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Mobile USB Devices working with Linux



Linux USB Project

The main source for USB with Linux is the Linux USB Project.

Compatibility Check

To obtain information about your USB controller and the connected devices you may use:

Call for Help

The USB support seems working for almost any laptop now. So please don't report no more machines. Except in case of special configuration requirements or machines, which don't work.

Werner Heuser <wehe_at_tuxmobil.org>

Laptops

Model USB Controller 2) Linux Status Contributor/ Source
Acer
Travelmate 722 TX     Bernhard Reiter <bernhard_at_intevation.de>
Apple
Powerbook G3 - Wallstreet   no USB port! , (two?) SCSI ports Wim Lewis <wiml_at_hhhh.org>
Powerbook G3 - Lombard OHCI detected by lspci has two USB ports and one SCSI port, "kernel 2.2.14 works with USB three button mouse", lspci reports: "Lucent (Ex AT&T) Microelectronics [..] (rev18), vendor=11c1 device=5801" LinuxPPC 2000 comes with USB backport kernel from 2.3.50 to 2.2.14 Wim Lewis <wiml_at_hhhh.org>
Bernhard Reiter <bernhard_at_intevation.de>
COMPAQ
Armada 1592DT COMPAQ USB Open Host Controller   own research
Armada 7400 Compaq Computer Corporation USB Open Host Controller "I've got an external hub, Logitech QuickCam Pro, LifeView TV, Sidewinder 3D Pro, IntelliMouse Explorer and Zip100 all running off USB. Unfortunately only the mouse, joystick and Zip drive are working." Sheldon Easterbrook <sheldie_at_hotmail.com>
Presario 305 Intel 82371AB PIIX4 USB I use it with a Diamond RIO, can't get the rio500 driver to load on demand, but a modprobe -a rio500 works fine. 
Bus  0, device   7, function  2:
  USB Controller: Intel 82371AB PIIX4 USB (rev 1).
Kevin Lyda <kevin_at_suberic.net>
CTX
FC2A300, K6-2-300 OHCI "The only problem I've noticed with the OHCI driver was a timing issue which I've been told is corrected with the 2.3.99 kernel (as well as that I might have some luck by enabling debug mode). .. Included is a copy of my /proc/pci output." 
Bus  0, device  18, function  2:
USB Controller: Unknown vendor Unknown device [..] 
Vendor id=1283. Device id=1234.
Ken Sallot
Ken Sallot <ken_at_clas.ufl.edu>
DELL
Latitude CPi D266XT Intel 82371AB PIIX4 USB (rev 1) "works", 
2.2.13 with backport
Epson Stylus Color 740 working
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 04b8:0001 Seiko Epson [..]
Microsoft Sidewinder Joystick Precision Pro [..]
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 045e:0008 Microsoft
Stephen J. Gowdy
Stephen J. Gowdy <gowdy_at_mh1.lbl.gov>
Latitude CPT 400 Intel 82371AB PIIX4 "works fine (mouse)" Jan Marius Evang <marius_at_actech.no>
Inspiron 7500 Intel 82371AB PIIX4 (rev 1)   D. Emilio Grimaldo Tunon <emilio_tunon_at_nl.compuware.com>
Digital
HiNote VP765 Intel 82371AB PIIX4 USB (rev 1)   Ron Golan <rgolan_at_coalabs.com>
Fujitsu
770TX Intel 82371AB PIIX4   Todor Neshev <sani.bg_at_angelfire.com>
Hewlett-Packard
HP OmniBook 3100 Intel 82371AB PIIX4 USB   Friedhelm Kueck and Werner Heuser
HP OmniBook XE Intel 82371AB PIIX4 USB "uses uhci module", "connects to the hub built into Mitsubishi 19" monitor" Mad Matt <madmatt_at_bits.bris.ac.uk>
HP OmniBook XE2 Intel 82371AB PIIX4 USB Works great. Running a Linksys USB100TX Network adapter and ELSA MicroLink 56k USB Modem (not at same time yet - only one port! Need Hub). Linux kernel 2.2.16 + 2.4 usb backport. Protocol UHCI modules loaded pegasus (for Linksys) acm (for modem) usb-uhci usbcore. simno <simong_at_sgse.freeserve.co.uk>
IBM
Thinkpad 600E Intel 82371AB PIIX4 USB working technically, 2.2.13 + usb backport patch USB initializes. Fails to see the camera (dc290) with the python script. dmesg reports 
USB new device connect, assigned device number 1
Manufacturer: Eastman Kodak Company
Product: KODAK DC290 Zoom Digital Camera [..]
usbcore: unhandled interfaces on device.
Jauder Ho <jauderho_at_carumba.com>
Thinkpad 390 unknown   Adam Shand <larry_at_spack.org>
ThinkPad 48M (i1400 series) Acer Laboratories Inc. [ALi] M5237 Only tested with 2.3.48. Tested USB mouse ("MacALLY USB Mouse") works with no problems. usb-ohci module (for mouse, also add modules: hid input mousedev) Warwick Allison <warwick_at_troll.no>
ThinkPad T20 Intel Corporation 82371AB PIIX4 USB (rev 01) USB works great on the IBM ThinkPad T20. So far, the only thing I've connected to it is a no-name 4-port USB hub and through it a keyboard and mouse... all working great. I have a stock Linux Mandrake 7.1 system and after editing /etc/sysconfig/usb to indicate use of keyboard/mouse, everything worked just fine. Kernel is 2.2.16 (from Mandrake update). Lai Zit Seng <laizs_at_comp.nus.edu.sg>
