support for extra leds

[Tim LePes]

Binary package hint: ledcontrol

I would like to request support for more LEDs than just the standard caps,scroll-lock, and num-lock lights. Some multimedia, internet, gaming, and other specialty keyboards support more than just three LEDs. My keyboard, for instance, is an HP SK-2505 Internet Keyboard. It has an additional LED next to the "Messages" short-cut button. I would love to be able to control that LED. I am sure folk with other keyboards sporting 4th or even 5th and 6th LEDs would appreciate the ability to use them. There are plenty of reasons people would want to blink a keyboard LED in the first place. And if you have more LEDs, you might like to take advantage of them so you can implement more signals. For instance, I don't want to give up the caps and numlock, but can spare the scroll-lock. I would like to implement a heartbeat monitor on one, reporting my household server's state on my desktop's keyboard. I would also like to use a spare LED as new-mail indicator for my email. I would also like to have an LED reflect the state of my microphone mute when using internet telephony. That's three ideas for one accessible spare LED. But I have that 4th LED, and with that I could implement the last two, and find an alternate solution for monitoring my home server. (Perhaps use beep to warn me when it stops pingging). You get the idea. The ledcontrol package is very handy and I'd only like to see it improve.

I am not just nagging for requests, I am willing to help. Just give me some guidance. I looked at the sources to both the ledcontrol and blinkd packages. I thought if I could figure out the point at which the instruction is sent down the wire to the keyboard, I could modify it to blink a different LED. Perhaps it was as simple as an index value. But alas I am not a C programmer, really, and could not figure out where the hardware was actually being told to switch states. I am also willing to capture the raw input/output from my keyboard if that will help in any way. I would need guidance on how to do that. But I would be willing to do that work. Likewise, if it is possible to snoop on the keyboard ps/2 bus under Windows XP or 2000, I can download the drivers from HP and use them to control the keyboard from a Windows install and record what happens. Again, just point me to the tools.

Thank you for taking my request into consideration.

[nico008 (nico008)]

I would like to be able to disable my wifi LED

[Tim LePes (luvdownbabylon)]

@nico008 - You should probably report what keyboard model has a WiFi light. If you have a laptop, it may be controlled very differently, or perhaps they are wired to the wifi hardware directly. (In other words, a hardware LED rather than a software one). More info is usually best. I wonder just how many keyboards or even lapotps have exra lights like that.

Peace,
Tim

[nico008 (nico008)]

Sorry for my last post not clear at all!

I'm using a laptop. There is a blue led that blinks when downloading. It is flashes a lot, disturing people that see it.
But it is not on the keyboard :-(
I don't even know if it is possible ton control it.
My laptop is LG R500 but I know many other laptop have a blue led for wifi (wifi card is Intel 4965AGN)

Best regards,

Nico008

[Tim LePes (luvdownbabylon)]

@nico008 - Couldn't say. Since it tends to blink even though you're in Linux, I would tend to think that it was a hardware link to the wifi card. I have never owned a laptop so I don't really know if there would be a separate connector for it in there or not. But then again it is possible that you wifi drivers control the light. If so, there may be a way to configure it's behaviour if you investigate the driver package. If it were part of the keyboard controller, I would imagine that it would just stay dark. I wonder if you can control that light in Windows. If so, the place in Windows where you gain control over it's behavior might give a clue. I really doubt it is managed by the keyboard controller, though, if it is blinking under Linux now. It might be a good idea to open a separate bug report categorized for your wifi driver package.

Tim