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authorAndré Fabian Silva Delgado <emulatorman@parabola.nu>2015-08-05 17:04:01 -0300
committerAndré Fabian Silva Delgado <emulatorman@parabola.nu>2015-08-05 17:04:01 -0300
commit57f0f512b273f60d52568b8c6b77e17f5636edc0 (patch)
tree5e910f0e82173f4ef4f51111366a3f1299037a7b /Documentation/input/ff.txt
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+Force feedback for Linux.
+By Johann Deneux <johann.deneux@gmail.com> on 2001/04/22.
+Updated by Anssi Hannula <anssi.hannula@gmail.com> on 2006/04/09.
+You may redistribute this file. Please remember to include shape.fig and
+interactive.fig as well.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+1. Introduction
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+This document describes how to use force feedback devices under Linux. The
+goal is not to support these devices as if they were simple input-only devices
+(as it is already the case), but to really enable the rendering of force
+effects.
+This document only describes the force feedback part of the Linux input
+interface. Please read joystick.txt and input.txt before reading further this
+document.
+
+2. Instructions to the user
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+To enable force feedback, you have to:
+
+1. have your kernel configured with evdev and a driver that supports your
+ device.
+2. make sure evdev module is loaded and /dev/input/event* device files are
+ created.
+
+Before you start, let me WARN you that some devices shake violently during the
+initialisation phase. This happens for example with my "AVB Top Shot Pegasus".
+To stop this annoying behaviour, move you joystick to its limits. Anyway, you
+should keep a hand on your device, in order to avoid it to break down if
+something goes wrong.
+
+If you have a serial iforce device, you need to start inputattach. See
+joystick.txt for details.
+
+2.1 Does it work ?
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+There is an utility called fftest that will allow you to test the driver.
+% fftest /dev/input/eventXX
+
+3. Instructions to the developer
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+All interactions are done using the event API. That is, you can use ioctl()
+and write() on /dev/input/eventXX.
+This information is subject to change.
+
+3.1 Querying device capabilities
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+#include <linux/input.h>
+#include <sys/ioctl.h>
+
+#define BITS_TO_LONGS(x) \
+ (((x) + 8 * sizeof (unsigned long) - 1) / (8 * sizeof (unsigned long)))
+unsigned long features[BITS_TO_LONGS(FF_CNT)];
+int ioctl(int file_descriptor, int request, unsigned long *features);
+
+"request" must be EVIOCGBIT(EV_FF, size of features array in bytes )
+
+Returns the features supported by the device. features is a bitfield with the
+following bits:
+- FF_CONSTANT can render constant force effects
+- FF_PERIODIC can render periodic effects with the following waveforms:
+ - FF_SQUARE square waveform
+ - FF_TRIANGLE triangle waveform
+ - FF_SINE sine waveform
+ - FF_SAW_UP sawtooth up waveform
+ - FF_SAW_DOWN sawtooth down waveform
+ - FF_CUSTOM custom waveform
+- FF_RAMP can render ramp effects
+- FF_SPRING can simulate the presence of a spring
+- FF_FRICTION can simulate friction
+- FF_DAMPER can simulate damper effects
+- FF_RUMBLE rumble effects
+- FF_INERTIA can simulate inertia
+- FF_GAIN gain is adjustable
+- FF_AUTOCENTER autocenter is adjustable
+
+Note: In most cases you should use FF_PERIODIC instead of FF_RUMBLE. All
+ devices that support FF_RUMBLE support FF_PERIODIC (square, triangle,
+ sine) and the other way around.
+
+Note: The exact syntax FF_CUSTOM is undefined for the time being as no driver
+ supports it yet.
+
+
+int ioctl(int fd, EVIOCGEFFECTS, int *n);
+
+Returns the number of effects the device can keep in its memory.
+
+3.2 Uploading effects to the device
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+#include <linux/input.h>
+#include <sys/ioctl.h>
+
+int ioctl(int file_descriptor, int request, struct ff_effect *effect);
+
+"request" must be EVIOCSFF.
