Configuring the XpPen ACK05 Remote with only FLOSS on GNU/Linux: my investigation and workarounds. :linux: 🔧
#linux #xppen #hacking
@davidrevoy@framapiaf.org I was just thinking I should check your blog to see how that brand plays with foss… Your timing is immaculate
@kate@federatedfandom.net 😊 Thank you. Well, I have so far workaround for the 16 Artist Pro (gen2) and the 24 Pro ( https://www.davidrevoy.com/index.php?tag/hardware ), all other model of this brand is still a bit in the unknown.
I decided to accept a review for their 19 Artist Pro, deadline: mid November (I still haven’t got it). So, I hope this model will have the same circuit board than the 16 Artist Pro (gen2) and I’ll can just copy paste my method and adjust some variable here and there. 😆
@davidrevoy@framapiaf.org you’re on X11, right? Do you know if that works also for wayland?
@silmathoron@floss.social Hey, yes, I’m still on X11, KDE Debian 12. (due to Krita not being designed for Wayland and buggy under XWayland, issues with color management, and tablet configuration).
Udev is also part of Wayland, afaik, so it should also work there ™ (but untested here)
@davidrevoy@framapiaf.org I found using the xppen artist pro 16tp on Ubuntu with wayland and multiple screens to be a crap fest with crashing drivers for the tablet functionality and setting the active area in the software being a pain. The screen came straight up though
@overbyte I guess you are using the proprietary driver when you say “crashing drivers”; if you combine that with Wayland and possibly some Snap Ubuntu in the mix I can indeed imagine the crap fest. 🤔
All I can propose is what I wrote about my distro of choice: https://www.davidrevoy.com/article1030/debian-12-kde-plasma-2024-install-guide , and https://www.davidrevoy.com/article1004/xppen-artist-pro-16-gen-2-review-on-gnulinux about how to configure the Artist 16 Pro with only Free/Libre and Open Source Software. Here this mix is really solid and stable.
@davidrevoy@framapiaf.org thanks very much. I’ll have read
@davidrevoy@framapiaf.org a naive guess says this should work just like the expresskey remote and the default mappings look suspiciously similar to the inspiroy. Do you mind filing a bug against udev-hid-bpf with the hid-recorder output for each button? We might be able to remap this to button 1…x, add it to libwacom and then have the default button mapping interfaces work.
@whot@fosstodon.org Remap the keys of the ACK05 as tablet buttons? 🤯 Sounds like a brilliant idea and it worth trying it. Sure, I’ll fill a new issue with all keys and dial output with hid-recorder.
@whot@fosstodon.org By the way, I have seen the replay of your conference with Benjamin at the Linux Plumbers Conf in Vienna. https://www.youtube.com/live/rQtQ-Nd1ZmA?t=28884s , it was very interesting! 👍
I really enjoyed learning about the structure of the project, the user hack/testing/stable and the naming convention. It helped me at browsing the source (even if I can’t still understand what’s going on for many lines, even on simple one like the code for the foot pedal 😆 https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/libevdev/udev-hid-bpf/-/blob/main/src/bpf/userhacks/0010-QuinHeng__PCsensor-FootSwitch.bpf.c?ref_type=heads ) But I’m trying to learn.
@davidrevoy@framapiaf.org I recommend reading my post on understanding HID first, no chance to understand this otherwise.
https://who-t.blogspot.com/2018/12/understanding-hid-report-descriptors.html
The code is simple, but only if you understand all the magic that goes on behind the scenes :)
As it happens, udev-hid-bpf also has a tutorial which may make things more or less confusing: https://libevdev.pages.freedesktop.org/udev-hid-bpf/tutorial.html
@davidrevoy@framapiaf.org didn’t you have a custom made pad ?
@mhunt@socel.net Oh yes, I have this one https://www.davidrevoy.com/article989/how-to-customise-a-usb-numeric-keypad-under-gnulinux , and also a 8bit do zero gamepad (mini).
But I just saw this Xppen ACK05 was now the default with all newer XpPen tablet and started to think it should probably get a better support. A fun rabbit hole 🐰@davidrevoy@framapiaf.org Good luck ! Hope you make it work.
