Wireless CadMouse Compact. No button clicks on Mac (again)

Questions and answers about 3Dconnexion devices on macOS.

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User001A
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Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2022 5:16 am

Wireless CadMouse Compact. No button clicks on Mac (again)

Post by User001A »

Hello 3Dconnexion team and moderators.

Can you please provide a simple updated solution fix to the wireless mouse not clicking and all buttons not working when working via the dongle?
The pointer moves well, but none of the buttons work.
They do work all normally if the cable is connected, but I bought a wireless mouse to use it wirelessly.

These previous posts have some information but not all links work and the solutions are way too technical and lengthy. It seems this is a known issue for you.
https://forum.3dconnexion.com/viewtopic ... 9&start=15
https://forum.3dconnexion.com/viewtopic.php?t=35819
https://forum.3dconnexion.com/viewtopic ... 23&t=48888
https://forum.3dconnexion.com/viewtopic ... 23&t=40099
https://forum.3dconnexion.com/viewtopic ... 2&start=15

The mac is up to date and the 3Dconnexion app too.

Please can you provide a simple solution for this issue?
ngomes
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Re: Wireless CadMouse Compact. No button clicks on Mac (again)

Post by ngomes »

User001A wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 5:46 am the wireless mouse not clicking and all buttons not working when working via the dongle?
This is a major disappointment but, as far as we are aware, this cannot be fixed in macOS 11 ("Big Sur") and newer. CadMouse devices connected to a Universal Receiver work fine in macOS 10.15 and older but, again, not in more recent versions of the operating system.

We used a kernel extension to work-around a limitation in the operating system since Mac OS X 10.10 but kernel extensions were blocked in macOS "Big Sur".

The alternative is to use the wireless CadMouse over a Bluetooth connection. The CadMouse can also be used with a cable (convenient to set up the Bluetooth connection).
Nuno Gomes
zoomer
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Re: Wireless CadMouse Compact. No button clicks on Mac (again)

Post by zoomer »

We used a kernel extension to work-around a limitation in the operating system since Mac OS X 10.10 but kernel extensions were blocked in macOS "Big Sur".

AFAIK the Kernel Extensions are "deprecated" much longer.
Just finally prohibited and deactivated since Big Sur, mainly for security reasons.

What exactly is the "a limitation in the operating system" that would prevent mouse clicks
or wireless inputs ? I haven't heard of other Mac supporting third party input devic
manufactures complaining complaining a lot.
ngomes
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Re: Wireless CadMouse Compact. No button clicks on Mac (again)

Post by ngomes »

zoomer wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 11:49 am We used a kernel extension to work-around a limitation in the operating system since Mac OS X 10.10 but kernel extensions were blocked in macOS "Big Sur".

AFAIK the Kernel Extensions are "deprecated" much longer.

Just finally prohibited and deactivated since Big Sur, mainly for security reasons.
Kernel extensions were deprecated in macOS 10.15 and, as mentioned, blocked in macOS 11.
What exactly is the "a limitation in the operating system" that would prevent mouse clicks
or wireless inputs ?
We believe it was a change to the operating system's USB driver in Mac OS X 10.10: CadMouse devices and the Universal Receiver have multiple USB HID collections (mouse, multi-axis controller and vendor-defined) and the system's USB driver in Mac OS X 10.10 cannot tell one from the other, ending up ignoring mouse buttons events. For the CadMouse devices, we were able to modify the firmware to ensure that each HID collection has its own separate USB interface (Bluetooth and USB cable). For the Universal Receiver, it was not feasible to modify the firmware due to it not having enough memory left.

With a kernel extension, we managed to work around the OS limitation. It was a cumbersome solution but it worked well enough and customers didn't notice any issues, provided the 3DxWare 10 software was installed. Alas, with Big Sur, we were locked out from that solution.
zoomer
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Re: Wireless CadMouse Compact. No button clicks on Mac (again)

Post by zoomer »

Thanks ngomes,

that makes sense.
User001A
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Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2022 5:16 am

Re: Wireless CadMouse Compact. No button clicks on Mac (again)

Post by User001A »

"The alternative is to use the wireless CadMouse over a Bluetooth connection."
OK, managed to connect via Bluetooth correctly now.
On Windows, I preferred the universal receiver (USB dongle) as I had the impression it provided a better response, was more stable, and less lag than Bluetooth.
It's a pity that it's not possible to use the universal receiver on a wireless mouse on Mac.
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