Waking up a powerbook with a mouse click

I have a G3 powerbook (400 MHz; Pismo, I think) running OS 10.3.7. When 
put to sleep, it wakes up in response to keyboard activity, but not to 
mouse activity (either moving or clicking); that seems to be an 
intentional feature. It doesn't matter if I use an external mouse or the 
touchpad.

However, I woud like to be able to wake it up in response to clicking an 
external USB mouse (the reason is complicated, but suffice it to say 
this is not a normal use for this computer). My question is: is that 
something that can be controlled in software, ideally through changing a 
config file somewhere?

Thanks in advance, Z

It will probably wake up in response to plugging in the mouse (or to
unplugging it and plugging it back in). m.


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I don't think so. For what it's worth, my AlBook wakes to mouse clicks 
but not mouse movement (makes sense - it's too easy to move the mouse). 
The way you talk about "not a normal use" makes me wonder about other 
solutions, though. If you could explain what you're trying to do we may 
be able to help further, but here are my initial thoughts:

There are four ways I know of to wake a machine. We need to "hijack" one 
of them.

1. Wake-on-lan. Too complex to be improvised, but if there is another 
machine involved (on the same lan or over the internet) it could send a 
magic packet to wake your Pismo up.

2. Wake-on-ring. You'd want to read up on telephony a little before 
trying this, but a ring signal is basically just a (fairly high-voltage) 
pulse on the line. You could assemble something that would send such a 
voltage into the laptop modem and wake it up.

3. Keypresses. Could whatever was going to click your mouse button press 
a key instead? Either through some kind of mechanical linkage or through 
a switch that energises a solenoid and presses a key.

4. USB device insertion. My Powerbook wakes up when you plug or unplug a 
USB device. You could get a cheap USB mouse (or similar) and fit a 
switch in-line with the cable. I don't know what actually triggers a 
"connect" - a four-pole, four-throw switch would definitely work 
(electrically identical to plugging or unplugging) but you may be able 
to use less.

Let us know what you're actually trying to do, but these may get you on 
the right track.

Pete

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That four-pole switch would have to be carefully constructed to us a 
safe order of closing the contacts. If you look at an USB cable, you 
will see that the outer (easily visible) metal contacts 'the other side' 
earlier than the four inner pieces of metal. This is with good reason (I 
believe that construction assures that the two devices have a shared 
earth before making electrical contact)

Reinder

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You can simply leave the ground connected at all times.  Not that it's
going to matter a whit when connecting an unpowered plastic USB mouse.
-- 
  There's no such thing as a free lunch, but certain accounting practices can
  result in a fully-depreciated one.

Unlikely, because waking is a function of the PMU (power management
unit) that obeys its own firmware and the settings in its non-volatile
RAM (NVRAM) while all processing by the CPU is halted. The available
NVRAM settings vary somewhat by Mac model. I don't know what they are on
a Pismo, but I doubt that you can change anything relating to its
response to USB signals while asleep. 

Macs are designed to wake in response to a RESUME signal from a USB
device  -- although in my experience just about any disturbance,
including a static discharge near a USB cable, seems to have the same
effect. Apparently, keyboards send this signal on a key press but mice
don't on a click. 

In article < XXXX@XXXXX.COM >,




At the risk of stating the obvious, have you tried a different mouse?

-- 
Steven Fisher;  XXXX@XXXXX.COM 
"Morituri Nolumus Mori."