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| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/laptops/sonypi.txt | 152 |
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diff --git a/Documentation/laptops/sonypi.txt b/Documentation/laptops/sonypi.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000..606bdb9ce --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/laptops/sonypi.txt @@ -0,0 +1,152 @@ +Sony Programmable I/O Control Device Driver Readme +-------------------------------------------------- + Copyright (C) 2001-2004 Stelian Pop <stelian@popies.net> + Copyright (C) 2001-2002 Alcôve <www.alcove.com> + Copyright (C) 2001 Michael Ashley <m.ashley@unsw.edu.au> + Copyright (C) 2001 Junichi Morita <jun1m@mars.dti.ne.jp> + Copyright (C) 2000 Takaya Kinjo <t-kinjo@tc4.so-net.ne.jp> + Copyright (C) 2000 Andrew Tridgell <tridge@samba.org> + +This driver enables access to the Sony Programmable I/O Control Device which +can be found in many Sony Vaio laptops. Some newer Sony laptops (seems to be +limited to new FX series laptops, at least the FX501 and the FX702) lack a +sonypi device and are not supported at all by this driver. + +It will give access (through a user space utility) to some events those laptops +generate, like: + - jogdial events (the small wheel on the side of Vaios) + - capture button events (only on Vaio Picturebook series) + - Fn keys + - bluetooth button (only on C1VR model) + - programmable keys, back, help, zoom, thumbphrase buttons, etc. + (when available) + +Those events (see linux/sonypi.h) can be polled using the character device node +/dev/sonypi (major 10, minor auto allocated or specified as a option). +A simple daemon which translates the jogdial movements into mouse wheel events +can be downloaded at: <http://popies.net/sonypi/> + +Another option to intercept the events is to get them directly through the +input layer. + +This driver supports also some ioctl commands for setting the LCD screen +brightness and querying the batteries charge information (some more +commands may be added in the future). + +This driver can also be used to set the camera controls on Picturebook series +(brightness, contrast etc), and is used by the video4linux driver for the +Motion Eye camera. + +Please note that this driver was created by reverse engineering the Windows +driver and the ACPI BIOS, because Sony doesn't agree to release any programming +specs for its laptops. If someone convinces them to do so, drop me a note. + +Driver options: +--------------- + +Several options can be passed to the sonypi driver using the standard +module argument syntax (<param>=<value> when passing the option to the +module or sonypi.<param>=<value> on the kernel boot line when sonypi is +statically linked into the kernel). Those options are: + + minor: minor number of the misc device /dev/sonypi, + default is -1 (automatic allocation, see /proc/misc + or kernel logs) + + camera: if you have a PictureBook series Vaio (with the + integrated MotionEye camera), set this parameter to 1 + in order to let the driver access to the camera + + fnkeyinit: on some Vaios (C1VE, C1VR etc), the Fn key events don't + get enabled unless you set this parameter to 1. + Do not use this option unless it's actually necessary, + some Vaio models don't deal well with this option. + This option is available only if the kernel is + compiled without ACPI support (since it conflicts + with it and it shouldn't be required anyway if + ACPI is already enabled). + + verbose: set to 1 to print unknown events received from the + sonypi device. + set to 2 to print all events received from the + sonypi device. + + compat: uses some compatibility code for enabling the sonypi + events. If the driver worked for you in the past + (prior to version 1.5) and does not work anymore, + add this option and report to the author. + + mask: event mask telling the driver what events will be + reported to the user. This parameter is required for + some Vaio models where the hardware reuses values + used in other Vaio models (like the FX series who does + not have a jogdial but reuses the jogdial events for + programmable keys events). The default event mask is + set to 0xffffffff, meaning that all possible events + will be tried. You can use the following bits to + construct your own event mask (from + drivers/char/sonypi.h): + SONYPI_JOGGER_MASK 0x0001 + SONYPI_CAPTURE_MASK 0x0002 + SONYPI_FNKEY_MASK 0x0004 + SONYPI_BLUETOOTH_MASK 0x0008 + SONYPI_PKEY_MASK 0x0010 + SONYPI_BACK_MASK 0x0020 + SONYPI_HELP_MASK 0x0040 + SONYPI_LID_MASK 0x0080 + SONYPI_ZOOM_MASK 0x0100 + SONYPI_THUMBPHRASE_MASK 0x0200 + SONYPI_MEYE_MASK 0x0400 + SONYPI_MEMORYSTICK_MASK 0x0800 + SONYPI_BATTERY_MASK 0x1000 + SONYPI_WIRELESS_MASK 0x2000 + + useinput: if set (which is the default) two input devices are + created, one which interprets the jogdial events as + mouse events, the other one which acts like a + keyboard reporting the pressing of the special keys. + +Module use: +----------- + +In order to automatically load the sonypi module on use, you can put those +lines a configuration file in /etc/modprobe.d/: + + alias char-major-10-250 sonypi + options sonypi minor=250 + +This supposes the use of minor 250 for the sonypi device: + + # mknod /dev/sonypi c 10 250 + +Bugs: +----- + + - several users reported that this driver disables the BIOS-managed + Fn-keys which put the laptop in sleeping state, or switch the + external monitor on/off. There is no workaround yet, since this + driver disables all APM management for those keys, by enabling the + ACPI management (and the ACPI core stuff is not complete yet). If + you have one of those laptops with working Fn keys and want to + continue to use them, don't use this driver. + + - some users reported that the laptop speed is lower (dhrystone + tested) when using the driver with the fnkeyinit parameter. I cannot + reproduce it on my laptop and not all users have this problem. + This happens because the fnkeyinit parameter enables the ACPI + mode (but without additional ACPI control, like processor + speed handling etc). Use ACPI instead of APM if it works on your + laptop. + + - sonypi lacks the ability to distinguish between certain key + events on some models. + + - some models with the nvidia card (geforce go 6200 tc) uses a + different way to adjust the backlighting of the screen. There + is a userspace utility to adjust the brightness on those models, + which can be downloaded from + http://www.acc.umu.se/~erikw/program/smartdimmer-0.1.tar.bz2 + + - since all development was done by reverse engineering, there is + _absolutely no guarantee_ that this driver will not crash your + laptop. Permanently. |