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A few days ago I bought a SL640 Hama USB keyboard to use on my laptop with Ubuntu 12.04. But I'm having problems, as it works one time out of 10!

On my girlfriend's laptop, which runs Windows Vista, this keyboard always works. It also always works on my laptop, when I boot into Windows 7 instead of Ubuntu.

Here are some infos:

~$ lsusb
Bus 006 Device 003: ID 04d9:1503 Holtek Semiconductor, Inc. Shortboard Lefty

As you can see, the OS recognized it but the keyboard doesn't react ... even the Caps Lock and Num Lock keys don't blink.

Regarding the legacy support (useful for GRUB), I have found no entry in the BIOS. But I'm not interested in it. I just want to use it in Ubuntu.

However, in GRUB it works sometimes.

Surprisingly, now I have booted my laptop: the usb keyboard hasn't worked in GRUB but it has worked since the ubuntu login! And now I'm typing with it.

Well.. it means that Ubuntu has the right drivers and they work. But how to "load" them always correctly?

Here's another example:

After several plug/unplug actions, now it works.

Here's the output of dmesg: 

[ 1007.280090] usb 6-1: USB disconnect, device number 19
[ 1010.192060] usb 5-2: new low-speed USB device number 20 using uhci_hcd
[ 1010.732051] usb 5-2: device not accepting address 20, error -84
[ 1010.844046] usb 5-2: new low-speed USB device number 21 using uhci_hcd
[ 1011.133123] usb 5-2: can't set config #1, error -84
[ 1029.848104] usb 5-2: USB disconnect, device number 21
[ 1038.064057] usb 4-2: new low-speed USB device number 4 using uhci_hcd
[ 1038.363131] usb 4-2: can't set config #1, error -84
[ 1089.120105] usb 4-2: USB disconnect, device number 4
[ 1096.460073] usb 6-1: new low-speed USB device number 20 using uhci_hcd
[ 1097.060046] usb 6-1: device not accepting address 20, error -71
[ 1097.172077] usb 6-1: new low-speed USB device number 21 using uhci_hcd
[ 1097.534131] generic-usb: probe of 0003:04D9:1503.0016 failed with error -84
[ 1097.554110] generic-usb: probe of 0003:04D9:1503.0017 failed with error -32
[ 1140.952075] usb 6-1: USB disconnect, device number 21
[ 1145.968084] usb 6-1: new low-speed USB device number 22 using uhci_hcd
[ 1146.512052] usb 6-1: device not accepting address 22, error -71
[ 1146.624087] usb 6-1: new low-speed USB device number 23 using uhci_hcd
[ 1146.957109] generic-usb: probe of 0003:04D9:1503.0018 failed with error -84
[ 1147.000116] generic-usb: probe of 0003:04D9:1503.0019 failed with error -84
[ 1199.480080] usb 6-1: USB disconnect, device number 23
[ 1201.928080] usb 5-2: new low-speed USB device number 22 using uhci_hcd
[ 1202.301173] generic-usb: probe of 0003:04D9:1503.001A failed with error -84
[ 1202.342182] generic-usb: probe of 0003:04D9:1503.001B failed with error -84
[ 1227.008092] usb 5-2: USB disconnect, device number 22
[ 1234.416066] usb 4-2: new low-speed USB device number 5 using uhci_hcd
[ 1234.960058] usb 4-2: device not accepting address 5, error -71
[ 1235.072071] usb 4-2: new low-speed USB device number 6 using uhci_hcd
[ 1235.616071] usb 4-2: device not accepting address 6, error -84
[ 1235.728071] usb 4-2: new low-speed USB device number 7 using uhci_hcd
[ 1235.903088] usb 4-2: can't set config #1, error -84
[ 1258.256080] usb 4-2: USB disconnect, device number 7
[ 1265.796058] usb 5-2: new low-speed USB device number 23 using uhci_hcd
[ 1266.388076] usb 5-2: device not accepting address 23, error -71
[ 1266.500074] usb 5-2: new low-speed USB device number 24 using uhci_hcd
[ 1266.793126] usb 5-2: can't set config #1, error -84
[ 1333.152111] usb 5-2: USB disconnect, device number 24
[ 1336.520066] usb 6-1: new low-speed USB device number 24 using uhci_hcd
[ 1336.805091] usb 6-1: can't set config #1, error -84
[ 1402.592088] usb 6-1: USB disconnect, device number 24
[ 1406.020078] usb 5-2: new low-speed USB device number 25 using uhci_hcd
[ 1406.299121] usb 5-2: can't set config #1, error -84
[ 1564.288095] usb 5-2: USB disconnect, device number 25
[ 1566.968105] usb 6-1: new low-speed USB device number 25 using uhci_hcd
[ 1567.508073] usb 6-1: device not accepting address 25, error -71
[ 1567.620073] usb 6-1: new low-speed USB device number 26 using uhci_hcd
[ 1568.164069] usb 6-1: device not accepting address 26, error -84
[ 1568.276085] usb 6-1: new low-speed USB device number 27 using uhci_hcd
[ 1568.326126] usb 6-1: device descriptor read/all, error -84
[ 1568.440071] usb 6-1: new low-speed USB device number 28 using uhci_hcd
[ 1568.651128] usb 6-1: can't set config #1, error -84
[ 1649.848120] usb 6-1: USB disconnect, device number 28
[ 1653.104073] usb 5-2: new low-speed USB device number 26 using uhci_hcd
[ 1653.462591] input:   USB Keyboard as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb5/5-2/5-2:1.0/input/input17
[ 1653.462767] generic-usb 0003:04D9:1503.001C: input,hidraw0: USB HID v1.10 Keyboard [  USB Keyboard] on usb-0000:00:1d.0-2/input0
[ 1653.552194] input:   USB Keyboard as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb5/5-2/5-2:1.1/input/input18
[ 1653.552337] generic-usb 0003:04D9:1503.001D: input,hidraw1: USB HID v1.10 Device [  USB Keyboard] on usb-0000:00:1d.0-2/input1

