Set up Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid on the HP TC1100

With this tutorial you will be able to make better use of the tablet's features than you would on an out-of-the-box Ubuntu installation.

This guide is for Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Xubuntu 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" and other Ubuntu derivatives. If you are not using gnome, replace gedit with kate, mousepad, or whatever text editor your distribution uses.

Click here for the Ubuntu 10.10 guide!

Before we begin

  1. I am not responsible for anything you do with your computer, including following this tutorial.
  2. Copy a command by highlighting it and hitting ctrl+c then paste it into a terminal with ctrl+shift+v.
  3. If you need help or have comments, use this forum thread.

comments look like this

terminal commands look like this

configuration file text looks like this

Apply Updates

Fix the Graphics

These changes are required for screen rotation, suspend, and special effects.

sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Section "Screen"
	Identifier	"Default Screen"
	DefaultDepth	24
	Option	"AddARGBGLXVisuals"	"True"
EndSection

Section "Module"
	Load	"glx"
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier	"Default Device"
	Driver	"nvidia"
	Option	"NoLogo"	"True"
	Option	"RandRRotation"	"True"
	Option	"NvAGP"		"1"
	Option	"RenderAccel"	"False"
EndSection

Fix the Stylus

sudo gedit /usr/lib/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-wacom.conf

Section "InputClass"
	Identifier "Wacom class"
	MatchProduct "Wacom|WACOM"
	MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event*"
	Driver "wacom"
EndSection

Section "InputClass"
	Identifier "Wacom serial class"
	MatchProduct "Serial Wacom Tablet"
	Driver "wacom"
	Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"
	Option "TPCButton" "on"
	Option "Button2" "3"
EndSection

# N-Trig Duosense Electromagnetic Digitizer
Section "InputClass"
	Identifier "Wacom N-Trig class"
	MatchProduct "HID 1b96:0001"
	MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event*"
	Driver "wacom"
EndSection

You must reboot for changes to take effect.

Installing useful applications

Cellwriter is a handwriting application used for entering text using the stylus.
Xournal is a note-taking application.
Xbindkeys is used for mapping the special tablet buttons.


Install them with this command:

sudo aptitude install cellwriter xournal xbindkeys

Make xbindkeys start up automatically.

Configure xbindkeys for custom key mapping

gedit .xbindkeysrc

"rotate"
b:30
"xournal"
b:31
"cellwriter"
b:32
"xournal"
c:156
"rotate"
c:157

Other tweaks and fixes

Load the tc1100 module needed for controlling the jogdial and wireless card status.

sudo modprobe tc1100-wmi
sudo echo "tc1100-wmi" >> /etc/modules


Allow the jogdial to control screen brightness.

This is the only way you can control screen brightness, so this is how I prefer to use the jogdial. If you don't do this step you can keep using it as page up and page down.

sudo gedit /etc/rc.local

echo 0 > /sys/devices/platform/tc1100-wmi/jogdial

Make a screen rotation script.

gedit rotate

#!/bin/sh
if [ -n "$(xrandr | grep 768x1024)" ]; then
        xrandr -o normal
        xsetwacom set "Serial Wacom Tablet" Rotate NONE
else
        xrandr -o left
        xsetwacom set "Serial Wacom Tablet" Rotate CCW
fi

chmod +x rotate
sudo mv rotate /usr/bin/rotate


Prevent the screen from locking.

If the screen becomes locked and you don't have a keyboard attached then you're stuck. Use the power slider to suspend, not the menu on the panel.

gconftool -s /apps/gksu/disable-grab -t bool true
gconftool -s /apps/gnome-power-manager/lock/suspend -t bool false
gconftool -s /apps/gnome-power-manager/lock/hibernate -t bool false


Fix the boot up graphics.

sudo gedit /etc/default/grub

# If you change this file, run 'update-grub' afterwards to update
# /boot/grub/grub.cfg.

GRUB_DEFAULT=0
GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=0
GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT_QUIET=true
GRUB_TIMEOUT=10
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR=`lsb_release -i -s 2> /dev/null || echo Debian`
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"
#GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""

# Uncomment to disable graphical terminal (grub-pc only)
#GRUB_TERMINAL=console

# The resolution used on graphical terminal
# note that you can use only modes which your graphic card supports via VBE
# you can see them in real GRUB with the command `vbeinfo'
GRUB_GFXMODE=1024x768
GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=1024x768

# Uncomment if you don't want GRUB to pass "root=UUID=xxx" parameter to Linux
#GRUB_DISABLE_LINUX_UUID=true

# Uncomment to disable generation of recovery mode menu entries
#GRUB_DISABLE_LINUX_RECOVERY="true"

# Uncomment to get a beep at grub start
#GRUB_INIT_TUNE="480 440 1"

sudo update-grub

Other notes

Thanks to everyone who made this tutorial possible!

Do not suspend in portrait mode, the stylus calibration will be messed up upon resume. Use the power slider to suspend, not the menu on the panel.

Ubuntu 10.04 makes it easy to login without the keyboard attached because the on-screen keyboard is now integrated into the login menu. Just activate it from the login screen by opening the preferences menu from the icon at the bottom.

In this release, the stylus buttons do not work. I don't have hibernation working. The card reader has never worked.

Bug reports:
TI PCI1620 SD card reader not working
[Hewlett-Packard HP Tablet PC TC1100] hibernate/resume failure [non-free: nvidia]
Nvidia binary driver requires Option "NvAGP" "1" for reliable suspend/resume
Tablet stylus right-click not recognized


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Posted: May 14th, 2011
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