Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Hello all!

Bought a wireless mouse here: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/314009118436

Inexpensive. Didn't work. Wrote a report <here/this forum> with many details, including OS, what PSI reported (and so on). Clicked <preview>. The Linux forum told me, <Dear cobaka, you must be logged in to post here.
Ah well - I thought I was logged in, but .... maybe I'm delusional ...

Ummm, I'm not going to retype what I wrote before. I have already spent more than the cost of the mouse (in time) and so I'll just ask this: Generally, do the P/Linux drivers find wireless meeces easily? Anyone had success with meeces from eBay.

I can answer that Q a little (but not about mice from China). At the moment I use a Logitech M235 wireless mouse. Works well. Seems to use little battery power. Cost about x5 times the price of the non-working mouse, so possibly that tells something.

Also - it may be that the mouse needs to be programmed before it 'goes' - I don't know.

I don't want to post a false 'didn't go' report on eBay.
On the other hand, 'stuff' should work.
That's my short report.

собака

cobaka wrote: ↑Wed Aug 10, 2022 2:01 am

On the other hand, 'stuff' should work.

Sorry for the two standard questions... but the case is very common Did you by any chance forget to turn on the mouse with a small switch on its bottom at the time of the tests? And if you try to insert the receiver into another USB connector?

@Grey

Very good standard questions. I should have mentioned these points at the beginning.
You:

Did you by any chance forget to turn on the mouse with a small switch .... etc

Certainly, I did and I'm confident on that point because red LEDs inside the 'critter' came on for a few moments.
I measured the voltage of the two rechargeable batteries at 2.9 something volts.

As for usb ports, the gigabyte has 2 on the front panel.
The logitech works in either and I plugged the mouse receiver into both.
Aargh! When I wrote, "Certainly I did - I meant 'turn it on;" I didn't forget!!

The file:
w_rx_diffs.txt shows how Pup-Sys-Info sees the hardware.
I ran the box with one receiver (the Logitech receiver device) and both.
I used Pup-Sys-Info to record the state of the devices.
Pup-Sys-Info --> Devices --> USB devices. I wrote that to a text file.
I plugged in the second device (receiver) and repeated the exercise.
Then I ran 'diff' on the two text files and put the text side by side.
This is what you see in w_rx_diffs.txt

Now I add a second file: USB_device_list
I plugged/unplugged the wireless receivers.
As I did this I made a record of the USB devices Pup-Sys-Info 'found'.
Looking at this (a new thing for me) I see I can identify every device connected to my Linux box.
OK - but there are only 14 devices active WITH THE USB WIRELESS RECEIVER PLUGGED IN ....
So ... an experiment follows ...
Remove batteries from mouse. Plug in logitech wireless receiver.
What to I see? Answer: 15 devices are connected to my Linux box, including:
Bus 002 Device 043: ID 046d:c52b Logitech, Inc. Unifying Receiver

So, with your help @Grey , I have established that the new receiver is not working.
I have established that a logitech receiver is 'seen' even when the mouse has no batteries.
Thanks for your help!

Question: Do I have a water-tight case to take to the supplier on eBay?

собака

@cobaka :-

Uhh.....that's not strictly true, Les.

I have established that a logitech receiver is 'seen' even when the mouse has no batteries.

Which IS what I would expect. The kernel 'sees' the receiver, and ONLY ever the receiver......because that's what is plugged-in to the hardware. The mouse isn't plugged-in, the receiver is.

When you plug a wired mouse in, the whole thing is being seen, because the mouse and lead are all one item. Conversely, when you plug a wireless mouse in, the kernel only sees the bit that is plugged-in.....the receiver. It's the receiver that 'sees' the mouse, NOT the kernel.

If something goes wrong between the mouse's transmitter and the dongle's receiver, there's no way the kernel can know about it. The kernel knows about the fact that a USB plug is connected to a USB socket, and generally ID information about what that plug is part of (manufacturer, device, what kernel driver is in use).....but that's about as far as it goes.

Make sense?

Mike.

What Specific Puppy version?

Did you have the receiver plugged in before you booted the computer?

Another question I have to ask.

Does the mouse have a small button on the bottom?
If yes.
Did you press it to have it pair up to the receiver plugged into the computer?

Being 2.4GHZ.
Did you only have it's receiver plugged in?
Not also the Logitech one.

I can't help you with this problem. But having bought more than my fair-share of curios and paper-weights, perhaps some advice for the future.

"We are puppy. Resistance is futile." Unfortunately, so can be looking for hardware.

Hardware is manufactured to work under Windows which still sell 80% +/- of personal computers. To communicate with hardware an operating system requires drivers and firmware. Drivers must be compiled against kernels. Hardware manufacturers provide drivers for Windows. Sometimes for specific versions of Linux. When the manufactures don't, some Linux Dev must compile the driver [or the User must by following instructions, if instructions are available].

Before I order hardware I perform a Google-Search. One of the few times I'll take advantage of Google's desire to know everything. First steps: find the model and, if possible, specifications regarding drivers. Ubuntu (and its derivatives) still being the most often used Linux, Second steps: google 'ubuntu model' & 'ubuntu specified driver'. What successes and problem does that reveal? If it doesn't run under Ubuntu, chances of getting it to run under Puppy are slim? Slackware & Slackos, you're on your own.

Third step: keep notes. Anticipate that you may be on a long quest and forget what you uncovered early on.

Searching can be both exhausting and futile. Fourth step: as I have recently done, violate the Manly Rule and ask for advice on this Forum.

Final step: can it be bought from a merchant such as BestBuys or Walmart with the right to return it? Does the merchant on Amazon allow returns?

@bigpup
The mouse works now! Rebooted! I'm using it to write this.
OMG!! OMG!! from Pup-Sys-Info. Current Time: 01:57:14. System Uptime: 8d 4h 42m
(Then, after re-booting) : System Uptime: 0d 0h 9m

Additional comment: I expected the new mouse to act like the logitech. The logitech receiver worked 1st off - did not require initialization. Further testing. Logitech works as soon as I plug in the receiver (and turn on the mouse). The new mouse dongle must be plugging in when I boot Puppy. At boot time the two (the PC and mouse) exchange info. The mouse-light blinks.

Next: I must apologise for the scant info I provided. I wrote a more informative posting and then (I think god must hate me) I clicked 'preview' and 'preview' disappeared. By that I mean every word I wrote was gone - off looking for the fiords of Norway or whatever parrots do when they are unresponsive. And I muttered something like, "Oh, good. I didn't want that anyway .... And the cost of this apparently dead mouse is less than the value of my time so far and .... blah, blah ...."

I'm supposed to turn Puppy Linux off sometime? Yer kidding!!
OK, OK. Got that! (Now). Generally, I just disconnect the network, turn the monitor off and go to bed.
Puppy Linux keeps working ....

@mikewalsh Sorry Mike, it's 2AM and I don't understand your message. You wrote, "Makes sense!" I say, yes, definitely. But I must have expressed my idea poorly, because I believe I wrote as you wrote. That's the point of the info in the text files attached. See attachments in my reply to Grey. Or better still don't bother. Your point is clear. With the logitech receiver the OS picks it up as soon as I plug it in.

But all is good. Thanks to all including @mikeslr

собака

The days of keeping a computer always powered are over.

That was the days, when computers were a mess, and you may not get it to correctly power up, next time.

I completely shutdown and power off, all my computers, when not using them.
Saves power and completely clears out the memory.