Elantech touchpad locks cursor when touching with 2 or more fingers

[Koen Roggemans]

Running Ubuntu 14.04.1, Unity desktop, kernel 3.13.0-35 generic on Intel Classmate, MG Pupil 109

The touchpad is identified in dmesg as
[ 1.539535] mousedev: PS/2 mouse device common for all mice
[ 2.528608] psmouse serio4: elantech: assuming hardware version 3 (with firmware version 0x354f01)
[ 2.541184] psmouse serio4: elantech: Synaptics capabilities query result 0x39, 0x16, 0x09.

The cursor locks when you touch the touchpad with 2 or more fingers. The only way I found to get it loose is reboot or suspend and resume.

modprobe -r psmouse
modprobe psmouse doesn' t work, also not with proto=auto

In systemsettings I disabled 2 finger scrolling without result

In dmesg I see messages like "psmouse serio4: Touchpad at isa0060/serio4/input0 lost synchronization, throwing 5 bytes away during normal operation". The number of bytes can be 4 too. When the cursor locks up, I don't see such a message. Nothing is reported in dmesg.

Doing some research, I've learned that the touchpad should support multi touch. Off course that doesn't work, since touching the pad with more fingers makes it lock.

Any help much appreciated.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: linux-image-3.13.0-35-generic 3.13.0-35.62
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-35.62-generic 3.13.11.6
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-35-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.2
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: test 1474 F.... pulseaudio
Date: Mon Sep 15 20:00:38 2014
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=6f2e0704-c6a4-4f89-b357-c8e46ff9d0ec
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-09-15 (0 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 14.04.1 LTS "Trusty Tahr" - Release amd64 (20140722.2)
MachineType: Intel Corporation Intel powered classmate PC
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=nl_BE:nl
 TERM=xterm
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=nl_BE.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcFB: 0 inteldrmfb
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-35-generic.efi.signed root=UUID=40917190-7ade-42d5-a5d2-91f8c497278e ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
PulseList: Error: command ['pacmd', 'list'] failed with exit code 1: No PulseAudio daemon running, or not running as session daemon.
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-3.13.0-35-generic N/A
 linux-backports-modules-3.13.0-35-generic N/A
 linux-firmware 1.127.5
SourcePackage: linux
StagingDrivers: rts5139
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 04/21/2014
dmi.bios.vendor: Phoenix Technologies Ltd.
dmi.bios.version: MPBYT10A.90A.0029.2014.0421.1908
dmi.board.asset.tag: Base Board Asset Tag
dmi.board.name: Intel powered classmate PC
dmi.board.vendor: Intel Corporation
dmi.board.version: Clamshell
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: Asset Tag
dmi.chassis.type: 11
dmi.chassis.vendor: Intel Corporation
dmi.chassis.version: 0.1
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnPhoenixTechnologiesLtd.:bvrMPBYT10A.90A.0029.2014.0421.1908:bd04/21/2014:svnIntelCorporation:pnIntelpoweredclassmatePC:pvrClamshell:rvnIntelCorporation:rnIntelpoweredclassmatePC:rvrClamshell:cvnIntelCorporation:ct11:cvr0.1:
dmi.product.name: Intel powered classmate PC
dmi.product.version: Clamshell
dmi.sys.vendor: Intel Corporation

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

This change was made by a bot.

[Joseph Salisbury (jsalisbury)]

Would it be possible for you to test the latest upstream kernel? Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds . Please test the latest v3.17 kernel[0].

If this bug is fixed in the mainline kernel, please add the following tag 'kernel-fixed-upstream'.

If the mainline kernel does not fix this bug, please add the tag: 'kernel-bug-exists-upstream'.

If you are unable to test the mainline kernel, for example it will not boot, please add the tag: 'kernel-unable-to-test-upstream'.
Once testing of the upstream kernel is complete, please mark this bug as "Confirmed".

Thanks in advance.

[0] http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.17-rc5-utopic/

[Koen Roggemans (koen-roggemans)]

The problem is exactly the same with the mainline kernel (3.17-rc5)

[ftoledo (ftoledo)]

We found same issue on several devices (running Debian Whezzy with kernel 3.14)

But. we have many other "same" device with this firmware reported from psmouse:

[ 9.906882] psmouse serio4: elantech: assuming hardware version 3 (with firmware version 0x450f02)
[ 9.920408] psmouse serio4: elantech: Synaptics capabilities query result 0x09, 0x16, 0x09.

i down know if same touch hardware with different firmware or the hardware is no same

On the firmware 0x450f02 the problem does not happen

Do you have a bios update to try?

