USB Device Key Trigger Stopped Working With Sierra Update

Questions & Suggestions
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1

Bug Report

I’m using an external keyboard to trigger my Keyboard Maestro macros. My macros are using the “USB Device Key Trigger”. This way, I can assign simple keys like “W”, “A”, “S”, “D” on my external keyboard and the internal keyboard of my MacBook does not trigger those macros while typing, which is real nifty – I have a work keyboard and a “KM macro trigger” keyboard at the side.

After updating my operating system to macOS Sierra, version 10.12, the USB device key triggers from my external keyboard have stopped working.

When I create a macro with an USB device key trigger, the field for the key is highlighted in green. When I type a key on my external keyboard, nothing happens. Before the Sierra update, Keyboard Maestro recognized the key hit on my external keyboard.

Additional Info

  • Creating a USB Device Trigger works, i.e. I can create a macro that fires when I attach or detach my external keyboard
  • The external keyboard works, i.e. when I open a text editor and press W, A, S or D, the corresponding letters appear on the screen; I can trigger macros with hotkey trigger W, A, S or D with the external keyboard just fine, but there’s no way to differentiate to typing on the built-in keyboard

My System Specs

  • Hardware
  • MacBook Pro (retina, 15 inch, late 2013)
  • External keyboard, Ideazon Fang:
    • Device Name: Zboard USB Gaming Device
    • Model number: KU-0536
    • Vendor ID: 4152
    • Product ID: 784
  • Software
  • macOS Sierra, version 10.12
  • Keyboard Maestro 7.3
2

I have had a couple people with this sort of issue, but the USB Device Key trigger works fine for me, both with my CODE Keyboard and my XK-24.

My suspicion is that the drivers are taking exclusive access of the device and preventing Keyboard Maestro from seeing the keys, and that there is some change in Sierra related to this and the drivers.

But I don’t really know - it clearly does not affect all keyboards or USB devices.

If you want to investigate it further, contact support@stairways.com by email and I can go through some debugging processes with you to try to see what, if anything, Keyboard Maestro sees.

1 Like
3

Thanks for the quick reply, I’ll write the email. I did not install any drivers for the external keyboard, just hooked it up via USB.