Google Reader Pedal: hacking a USB keyboard

[kiyotewolf]

why does every DIY video forget to mention soldering flux..

[danimal511]

do urself a favor and buy a real soldering iron

[mrichardson23]

@danimal511 I did... a long time ago now! Hakko 936.

[cristian3131]

the problem is that a computer does not allow more than 2 keys to be pressed at the same time. If you try and press a third key it simply does not respond to it. At least that's what I've noticed over the years

[mrichardson23]

@cristian3131 I haven't encountered this problem during real-world usage.

[cristian3131]

@mrichardson23 This is perfect for my save-states in emulators when both my hands need to be on 2 keys at the same time ("run" and "left arrow" for instance) and I can't reach over to hit "+" which is the save-state key. But what I've noticed is that if I ask a buddy to press "+" WHILE I keep both keys down, it doesn't respond...maybe it has something to do with the interface, operating system, or simply the emulator itself does not allow more than 2 keystrokes simultaneously. I will try this :D

[mrichardson23]

@cristian3131 Try with 2 USB keyboards plugged in first. When I said that i never encountered this problem, it's because I've never had to press three keys at once. Let me know how it works.

[cristian3131]

@mrichardson23 I also thought of that...now I just need to find another keyboard to hack :)) Most likely it WILL work so I will hack one of those pedals that come with a steering wheel, because they are both in the same "shell" and I can have both save and load at my either foot.

[thecomputerdudes]

thats awesome! keep up the good work!

[stallind]

Pretty cool, limited uses, there are many ways, V-USB has a few projects that people with skills to make this can make better pedals, also you can find usb pedals on e-bay for $15. and they are programable.

[bananapower511]

can you show how to make a game controler from a key board

[bananapower511]

hey that`s good to use as a rudder pedal for flight simulator tnx

[jcims]

Like KipKay on steroids! Great vids...looking forward to more!

[Wendyboobs]

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[johngov]

Using RCA plugs as probes I figured out which contacts give F6 (F6 pauses and starts my transcription program). I scraped the black stuff off the correct contacts on the USB controller using a knife, held the wires in place with a small bulldog clip, and clumsily soldered them. Nonetheless, I now have a nice pedal from an old Olympus machine (thrift shop, 99 cents) that gives me hands-free control of F6.

You saved me 49 bucks. Thanks.

[kiwidud3]

great use for shitty silicon keyboards!

[futureboy00]

why is she not in the kitchen?

[MobbleFilms]

Control Z here I come

[HaloHamstur]

@MobbleFilms photoshop?

[MobbleFilms]

@HaloHamsturyep you got it we otaku anime people gota draw our stuff.

[FELONIOUS12]

Cool, just don't have the music on and start tapping your toes to the music, LOL!!

[Drunkenpig221]

dont subscribe !!!! lol jk it only takes 1 second but thats alot of milliseconds AHHH

[Drunkenpig221]

Lol SODAR IRON AND SOME SODAR 0:39-0:41 HEHEHEHEHHEHEHE LOOOOL

[webmastertool]

Also, hey allen from 2 and a half men, im sorry charlie screwed u over.

[webmastertool]

This is how geeks gets the ladies :D

[Magnumi]

This might be quite usefull when paired with the free Autohotkey software. You could actually make it work so that pedal depression and release would have DIFFERENT functions!

[mc88dx]

Do you know how I could make a foot pedal for one or even several buttons on an xbox 360 controller? Probably would be easier to do for a wired controller. This would be good for people with disabilities who want to game.

[bladeofgod411]

LOL i have excact same keyboard and i typed this message with it >_>

[bladeofgod411]

Lol i have the excat same keyboard i just type this wmessage with it O_O

[paobologna]

Thanks a lot! Was usefull for me!

I use for work (transcription) :)))

[legobuilder324]

why not just press J like a normal person and not waste your time and money

[linux00001]

Its pronounced Sal-der. not soder

[rhysizhere1]

gay

[7145159]

i thought he was saying i can jam the keyboard "in your face" interface

[victory123ful]

WAIST OF TIME! USE YOUR FRICKEN INTERNET SETTINGS AND THEN PRESS SPACEBAR!!!!!

[INFetcTED]

0:25 Autotune?

