I'm Quite Chuffed...

[yotsuya]

Did my first keyboard encoder hack today (slow day at work). It. Was. AWESOME.

[drventure]

 

I'd like to try that one of these days

[yotsuya]

I used a wire and the Keyhook program on the Utilities page.

[TopJimmyCooks]

better to chuff than chunder I always say. 

[ChadTower]

Shut the chuff up, Jimmy! 

[yotsuya]

How funny- I've popped open 3 identical HP keyboards, and all three of them have different encoders inside, even though externally they're clones.

[dgame]

Man, you guys are retro . . .

[yotsuya]

It was quite exhilirating, really. It's like the first time I messed with an actual arcade monitor. I'm one of those that started in this hobby thinking he was going to use a Tankstick, so every little new thing I've learned has been a blast.

[Louis Tully]

.

[yotsuya]

Makes sense, too. I need my jukebox to recognize the 'Esc' keypress and the '5' keypress. That's it. With my handy map that I made, now I can do that!

[05SRT4]

It was quite exhilirating, really. It's like the first time I messed with an actual arcade monitor. I'm one of those that started in this hobby thinking he was going to use a Tankstick, so every little new thing I've learned has been a blast.

Right there with you on that 100%. 

+1 more with the same thoughts.

[ark_ader]

I'm disappointed that you are doing a task that would better be served by an encoder like KADE, which would bring revenue to those who bring innovation to this hobby.

[05SRT4]

I'm disappointed that you are doing a task that would better be served by an encoder like KADE, which would bring revenue to those who bring innovation to this hobby.

Hey yotsuya, how much for a hacked keyboard encoder?

[degenatrons]

I'm disappointed that you are doing a task that would better be served by an encoder like KADE, which would bring revenue to those who bring innovation to this hobby.

Hacking keyboards is an interesting challenge for those that want to take it on and a good way to learn some basic electronics.  I hacked a few when i got started out in this hobby and they worked well.  Had some trouble with blocking on my first attempts but that was my own fault because I didn't test all the combos before doing the hack.  I learned and got a bit smarter using a scan of the keyboard membrane and color-coding all the traces using photoshop - to limit the number of conflicts.  To do it properly took me a long time and was very frustrating.  These frustrations motivated me to learn about AVR's and to come up with easier solutions.  No reason why folks shouldn't continue to hack keyboards if they have the time and the inclination to do so.

[yotsuya]

Thanks, Degenatrons! I've always read about keyboard hacks, but in this day and age of quality encoders, I obviously never had to do one. This was a special case, though: my touchscreen jukebox project (which is 98% done) needed two keystrokes: ESC to exit the jukebox program, and 5 for credit. I ended up getting a Xin-Mo to handle those keypress functions because the jukebox program can handle joystick commands, but the program I am using to output music videos doesn't play nicely with joysticks, so I would absolutely NEED an ESC command to exit back to the main menu. Yeah, I know, I could either run JoyToKey or make an AHK script to do that, but I wanted to try something that ran natively and quickly, without adding another potential issue. I want users to be able to go to the juke, pick a song, push the big lit blue button to exit back to the menu, rinse and repeat. I don't need any failures along those points.

It just didn't make sense to me to pay full-price for an encoder for 2 keypresses, so I took the plunge with a broken keyboard. Took me 30-40 minutes to completely map out the matrix. When I go home, I had to scrape off the protective coat on the contacts in order to solder wires directly to the PCB. I reinforced the solder points with hot glue, then I connected the wires to two separate Molex connectors after I tested to make sure they still worked (they did!). I then hacked my internal wiring to the menu and credit buttons, taking off the Xin-Mo connector and putting on the appropriate Molex to interface with the keyboard PCB. Closed everything up, ran some tests, and everything is working exactly as it should!    I'm thrilled because I finally did a keyboard hack!!! Having said that, if I were wiring up a control panel, there's no way I would do a keyboard hack for that! For two buttons, yes. For 20+, hell no. 


