Tag/tag.png

Unsupported Version
This article applies to an unsupported version of Ubuntu. More info...

Tag/tag.png

Needs Updating
This article needs updating to include the latest versions of Ubuntu. More info...

These are specific instructions on how to get your Wacom Graphire Bluetooth working in Ubuntu.

Please help to keep this page updated!

The ubuntuforums support thread for this article is at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=674738. Please post here if you have any problems or questions.

Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal"

In Natty, this tablet works "out of the box".

No additional tweaks or software were necessary to use this tablet with a fresh install of Kubuntu 11.04.

Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala"

In Karmic, support for this tablet has been added to the kernel, however a tweak to the bluez package still needs to be applied for the tablet to work.

Updated bluez packages are available from this PPA:

https://launchpad.net/~yobbobandana/+archive/ppa

As previously, the tablet can be configured using the method described at Wacom.fdi.

Ubuntu 9.04 "Jaunty Jackalope"

Current status: All features working including hotplug. Driver needs to be installed manually.

see http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=674738&p=7156808 for info on installing the updated driver for jaunty.

This driver should currently be considered beta quality, and may still have serious bugs!

Configuration

This tablet can be configured using the method described at Wacom.fdi.

Ubuntu 8.10 "Intrepid Ibex"

Current status: Stylus is working with pressure sensitivity, kernel module and newer wacom drivers need to be manually installed.

1. Pair the tablet with your computer

  • Press the connect button on the tablet (it should be on the back, near the top right corner).

  • From the main Ubuntu menu, select System > Preferences > Bluetooth, then click the "+" button underneath the "Known Devices" area.

  • Click "Forward" and wait for the tablet to appear. It may appear as a string of numbers, and can take a little while so be patient. When it appears, select it and click "Forward" again.

2. Compile the new hidp kernel module

3. Install the latest linuxwacom drivers

  • Download version 0.8.1-6 or later of the development drivers from linuxwacom.sourceforge.net (http://sourceforge.net/project/platformdownload.php?group_id=69596)

  • extract to the desktop as with the kernel module, and perform the following commands in a terminal: 
    cd Desktop/linuxwacom-0.8.1-6
sudo apt-get build-dep wacom-tools
./configure --prefix=/usr
make
sudo make uninstall
sudo make install
  • Restart X by logging out, then back in again.

This should be all you need to do get the main tablet function (the stylus) working.

Update - 20081113 The prebuilt drivers no longer seem to work. If you have previously installed using the "./install" script, you might want to clean this up before compiling: 

  • cd Desktop/linuxwacom-0.8.1-6/prebuilt
sudo ./uninstall

Notes / Troubleshooting

  • If your tablet has stopped working after an update, try compiling and installing the kernel module again (step 2).

  • To get the eraser, mouse and pad buttons to work, you can follow the instructions found at Wacom. If you choose to do this you will also need to add the following lines to the end of /etc/udev/rules.d/50-xserver-xorg-input-wacom.rules: 

    # Additional rules for bluetooth tablets
KERNEL=="event[0-9]*", SYSFS{id/vendor}=="056a", SYMLINK="input/wacom"
KERNEL=="event[0-9]*", SYSFS{id/vendor}=="056a", SYSFS{id/product}=="0081", SYMLINK+="input/tablet-graphire_bt-6x8a"
KERNEL=="event[0-9]*", SYSFS{id/vendor}=="056a", ACTION=="add", RUN+="/lib/udev/check_driver wacom $devpath $env{ID_BUS}"

    Be aware however that using this method you will need to have your tablet turned on when you log in. After this you can turn your tablet off, but when you turn it back on again you will need to switch to another virtual terminal and back by pressing CTRL-ALT-F1 then CTRL-ALT-F7 to get it working correctly.

  • If you're having any other problems, you can try the graphire bluetooth support thread on the ubuntu forums, at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=674738.

Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron"

WARNING: This is not entirely simple and involves using the linux terminal, editing system files and compiling a kernel module. Even so, it should work if you follow the steps.

1. Pair the tablet with your computer

  • Press the connect button on the tablet (it should be on the underside of the tablet, near the top right corner).

  • From the main Ubuntu menu, select System > Preferences > Bluetooth, then select the Services tab.

  • Click on Input Service, select the wacom tablet (which should appear in the bottom pane) and click add.

