How to know if touchpad supports synaptics driver?

Mikro · 03-04-2009, 11:28 AM

Hi, recently bought a netbook, installed Slackware 12.1 and started configuring. Touchpad is being detected as ImExPS/2

I: Bus=0011 Vendor=0002 Product=0006 Version=0000
N: Name="ImExPS/2 Generic Explorer Mouse"
P: Phys=isa0060/serio2/input0
S: Sysfs=/class/input/input4

Tried a lot of things to make Synaptics driver to work, no success. Is there a way to know if this device is supported by Synaptics drivers? Vendor and Product IDs won't lead me anywhere, at least couldn't find any web page to get the manufacturer with those numbers.

When Synaptics probes the device at X start, device is not recognized and module is unloaded, the generic module to be then loaded with more or less good performace (erratic, bad accuracy). I know sometimes Synaptics driver loading can be tricky, but really would like to know if I am loosing my time trying to set up a driver that won't work with this hardware. Is there a way to find this out? Thanks in advance.

Dån

int0x80 · 03-04-2009, 12:11 PM

Trying to keep it simple, did you attempt googling for your netbook model and synaptics?

elliott678 · 03-04-2009, 12:27 PM

Some current netbooks have an Elantech touchpad, I think the MSI does, I know the newer EeePCs do. This will work with the Synaptics drivers, but I think it requires a kernel patch for older kernels, I believe 2.6.28 has the proper driver built in.

Mikro · 03-05-2009, 08:28 AM

The netbook is a MALATA 81005 clon, named by the reseller as Blu::sens FreePC 10P Already searched the web, no specific data on the touchpad. I am using a self compiled 2.6.28.1 kernel, with synaptics and elantech support built in.

Used also lshw and I can't find any clue if synaptics should work.

The vendor doesn't offer any touchpad driver, so I can't even read the windows inf's too look in the original driver.

smalldog · 06-20-2009, 09:00 AM

I have same problem. However, it works properly as a mouse except without scrolling. Of course, I also googled around the net but without luck

Dow Franklin Dudley · 08-18-2009, 02:26 PM

I have a Malata PC-80016 and none of the material that came with the computer lists the touch pad make or manufacturer. The BIOS is "Insyde" and Insyde's site simply refers you to the manufacturer if you are an end-user. The English language version of the Malata site only lists company and product information. The Chinese language site does have a support page that has driver downloads, but they are for Windows XP, Windows Vista, an update to the wireless driver, and an upgrade to the Vista wireless driver. "Crazy L" a blogger in Hong Kong complained about the lack of a proper touch driver as well--I think he may have looked through the drivers as well. The original Linpus OS was based on Fedora 8.0 (and had some very old software) and none of the "updates" addressed the touchpad.

The instructions in the manual tell you to boot into "Legacy" and then boot from a CDROM if you need to refresh your BIOS. But the CD just comes with a bunch of Windows drivers, none of which address the touchpad. I have tried to download the XP and Vista versions of the drivers from the Chinese site in Xiamen, but unsuccessfully. I will see if there is a difference between the CD and the packages. If that doesn't work, I will write the help desk listed on the Chinese site, and see if they will at least tell me the make of the touchpad. I will post the results here.

Dow Franklin Dudley · 08-20-2009, 06:25 AM

I received a fairly prompt response from the Wanlida (Malata) service department--my apologies for underestimating their willingness to help.

The upshot is this: no synaptics, no ALPS. The Malata pc-80016 (and I suspect the 81005) have a "AVC TPA2 D2EA9" touchpad. A search turns up a few reports of problems with the Fujitsu-Siemens "AVC TPA 1 FINGER-SENSING PAD" on Windows and Debian. There just is not much in the way of drivers for this device beyond what came with your pack. I don't know if the drivers for AVC out there on the web are any better than the existing drivers. Apparently Fujitsu is not doing anything with these drivers either, so I really doubt that a smaller company such as Wanlida Malata would supply much more.

The Wanlida Malata help site is set up for local consumers within Mainland China (you have to choose your province from a drop down menu). So I can't really complain.

Note that the Malata is also the same as the Datacask Jupiter 1014a; the iQon-Quelim AT-2007; NTT Corrino. See footnote 16 on Wikipedia comparison of netbooks. So the same driver issue with AVC Technologies drivers probably applies to them too.

Additionally, the keyboard can be a problem if you don't like the position of the shift and end keys, but you want to use SCIM. You will have to use xen to figure out your key-map and then use xmodmap to switch them. If I manage to do this successfully, I will post the solution.

I hope this saves other people some time if they are in the same boat as I am with this netbook.