RetroPie Kodi keyboard input problem

[cdrei]

Pi Model: Raspberry Pi 3

Power Supply used: CanaKit 2.5A power supply for Raspberry Pi

RetroPie version: RetroPie-Setup Script version 4.2.18 (last commit 3 weeks ago, 118a41d)

Built From: Pre-made SD image built on (modified?) Raspbian Jessie

USB Devices: Varied in tests -- Logitech wireless USB keyboard w/ touchpad, USB game controller, wired USB keyboard & mouse

Error message:(in Kodi) "No PVR add-on enabled"

Controller used: Not sure how to answer this one...?

I began using Retropie about a month ago, after receiving a Pi3 with Emulation Station already set up on a 32 GB SD card. The setup includes Kodi and Pixel OS. I've been using the device consistently since receiving it, with few problems.

Yesterday (September 5, 2017) I somehow managed to break keyboard input in Kodi. I installed a couple of third-party repositories, in the midst of trying to set up a working version of the Internet Archive add-on. Prior to these installations, I was able to use any attached keyboard to enter search terms into the text imput fields. After installing and uninstalling some things, I discovered that the keyboard no longer works for search input. I receive the error, "No PVR add-on enabled", upon pressing certain keys, while others actovate the power and shutdown options. The keyboard seems locked into functioning as a remote shortcut device.

Since this error, I have done everything I can think of to try to fix the error. I set up and installed PVR, but the problem is the keyboard functioning incorrectly, rather than the lack of PVR. I have restored the SD card from different backup images. I have reset Kodi to factory conditions. I have deleted the contents of the .kodi folder and copied user information over from working backups. I disabled SSH access to my device and shut off the wifi access. I tested everything on two different Pi3 models, with varied input devices.

Nothing has worked, at least not for long. After a couple of fresh installations, Kodi had behaved desirably in initial tests, the first time I opened the software. When I next opened Kodi, the error had reasserted itself.

I'm really perplexed here. My understanding is that all Kodi settings are located in the hidden ~/.kodi folder. I have cleared that entirely and replaced its contents with what should have been error-free settings files, repeatedly, only to have the error return. The system acts like there are hidden, Kodi-specific keyboard settings somewhere, or some kind of weird hacker thing is happening.

Can anyone help with this? Are there secret files or settings I can modify? Is this a known issue? I'm relatively new to all of this, so I'm in a bit over my head.

[cdrei]

I think I may be narrowing in on the cause of this, but I'm not sure I have the background knowledge of Linux and RetroPie to fix it without some pointers.

Google brought up this: [https://www.reddit.com/r/kodi/comments/4zqxyf/cant_use_keyboard_for_typing/](link url) , which led to [https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=135866](link url).

I checked my recent Kodi log files and found the error listing reported at the second link: "WARNING: no keymap support (requires /dev/tty0 - CONFIG_VT)". So it seems I have the same problem they were having... whatever that was...? It's all a puzzle to me, as yet.

I'm not sure how to adapt the solutions to this problem reported by others at the above links. The files at /etc/udev/rules.d match neither the name nor the formatting of those cited in the solutions at the link.

I'm in way over my head, here. Hoping someone who understands what's happening can offer some input.

[cdrei]

Well... it looks like I've solved the problem, The answer was in an older thread on this very forum. I saw it, along with one of the above links, yesterday, but didn't manage then to piece all of it together.

The earlier thread is here: [https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/7003/kodi-keyboard-issue/11](link url), and it relates to joystick permissions rather than the keyboard. The solution to my problem was identical to the one at the link, so it's two aspects of the same thing, I guess. Rascas at the link had the solution.

Now I guess the question becomes, why does this keep happening to various users? What provokes it? I assume the user does something to cause this to happen. In my case, keyboards were working with no problems until suddenly, whammo, they weren't. Why? Did I install or uninstall a repository or add-on in Kodi that prompted this? Did my use of the Pixel OS features cause some behind-the-scenes changes to input permissions? Puzzling.

[Rascas]

This was the only error message related to your keyboard problem:
"WARNING: no keymap support (requires /dev/tty0 - CONFIG_VT)"

Some keyboards requires extra permissions to function properly on Kodi. A similar udev rules file is or at least was included on Raspbian. Don't know why it worked, and then stopped working in your case, probably something that you uninstalled. I have to check this upstream.

[Rascas]

What exactly did you do to fix your problem ?
Can you please post the output of the following commands ?

cat /lib/udev/rules.d/50-udev-default.rules
groups pi

[cdrei]

I'm not sure how to apply code-block formatting in this post. The powers that be seem to expect it, around here, but the methods aren't immediately obvious. So I apologize for the formatting of the following, which is copied from a post by Rascas at the thread linked in my previous reply.

[code]sudo tee -a /etc/udev/rules.d/998-fix-input.rules <<EOF

input

KERNEL=="mouse*|mice|event*", MODE="0660", GROUP="input"
KERNEL=="ts[0-9]|uinput", MODE="0660", GROUP="input"
KERNEL=="js[0-9]", MODE="0660", GROUP="input"

tty

SUBSYSTEM=="tty", KERNEL=="tty[0-9]*", GROUP="tty", MODE="0666"
EOF[/code]

The above is improperly formatted, but the original code, at the link, when pasted into the terminal produces a file that fixes the problem.

Possibly I can reference the proper post using this link: https://retropie.org.uk/post/67023

At any rate, this was the exact solution to my problem. Everything works fine now, happily.

[cdrei]

Hey, waitasec... you are Rascas! Ha. Sorry, I didn't notice the name, for some reason.

I guess you would already be familiar with the code used to solve my problem, but you're not sure how your solution related to my problem? Your solution for jmhannz works perfectly for my case. I guess his symptoms and mine were pretty different, but our problems were related.

[Rascas]

@cdrei What I wanted to know is if there was any change that caused your issue. A normal user shouldn't need to do that for a keyboard to work correctly on Kodi.
Can you please provide the output of the commands I asked in the previous post ?

[cdrei]

Okay. Sorry, I misunderstood. My reading comprehension is really lacking, today.

When I paste the requested two lines into the terminal, the system jumps into running the first line before it accepts the second one. So I'm seeing the entire 50-udev-default.rules document in the terminal. Not sure whether the second line, which isn't being run, was intended to refine the command that does run, or what.

Here, at any rate, is the entirety of my 50-udev-default.rules. Complete with, erm, a typo as the pastebin paste title. Erm. https://pastebin.com/EfLAKAWX

If that isn't what you needed, let me know how to give you what you want and I'll do my best.