Using an ErgoDex DX1 with a Mac

This guide primarily focuses on using an ErgoDex DX1 on Mac platforms.

First of all, be glad that ErgoDex doesn't make software for the Mac. Their Windows software doesn't work on Vista and is a hideous disaster on XP. It appears that ErgoDex partnered with someone last month to provide a Mac driver for $30, but I didn't know that when I bought my ErgoDex.

Go download the Intel Mac binary here.

• Open a Terminal window. This is not a tutorial on using the Terminal or the shell, sorry.
• Unzip the file if you need to. gunzip ergo-intelmac.gz
• Add an execute flag: chmod +x ergo-intelmac
• Be sure that the software can see your ErgoDex DX1 by running: ./ergo-intelmac -l
• You need to create a keyfile. The Mac version comes with no example (or any other documentation), but here's the file included with the Linux version:

  # File contains comma separated values in the form:
  # <key>,<type>,<value>
  #
  # <key> can be a number for 1-50
  # <type> can be '1' (single key) or '2' (modifier key)
  # <value> is the usb scan code for single key or modifier code for modifier key
  #
  # See here for a list of usb key codes:
  # http://www.win.tue.nl/~aeb/linux/kbd/scancodes-10.html#ss10.6
  # Or see the USB HID Usage Tables, Section 10 - Keyboard, for a full list:
  # http://www.usb.org/developers/devclass_docs/Hut1_12.pdf
  #
  # Valid modifier keys are:
  #    1 - left ctrl
  #    2 - left shift
  #    4 - left alt
  #    8 - left win/gui
  #   16 - right ctrl
  #   32 - right shift
  #   64 - right alt
  #  128 - right win/gui
  # Or any combination, e.g. left-ctrl + left-alt = 5
  #
  # Numbers must be specified in decimal.
  # Blanks lines and lines starting with '#' are ignored.
  
  1,2,5
  2,1,30
  3,1,31
  

• Isn't this fun? My test configuration was to use the following file (30 is the USB scan code for '1'):

  1,1,30
  

• Load the key file: ./ergo-intelmac -p keys.csv (use the name of the file you made, mine was called keys.csv)
• Now that you have this working, you can use ControllerMate to do real work with the ErgoDex. Learning ControllerMate is a whole separate set of activities, but there's sufficient documentation on the web that you can muddle through it in an hour or so, if you're motivated.

Suggestions for this guide? Sample keys files? Send them to me and I'll post them here: mitch.haile@gmail.com