Comment 0 for bug 400921

Binary package hint: udev-extras

Release: Jaunty (9.04)
Package tested: udev-extras-20090602+1-2~jaunty1

Prior to installing udev-extras from Pitti PPA, this Laptop had a lot of issues in terms of some unknown and some incorrect keymaps with hal, although the Sound Up/Down/Mute, LCD/display toggle, and Suspend Fn keys worked out of the box in both hal and udev-extras

Example snippet from syslog:
---------------------------------------
Jul 17 21:33:32 jas-everex kernel: [ 3452.528080] atkbd.c: Unknown key pressed (translated set 2, code 0x7f on isa0060/serio0).
Jul 17 21:33:33 jas-everex kernel: [ 3452.674895] atkbd.c: Unknown key released (translated set 2, code 0x7f on isa0060/serio0).
Jul 17 21:33:35 jas-everex kernel: [ 3454.685330] atkbd.c: Unknown key pressed (translated set 2, code 0x6f on isa0060/serio0).
Jul 17 21:33:35 jas-everex kernel: [ 3454.872654] atkbd.c: Unknown key released (translated set 2, code 0x6f on isa0060/serio0).
Jul 17 21:33:38 jas-everex kernel: [ 3457.951496] atkbd.c: Unknown key pressed (translated set 2, code 0x67 on isa0060/serio0).
Jul 17 21:33:38 jas-everex kernel: [ 3458.199592] atkbd.c: Unknown key pressed (translated set 2, code 0x67 on isa0060/serio0).
Jul 17 21:33:38 jas-everex kernel: [ 3458.270450] atkbd.c: Unknown key released (translated set 2, code 0x67 on isa0060/serio0).
Jul 17 21:49:14 jas-everex kernel: [ 4394.577450] atkbd.c: Unknown key pressed (translated set 2, code 0x65 on isa0060/serio0).
Jul 17 21:49:15 jas-everex kernel: [ 4394.785012] atkbd.c: Unknown key released (translated set 2, code 0x65 on isa0060/serio0).

I followed the very helpful information in /usr/share/doc/udev-extras/README.keymap.txt to resolve these issues and to create a keymap for this lappy to solve all the problematic Fn Keys :)
By the way, there's a little typo in that README.keymap.txt: "cat cat /sys/class/dmi/id/product_name" <- cat twice

system vendor and product
------------------------------------
jas@jas-everex:~$ cat /sys/class/dmi/id/sys_vendor
Everex
jas@jas-everex:~$ cat /sys/class/dmi/id/product_name
XT5000T

Key mapping from step 3 (see attached everex-stepnote_xt5000t file)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
/lib/udev/keymaps/everex-stepnote_xt5000t

`sudo /lib/udev/keymap input/event5 > /tmp/orig-map.txt` Output
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://ubuntu.pastebin.com/f1cabf855

`udevadm info --export-db > /tmp/udev-db.txt` Output
------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://ubuntu.pastebin.com/fa41a52d

Rule added in file: "/lib/udev/rules.d/95-keymap.rules"
After the line: 'LABEL="keyboard_vendorcheck"'

ENV{DMI_VENDOR}=="Everex*", ATTR{[dmi/id]product_name}=="XT5000T", RUN+="keymap $name everex-stepnote_xt5000t"

That fixed all the unknown keys (brightness up/down Fn keys, touchpad on/off toggle Fn key, fan speed control button) and redefined web, mail, and media buttons

Unfortunately gnome-power-manager does not offer support for this laptop's video backlight dimming feature (Nvidia 7600), so I had to install nvclock-0.8b4-1ubuntu2 to use it's native backlight controls feature, as there was also a bug in smartdimmer with increasing backlight brightness (because the driver expects increments of 10 at least, while smart dimmer does increments of 5)

And as a workaround, to use my Fn brightness keys in gnome, I created a file ~/.xbindkeysrc with the following 4 lines:
"/usr/bin/nvclock -S -10"
  XF86MonBrightnessDown
"/usr/bin/nvclock -S +10"
  XF86MonBrightnessUp

and ran `xbindkeys` and now my brightness Fn keys just work :D
and of course added `/usr/bin/xbindkeys` to gnome startup

Hope this helps, and thanks for this :)