Pro Star
Pro Star 1200 Intel 82371AB PIIX4 USB Using 2.2.14 with the backport. The UHCI USB driver(s) do work, they detect the port there, and return information on it. However, for some reason the USB devices timeout (usb_control/bulk_msg: timeout) Only thing I can think of is that the CardBus bridge is also taking IRQ 10.. which does work. But then again, with the card services disabled it still times out. I know the USB devices work, however, because they work perfectly fine on my desktop linux system. BlakNite <blaknite_at_datawest.net>
Sharp
Actius A-150 Intel 82371AB PIIX4 USB (rev 1) " works perfectly under a 2.2.14 kernel and USB, .. with USB ZIP 100" Lorin Petitpierre / qwertz <qwertz_at_oria.ch>
Lorin Petitpierre / qwertz
SONY
VAIO PCG-C1XD Intel Corporation 82371AB PIIX4 USB (rev 01) FireWire (IEEE 1394): Sony Corporation CXD3222 iLINK Controller (rev 02) Jens Korte <jkorte_at_betty.fasta.fh-dortmund.de>
VAIO Z505HE/HS/JE/JS Intel 82371AB PIIX4 (UHCI) see Z505-Linux page Using a 2.4.0-test5 kernel, it's basically just a question of loading the necessary modules (it uses a Intel 82371AB PIIX4 (UHCI) chipset, and thus uses the usb-uhci driver). So far I've tested it with the Sony USB floppy drive (usb-storage) and a USB mouse (hid/mousedev) with no problems whatsoever. Alex Stewart <alex_at_foogod.com>
VAIO 505TR unknown "got an USB mouse working .. using gpm's -M option to multiplex the touchpad and usbmouse event streams to a fifo. There are still some rough edges; for example, if no usbmouse is plugged in when gpm starts up, it just gives up instead of working with what it has; and Emulate3Buttons is weird when you have a touchpad with two buttons and a mouse with three." Nathan Myers <ncm_at_linuxlaptops.com> from Linux Laptops
VAIO 505TR unknown "it has an USB floppy. It boots fine to the mandrake install disks, and recognizes fd0, but cant find floppy0 controller." Brian Cervenka <brian_at_cx237313-b.elcjn1.sdca.home.com>
VAIO 505TX unknown works with mouse Barry Hughes
Barry Hughes <bazza_at_bazza.com>
VAIO PCG-N505VE UHCI 2.2.14 with USB backport: Kodak DC280 digital camera "works like a charm! esp. running with the latest gphoto, I'm speechless" Handspring Visor deluxe "are able to run all pilot-link utility with a usb serial device. although only in serial speed now, I'm happy that it works" Kenneth Lops <klops_at_bigfoot.com>
VAIO Z505RX unknown works "I did the backport [...] In order to get gpm to not fail when given two devices where one was the not-yet-plugged-in USB mouse, I had to hand force=1 to the mouse module." Bitt Faulk <wfaulk_at_totalsports.net>
Toshiba 1)
Satellite Pro 490CDT unknown   Paul Newman <Paul.Newman_at_pgen.com>
Satellite 2502CDS unknown   p2kamins
Satellite 4030CDT Intel 82371AB/EB ".. running FreeBSD 4.0-Release with Linux emulation. USB output from dmesg: uhci0: <Intel 82371AB/EB (PIIX4) USB controller> I currently use an Iomega USB Zip 100 drive on the system via the umass device driver." Gary Rafe <gerst4+_at_pitt.edu>
Portege 3010/3015CT "OHCI" USB controller works Stephen Foskett
Stephen Foskett <sfoskett_at_slf.gweep.net>
Portégé 7020CT Intel 82371AB PIIX4 USB (rev 1) kernel 2.2.14 with 2.3.39 backport (on RH5.2 base)
works: Belkin 3 button mouse (Cypress Semi. CY7C63001A-PC)
works: Logitech Wingman 4 port HUB (Texas Instruments TUSB2040)
partial: Epson Stylus 760 colour inkjet printer (reported but not printing yet - either direct or thru hub.) Just can't talk with it so far.
lsusb works though sometimes reports timeouts.
usbview works fine.
USB mouse freezes until replugged if hub as a whole, or printer only, replugged. 		David Holmes
David Holmes <delphys_at_digitalwiz.com>
Tecra 750CDT unknown "I have an USB mouse (made by Cypress Semiconductor but exactly the same as a microsoft one), which the system will recognise if plugged in when I boot up. It sees it as a PS2 mouse. I understand this is a function of the Toshiba Bios but of course I may be wrong." Tony Pickett <tony_at_thepicketts.freeserve.co.uk>
Tecra 8000 UHCI controller works with Aldi-Tevion WebCam USB (Backport to 2.2.14 with 2.2.15 Kernel) Oliver Wahl <cowahl_at_gmx.net>
WinBook
Winbook XLi Intel Corporation 82371AB PIIX4 USB (rev 1). works with USB keyboard and 2.4.0-test1 D. J. Rausch <rausch_at_beacon.com>

