Configuring the XpPen ACK05 Remote with only FLOSS on GNU/Linux: my investigation and workarounds. :linux: 🔧
#linux #xppen #hacking
@[email protected] 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.
@[email protected] thanks very much. I’ll have read
@[email protected] didn’t you have a custom made pad ?
@[email protected] 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 🐰@[email protected] Good luck ! Hope you make it work.
@[email protected] I was just thinking I should check your blog to see how that brand plays with foss… Your timing is immaculate
@[email protected] 😊 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. 😆
@[email protected] you’re on X11, right? Do you know if that works also for wayland?
@[email protected] 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)
@[email protected] 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.
@[email protected] 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.
@[email protected] 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.
@[email protected] 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 The Nordic chip is quite popular in the maker community. It is just the Bluetooth soft core that is closed. I did some analysis of the device and the firmware is not even locked and can be downloaded. A new one could be written too, but it is a lot of work to implement the HID stack over Bluetooth. So at the end I decided to write a user space remapping program that utilizes the same raw mode the original application provided by XP pen uses. https://github.com/MarSik/kymars-xppen-act05
@marsik Wow! That’s really cool and thank you for the info and sharing your code under GPL.
I tried to search Github prior making my article, but with the keyword ACK05 ; I see you use ACT05, do you think it is a slightly different device?I’ll test and note to update my article and include your user space remapping software. 👍
@[email protected] I think I just messed up the name, mine is ACK05 as well. I will fix the description to appear in searches.
