Space Navigator PE Driver Development Thread

**sama** · 01-08-2007, 08:07 PM

PROGRESS: We've now decoded the data that comes back from the HID device, and pending some development to make it do something useful. This is no longer a Girder defition file, it'll be a multiplatform stand-alone app

Following some developments in this thread, a Girder definition is now under development for the 3DConnexion SpaceNavigator PE. This is a device that has 6 axis of motion, and two buttons.

So far, thanks to cherrybomb, it has been found that the latest version of Girder does not work with the HID plugin, as the previous verison did (4.0.1). Having downloaded this and configured the HID plugin, the values being read shown:

00 00 00 00 00 00

pressing buttons 1 or 2, give definitive values (first two digits change only), but things move way too fast to be able to determine how the different axis affect the numbers. I just about see that moving along some axis, sets some pair to FF, and others start playing.

Also, to add to the spice, i think the pan motion, is in fact a combination of two motions. Since this device is like a hat on a stick, then the stick moving forward AND the hat being tilt backwards equates to a panning action.

Anyway, I think a seperate development thread is in order for this, rather than a price drop one! So here it is... I'll post any updates here

Let's start with the simple bit shall we:

Button Left: 01 00 00 00 00 00
Button Right: 02 00 00 00 00 00
Both BUttons: 03 00 00 00 00 00

**turbocad6** · 01-08-2007, 11:20 PM

subscribed

**sama** · 01-10-2007, 05:38 PM

UPDATE:

Girder is proving to be a bit of a pain to learn, so to deocode the output of this device, cherrybomb and I have been working together. He's written a nice little app that gets HID output in .net, and he's sending it down a network port to a little java server that I wrote.

Now that we are both well within our elements, we should have this device sussed soon.

**turbocad6** · 01-10-2007, 06:23 PM

that's all I need to hear, I'm ordering one now

**sama** · 01-10-2007, 07:54 PM

lol! good on ya! now I feel we have a responsibility to get this working

we've got a couple of apps that shows progress bars of the 7 two-word bytes that come back from the HID input.

the device is very touchy-feely and spews shedloads of data when you barely touch it. I'm trying to be very precise with the movements, and to corrolate the movements that map to particular bars. Only bars 1-6 count, as the first figure is always 1, 2 or 3.

You'd expect that since there are 6 axis, and 6 values, each axis would map to a value. But that's not the case. I think they are combined to acheive a higher level of precision. So it's now a trial and error to decode it.

I've noticed, when data comes in, the whole line has starts either with a 1 or a 2. Creating a seperate set of bars for each, and displaying all of them, seems to show that there may in fact be 14 lots of data.

next step I will try to combine the numbers from the two lines to create a 16bit number, and then stick a sign (+/-) on it. I've got a good feeling about this strategy and depending on how sleepy I get now, I may jut try it

PS. I'm thinking out loud, so if cherrybomb sees this, he can know what I've been up to, and of course anyone else can follow

**inh** · 01-10-2007, 08:20 PM

very cool! at least your gettin somewhere man. i cant wait to get mine. too many speeding tickets to pay first.. :-/

**sama** · 01-10-2007, 08:43 PM

I FIGURED IT ALL OUT!!!!

I've seperated each axis... shoudln't be too hard now

**inh** · 01-10-2007, 08:54 PM

post details! i love technical crap

**sama** · 01-10-2007, 09:20 PM

ok, say you get two lines back that look like this:

Code:

1 8 0 161 255 251 255 
2 245 255 0 0 238 255

you organise this as follows:

Code:

[0] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
 1   8   0  161 255 251 255 

[0] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
 2  245 255  0   0  238 255

and this by using the table below, you can determine the stick's position.

Code:

pan left/right axis
value from 1[1]
right: 2[1] = 0
left : 2[1] = 255

pan fwd/back axis
value from 3[1]
back : 4[1] = 0
fwd  : 4[1] = 255

push/pull axis
value from 5[1]
push : 6[1] = 0
pull : 6[1] = 255

tilt fwd/back axis
value from 1[2]
back : 2[2] = 0
fwd  : 2[2] = 255

tilt left/right axis
value from 3[2]
left : 4[2] = 0
right: 4[2] = 255

twist axis
value from 5[2]
right: 6[2] = 0
left : 6[2] = 255

And finally, buttons are on lines that start with a 3, and they are:

3 1 0 0 0 0 0 Left Button
3 2 0 0 0 0 0 Right Buton
3 3 0 0 0 0 0 Both Buttons

Just need to tidy the code now so each axis value ranges from -255 to +255, with a 2 bit modifier to indicate button state (0=none, 1 = left, 2 = right, 3 = both).

Damn, I need to sleep. I have to wake up in 5 hours!