Ubuntu 18.04 Logitech marble trackball wheel emulation

How to enable trackball wheel emulation on Ubuntu 18.04?

 

(by https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Logitech_Marblemouse_USB)

 

1. Connect the marble trackball to your PC

 

2. Check the linked input device information.

$ xinput --list ⎡ Virtual core pointer                     id=2 [master pointer  (3)] ⎜   ↳ Virtual core XTEST pointer               id=4 [slave  pointer  (2)] ⎜   ↳ Logitech USB Trackball                   id=8 [slave  pointer  (2)] ⎜   ↳ Microsoft Microsoft 3-Button Mouse with IntelliEye(TM) id=9 [slave  pointer  (2)] ⎣ Virtual core keyboard                    id=3 [master keyboard (2)]     ↳ Virtual core XTEST keyboard              id=5 [slave  keyboard (3)]     ↳ Power Button                             id=6 [slave  keyboard (3)]     ↳ Power Button                             id=7 [slave  keyboard (3)]     ↳ AT Translated Set 2 keyboard             id=10 [slave  keyboard (3)]

Please check the ID "Logitech USB Trackball". (The id is 8)

 

3. Check the option names related with the wheel (important!)

$ xinput --list-props 8    (8 is the input device ID)                             : (Below options are wheel related options.) Evdev Wheel Emulation (285): 1 Evdev Wheel Emulation Axes (286): 0, 0, 4, 5 Evdev Wheel Emulation Inertia (287): 10 Evdev Wheel Emulation Timeout (288): 200 Evdev Wheel Emulation Button (289): 8                                                     :

This name may vary depending on your environment. Please check exactly.

4. Set wheel options. 

$ xinput --set-prop 8 "Evdev Wheel Emulation" 1 $ xinput --set-prop 8 "Evdev Wheel Emulation Button" 8

- "--set-prop 8" (trackball device id)

- "Evdev Wheel Emulation" 0 (off) -> 1 (on)

- "Evdev Wheel Emulation Button"

       8 : left small button (back button)

       If you want to use right forward button, set the property to 9

 

 

5. Test 

Hold the left(back button) and roll the ball in your web brower to see the page scroll.

(The test was successful in Feb. 2020)

 

 

 

References

https://www.x.org/releases/X11R7.5/doc/man/man4/evdev.4.html