Thread: Small navigation buttons for the backseat

Originally Posted by Plecto

I actually have that exact keyboard though I use it as a regular keyboard. It still doesn't suit me though. I want that joystick

I know you're dead set on embedding the buttons but do you really want to hack up your car door (or any other part) just to add a few passenger buttons? The remote idea ain't so bad ... is it? Just tuck the remote away when it's not needed.

Originally Posted by prodigalsun

I know you're dead set on embedding the buttons but do you really want to hack up your car door (or any other part) just to add a few passenger buttons? The remote idea ain't so bad ... is it? Just tuck the remote away when it's not needed.

I hacked up my doors to add the power on, reset and headphone jacks. So thats 2 buttons per armrest, then my arm rest has 4 buttons since I have control of two computer and a headphone jack. here is a picture.



I have since changed the design though and added bigger buttons that look like they should be there. I will take pictures when I have the chance. This one to me didnt look OEM, the bigger ones are these that I used. They sit ontop of the door panel and just look so much better. I also bought one switch hexagonal and one round. I did this so if you have to hit them in the dark, you can feel which is reset and which is power.



http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=060-630

Originally Posted by Plecto

Could you explain how these works? The cheap one you linked just looked like a fancy button :P

I have no idea, but one of them could have some (+) and (-) composite input, plus the regular ones (momentary or not). If it's an LCD character interface, that would be too much work, I think.

The simplest one is just that, fancy, if you want to color match etc. might be it. You could see if there is a 3 pos. switch with a similar design, there are lots of options.

With a simple momentary button you could have press and hold to pause and press once for next track. I think that should be enough, more than that, I feel you'd have to explain too much what the buttons do, no?

I know you're dead set on embedding the buttons but do you really want to hack up your car door (or any other part) just to add a few passenger buttons? The remote idea ain't so bad ... is it? Just tuck the remote away when it's not needed.

That's no problem for me The car is old and already hacked up with badly installed home-made carputer stuff so it can't get any worse :P I've just passed the EU approval so in two years the car will be well-placed at the junk yard anyway :P

With a simple momentary button you could have press and hold to pause and press once for next track. I think that should be enough, more than that, I feel you'd have to explain too much what the buttons do, no?

That is a very good idea, not as cool though :P If I cant find a joystick I'll probably go with that one (maybe two?) buttons. The joystick wont be to hard to explain; back-pause/play-forward, and for those who are interested the up and down could be for changing the CF playlist or something.

A joystick plus a single on/off button right above it, could actually make the joystick have 18 different actions (You can press it down at the same time you press it in one of the directions), with some practice I think I could control CF pretty good with it.

I think I got my solution. I'll buy four of these thumbsticks: http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/pro...oducts_id=9032 They look like the same as the ones phidgets have, but these are without the breakout board (which would make it easier to install I guess). The driver side will be getting the full function of the joystick so it will take two of the four remaining analog inputs on the phidgets board. The rest will not have the diagonal function, only the horizontal. I will parallel hook the two in the backseat (and perhaps the last one in the front passenger seat as well) in order to have room for them all on the phidgets board. I can't say I understand this type of electronics quite so I'm not sure it will be possible to parallel connect them. I asked phidgets and they said the analog inputs are not ohmmeters but voltmeters, but how do you get voltage to change within the sensor? I've all ways believed that it was the resistance inside the sensor which changed.

But, am I thinking right here? Could I parallel connect these thumbsticks?