The great thing about being a maker is that when the market fails to meet your needs, you can strike out on your own. [GuzziGuy] did just that, building a bespoke mechanical keyboard that’s stylish to boot. The aim was to create a keyboard well suited to working without a mouse, and with a keypad on the opposite side to suit a left-hander’s predilections. The case consists of an aluminium top plate with an ...

[Max] had a rotary dial from an old telephone and — unsurprisingly — had nothing in particular to do with it. The simple answer? Use an Arduino Leonardo to turn it into a USB keyboard device. Of course, the Leonardo can easily impersonate a USB keyboard, so that’s the easy part of the project. Interfacing to the dial requires an understanding of how the phone system works. While today, TouchTone phones ...

Serafim is a company of some talents and experts in optoelectronics industry, and it aims to offer affordable, useful, and cool consumer electronics for a better computing experience. The latest amazing product by Serafim is: iKeybo! iKeybo is a virtual projection multilingual keyboard that can turn any flat surface into a keyboard. iKeybo can work as a piano too. Check this video to see iKeybo in action: i ...

Researchers from several universities, including the Georgia Institute of Technology, are working on a keyboard that can isolate typing patterns -- such as pressure applied to each key and the time spent between strokes -- to accurately identify users. Their findings were published in the journal ACS Nano. Four layers of transparent film on the device, including polyethylene terephthalate, indium tin oxide, ...

If you want to add a keypad to your Arduino project, the options are pretty limited. There’s that red and blue 4×4 membrane we’ve all seen in password-protected door lock projects, and the phone layout version that does pretty much all the same tricks. Isn’t it time for a full Arduino-compatible keyboard? [ELECTRONOOBS] thinks so. This 41-button Arduino keyboard PCB is a stepping stone to his next proj ...

The SInclair ZX 8-bit computers of the early 1980s were masterpieces of economy, getting the most out of minimal hardware. The cassette tape interface was a one-bit port, the video was (on the first two models anyway) created by the processor itself rather than a CRT controller, and the keyboard? No fancy keyboard controllers here, just a key matrix and some diodes between a set of address lines and some da ...

Remember back in the early-to-mid 2000s when pretty much every cheap USB keyboard you could find started including an abundance of media keys in its layout? Nowadays, especially if you have a customized or reduced-sized mechanical keyboard, those are nowhere to be seen. Whenever our modern selves need those extra keys, we have to turn to external peripherals, and [Gary’s] Knobo is one that looks like it cou ...

Signet is a compact, open hardware, and free and open source software USB device that safely stores your passwords, bookmarks, contacts, and other personal data in encrypted memory. It’s compatible with MacOS, Linux, Windows, and Android so you can use it on any device with a USB port. The device is smaller than the average house key, making it easy to take with you wherever you go. This makes Signet a prac ...

Whoa? Turn any EL (Electro-Luminescient) material into a touch sensor with no additional hardware. It's an open prototyping platform for wearable electronics! Open source and Arduino IDE compatible. There are many different EL materials, including EL paint, EL panels, EL tape, EL wire.  They have been integrated into a variety of applications, from motorcycle jackets, to masks, to cars. The Whoa Board makes ...

Most hobbyists and many professionals use Eagle CAD as a daily tool in designing schematics and laying out PCB. I’m going to share with you the most important tips and tricks for using Eagle CAD, which make my work much easier and faster. Tip #1: Keep One Hand on the Keyboard, One on the Mouse I see a lot of friends and colleagues use the mouse as their main tool for routing and selecting tools in the sideb ...

Ladyada and pt had an old NeXT keyboard with a strong desire to get it running on a modern computer. These keyboards are durable, super clicky, and very satisfying to use! However, they are very old designs, specifically made for NeXT hardware, pre-ADB and pre-USB! That means you can't just plug the keyboard into an ADB or PS/2 port or PS/2 to USB converter (even though it looks similar). In fact, I have no ...

The Arduino is perhaps the coolest thing on earth. There are many types, the Uno, the Mega, the Pro, the Pro Mini, etc. etc. But one thing that often can be a problem is that you only have a limited number of inputs and outputs. There are many solutions for that, ranging from multiplexers to port expanders. But one thing that gives you up to 171 extra inputs is to use an old keyboard. And that is that this ...