So after giving it some thought, I reinstalled (once again) the 3Dx driver 10.5.5. Still no go. It occured to me that I have a new (in the package but still an antique) Space Explorer. Hmm. I unplugged the Space Pilot and plugged in the Space Explorer and…wait for it…voila! It works with SketchUP 2017.
So one is now proudly occupying space on my desk and the other is…well…retired.
Thanks for the thoughts folks, It helped immensely in resolving the issue.