calcomp(7)calcomp(7)NAME
calcomp, tablet - Configuring a CalComp graphics tablet
DESCRIPTION
This reference page provides information about how you configure a Cal‐
Comp 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
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 surround‐
ing 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. Num‐
ber 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 Xin‐
crement 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 Xincre‐
ment and Yincrement options.
Configuring the Tablet into the X Server
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 recog‐
nize 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 CON‐
FIG button on the tablet's menu. Under the SAVE button, press the
DEFAULT button. Press the EXIT CONFIG button to save the settings.
RESTRICTIONS
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, mov‐
ing 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 but‐
tons 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 exten‐
sion. For more information on how to do this, see the XInput specifica‐
tion provided by the X Consortium.
FILES
The X server configuration file, in which the tablet is defined.
SEE ALSOXserver(1X), dc(7), scc(7), ports(7), tty(7)calcomp(7)