 I will contact to our vendor to ask if bios update can be fix the buggie devices.

on windows with 0x354f01 the issue is little different, the touchpad freeze few seconds and work again.

# dmidecode 2.11
# SMBIOS entry point at 0x79269000
SMBIOS 2.7 present.
33 structures occupying 1568 bytes.
Table at 0x79268000.

Handle 0x0000, DMI type 0, 24 bytes
BIOS Information
 Vendor: Phoenix Technologies Ltd.
 Version: MPBYT10A.86A.0023.2014.0317.1155
 Release Date: 03/17/2014
 Address: 0xE0000
 Runtime Size: 128 kB
 ROM Size: 4096 kB
 Characteristics:
  PCI is supported
  BIOS is upgradeable
  BIOS shadowing is allowed
  Boot from CD is supported
  Selectable boot is supported
  NEC PC-98
  ACPI is supported
  USB legacy is supported
  BIOS boot specification is supported
  Function key-initiated network boot is supported
  Targeted content distribution is supported
  UEFI is supported
 BIOS Revision: 0.1
 Firmware Revision: 1.0

[Koen Roggemans (koen-roggemans)]

For our machines, there is no bios update published by the manufacturer yet (don't know where else to look).

I would assume that if a device loads different firmware, it is a different device, no?.

comparing bios versions:
our bios version
MPBYT10A.90A.0029.2014.0421.1908 with dmi.bios.date: 04/21/2014

your bios version
MPBYT10A.86A.0023.2014.0317.1155 with Release Date: 03/17/2014

It seems like our bios is more recent than yours.

Interesting to note that they don't run trouble free on Windows either. Would there be more problems then the driver? I'll give that a try next week.

[Koen Roggemans (koen-roggemans)]

I can confirm the behavior in Windows. The pointer works fine, but if you touch it with two fingers, it somewhat hangs for 1 or 2 seconds and then moves on. It's not really disturbing. No multitouch working, but
Anyway, it's not relevant what it does in Windows. The complete locking of the pointer in Linux is really annoying.
I'm happy to help testing - I'm sorry I can't help coding.

[ftoledo (ftoledo)]

We received a modified code from elantech.c driver, we will test this week and send our results

[Koen Roggemans (koen-roggemans)]

Hi ftoledo, did you make any progress with the elantech driver?

[ftoledo (ftoledo)]

Our provider send us this modified driver. Im attach the file. I do not review/diff the code but with this driver, the touchpad work like windows (still the temporal lookup behavior for two seconds and work again)

I compile it under 3.13.0 for Huayra (our distro) on 686 and amd64, we replace thi file in the kernel source tree and just compile.

http://repo.huayra.conectarigualdad.gob.ar/huayra/pool/main/l/linux-source-3.13.0-5-amd64-huayra/

Please, confirm if work for you.

Saludos!

[Koen Roggemans (koen-roggemans)]

Thanks a lot for this! I don't have a device with me to test, so I'll test it next week. I did a diff with the current elantech file for 3.13 and there are so many differences. It's for me not possible to tell which one solves the problem. I think it is based on an older version of the file.
I took the liberty to include Hans de Goede in this bug. He did all 2014 changes to the elantech driver in Ubuntu this year - I hope you don't mind Hans.

[Koen Roggemans (koen-roggemans)]

I can confirm that this driver solves the problem.
The problem is reduced to the problem that exists in the Windows driver (being locking for 2 seconds in stead of locking for very long or forever when touching the touch pad with more then one finger)

[ftoledo (ftoledo)]

Good, we have same results.

I will contact Arjan Opmeer <email address hidden> that is the author of actual eleanctech.c code to send this patch, maybe can ship to the mainline kernel. Do you konw if the ubuntu kernel team will apply this fix?

[Koen Roggemans (koen-roggemans)]

No, I don't know the ways to get it upstream. Suppose I could send a message to Tim Gardner.

[ftoledo (ftoledo)]

Sorry I have no response from Arjan Opmeer <email address hidden>

[Koen Roggemans (koen-roggemans)]

I didn't hear anything from Tim Gardner.

What a shame - the fix is here and hundreds of users get a bad user experience using Ubuntu, with a constantly locking laptop.