My first custom keyboard

matt3o · 27 Jan 2013, 13:03

: 20130127_125539.jpg (154.14 KiB) Viewed 8109 times

I just miss the other 80-and-so keys... but the arduino and the software work, that's what I wanted to try

Mrinterface · 27 Jan 2013, 13:12

A true minimalists keyboard... Literally...

Makes me think about my 'keyboard'. It should be called 'keysboard'

Next step up for your project : connect a relais to it and use the switch to turn on/off your computer

matt3o · 27 Jan 2013, 13:16

yeah really a key-board

I'm actually up for a custom 75%... I'm waiting for the plate compatible with the Race case to arrive...

rodtang · 27 Jan 2013, 13:20

matt3o wrote:a custom 75%

Mine will be better

fossala · 27 Jan 2013, 13:33

I got an arduino uno to do things with, just don't understand it too well.

matt3o · 27 Jan 2013, 13:36

that is an arduino micro which very close to a teensy (with some added features). I needed quite a bit of time to sort it out, but I'm taming it.

fossala · 27 Jan 2013, 13:41

matt3o wrote:that is an arduino micro which very close to a teensy (with some added features). I needed quite a bit of time to sort it out, but I'm taming it.

Yeah, saw that. How much different is it to the uno or a teensy?

matt3o · 27 Jan 2013, 13:50

for a keyboard lover the best for prototyping would probably be the Arduino Leonardo ( http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardLeonardo ). Easy access to the pins and built in mouse and keyboard support.

The arduino micro is the small version of the arduino leonardo, it misses a lot of features but you can use it in the final product.

The teesny and arduino micro share the same CPU and they are actually very similar. Teensy is slightly smaller, arduino micro I believe it has an included voltage regulator and can output 3v out of the box which sometimes is very handy.

fossala · 27 Jan 2013, 14:33

What is the difference between doing things with an Uno and Leonardo?

matt3o · 27 Jan 2013, 14:51

the difference is that Leonardo is already a HID device (mouse, keyboard, joypad, ...). Uno must be re-programmed to behave like a HID. It is feasible, but it's a lot of stress if you are an electronics noob such as myself.

Some links that might help you out
http://pbambridge.brunelweb.net/blog/?p=1
http://mitchtech.net/arduino-usb-hid-keyboard/
http://hunt.net.nz/users/darran/weblog/ ... on_03.html

fossala · 27 Jan 2013, 14:52

Maybe I should of got a Leonardo then.

They seem to be quite cheap, may go and pick up one.

matt3o · 27 Jan 2013, 14:59

if you need it for a keyboard, take a Micro and a breadboard, good for prototyping and ready for production

fossala · 27 Jan 2013, 15:08

I can't find mirco, is micro same as nano?

matt3o · 27 Jan 2013, 15:16

nope, they are not the same.

I can find it only on the official store
http://store.arduino.cc/eu/index.php?ma ... cts_id=245

Soarer · 27 Jan 2013, 15:19

The nano uses the '328 chip. The micro and leonardo use the same chip as the teensy - '32U4. The 'U' presumably stands for USB

There was someone selling them on ebay uk (181040107053) - maybe they're just out of stock at the moment.

matt3o · 27 Jan 2013, 15:20

you can also find a clone called "Pro Micro" which is a teensy size board recognized as a Leonardo, but I know nothing about it.

Soarer · 27 Jan 2013, 15:41

For playing around with I reckon the Leonardo is a good choice. Then when something's ready to actually use, deploy it on a teensy (or micro, or any other '32U4 based board).

Paranoid · 27 Jan 2013, 17:13

that's so cool! ^^

pasph · 28 Jan 2013, 17:43

Have you give up the wireless feature?

matt3o · 28 Jan 2013, 17:56

pasph wrote:Have you give up the wireless feature?

absolutely not! that's what it's all about

I'm waiting for the BT module to arrive. Should be here in a week or two.

pasph · 28 Jan 2013, 18:16

That are great news!
Please keep us informed.

sordna · 29 Jan 2013, 03:12

Nice keyboard... but I sure hope it's NKRO

Actually, yours has more keys than mine, I have a teensy with the ErgoDox firmware loaded, on a breadboard, without any switch. I do have an led and a piezo buzzer on it though, for a click sound

matt3o · 29 Jan 2013, 08:59

smart! buzzer clicky sound for mx red

fossala · 29 Jan 2013, 09:30

matt3o wrote:smart! buzzer clicky sound for mx red

It's what kinesis advantages have.

matt3o · 29 Jan 2013, 09:32

a buzzer for clicky sound?! O___O

fossala · 29 Jan 2013, 09:33

Icarium · 29 Jan 2013, 09:40

The surprising thing is, that some people actually like it.

laffindude · 29 Jan 2013, 09:44

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HqAAwhiB_4
1 button keyboard?

matt3o · 29 Jan 2013, 09:45

wow... that is something...

you people know keyboards!

sordna · 29 Jan 2013, 15:43

A short burst (say 10ms) of a sine wave (around 2.4 KHz is my estimate of what my Kinesis does) is what makes a virtual "click" sound. Very useful to add feedback to linear switches, to avoid bottoming out. Kinesis and some old Zenith keyboards have it and it's very nice feature to have. It's like having (linear) Cherry MX blues that you can turn the click on and off whenever you like

You can try this on a linux box to see kind of what it sounds like:
$ sox -n out.wav synth 0.010 sine 2400
$ play out.wav