TL,DR version: Piss off, Ark. It worked.

[Hoopz]

TL,DR version: Piss off, Ark. It worked.

Good job on the hack.  And thanks for the post summary.   

[ark_ader]

Makes more sense to spring $20 than to burn your fingers.

Keyboards hacks are not always a perfect solution.

[yotsuya]

Makes more sense to spring $20 than to burn your fingers.

It cost me zero dollars and no burned fingers.

Keyboards hacks are not always a perfect solution.

In this case, it was the PERFECT solution.

[DillonFoulds]

Burnt fingers? That's cute. Not exactly a concern...

[CoryBee]

Burnt fingers? That's cute. Not exactly a concern...

Ooo fancy pants SMD soldering. Well good sir, you aren't the only one with such skills!

GOOD DAY!

[emphatic]

It was quite exhilirating, really. It's like the first time I messed with an actual arcade monitor. I'm one of those that started in this hobby thinking he was going to use a Tankstick, so every little new thing I've learned has been a blast.

Right there with you on that 100%. 

+1

[yotsuya]

Oh man..... September is turning out to be the chuffediest month in the history of me being a collector.

[Vigo]

What's keeping you Chuffed this fine evening, brother?

I have to say, I have been chuffed myself as well, I have been doing a tube swap from an old tv and whether or not it will work doesn't matter so much. It has been positively exhilarating simply learning something new that was once considered daunting.

[yotsuya]

What's keeping you Chuffed this fine evening, brother?

This month - ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, these 11 days, I have...

1. Finished a JAMMA cab for a friend of my wife's...
2. Almost completed a build as a birthday present for my best friend (with the awesome HaRuMaN's help)...
3. Completed my jukebox build that was two years in the making...
4. Almost finished a project Nephasth has been helping me with (I promised him I'd make a thread when it's done)...
and tonight, I picked up an empty cabinet that I have wanted for soooooooooooooo long...

Quite, quite chuffed indeed.

[05SRT4]

You sir are on fire!!

[yotsuya]

I'm especially proud of the juke because I built it all by hand, and the Neph project because it's pretty awesome.

[yotsuya]

Oh, here's a sneak peek at what I picked up tonight...

[Vigo]

  Wow, dude you were not exaggerating one bit.  That is indeed a lot of chuff inducing goodness. I await the Neph magical mystery thread with anticipation.

I don't think I will ever guess what cab you picked up.    I look forward to see what you do with it.

[yotsuya]

Funny thing is, I wasn't even looking for the cabinet. I was picking up a coin door for my friend's project at a local collector's house, The guy was just showing me some extra cabinets he had; I saw this one, asked him how much, & next thing I knew, we were loading it in my vehicle.

[Nephasth]

4. Almost finished a project Nephasth has been helping me with (I promised him I'd make a thread when it's done)...

I didn't help you, you built that all on your own!

[ChadTower]

He's a big boy now!

[Vigo]

[yotsuya]

4. Almost finished a project Nephasth has been helping me with (I promised him I'd make a thread when it's done)...

I didn't help you, you built that all on your own!

You hooked me up with the components, feedback and guidance. I'd say that's help!

[rpgposer]

Funny thing is, I wasn't even looking for the cabinet. I was picking up a coin door for my friend's project at a local collector's house, The guy was just showing me some extra cabinets he had; I saw this one, asked him how much, & next thing I knew, we were loading it in my vehicle.

And your wallet was empty...

[yotsuya]

I had enough, that's all that matters. 

[yotsuya]

Another weekend of firsts- I necked my first tube tonight.

[Vigo]

[yotsuya]

Yep. 21 inch CRT monitor I had been saving for two years JUST for a Star Wars project. $5 down the drain. 

[TopJimmyCooks]

stay strong bro.

[Le Chuck]

I came here for two porpoises. 

1) Yay!  The SW begins in earnest now right?!
B) You told ark to piss off.  heh, chuckle snort