LED

[twosheds]

Hello.

I just got my Space Navigator (PS) just yesterday, so forgive me if I sound n00bish.

isn't it supposed to have a blue LED around under the cap? There's a setting for LED and it's on, but the LED itself (if it's actually even there) isn't coming on.
Windows 7 64 bit, latest 3D Connexion drivers for it, downloaded from the site yesterday.

[twosheds]

No, don't everyone rush to reply just on my account.

Strangest thing... the LED just suddenly started working, and I didn't do anything differently other than plug it into a different USB port.
And there's nothing wrong with the USB port I had it in before. *shrug*

[twosheds]

LED comes on, LED goes off...

Sometimes when I boot up Windows, the LED on this thing comes on, sometimes it doesn't.
When I open up 3ds max, I get the 3D Connexion splash screen, but sometimes the device doesn't work.
if the LED isn't on, that's a surefire sign the device isn't going to work...
Sometimes I have to re-run the driver install program and select "Modify" from the list in order to jump start it into action, and THEN the LED comes on and THEN the device will work in 3ds max.

I had it working in Softimage 2010 just fine, but then I had to reinstall Softimage and now I can't get it to work in that program at all.

Can't get it to work in Maya 2009 at all, period. Makes me wonder why Maya 2009 is listed on the 3D Connexion page as supported.
From what I've read, I am by no means alone with that particular problem.

I give this product a ten start rating for it as a hardware device.
I would hesitate to give the drivers even a one star rating.
That could be because I'm using it in Windows 7, though, but this would really be the first hardware device I came across that had Vista drivers that didn't work the same in Windows 7, since Vista and Windows 7 are pretty much about the same.

Searching the good old interweb, one can find a whole lot of complaints about the drivers for this particular product, but very few answers.
Nice to see that there don't seem to be many answers on the official 3D Connexion forum, either.

[Fred]

Currenty Windows 7 is still Beta.
This means that until its officially released there isnt much support for it.
When it gets officially released the programmers will be releasing a driver for the new OS.
There is a post created already for Win 7 users and the programmers are answering this post.

In regards to the LED it may be an issue with the USB ports not putting out the proper wattage to run the 3D device correctly.
Are you directly plugging into a usb port or using a Hub?

Did you try doing a manual install of the plugins for Maya 2009?
What happens if you try the device on a different pc running vista or XP?

[twosheds]

Hi Fred,

I still haven't tried getting it to work in Maya. I have a project I need to finish before I can properly spend the time getting used to this thing.

As for the USB connection, it's currently plugged into a powered USB hub. It's actually the only thing plugged into that USB hub right now, and in the past I've used it with dongles and external hard drives and Wacom tablest, so I doubt it's a power issue.

But aside from that, it wasn't *until* I plugged it into that powered USB port that the LED came on at all; before that I had it plugged straight into a USB port on my motherboard. Moving it to the powered USB port is when the LED first came on.

But now I can't get it to come on again. The device itself seems to be working OK overall, but no LED.
I do hope the Windows 7 drivers improve the situation. The LED looks so cool when it's on, I'd hate to have to do without it.

[Bryan]

Dear twosheds,

You also will want to double check on your 'Enable LED's' item under the 'Tools' Menu in the 3Dconnexion Control Panel, to make sure you have that checked on.

Sincerely,
Bryan

[twosheds]

Well of course, that's on. It's probably the setting I'm most familiar with so far.

[twosheds]

Well how do you like that....

I turned "enable LEDs" off, then moved the USB connector to a different port on the powered hub, then turned the LED option back on and they came on again.

Very strange...