VMD-L Mailing List

From: Pietro Amodeo (pamodeo_at_icmib.na.cnr.it)
Date: Thu Feb 02 2006 - 15:04:58 CST

Hi,

I've just installed VMD (both 1.8.3 and 1.8.4b6 version) on my IBM
IntelliStation M Pro (with Quadro FX 1440 graphic board), equipped with
eDimensional 3D Glasses (correctly working after setting
VMDPREFERSTEREO=1), a NaturalPoint TrackIR:3 head tracking device (any VMD
support existing or planned?) and a serial Spaceball 4000FLX.

The Spaceball correctly works with VMD under Windows, while both tested
VMD Linux versions behave in the same (strange) way:
- if I launch VMD in a new window for the first time, I hear a double beep
from the device and a "Opening Spaceball on port: /dev/ttyS0" message is
printed in VMD console, but nothing happens when I move the ball or press
the buttons;
- after exiting the program and restarting it in THE SAME window, I obtain
the same beeping and message, but now (ONLY) buttons 1 to 8 works (buttons
9 and A,B,C give no output in the console window and the ball movements
produce no effect on molecules in any Spaceball user mode)!!!
- if I issue ANY unix command between two VMD launch commands in that
terminal window (either when the first session is still active, or after
exiting it) in the second VMD run the spaceball returns to its fully
inactive state, while if I ONLY issue VMD launch commands in the window I
always obtain the "partially active" state.

So, I never ended with a fully functional Spaceball...

Additional data:
1) in the VMD launch script I defined VMDMSMSUSEFILE (as a workaround to the
observed impossibility to use socketPort 1357), VMDPREFERSTEREO and
VMDSPACEBALLPORT=/dev/ttyS0 variables;
2) when I activated Spaceball xdriver, all tests ran flawlessly
(obviously, xdriver in not active when I run VMD, and I halted and
restarted the workstation before running again VMD);
3) I've installed Fedora Core 4 (fully updated yesterday) and the last
release (8178) of NVIDIA video drivers.

Sincerely,
Pietro 

-- 
Dr. Pietro Amodeo, Ph.D.
Istituto di Chimica Biomolecolare del CNR
Comprensorio "A. Olivetti", Edificio 70
Via Campi Flegrei 34
I-80078 Pozzuoli (Napoli) - Italy
Phone      +39-0818675072
Fax        +39-0818041770
Email    pamodeo_at_icmib.na.cnr.it