Volume knob Roon Extension for 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse Wireless, Compact and SpaceNavigator

Tinkering Roon API
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I created a volume knob Roon Extension for the 3Dconnexion space mice SpaceNavigator, SpaceMouse Compact and SpaceMouse Wireless. Rotating the knob will change the volume, right button will skip to next track and left button will skip to previous track. Pressing down will Pause/Play, moving horizontally will seek. It runs fine on Raspberry Pi, so the space mouse can be connected directly to the Pi. No drivers required. The extension is available for ARM in the Roon Extension Manager 1.x in the category “Remote Control”.

I believe that especially the SpaceMouse Wireless is an excellent choice for a volume knob:

  • wireless, obviously
  • looks nice
  • heavy, solid, nice haptics
  • provides very fine control, very sensitive to even a finger touch
  • 6 degrees of freedom + buttons1

The version for the 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse Wireless will be available soon at https://rooextend.com/.

Let me know what you think. Klaus

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Yes, much better than those Microsoft knobs. I will give it a go, since I have a space Space Navigator lying around.

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thanks Klaus just what I am looking for :grinning:

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Why is that? What makes it better?

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I think it’s nice to have a physical volume knob at the desk, especially because the volume control UI in the Roon Apps is atrocious. A space mouse like the SpaceNavigator looks nice, has nice haptics and provides fine control over the volume.

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Screenshot from 2021-03-27 19-13-05
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I meant “What make it better than the Surface Knob?”

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I never tried the surface knob, but i assume it’s a linear knob as any other volume wheel. A space mouse in contrast is non-linear and provides force-feedback - it does not really turn, it just twists a bit. In my opinion this is superior and could we even an innovation for hardware device volume controls. We had this linear potentiometer based volume controls for too long - where’s the innovation?

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Some more arguments for a space mouse as volume control:

  • heavy (~500 g for SpaceNavigator): feels substantial, sits firmly on the desk, no need to be glued to a surface
  • precise: this is a tool for creators of CAD models
  • sensitive: a small tip with a finger is enough for small changes, apply more force for larger changes
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Updated the extension to version 1.1. New features:

  • Translate x-axis to seek
  • Press down to play/pause
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Do I have to use github or is it available in the extension manager?

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Currently you have to use github, but it would be nice to add it to the extension manager. Anyone knows what must be done to do this?

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I would get in touch with Jan who owns the extension manager. He is currently in the process of updating/changing the process.

See

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Just dropped him a message. Thanks Daniel!

1 Like
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No problemo. I am still hunting for my space nav. I think I boxed it up as I’m prepping to paint my mancave / office and not sure which unmarked box I put it into, LOL.

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The Space Navigator Volume Control extension for ARM is now available in Roon Extension Manager 1.x in the category “Remote Control”. Special thanks to Jan for the support with the docker integration!
If there is interest we could also look into supporting the newer 3Dconnextion Spacemouse Compact or other models.

2 Likes
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Updated the extension to version 1.2. New features:

  • added support for the 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse Compact and SpaceMouse Wireless
  • added settings for Play/Pause and seek sensitivity thresholds.

You can find the extension in the Roon Extension Manager 1.x in the category “Remote Control”.

Let me know what you think. Klaus

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In collaboration with @DrCWO I would like to announce roo6D, a plug-and-play solution for the 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse Wireless and Raspberry Pi4. It is called roo6D in reference to the 6 degrees of freedom that a space mouse offers:

Many improvements went into this product, including better zone handling, support for incremental volume control and improved configurability.
RooExtend website: https://rooextend.com
roo6D: Run Roon With SpaceMouse® Wireless

roo6D is compatible with 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse Wireless, SpaceMouse Compact, SpaceNavigator, SpaceMouse Pro and SpaceMouse Pro Wireless.

A version supporting the wired 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator and SpaceMouse Compact is still available in the Roon Extension Manager 1.x and on Github: GitHub - KlausDEngel/roon-spacenav: A volume control Roon extension for the SpaceNavigator space mouse.

3 Likes
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Is there a possibility to customize the controller cap movements with windows keyboard shortcuts ? I cannot find it the driver settings …

For example set the right rotation as control + up, moving right as direction right or left button as ctrl + j

It is possible with the surface dial, very easily but the device is not efficient, falls asleep too often

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@skbe, using rooExtend (https://rooExtend.com) there is no need for configuring characters. It offers a Roon Extension dialog but you need a Raspberry Pi.

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Many thanks for your support @DrCWO
As a matter of fact I don’t have a Pi but a windows computer (which is not the core but connected to my TV for having visuals on Roon)
And indeed since my message I made some progress as I managed to program the Spacemouse movements to do what I want on Roon using keyboard shortcuts and AHK automations that I made
Now I am quite happy because with my Spacemouse I can control volume, play/pause obviously, track changes, playing now view / queue view and I even managed to set an AHK automation to enable / disable volume levelling!!

I can share my Spacemouse programming for those who want it
Best regards

1 Like