how can i build keys?

Forum 2005-2010 (read only) Hardware Interfacing
1

hey yo!

i hope this is not too much off topic... :slight_smile:
i dont know another hardware forum...

i have to lie in bed when i use my computer (because i dont want to buy a table and a backbone-friendly chair). an engineer built me a thing that holds the monitors over my belly. but now i need a keyboard, that can be used by 1 hand. i found a one-hand-keyboard and use linux' evdev to read from that device and inject the translated keypresses into the PS/2-evdev-device (e. g. thumb+finger1 --> 's', finger4 --> 'e', finger1 --> SPACE, finger2 --> BACKSPACE).

BUT: the keys of that keyboard are soooooo difficult to press, that it hurts after some thousand presses, and that increases the typo-rate...

how can i build my own keys?
i have 6mm-rubber-straws and some silicone-glue and duct tape and metal-foil...

i would connect them to an arduino via a 1-to-16 DEMUX chip (16*2 buttons r connected to GND; each button-pair is connected to the same 2 pulled-up input pins).

do u know a better one-hand-keyboard?

thanks.

bye
arne

2

You sound willing to tinker, have you had a look inside the existing one handed keyboard to see if you can remove some of the stiffness? I think that might be easier than starting from scratch.

Another thought would be to find a two handed keyboard that still uses individual key mechanisms instead of a membrane and pull enough of those keys to rebuild the one handed keyboard. If you are lucky, you could keep the electronics of the one handed keyboard and just replace the key mechanisms?

3

good idea...

i found in an old defective keyboard this:
3 rubber foils in a "sandwich"...
the middle layer had holes...
the other layers had metallic coats...

i made a bigger hole and glued the metal foil on the rubber foil... :sunglasses:

case closed... (i liked steve martin in "the pink panther") ;D

bye