Annotations

  • 1) Toshiba Linux Support .
  • 2) you may get information about the USB controller by doing cat /proc/pci and about USB devices with cat /proc/bus/usb/devices.


Mobile Devices

Sound

Most USB audio devices are supported by recent kernels. An example is Labtec Axis 712 Stereo Headset (headphones and microphone) which works in full-duplex mode. For more info about this and other Linux-compatible USB audio devices see this survey .

Egosys Wavterminal U2A USB I/O Sounddevice Kernel 2.4.18 USB-Audio driver is supporting this device:

  • analog in (32.0 kHz 44.1kHz 48 KHz) is working
  • analog out (32.0 kHz 44.1kHz 48 KHz) and digital coaxial out is working simultaneous EgoSyS U2A: /dev/dsp Laptop build in Soundcard: /dev/dsp1

Not working under Linux:

  • switching to digital in
  • leveling in/output on device

Not tested:

  • Simultaneous optical out (should work)
  • Switching input source under Microsoft-Windows and plug to Linux. U2A device maybe remember last settings.
  • Microsoft-Windows driver does not supported mulitple U2A device, but maybe Linux?

Technical hint:

  • EgoSys digital I/0 is not bit-true because every digital I/O is resampled and so it lose some Bits: http://www.solorb.com/dat-heads/digests/V6.200/D275#Msg21 (But I do not think this is tragically ;)
  • analog I/O unbalanced

If you have a U2A, too and live in Belgium, Nethelands or Germany NRW please contact me to find out if multiple U2A are running under Linux. <Robert.Michel_at_post.rwth-aachen.de>

TV-Tuner

pvrusb is a Linux driver for the WinTV PVR USB (not the plain WinTV USB), a USB MPEG2 encoder with a TV tuner.

DVD/CD/CD-RW

See portable CD-RWs .

Web Cams

Most Web Cams should work, but I have got reports that some don't work with some laptops, probably because the laptop doesn't seem to provide enough power via USB.

Cell Phones

Here is some more information about the NOKIA 5510 USB Storage.

USB Adapters

Atmel at76c503 Driver

at76c503 [archived link] is a Linux driver for the wlan USB adapter based on the Atmel at76c503 chip. It currently supports ad-hoc mode only. It supports adapters from Atmel, the Belkin F5D6050, Netgear MA101B, and others. see also the Atmel driver page.

Lucent/Agere ORiNOCO USB devices

Linux drivers are at Alioth.

AIRcable BlueTooth Kit

AIRcable USB Kit for Linux PDAs

USB-Host-Adapter

USB-Host-Adapter for Linux PDAs as CF-Card device.

LAKS - Wristwatch USB Drive

From SlashDot: "For the gadget happy multitude LAKS has made the ultimate wristwatch. It's a USB drive combined with a watch and they've managed to make it look rather nice." (This looks like a nice place to store a persistent homedir to use with Knoppix-MiB ;))

Other Resources

  • USB-HOWTO.
  • A well written document about the Portege 3010/3015CT by Stephen Foskett, may work as an USB manual for laptops.
  • Linux-USB web page.
  • Hardware-HOWTO.
  • Linux Hardware by Christopher Browne, highly recommended.
  • lsusb.
  • usbview. is a GTK application to display information about the topology of the devices connected to the USB bus on a Linux machine. It also displays detailed information on the individual devices.
  • uusbd is a daemon to provide USB support for the Linux Operating System.
  • WLAN-NG hardware list

Credits

  • Thanks to the contributors and the members of the Linux-Laptop mailing list.
  • <Robert.Michel_at_post.rwth-aachen.de>
  • Jacek Pliszka <pliszka_AT_phyun0.ucr.edu>







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© Werner Heuser 1997-2011 · http://tuxmobil.org/usb_linux.html · last change Tue Apr 12 2011