How can I fix this problem so the keyboard always works in Ubuntu? Please HELP!

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3
  • can you be more clear in paragraph1 as to what it does and does not work on. You mention “your laptop” twice, one time it did not work another time it did. I can make guesses and inferences as to what this means, but it is hard on the brain and I may (probably will) get it wrong.
    – ctrl-alt-delor
    Jul 6, 2012 at 10:22
  • 1
    @richard I've tried the keyboard on two different laptops: one with Ubuntu 12.04 and WIN7 (my laptop), the latter with Ubuntu 10.04 and WIN Vista (girlfried's laptop). In both Windows' OS the keyboard works. In both Ubuntu's OS it works occasionally. Sometimes from the login (rarely), sometimes after several plug/unplug actions. Very annoying.
    – palimmo
    Jul 6, 2012 at 13:08
  • use this help.ubuntu.com/community/InstallUSBKeyboard it should solve ur problem legacy suport is a biggie on both mouse and keyboard
    – user601611
    Oct 1, 2016 at 14:48

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
1

I see that issue is outdated, but just for those who still have this trouble (like me was):

I had similar troubles with Microsoft Comfort Curve Keyboard 2000. This keyboard sometimes suddenly hanged so I had to re-plug it.

I have solved this by turning off irqbalance (like Alen wrote) and by enabling irqpoll in kernel option at boot time: (solution from ubuntugeek.com)

gksudo gedit /etc/default/grub

set GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX to

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=”acpi=force irqpoll”

then

sudo update-grub

then reboot.

Improve this answer
2
  • This sounds somewhat like my problem - every once in a while the keyboard will stop responding altogether for some 20 or so seconds. Sometimes it will just stutter for a while. I'm a bit reticent meddling with these type of configuration though, can you try providing some rational into this? I'd really appreciate understanding how it's all related...
    – matanster
    Aug 14, 2014 at 11:33
  • 1
    @matt Sorry, but I have not understood the problem deeply.This trick had worked for me for a nearly month. And then I have found that usb-controller of my keyboard has gone out of order. That was a known problem of MS keyboards...
    – ASten
    Aug 19, 2014 at 9:48
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Open terminal and enter: gksu gedit /etc/default/irqbalance

Delete everything and paste this:

#Configuration for the irqbalance daemon

#Should irqbalance be enabled?
ENABLED="0"
#Balance the IRQs only once?
ONESHOT="0"

Save and reboot.

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7
  • Do you mean ENABLED="0" ? My actual situation is: #Configuration for the irqbalance daemon #Should irqbalance be enabled? ENABLED="1" #Balance the IRQs only once? ONESHOT="0"
    – palimmo
    Jul 6, 2012 at 13:23
  • I've tried both alternatives (with or without "") and rebooted. #Configuration for the irqbalance daemon #Should irqbalance be enabled? ENABLED=0 #Balance the IRQs only once? ONESHOT="0" And #Configuration for the irqbalance daemon #Should irqbalance be enabled? ENABLED="0" #Balance the IRQs only once? ONESHOT="0" But the problem still occurs.
    – palimmo
    Jul 6, 2012 at 13:43
  • I've tried also removing the irq-balance package. But without success. So, I've reinstalled it and restored the previous configuration.
    – palimmo
    Jul 6, 2012 at 13:52
  • well I had the same problem and fixed it so I thought it would work for you too.
    – Alen
    Jul 6, 2012 at 17:10
  • In which way should I edit it? With or without "" ? thanks!
    – palimmo
    Jul 6, 2012 at 17:34

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