Laptop suddenly keeps sending random (touchscreen?) input events

[Pierre Equoy]

Device: Dell Inspiron 7370
CID: 201704-25503

Ubuntu 19.10 with -proposed activated
Kernel 5.3.0-23-generic #25-Ubuntu

This laptop is equipped with a touchpad and a touchscreen. Sometimes, it goes crazy and starts sending random input events, as if I was franticly tapping the screen :)

The only way I've found to stop that mess is to suspend/resume the device by closing the lid, waiting a few seconds, then opening the lid again.

I checked in kernel logs and found that there is an input event created, that probably leads to the behavior I'm observing, and then I have to suspend the device:

$ dmesg | grep " input\:" -A1
[41192.850576] input: E3:28:E9:21:6D:B6 as /devices/virtual/input/input68
[42711.124024] PM: suspend entry (deep)
--
[100647.563448] input: E3:28:E9:21:6D:B6 as /devices/virtual/input/input111
[102513.121367] PM: suspend entry (deep)
--
[113922.124463] input: E3:28:E9:21:6D:B6 as /devices/virtual/input/input122
[115707.625939] PM: suspend entry (deep)
--
[118464.566206] input: E3:28:E9:21:6D:B6 as /devices/virtual/input/input127
[120923.291900] PM: suspend entry (deep)
--
[121086.436845] input: E3:28:E9:21:94:78 as /devices/virtual/input/input130
[122565.426895] PM: suspend entry (deep)
--
[122997.788106] input: E3:28:E9:21:94:78 as /devices/virtual/input/input135
[123737.137719] PM: suspend entry (deep)
--
[126202.798058] input: E3:28:E9:21:94:78 as /devices/virtual/input/input140
[126233.937280] fwupd[9183]: segfault at ffffffffffffffc8 ip 00007f7818d63dd0 sp 00007fff6d462b30 error 5 in libxmlb.so.1.0.0[7f7818d5c000+11000]
--
[130542.694828] input: E3:28:E9:21:94:78 as /devices/virtual/input/input151
[133343.589750] PM: suspend entry (deep)
--
[133495.934919] input: E3:28:E9:21:94:78 as /devices/virtual/input/input156
[134604.582752] PM: suspend entry (deep)
--
[134623.041244] input: E3:28:E9:21:94:78 as /devices/virtual/input/input159
[135678.503977] PM: suspend entry (deep)
--
[135709.087771] input: E3:28:E9:21:94:78 as /devices/virtual/input/input162
[136322.841701] PM: suspend entry (deep)
--

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 19.10
Package: linux-image-5.3.0-23-generic 5.3.0-23.25
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.3.0-23.25-generic 5.3.7
Uname: Linux 5.3.0-23-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu8.3
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: pieq 2050 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/pcmC0D0c: pieq 2050 F...m pulseaudio
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Thu Dec 12 07:16:25 2019
InstallationDate: Installed on 2019-07-02 (162 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 19.04 "Disco Dingo" - Release amd64 (20190416)
Lsusb:
 Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
 Bus 001 Device 003: ID 8087:0a2a Intel Corp.
 Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0bda:58f5 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. Integrated_Webcam_HD
 Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
MachineType: Dell Inc. Inspiron 7370
ProcFB: 0 i915drmfb
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-5.3.0-23-generic root=/dev/mapper/ubuntu--vg-root ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-5.3.0-23-generic N/A
 linux-backports-modules-5.3.0-23-generic N/A
 linux-firmware 1.183.2
SourcePackage: linux
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to eoan on 2019-10-19 (53 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 04/23/2019
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 1.14.0
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvr1.14.0:bd04/23/2019:svnDellInc.:pnInspiron7370:pvr:rvnDellInc.:rn:rvr:cvnDellInc.:ct10:cvr:
dmi.product.family: Inspiron
dmi.product.name: Inspiron 7370
dmi.product.sku: 07E9
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.

[Ubuntu Kernel Bot (ubuntu-kernel-bot)]

This change was made by a bot.

[Kai-Heng Feng (kaihengfeng)]

Is this bug filed right after the issue happened?

I can see this error but it's in previous S3 cycle:
[97672.131997] i2c_hid i2c-ELAN2097:00: i2c_hid_get_input: incomplete report (67/21845)

[Pierre Equoy (pieq)]

When the issue happens, the device goes crazy and it's impossible to perform any action. I have to close the lid (suspend), wait a few seconds, and open the lid (resume).

[Kai-Heng Feng (kaihengfeng)]

Does the erratic behavior happen without ever suspending the system?

[Pierre Equoy (pieq)]

Hey Kai-Heng,

sorry for the late answer, I didn't have time to look into this issue recently.

So I formatted the drive on this device and installed 20.04 dev to see if things improved... they did not.

I'm now using kernel 5.4.0-9-generic. The problem still happens, even when I don't suspend the device.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Start the device and login
2. Launch Firefox, go to Youtube and put any video in fullscreen, pause mode (so that any touch event will start/pause the video)
3. Wait

After a delay (from 2 to 15 minutes), the device starts exhibiting the issue described in the bug. I then have to close the lid to suspend the device, wait a few seconds and reopen the lid.

I don't see anything weird in dmesg (attached, saved right after resuming from suspend after the problem occurred).

[Kai-Heng Feng (kaihengfeng)]

Please test mainline kernel v5.4.17, which contains commit https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=9608ea6c6613ced75b2c41703d99f44e6f8849f1

[Pierre Equoy (pieq)]

Do you know where I can find the Debian packages for this kernel?

[Kai-Heng Feng (kaihengfeng)]

https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.4.17/

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for linux (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]