Waveshare Laptop

I’m considering buying a Waveshare laptop to run RISC OS, has anyone used one of these? Waveshare Laptop
I’m assuming a CM3+ Lite would be ok, and running RISC OS from micro SD card would be the same as I am now on a PI 3B+. Seems to have all the things I need as far as I can tell, including access to a 40 pin header from which I can access I2C devices, currently in the process of writing a C++ library for a project I have in mind, but don’t want to be tied to the same desk.

Nice spec – well thought out and imaginative range of features – I like the hardware LED array. It is tempting, but I already have way too many computers.

Is it available with CM4?

I’m considering buying a Waveshare laptop

Well, it was looking good right up until the “oh no, it’s not a touch pad, you have a wireless mouse instead”. Sorry, I like my touchpad.

Otherwise, it’s nice that there are various options around for making Pi boards into laptops.

I’m assuming a CM3+ Lite would be ok

It’s basically a little Pi 3 B+. The “Lite” means it doesn’t have eMMC Flash on board. Which may be better for RISC OS, as I don’t think it supports eMMC…?

Is it available with CM4?

Probably not, the CM4 is quite a bit larger and may fit into a CM3 slot with some sort of adapter…is there space inside for all this? It may need a redesign of the insides to support the CM4. There’s no edge connector, for a start. And the CM4 has no USB 3 either (it can be added, but that’s additional hardware).
https://www.jeffgeerling.com/sites/default/files/images/raspberry-pi-model-size-comparison.jpg

Would RISCOS even support the wireless mouse?

Would RISCOS even support the wireless mouse?

I’ve been using an HP wireless mouse with my RPi for a few weeks now, so yes. It’s one of the 2.4GHz ones, not Bluetooth, so the USB dongle that comes with it looks to the USB system exactly like an ordinary cabled mouse.

I wish I could remember to switch the mouse off when I shut RISC OS down, though.

Sorry, I like my touchpad.

You are the only person I’ve ever heard saying that.

Sorry, I like my touchpad.

You are the only person I’ve ever heard saying that.

The fake touchpad was the one thing that put me off buying this laptop when they released it, and that the price would increase quite a bit when customs charges were applied. That and the fact that the CM4 had already been announced! A huge error of timing, that one.

I think the CM4 is an absolute shoo-in for a laptop chassis.

I think you have to assume that every laptop will have a trackpad. If you don’t like it, as seems to be the case with most people, you just use a mouse instead (your choice of wireless or cabled) and ignore the trackpad.

My wife and I share a laptop, running Ubuntu. My setup has the trackpad disabled. Hers doesn’t, and occasionally I hear her cursing because she’s just brushed the trackpad with her hand and caused a typing error.

We use a Logitech Bluetooth mouse, as the laptop has Bluetooth built in. It works superbly. I only wish it were not so expensive, otherwise I’d have bought a second one to use with RISC OS instead of the HP one (that model of Logitech mouse has both BT and a USB dongle).

I like touchpads too – as long as they support two finger scrolling and the like. I detest mice; Marconi Trackerballs are very nice, but I can’t say that of any other trackerball I’ve ever met; touchpads vary, but the one on Grace’s MacBook Air is excellent, as is the “Magic” touchpad I use with the Mac Mini.

Sadly I’m stuck with a b****y mouse on the Pi, until I get round to converting a Marconi Trackerball to USB.

Would RISCOS even support the wireless mouse?

Bluetooth, no. But if it’s one with a 2.4GHz USB dongle that looks like a regular USB device to the machine, then yet, it’ll work. I use a wireless keyboard with the older Pi, and would use a wireless mouse if I could remember where I put the itty-bitty dongle.

A huge error of timing, that one.

They probably facepalmed too. It’ll take dev work, design, testing and so on. So when they’re ready to release it, the Pi guys are like “guess what”.

You are the only person I’ve ever heard saying that.

Perhaps because the default settings of touchpads are rubbish (the pad maps to the screen and tapping is a mouse click), so many don’t realise how useful they can be.