2. Compile the new hidp kernel module

NOTE: This step needs to be repeated EVERY TIME your kernel version changes.

  • Download the source for the modified hidp kernel module from http://sourceforge.net/tracker/download.php?group_id=69596&atid=525126&file_id=282125&aid=1908703 and extract it to onto your desktop (you can safely delete it later).

  • Open a terminal (Accessories > Terminal).

  • Make sure your tablet is turned off.
  • Type the following commands (only the part after the $ sign), entering your password when prompted: 
    user@computer:~$ sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-generic
user@computer:~$ cd Desktop/wacom-bt-driver
user@computer:~/Desktop/wacom-bt-driver$ make
user@computer:~/Desktop/wacom-bt-driver$ sudo make install

3. Get the tablet working in X

To make sure the proper event symlinks are created, you need to edit the wacom udev rules. 

user@computer:~$ gksudo gedit /etc/udev/rules.d/50-xserver-xorg-input-wacom.rules

Add these lines at the bottom of the file: 

# Additional rules for bluetooth tablets
KERNEL=="event[0-9]*", SYSFS{id/vendor}=="056a", SYMLINK="input/wacom"
KERNEL=="event[0-9]*", SYSFS{id/vendor}=="056a", SYSFS{id/product}=="0081", SYMLINK+="input/tablet-graphire_bt-6x8a"
KERNEL=="event[0-9]*", SYSFS{id/vendor}=="056a", ACTION=="add", RUN+="/lib/udev/check_driver wacom $devpath $env{ID_BUS}"

This should ensure that the symlinks /dev/input/wacom and /dev/input/tablet-graphire_bt-6x8a point to your tablet.

Now edit your Xorg configuration to enable the tablet. 

user@computer:~$ gksudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Find the lines relating to wacom tablets and modify them so that they read as follows: 

Section "InputDevice"
        Driver          "wacom"
        Identifier      "stylus"
        Option          "Device"        "/dev/input/wacom"
        Option          "Type"  "stylus"
        Option          "Mode"  "absolute"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
        Driver          "wacom"
        Identifier      "eraser"
        Option          "Device"        "/dev/input/wacom"
        Option          "Type"  "eraser"
        Option          "Mode"  "absolute"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
        Driver          "wacom"
        Identifier      "cursor"
        Option          "Device"        "/dev/input/wacom"
        Option          "Type"  "cursor"
        Option          "Speed"  "3.0"
        Option          "Mode"  "relative"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
        Driver          "wacom"
        Identifier      "pad"
        Option          "Device"        "/dev/input/wacom"
        Option          "Type"  "pad"
EndSection

The "Speed" option in the "cursor" section can be tweaked to match the sensitivity of the mouse on the tablet with any other controllers you use. I've found 3.0 to work well for me. To slow the cursor down, you can use speed values of less than 1.0, e.g. a value of 0.5 would make the tablet mouse cursor twice as slow as a value of 1.0.

Now uncomment the “InputDevice” lines in the ”ServerLayout” section, and add a line for the "pad". 

Section "ServerLayout"
        Identifier      "Default Layout"
        Screen          "Default Screen"
        Inputdevice     "Generic Keyboard"
        Inputdevice     "Configured Mouse"
        
        # Uncomment if you have a wacom tablet
        InputDevice     "stylus"        "SendCoreEvents"
        InputDevice     "cursor"        "SendCoreEvents"
        InputDevice     "eraser"        "SendCoreEvents"
        InputDevice     "pad"
EndSection

Save your work and restart X by logging out and then back in again, or by typing sudo /etc/init.d/gdm restart. You should now have a fully working graphire bluetooth tablet!

Final Notes

Please remember that when your kernel version gets upgraded (which is usually the only time your computer will recommend a restart after updating) you need to do step 2 again. If you saved the driver source, all you need to do is restart into the new kernel, then do the "make", "sudo make install" bit again.

Also note that when you turn the tablet on, it may function incorrectly. To solve this, press CTRL-ALT-F6 to switch to another virtual terminal, and CTRL-ALT-F7 to switch back to X. Also, You must have your tablet turned on when you log in. So if switching terminals and back hasn't worked, save your work, log out, and log back in again. This limitation also exists for USB Wacom tablets, but they are usually plugged in all the time.

useful links:

CategoryBluetooth CategoryWacom

WacomGraphireBluetooth (last edited 2017-09-06 19:50:51 by ckimes)