Mapping a USB Keypad

[Luke Davis]

Hello folks

I am about to buy a laptop (an HP Pavilion DV1510US, which does not show 
up at all on linux-laptops.org, nore as associated with linux support in 
google, but other Pavilions are, so maybe I'll have to be the first).  
Anyway, since these laptops do not have numpads (there is a non-Intel 
moddel that does, but it is a monster, and puts out a lot of heat), I 
thought I would buy an external number pad.

Staples was selling a wireless Targus pad on the cheap, so I got it 
($29), and decided to get it working on my desktop first.

I support the pad as follows:
modprobe uhci-hcd
# detects a device but doesn't recognize it, when I connect the receiver
modprobe usbhid
# loads hiddev
# Hiddev detects a wireless RF keyboard, and a wireless RF mouse (only one 
# is actually extant)

After that, the keypad works, in general.  Its numlock controls my main 
numlock, but the numpads are not syncronized--they are doing different 
things.
Some times, the main pad will be speakup keys, while the USB unit is doing 
what a normal (non-speakup) numpad with numlock off would do (home, end, 
up, down, etc.).  Other times, they are both entering digits.  Other 
times, the wireless pad will be doing speakup keys just as the normal pad 
is, but not all keys do what they should (zero/insert, for example, never 
works).

Which pad is doing what, is controlled by the sequence and pattern in 
which I press the two numlocks.

Needless to say, this is highly undesirable--I want each of them to do 
speakup keys (all of them) or digits, depending upon numlock.  If one 
numlock controls the other, or the pads are independant, is irrelevant at 
this point--as long as I can get the wireless pad to do numbers and all 
numpad speakup functions, I will be happy.  If they can be made 
independant, so much the better, but that is not very important right now.

I do not know too much about working with keymaps--I will learn, of 
course, when I need to--but I don't even know where to start, in 
reprogramming the actions of a USB numpad, which is both interacting and 
not interacting with my normal keyboard's numpad.

Does anyone have any thoughts on what I can do here?

If it matters, I'm using a CVS version of speakup--the one which is 
shipped with the current Debian talking install CD--the one wherein the 
cut speakup function causes a kernel panic.

Uname -a reports:

Linux thor 2.6.8-2-speakup #1 Fri Jun 10 14:17:01 PDT 2005 i686 GNU/Linux

Any help or other advice is welcome and appreciated in advance.

Regards,

Luke

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