If you have a decent driver (like Synaptics), wander in and find:

• The option to flick your finger when you reach the edge to carry on scrolling (without lifting your finger).
• Double-tap-hold to select a file (or other object) and then start dragging it.
• Tweak the sensitivity and/or use the option to detect accidental touches so that brushing the touchpad won’t sent the pointer/cursor somewhere else.
• Use the far right of the pad for scrolling up and down.
• Pinch to zoom.
• Depending on the driver, you might be able to use pinch to zoom, and move your fingers around to change scrolling in both directions of what you’re looking at.
• Some touchpads support gestures, so, like, a flick right to left is “go back”, and drawing a lower case ‘e’ will open your email software.
• You may also have things like “touch and point at an object and briefly tap with another finger whilst holding the initial tap” will be like a right button click.
• Depending on your driver, you can set up all sorts of cool things. With my old netbook and XP, I had the touchpad set up so that I could quickly select a group of files, and then rapidly drag them to the top edge of the pad. If I didn’t lift my finger but just carried on swiping entirely off the pad, the driver would instruct the system to copy those files to E: (which was the SD card). Meaning that backing up files to SD was literally a circular swipe (select the files) and then a swipe up (copy them).

Given that touchpads function in a manner not that different to a tablet/phone touchscreen, it’s a paradigm that I’m quite used to, so when coming back to a boring old mouse, it seems… very basic.

The keyboard I use with the desktop PC has a built-in touchpad, which is useful. One wireless device does both functions (keyboard and mouse). Sadly RISC OS stiffs solid when the thing is plugged in, so I use RISC OS with an optical mouse that I rescued from a bin at work (resoldered the broken cable, cleaned it twice!) and it’s fine.

occasionally I hear her cursing because she’s just brushed the trackpad

Delve into the settings. If it is any driver worth using, it should have options to help with this.

Delve into the settings. If it is any driver worth using, it should have options to help with this.

Unfortunately, I suspect Dave’s mention of HP is the critical clue.

Some moron person at HP decided to modify the settings for the trackpad and eliminate the “disable trackpad when mouse is present” option. It used to work on HP, so digging in the registry would probably find the key for that setting, even though the GUI for the touchpad driver hides the option.

And Dell decided that it would be a good idea for the buttons below the touchpad to be part of the touchpad. So when you go to press a button, the slightest movement of the finget moves the pointer, usually resulting in a click on the wrong thing. AND this behaviour can’t be changed in the configuration options.
And more recently discovered – to get the menu key (for VRPC for example) you need n n right-control.
however you can fortunatly change the default setting so that the function keys return function keys, rather than the things usually accessed with fn-function key. By default, pressing F5 to refresh the window turns the keyboard illumination on instead (which reduces the contrast so that the keys are difficult to read except in the dark – glowing blue against silver).

pressing F5 …

Usually you can change this in the BIOS so that function keys generate function key presses without the magic shifting key, swapping with the do-stupid-thing-on-keytop.

I suspect Dave’s mention of HP is the critical clue.

Some person at HP decided to modify the settings for the trackpad

A misunderstanding here, I think. My mouse is by HP, but not the laptop.

Usually you can change this in the BIOS so that function keys generate function key presses without the magic shifting key, swapping with the do-stupid-thing-on-keytop.

Dell XPS15 – user toggle status with Fn-Esc (there’s a little padlock symbol on the key)
Also something buried in the EFI settings

From what I can gather, your posts seem generally to say yes to be able to run RISC OS on the Lite version of the CM3+, but no confirmation of anyone using one of these laptops. I’ve found that they can be ordered through Amazon, which helps with the tax and postage issues, quite a hefty price though, 399 (got no pound sign and can’t remember the keystrokes, I’m using an American layout keyboard, purchased it on-line accidently), but I do like the form factor. No trackpad, not an issue, I have used a wireless mouse and keyboard with my Pi 3B+, I think it comes with a wireless mouse and dongle anyway. I do like the possibility to easily switch OS’s or versions when the need arises. Most of the time I’m not using resources from a network so not having WiFi is ok when not plugged in via ethernet cable. Yes it would have been nice to be able to have a CM4 version if they were available, but again, not a show stopper.

Thanks for your responses………

I’m using an American layout keyboard, purchased it on-line accidently

You might find these guys useful: https://www.4keyboard.com/

They print sticky labels on all sorts of shapes, sizes, and languages. I use them from time to time because over here all the keyboards are AZERTY, and I find the French layout to be rather programmer-unfriendly. The stupid keyboard devotes an entire key to ‘²’, but you have to do finger gymnastics to get to ‘{’ and ‘[’ and ‘@’ (etc).

I think RISC OS worked with CM3 Lite and CM3 emmC. Does not work with CM4 except Lite.