Powermate Griffin

**Peter_Ford** · 03-24-2008, 05:40 PM

Hi all- i was wondering if anyone could help

After a lot of searching, i still couldnt find the answers

My problem - getting the powermate to emulate the escape key.
Using the standard controls in pref pane, and using proxi, i cant get it to register the escape key. Instead, it always thinks i've pressed the eject key. I'm using a macbook, so i plugged in a usb keyboard, and its still the same. I can get the powermate to do any other button- just not the escape key. nice one griffin.

I'm trying to get it to control front row- it all works fine, except i need it to activate the escape key to go back to previous menu.

Is there any way around this? Or would anyone have a proxi blueprint for getting the powermate to control frontrow 2?

Should i junk the powermate and use something better?

Any help would be much appreciated!

This is the last hurdle i need to overcome to complete my mac in a car setup. :-(

I'm using a touchscreen, but the powermate would have been nice for navigating front row as im driving.

**NeonDev** · 03-24-2008, 07:33 PM

i don't think that the griffin software allows for the escape key (have you checked for updates). I also know there is some software floating around here that can help with that. I don't recall it name, however.

**TTeuer** · 03-24-2008, 10:04 PM

You cannot map the escape key to the Powermate without to use of Proxi, which works great for controlling Front Row in Leopard.

Look through your system preferences -> Keyboard and Mouse -> Keyboard Shortcuts and see if there is a shortcut that is making the escape key map to eject. That is NOT the proper or normal behavior on any Mac by default. Eject is a dedicated button, or hold down F12 on older keyboards/Macs with no dedicated Eject button.

**Peter_Ford** · 03-25-2008, 02:09 AM

Originally Posted by TTeuer

You cannot map the escape key to the Powermate without to use of Proxi, which works great for controlling Front Row in Leopard.

Look through your system preferences -> Keyboard and Mouse -> Keyboard Shortcuts and see if there is a shortcut that is making the escape key map to eject. That is NOT the proper or normal behavior on any Mac by default. Eject is a dedicated button, or hold down F12 on older keyboards/Macs with no dedicated Eject button.

Thanks for the replys. Ive checked in keyboard shortcuts- theres no conflict.

I've got proxi to control the powermate for front row, in every way but going back to the previous menu. The symbol that comes up when i try to map the escape key to a function, is a circle with a little line coming out of the top left- which, after a little researcg, i found is the symbol for the escape key. However, i just cant get the powermate to go back a level in frontrow. just wont work!

Any chance you could share the blueprint file for proxi, if you have it working?

**Bugbyte** · 03-25-2008, 07:47 AM

I'm using version 1.51 of the Griffin Powermate pref panel and it maps the escape key in Front Row. It shows up as 'esc' when you set it in the send key window.

**Peter_Ford** · 03-25-2008, 12:29 PM

Strange- according to Griffin, its not possible to map it to the esc key. What computer and keyboard have you got?

Heres the email i recieved form them on the subject:

Are you running version 2.1 of the PowerMate software? As for the ESC
key not being able to be programmed in, this is an issue inherent in the
ESC key. Your computer will try to escape or revert when you press
that key, regardless of the fact that you are pressing it in an effort to
program it rather than actually escape. Your computer does not
understand the difference. If it were possible to temporarily disable the
escape key, program it into Powermate and then re-able it, that would do the
trick but I am not aware of a way to disable the ESC key to do this.
However, maybe you can go to: System Prefs --> Keyboard and Mouse -->
Keyboard Shortcuts --> and Untick "Hide and Show Front Row", then program
it in PowerMate, then go back and re-rick it. I'm not sure if this
will work but its worth a try. Also, I did some reading and it seems like
on some systems F1 can perform the same function as Control+ESC does
for Front Row. If your system does this, then that would be another w
ay to approach this.

Currey

Griffin Technology
Technical Support

**Jirka Jirout** · 03-26-2008, 12:47 AM

That's a BS. Of course you can easily intercept *any* keystroke including modifiers and process it any way you want in your program - and this applies to both Cocoa and Carbon.

**Bugbyte** · 03-26-2008, 08:16 AM

Originally Posted by Peter_Ford

Strange- according to Griffin, its not possible to map it to the esc key. What computer and keyboard have you got?

Mac Mini 1.42 PPC and one of those indestructable keyboards that rolls up.

Tell them to send you version 1.51 of the software!

**Peter_Ford** · 03-26-2008, 02:00 PM

Managed to get it sorted- no thanks to griffin!

I used Proxi to program the powermate to do what i want. took ages, but proxi will register the escape key.

Hmm- so proxi will register it, but the powermates prefpanes controller wont. but both programs are made my griffin. hmmm, i smell bad programing.

If anyone reads this in the future, and is having problems using a powermate with frontrow, give me a shout

**golfguy** · 07-07-2008, 09:36 PM

I would like to use a controller to switch Spaces desktops (to switch between Neon BoomBox and Garmin Mobile PC running in Fusion) and I mistakenly thought that the PowerMate would do it. The PowerMate software won't pass modifiers with the keystrokes and I can't figure out how to use Proxi to do it either. (Proxi is not very intuitive software. I'm sure it can work somehow, but I'll be darned if I can figure it out).

So, can anyone help me with Proxi, or do you know of a controller (not a keyboard) that will pass modifier+keystroke to Spaces?