[ltp] 760XL Mouse cursor drifting

[Tino Keitel]

On Mon, Apr 08, 2002 at 10:13:12 -0500, Jim Redmond wrote:
> This isn't a major problem, but it sure can be annoying.
> 
> From time to time the mouse cursor on my 760XL will spontaneously begin
> to drift in one direction (usually up).  It drifts at a constant speed,
> without acceleration, for 10-20 seconds before stopping abruptly. 
> During this time I can still use the mouse if I factor the drift vector
> into my finger movement.
> 
> (Technically, it's not a mouse, but one of those keyboard joysticks
> whose name I can't remember.  You get the point though.)

"TrackPoint"

> 
> This problem began over the weekend, not long after I removed gpm (using
> apt-get remove) and compiled a new kernel (2.2.20).  However, my XFree
> config remained untouched, there doesn't seem to be any particular
> program which triggers it, and the physical environment remained fairly
> constant the whole time.
> 
> I'm using Debian (potato) and GNOME.
> 
> Any suggestions on how to fix this?  Again, it's not critical, just
> annoying.

This is not a software problem, and also no real harware problem. It's just
the calibration of the "zero point" where the cursor won't move. If you
press the TrackPoint constantly in one direction (e. g. scrolling slowly in
a web page), it will calibrate this position as the new "zero point". If you
stop pressing the TrackPoint, the mouse cursor will move in the opposite
direction because it "thinks" you are pressing it now since it has a
slightly wrong "zero point". If you leave it alone for a few seconds, it
will re-calibrate to the correct "zero point". AFAIK this behaviour also
shows up on newer ThinkPads (at least 240).

There is nothing you can to, you have to live with it or buy a mouse. :-)

-- 
tino.keitel@innominate.com
dipl.-inf.                        Innominate Security Technologies AG
software engineer                                   networking people
tel: +49.30.6392-3308                      http://www.innominate.com/

----- The Linux ThinkPad mailing list -----
The linux-thinkpad mailing list home page is at:
http://www.bm-soft.com/~bm/tp_mailing.html