[yenomeerf]

There's a much better invention called a Mouse that allows you to free up your feet.

[Killzone626]

Press pause, then play and hold number 8

[lexen]

@Killzone626 LOL

[liss929]

ok who as all this stuff laying around in the house.

[tinzovideo]

i dont get it.

[Naba008]

Doesn't this actually interfere with your keyboard that you use through an USB port? I mean, it is still a dumbed keyboard afterall, no?

[mrichardson23]

@Naba008 Nope, it doesn't interfere. You can have multiple USB keyboards plugged into one computer.

[andeciuala]

sooooooooooooooooooooooo useless!!!!

[ajs75]

This is great.

Any thoughts on modifying the design to place a switch on the side of the pedal to allow selecting between a few different key sequences as opposed to a single hard-coded key combination?

I was also thinking that perhaps there's an Arduino USB emulator that would fit in the pedal and allow programming the output. I can see using it to switch between a key combination for something like Google Reader and then to a different one for something like Adobe Lightroom.

[BENJA128]

-.- !!

[situsrc]

More videous! :)

[Mamiya645]

How large is that crazy industrial pedal? I had a PS/2 keyboard opened and ready before I found out my used $5 sustain pedal (music instrument related thingamajig) was far too small. Saved it by sticking a little USB mouse circuit board inside and soldering it up to work as a spare mouse1/left mouse button trigger in case I need to click while having a drink, writing or I'm on the phone while playing a game. Good vid and excellent presentation :)

[mrichardson23]

@Mamiya645 The pedal in this video is 4" x 3 7/16" x 1 1/8". It's item 7516K21 from McMaster Carr.

[djrollin212]

Before i make this could i theoretically keep the pedal down and the program take it as im still pressing the key?

[mrichardson23]

@djrollin212 If you keep pressing the pedal, it's as though you're holding the key down.

[kiashadowwave]

@mrichardson23 Man, you need to patent something like this specifically for gaming, maybe like 2-3 pedals. I've been searching forever for something to bind keys to as a foot pedal, it would help infinitely for gaming (such as World of Warcraft ability triggers, sprinting in FPS shooters, etc...).

[fireraisr]

very informative. the keyboard pcb is one of those things that is slap yourself easy but a lot of people don't realize the simplicity of it. You did a great job of explaining it along with a practical application.

For those people that say this is a waste of time/money, I've seen plenty of grungy disgusting keyboards at the thrift shop that you would never want to use but the pcb would be just fine. Being a maker isn't just about saving money, it's about ingenuity.

[mmonnerat]

u can use up arrow and down arrow... so u can scroll down any text, site or etc... and play helicopter games using the pedal to ascend and descend while W and S to forward and backwards lol

[NiteMare4LyF]

Hey Matt, I noticed in the vid you wired two wires (blue and yellow) to the Switch. Im guessing the switch is SPST, so which contacts did u wire from the USB interface to the switch?

[mrichardson23]

@NiteMare4LyF The SPST switch closes a pair on contacts on the board, just like the key on a keyboard (which is also a SPST switch). For example, it could be contact #5 and #17, it could be #4 and #20. In the shot where I show how to do trial and error, it's not clear that the wire I drag along the contacts is connected to the alligator clip on the right.  That's my fault for not making that totally clear.

[maxiewawa]

@mrichardson23 no worries, your comment does!

[EleMunjeli]

Good fun hack for any power user. There's so many ways to play with this really.

[random5]

Cool, now I know how to hack a keyboard - would be fairly easy to wire to a number of buttons to make your own gamepad.

Nitpick - it's soul-der not sah-der, and a soldering iron not a solder iron.

[mrichardson23]

@random5 Oh yeah, a pedal is just the beginning. Any sort of custom input device is easy to make with a hacked keyboard. In US English, it's pronounced "saw-der." I don't know why.

[tkwon121]

dude Engadget sent me

[InsaneTux]

TOTALLY USELESS if you are cheap

[idadyal]

OMG i like ur girl :)

[asevie]

Thanks for this, I've been looking to build a foot pedal for my microphone, this will work perfectly.

[klchu]

She still won't go out with you, dude.

[hedersoaresacj]

É ate usual e meu teclado é exatamente este do vídeo, vou testar!

