PINE64
USB mouse isn't working when a PP keyboard is attached? - Printable Version

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+--- Thread: USB mouse isn't working when a PP keyboard is attached? (/showthread.php?tid=18586)



USB mouse isn't working when a PP keyboard is attached? - mikeb - 08-07-2023

OS: PostmarketOS 23.06 with the latest updates
Hardware revision: most likely 1.2 something
PP keyboard's firmware version: 1.3, the latest
PP keyboard revision: unknown, but bought this year
PP firmware of a USB chip: the latest version from a link at https://wiki.pine64.org/wiki/PinePhone#Flashing_the_ANX_firmware
U-Boot: the latest version by this instruction https://wiki.postmarketos.org/wiki/PinePhone_U-Boot_Upgrade

I wanted to use PP as a netbook - by adding the official PP keyboard, as well as a USB mouse by a simple OTG cable (which doesn't have to be powered). The PP keyboard manual says " The PinePhone’s USB-C port remains operational when mounted in the keyboard and can be used for data and peripherals. "
 However, when a PP keyboard is attached, the PP doesn't see a USB mouse - i.e. no events at dmesg kernel log. But the same USB mouse with the same OTG cable is working fine if I remove a PP keyboard.

This mouse has a built-in LED, which is OFF when a PP keyboard's battery is disabled and is ON when a PP keyboard's battery is enabled.
So I assume that enabling the built-in keyboard's battery somehow helps. But still can't get a successful mouse+keyboard experience. Other USB devices aren't working too when a PP keyboard is attached. Any ideas?


RE: USB mouse isn't working when a PP keyboard is attached? - Peter Gamma - 10-04-2023

The only idea which I have is to look at the experience of other users with Bluetooth mice, usb keyboard, and how difficult it is to find peripherals for instance for the Orange Pi5:
https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=12973&page=2
Furthermore, isn’t it strange that a good device builder and programmer uses an usb-c keyboard for the Radxa zero and builds a device in 2023 which looks like a 40 year old TR80? Whas it the best he could do with it? To find peripherals which work with the Pinephone, the Orange Pi 5 and the Radxa zero seems to be tricky. Therefore sharing user experience about this is very helpful.


RE: USB mouse isn't working when a PP keyboard is attached? - Peter Gamma - 10-04-2023

A solution which I suggest is also not to use the Pinephone keyboard. The battery is only 6000mAh.I did some tests with a 10 000 mAh battery. It did power a Pi Pad 5 for more than 24 hrs in idle. This power bank is not much bigger than the Pinephone keyboard, and I suppose it does not interfere with a keyboard. And I would also suggest to test the Rii mini 4 which is both 2.4 Ghz with it’s own dongle as well as Bluetooth. With the 2.4 Ghz dongle we have only one usb-c connector of the Pinephone for the dongle and the power bank, but we can also choose Bluetooth. I used Bluetooth mini keyboards for many years frequently, and did not have any issues with those.


RE: USB mouse isn't working when a PP keyboard is attached? - Peter Gamma - 10-21-2023

According to this video:

https://youtu.be/5cIqwIye2Q0

a usb mouse should work in the configuration shown in the video. But I did not check which distro is used for this demo.