Make Arcade Controller from PC Keyboard

[aristidesfl]

Hi, I was searching for a cheap solution to build a midi controller and I tried to open a pc keyboard to understand how it works.

It seems that is easy to make the arcade buttons work using the controller of the keyboard, and since traktor allows mapping keyboard keys to everything we are good.

Now I have 2 questions for you:

1 - Are you aware of any latency problems with pc keyboard? Witch have least latency, pc keyboard or midi?

2 - I would like to put some endless dented knobs in the controller too. Do you know how they work? May be possible to assign the turning of the knob in one direction to a key and the other direction to other key?

Thank you

[Imp]

Hi, and welcome!

1 - Since the latency would be the same as when typing, it should be low enough...just try using Traktor with mapped keys ;)

2 - Those Knobs are called encoders, and they don't behave like you suggested. They put out two phase-shifted pulses while turned.

    So it's not possible to connect them directly to the keyboard-controller, but through some extra electronics, it might work.

[aristidesfl]

So do you know some rotary enconder or some simple way to achieve that?

[lief138]

I dont know if you can get your hands on a c64 but if so you could save yourself alot of trouble and use its keyboard. The software part has already been done and it would give you lots of midi output and you would easily be able to add encoders if you wanted to...

check out Midibox KB!

http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=midiboxkb_-_using_a_c64_keyboard_as_input

[aristidesfl]

It would be nice.. but no chance to get one of those..

[J Martins]

There is no way of using knobs attached in a pckeyboard, because the keys are digital inputs,then you need an ADC to attach em.

btw, this instructable maybe can be interesting for you.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Hacking-a-USB-Keyboard/

K.

Edit: Also you can use the keys from the PCkeyboard to send MIDI messages. Spending 30 minutes even in Visual Basic you can write your own  app to do this via MIDI Yoke or whatever. Check this example: I made this app in Visual Basic (of course  :P), it sends MIDI NOTE messages via MIDI Yoke for my host, that's Fl Studio, so I can switch effects, channels etc.

download link: http://www.oitodigiarts.xpg.com.br/MIDIitSM.rar

UI picture:

[aristidesfl]

If I want to implement rotary encoders without the keyboard what would I need? How would they work with traktor for instance?

[frailn]

It would be nice.. but no chance to get one of those..

I have an extra C64 keyboard if you like. I'll send it to you for no charge - except you would have to pay for shipping. I'm located in Kansas City, MO, USA.

[lief138]

a core and a din module at the least. You can buy them from Smashtv or Mike. You probably want to spend a bit more time reading up around here and on the ucapps site. The keyboard could be used to replace a bunch of switches.

If you read and search you will see that lots of controllers to do what you want have already been made.

If I want to implement rotary encoders without the keyboard what would I need? How would they work with traktor for instance?

[aristidesfl]

Is it possible to implement the rotary enconders with the C64 keyboard?

[aristidesfl]

If I understood well I could assign each encoder to 2 different keys and then decode the change of the keys using software, am I right?

The best would make it using some piece of hardware to make it faster.. any ideas?

Hmm forget it.. with many enconders, many keys would stay on at same time for long periods of time lefting no room for other buttons, it had to be done using hardware..

[mikee]

Bear in mind that the keyboard repeats after x seconds - I don't think I could turn it off when I tried the same thing.

cheers

[aristidesfl]

actually the signal sent by the keyboard keys is continuous. The software is the one that repeats a letter when a key is pressed for a long period of time

[mikee]

I stand corrected aristidesfl

thanks for that.

Its been some years since I played with keyboard signals, but you are correct. I should have explained that I was using VBasic at the time, and thats why I could not turn off the repeat. The pc keyboard does send a continuous stream of data, as yo say.

I humbly bow out