[ontheroad521]

Using this with Google Reader is really only for demonstration purposes. As he explains, the point of the video is that the pedal (or another input device) can be modified to signal other keystrokes besides "j". I'm sure there are plenty of gamers out there that wouldn't mind having an extra hand (or in this case, foot) to use with an additional control. I think a couple of these commenters need to use a little more imagination.

[nacoran]

How about an assignable shortcut key? If you could assign what key or combo the pedal activated it would be a lot more versatile.  I play harmonica, and it would be really useful for starting and stopping recordings. A giant scroll wheel would be nice too.

[touchs]

Remapping the key of a 10 dollar usb foot pedal to make a sendkey of the J button would be easier. True story

[ytgrthomas]

Thanks for posting this. I'm starting to think of other uses for stuff like this. Cool.

[jbdranger]

complete waste of time. if you're so fucking lazy, just kill yourself. you'll never have to do anything ever again. thumbs down.

[ThePandaMovement]

@jbdranger You're implying this is a more lazy route than using a regular keyboard shortcut? Great logic. Nice try, kid.

[curiousjapan]

Cool hack! I agree with your replies that there is a lot of enjoyment (and customisation potential) in making your own gear. (And what you learned doing this will let you make things for which no commercial alternative exists.)

[mzungu54]

Would windows work with 2 keyboards?or do I have to plug and unplug each time?

[cmxcmx]

@mzungu54 all operating systems I know of work with multiple USB keyboards. Most, I think, will also work with a combination of USB boards and a PS/2 keyboard.

[mrichardson23]

@mzungu54 I tested on a Mac and a Windows machine. On both you can have multiple USB keyboards.

[jaisongreen]

@mzungu54 Yes, you can plug in as many USB devices as your computer can handle and they will all work at the same time.

[hadlock]

@mzungu54 check out HID Macros (google it) it lets to bind macros to a second keyboard without borking up your primary keyboard's settings. 2 keyboards is supportive natively in XP and 7 that I've tested.

[mycroftb]

A less permanent solution would be instead of using an old USB keyboard, use an old USB joystick, to map it to one of the buttons. Then use a program like AutoHotKey (GPL) to map the imput to whatever you'd like.

[proceedapathy]

Sweet, I'm not going to make a pedal but I learned form this video that J skips to the next item in Google Reader

[elusi0nx]

i dont know if this is worth the effort when it is just as easy to extend finger and press j

or you can just reassign a mouse side button (if you have them) to j and k etc

[mrichardson23]

@elusi0nx I eat breakfast while browsing my unread items. I can't live without it now.

[jaisongreen]

Re-invent the wheel much? What a waste of time. You could have spent $20 on a USB pedal.

[mrichardson23]

@jaisongreen You could also ask why people knit scarves when they could just buy one.

[jaisongreen]

@mrichardson23 I understand the enjoyment of tinkering and creating. I enjoy to get really geeky. But there is a certain point in which you have to weigh options. Cost vs Value. You basically took $40 worth of equipment, $200 worth of your time and made something you could have bought for $20.

All I am saying is that your time could have been spent on something much cooler.

[darthpbal1]

@jaisongreen What's the fun in just buying one? The thrill is the project. Also, with knowledge from this project you can pretty much customize a lot of the keys from the keyboard into other things like making your own keypad with nothing but shortcuts or something.

[jaisongreen]

@darthpbal1 Yes, I agree 100%. I am just saying that time could be spent on a project more worthy.

What if someone said hey, I don't like my keyboard. Would you spend time making your own keyboard from scratch? I think most would just research to find the right keyboard or get one that has macro capabilities or something like that. Its re-inventing the wheel.

[thatguyalex]

Look...it's certainly creative and interesting as a project...but really...all this work so she doesn't have to hit "j" on the keyboard? Seems like a $100 solution to a $0.01 cent problem

[TheMartinBrook]

@thatguyalex It's not about the end result, it's about the fun of making something that does whatever you want it to do.

[slylou321]

Love your videos, Perioud, but is there a way to make it wireless. my keyboard is wirless so i was jsut thinking ti would work well together

[bekathwia]

I use an old mac one-button mouse with the ball removed. I position the cursor over the "next" button then stomp away at the CRAFT Flickr pool while working on a knitting project or similar. =]