DIY analog keyboard
- zoidbergslo
- Location: Slovenia
- Main keyboard: Filco Majestouch 2
- Main mouse: Logitech G600
- Favorite switch: Cherry MX Brown
- DT Pro Member: -
Some of you probably seen this but for those who didn't. Homemade hall switches made from cherry blacks.
- uberben
- Location: Canada
- Main keyboard: Modified Kinesis Essential
- Main mouse: Logitech M570
- DT Pro Member: -
This is pretty neat. I feel like the XBOX controller is kind of overkill, though. For those with teensy-like replacement controllers, they could hook the hall effect sensors direct to the teensy and have it act as a dual keyboard/joypad device. This has me tempted to do something like this in my next mod, but I was already looking at adding mini joysticks to act as a mouse.
- guilleguillaume
- Location: Barcelona, Spain
- Main keyboard: Kmac Mini
- Main mouse: Razer Abyssus 2014
- Favorite switch: Topre
- DT Pro Member: -
Great mod. Never seen something like that.
-
- Location: Norway
- Main keyboard: CM QFR
- Main mouse: Kensington Slimblade + various mice
- Favorite switch: Cherry MX Red
- DT Pro Member: -
As a PC gamer I see no real benefit to this, although it would be nice to have in some RPG games. Except the games that would support this kind of keyboard already support an Xbox controller and will in most cases play better with it. In any game that is equally or better played with mouse and keyboard there is no actual value in having this system.
It's still a cool mod though, even if it is mostly because "why the hell not?"
It's still a cool mod though, even if it is mostly because "why the hell not?"
-
- Location: Ålesund, Norway
- DT Pro Member: -
I am also a PC gamer and on rare occations I would like this possibility, and also I am pretty sure that I can use one single Attiny85 chip to do everything, and looking at this as a fun project
- uberben
- Location: Canada
- Main keyboard: Modified Kinesis Essential
- Main mouse: Logitech M570
- DT Pro Member: -
Another option that avoids doing anything game pad related (but still requires a custom keyboard controller) is to add an "analog" mode to your firmware which ignores the regular keypress action on those analog keys and instead uses the hall effect readings to basically do PWM pulses on the regular WASD. In effect, it would immitate you tapping the key repeatedly to get different speeds. It might not be as smooth as emulating a joypad, but wouldn't require any key remapping.
-
- Location: Stockholm, Sweden
- DT Pro Member: 0011
Maybe the next community-driven DIY keyboard could have the traces, holes and solder pads for hall effect sensors on the PCB.
-
- Location: Ålesund, Norway
- DT Pro Member: -
You can probably program it as a joystick in the firmware, as both joysticks and keyboards is covered in the HMI standard...uberben wrote:Another option that avoids doing anything game pad related (but still requires a custom keyboard controller) is to add an "analog" mode to your firmware which ignores the regular keypress action on those analog keys and instead uses the hall effect readings to basically do PWM pulses on the regular WASD. In effect, it would immitate you tapping the key repeatedly to get different speeds. It might not be as smooth as emulating a joypad, but wouldn't require any key remapping.
- uberben
- Location: Canada
- Main keyboard: Modified Kinesis Essential
- Main mouse: Logitech M570
- DT Pro Member: -
Yup, almost like my original suggestionAleksander wrote:You can probably program it as a joystick in the firmware, as both joysticks and keyboards is covered in the HMI standard...
This has me thinking though... I know I have seen mice with joysticks (http://sclick.net/cool%20gadgets/cooles ... -mouse.jpg). I wonder if a full size thumb stick could be added to the front lip of the keyboard (ie on the edge of the keyboard by the space bar, pointing towards you) in a useable way. I have seen these joystick breakout boards on DealExtreme for only a couple dollars.uberben wrote:This is pretty neat. I feel like the XBOX controller is kind of overkill, though. For those with teensy-like replacement controllers, they could hook the hall effect sensors direct to the teensy and have it act as a dual keyboard/joypad device. This has me tempted to do something like this in my next mod, but I was already looking at adding mini joysticks to act as a mouse.
Has anyone here done a dual keyboard/joystick device before?
- HaaTa
- Master Kiibohd Hunter
- Location: San Jose, California, USA
- Main keyboard: Depends the day
- Main mouse: CST L-TracX
- Favorite switch: Fujitsu Leaf Spring/Topre/BS/Super Alps
- DT Pro Member: 0006
- Contact:
Hmm, I've done some stuff like this for experimentation.
I don't see why he has to go to an XBox360 controller. I'd be nicer just to add a joystick endpoint to the controller and mimic a controller (XBox360 for kicks).
Also, unless you mod them, all known hall effect keyboard switches are threshold based rather than analog, so you'd have to replace the mini-pcb in each one.
I don't see why he has to go to an XBox360 controller. I'd be nicer just to add a joystick endpoint to the controller and mimic a controller (XBox360 for kicks).
Also, unless you mod them, all known hall effect keyboard switches are threshold based rather than analog, so you'd have to replace the mini-pcb in each one.
-
- Location: Ålesund, Norway
- DT Pro Member: -
That reminded me of something, so I had to have a look in the basement, and there I found something I built some years ago, back when I was into ship simulator games.uberben wrote: Has anyone here done a dual keyboard/joystick device before?
8 axes and 25 buttons +HAT
Sorry for the dust...
Backside looks a bit cleaner than Ben Hecks project, if I do dare to say...
- CeeSA
- Location: Westerwald, Germany
- Main keyboard: Deck 82 modded
- Main mouse: MM711
- Favorite switch: Cherry MX Blue
- DT Pro Member: 0016
- Contact:
I hate the analog part of gamepads. I always think so less controll with this little bums.
I think it would be the same way with this mod. I am a lowsenser
Very nice mod anyway.
I think it would be the same way with this mod. I am a lowsenser
Very nice mod anyway.
- uberben
- Location: Canada
- Main keyboard: Modified Kinesis Essential
- Main mouse: Logitech M570
- DT Pro Member: -
The analog buttons could be interesting for mouse keys too. I just started using hasu's firmware with mouse keys and the fact that i can't precisely control the cursor speed without tapping would be solved with analog keys. I'm getting more tempted to do this mod, but I already have too few pins on my micro...