Slashdot Mirror
Homebrewed Macro Keyboards?
MightyMaus asks: "So I've been checking out various hardware websites lately, paging through computer retail catalogues, and basically pining for a better-paying job. But one device that's really caught my eye is the Programmable Keypad. Looks pretty cool, but $140? No way. Even the smaller version carries a hefty $90 price tag. Now, it seems like making one of these should be relatively easy; but the almighty Google returns nothing but more places to buy these things. So where do I turn? To Slashdot. Has anyone hacked together one of these before?"
Looks like you could just get a USB keyboard. Somehow set it up as a secondary input device. I assume Linux can do this. Intercept the keypresses on the secondary keyboard, and have them do 'foo'.
Or, quit bitching, and pony up. I guess it could be a fun hack, but if the keyboard has any quality whatsoever, this isn't that expensive.
For more fun, you may want to look at some of the controllers for RTS games. Not as many keys, but drivers might be easier to find. Another possibility is to find a touchpad. Put on an overlay. Map coordinates to your macro.
Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
Focus FK-9200
After my trackmate ( or whatever it was called ) died, my second keybroniq (whatever) keyboard, and I used a keyboard/mickey-rat combo for a couple of months, it nearly crippled me, so I discovered these things, and bought 2, because being made crippled, just because my keyboard died, .. IS NOT ON.
PS/2, but I hope they make a USB version, soon...
Trackball AND macro-keys, AND calculator ( excellent combo ).
To keep the trackball running well, I keep a bottle of isopropyl alcohol ( not "rubbing alcohol with glycerine and lotion" ), and a bunch of cotton-swabs, and clean it a couple of times each day. It's a good reminder that I need to .. drink water, and walk 'round, and such -scratching head bemusedly-...
REALLY search for a good price, because they are sold at drastically different prices by different resellers..
Messages to/for me ( in me journal )
Just when I thought cheating in Unreal Tournament couldn't get any worse, someone makes a keyboard to attach all those cheat scripts to.
Gateway used to ship "AnyKey" keyboards with all their systems. You should be able to find one if you look around a little bit. They are basically standard keyboards with a bunch of extra keys that you can program. There's a picture of one here on Google, although it appears the linked site is down. Anyway, they come in both PS/2 and DIN-5 varieties. There should be more information on Google.
You already have everything you need if you run Linux or any other *nix: just remap your current keyboard. For example, you can make a keyboard map of the number pad with whatever macro you want, and then toggle between the regular keypad and the macro keypad with a rarely-used button, like PrintScreen or Scroll Lock.
:Peter
I agree with the "do it for fun, not to save money" point.
;-)
However, I could build a completely custom USB keyboard for less than $140 NOT counting labor. Everyone knows hobby time is worth $.0025/hour anyway.
It would be up there in price, around $80 to $90 since the circuit board would be custom. That's only if I had someone else make the board, though. Guess I could etch my own board.
Anyway, all that would be required: one of the many cheap ($3-$5) USB-capable microcontrollers, some trivial encoding logic, and keyswitches. I'd probably go with surplus opto-interrupters and spring-loaded buttons on a custom panel. Easier to do if you have access to a CNC machine.
The benefit? Using the HID device standard, your button-box can become anything. Keys mapped anywhere, even macros depending on how fancy you get with the firmware. Could also add some more status lights, or outputs to control the coffeemaker.
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