorting out the scan codes of the keys.  You should also be aware that not all USB keyboards give the information to our usbkbd.sys and in fact require special keyboard drivers to operate all the functions.

Pete

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Re: Keyboard special keys on OS/2-ArcaOS
« Reply #4 on: April 16, 2021, 06:05:15 pm »
Hi All

Having posted a very brief "how to" above I now find I do not know the answer to this problem:

The XWP Keyboard recognises my keyboard "Media Stop" button as 0xD4 (212) but neither SMPlayer or VLC seem to be able to recognise this button when using their "capture" techniques - SMPlayer leaves the field blank while VLC calls it "Unset".

I did try entering the button name Media Stop (which I named the button in XWP) in SMPlayer but that does not work, when the button is pressed playback continues as though no button has been pressed.

Is there anything else I should try before I open a ticket for SMPlayer or pester KO Myung-Hun about this problem?


Regards

Pete

ivan

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Re: Keyboard special keys on OS/2-ArcaOS
« Reply #5 on: April 16, 2021, 07:50:49 pm »
Hi Pete,

The only thing I can suggest is that you try Win95Key, it has the facility to run scripts associated with the odd keys. 

The only reason I am not using it at the moment on my Corsair K95 is the built in firmware is designed for use with windows although someone has hacked it to allow it to be used with Linux.

Pete

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Re: Keyboard special keys on OS/2-ArcaOS
« Reply #6 on: April 16, 2021, 08:49:43 pm »
Hi Ivan

Hope you are recovering well from being squashed into your garage door.

I have used win95key in the past so had another look. Yes, win95key recognises the "Media Stop" key but there is no suitable plugin listed to attach it to.

The problem seems to be SMPlayer and VLC cannot scan this key despite system "key" utilities having no problem...


Regards

Pete

ivan

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Re: Keyboard special keys on OS/2-ArcaOS
« Reply #7 on: April 17, 2021, 01:39:13 am »
Hi Pete,

I think the door came off worse than I did with several broken panels.  Why she drives that car when she can hardly see over the dashboard I'll never know.

I had thought that Win95Key might be useful, I used it for things like starting PMMail and several other programs with just a key press of the extra multimedia keys on my old keyboard, unfortunately that keyboard died because of the cats sleeping on it at night - no replacement available because it was custom made for a now defunct organisation we had contracts with.

Martin Iturbide

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Re: Keyboard special keys on OS/2-ArcaOS
« Reply #8 on: April 17, 2021, 03:32:40 pm »
Thanks for the feedback.

I will be trying some USB keyboards I have around and see the results with the special keyx, XWP keyboard mapper and Win95Key.

The only reason I am not using it at the moment on my Corsair K95 is the built in firmware is designed for use with windows although someone has hacked it to allow it to be used with Linux.

I wonder what is going on with the keyboard these days, does anybody know modern keyboards that are not compatible with ArcaOS share some standard? I even noticed some keyboards with a switch on the back to make those "BIOS Compatible".

Regards
Martin Iturbide
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ivan

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Re: Keyboard special keys on OS/2-ArcaOS
« Reply #9 on: April 17, 2021, 04:05:09 pm »
The big part of the problem is how win 10 messes with USB keyboards and the keyboard manufacturers are pandering to the win program.

The 'bios compatible' switch just switches off all the extra 'features' and leaves a standard set of keys that do work on any operating system but they would like you to use win as the OS.

Martin Iturbide

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Re: Keyboard special keys on OS/2-ArcaOS
« Reply #10 on: April 17, 2021, 11:47:40 pm »
Hi

I tried this two USB keyboards.
- Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
- Lenovo Essential Wired Keyboard and Mouse Combo

Sadly, the special keys did not work, and do not get mapped on XWP Keyboard at all.

Regards
Martin Iturbide
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Dave Yeo

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Re: Keyboard special keys on OS/2-ArcaOS
« Reply #11 on: April 18, 2021, 12:56:49 am »
Seems I've seen a couple of bug reports such as https://mantis.arcanoae.com/view.php?id=2198 and another one about higher numbered F keys which I can't find right now, which implies that there is something missing from our USB stack for some of these keys/keyboards to work.
Might be  worth trying Lars's drivers.

ivan

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Re: Keyboard special keys on OS/2-ArcaOS
« Reply #12 on: April 19, 2021, 01:44:36 am »
A lot depends on what the keyboard firmware says it needs.  For example, my Corsair K95 either runs with full firmware in use so enabling the 18 extra function keys or in 'bios' mode which only operates the standard keyboard functions.

Attached is the readme from the Linux port which should give some idea what is involved.