+
+"effect" points to a structure describing the effect to upload. The effect is
+uploaded, but not played.
+The content of effect may be modified. In particular, its field "id" is set
+to the unique id assigned by the driver. This data is required for performing
+some operations (removing an effect, controlling the playback).
+This if field must be set to -1 by the user in order to tell the driver to
+allocate a new effect.
+
+Effects are file descriptor specific.
+
+See <linux/input.h> for a description of the ff_effect struct. You should also
+find help in a few sketches, contained in files shape.fig and interactive.fig.
+You need xfig to visualize these files.
+
+3.3 Removing an effect from the device
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+int ioctl(int fd, EVIOCRMFF, effect.id);
+
+This makes room for new effects in the device's memory. Note that this also
+stops the effect if it was playing.
+
+3.4 Controlling the playback of effects
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+Control of playing is done with write(). Below is an example:
+
+#include <linux/input.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+ struct input_event play;
+ struct input_event stop;
+ struct ff_effect effect;
+ int fd;
+...
+ fd = open("/dev/input/eventXX", O_RDWR);
+...
+ /* Play three times */
+ play.type = EV_FF;
+ play.code = effect.id;
+ play.value = 3;
+
+ write(fd, (const void*) &play, sizeof(play));
+...
+ /* Stop an effect */
+ stop.type = EV_FF;
+ stop.code = effect.id;
+ stop.value = 0;
+
+ write(fd, (const void*) &play, sizeof(stop));
+
+3.5 Setting the gain
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+Not all devices have the same strength. Therefore, users should set a gain
+factor depending on how strong they want effects to be. This setting is
+persistent across access to the driver.
+
+/* Set the gain of the device
+int gain; /* between 0 and 100 */
+struct input_event ie; /* structure used to communicate with the driver */
+
+ie.type = EV_FF;
+ie.code = FF_GAIN;
+ie.value = 0xFFFFUL * gain / 100;
+
+if (write(fd, &ie, sizeof(ie)) == -1)
+ perror("set gain");
+
+3.6 Enabling/Disabling autocenter
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+The autocenter feature quite disturbs the rendering of effects in my opinion,
+and I think it should be an effect, which computation depends on the game
+type. But you can enable it if you want.
+
+int autocenter; /* between 0 and 100 */
+struct input_event ie;
+
+ie.type = EV_FF;
+ie.code = FF_AUTOCENTER;
+ie.value = 0xFFFFUL * autocenter / 100;
+
+if (write(fd, &ie, sizeof(ie)) == -1)
+ perror("set auto-center");
+
+A value of 0 means "no auto-center".
+
+3.7 Dynamic update of an effect
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+Proceed as if you wanted to upload a new effect, except that instead of
+setting the id field to -1, you set it to the wanted effect id.
+Normally, the effect is not stopped and restarted. However, depending on the
+type of device, not all parameters can be dynamically updated. For example,
+the direction of an effect cannot be updated with iforce devices. In this
+case, the driver stops the effect, up-load it, and restart it.
+
+Therefore it is recommended to dynamically change direction while the effect
+is playing only when it is ok to restart the effect with a replay count of 1.
+
+3.8 Information about the status of effects
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+Every time the status of an effect is changed, an event is sent. The values
+and meanings of the fields of the event are as follows:
+
+struct input_event {
+/* When the status of the effect changed */
+ struct timeval time;
+
+/* Set to EV_FF_STATUS */
+ unsigned short type;
+
+/* Contains the id of the effect */
+ unsigned short code;
+
+/* Indicates the status */
+ unsigned int value;
+};
+
+FF_STATUS_STOPPED The effect stopped playing
+FF_STATUS_PLAYING The effect started to play
+
+NOTE: Status feedback is only supported by iforce driver. If you have
+ a really good reason to use this, please contact
+ linux-joystick@atrey.karlin.mff.cuni.cz or anssi.hannula@gmail.com
+ so that support for it can be added to the rest of the drivers.
+