xbox360 chatpad, awsome backlit mini keyboard - Page 2

sporty_drew · 09-09-2007, 12:47 PM

right now i'm using a wireless xbox controller (not 360) and i have the program joytokey to hotmap keyboard commands for roadrunner. the wireless works great.

FC3S · 09-09-2007, 05:31 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by turbocad6

I'll try to get one today maybe..., & yeah, it's sexy, there has to be a way to use this...

there will be, people just havent found how to use it yet, the drivers microsoft offers dont work with the chatpad, the microphone works right away, but the chatpad isnt recognized by windows at all

but yeah, from what i read the chatpad doesnt work with either the wired or wireless yet

but now that you mention it, wired would probably be less annoying as you dont have to charge it..

turbocad6 · 09-09-2007, 11:34 PM

ok, I bought a wired controller (usb), plugged it in, hardware wizard connected to microsofts website, downloaded a dll, boom, controller installed, no problem, no response from the keyboard. doesn't even light up(the controller didn't either, till driver installed)

unplug the keyboard from controller & replug, it then sees an audio interface (headset?) & installs a driver for that, installed & ready to use, no problem, but... the keyboard is still nothing...

it doesn't see the keyboard seperatley at all, not as an unknown device or anything... sooo, now what? I don't know much about what it would take to do something with this, I'm more hardware modder than software, I'll take this apart tommorow & see what it looks like naked... I want to use this thing bad enough that I would even consider having to map the keys thru software if I could figure out a way to interface, maybe it can be directly connected to a keyboard module, maybe there are varing resistances with button presses.... maybe I could hack something,

I want to use this keyboard bad enough that I would even consider rebuilding the guts, using the existing microswitches or even replacing with my own individual microswitches for each key, & running them to a keyboard controller, but that would be a totally different direction than just a software interface, which I have no idea how to aproach.

sooo, anyone have any ideas?

turbocad6 · 09-09-2007, 11:37 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Sonicxtacy02

a key factor in determining the usability of this unit is to see how windows recognises it when the 360 wireless controller is plugged into a computer... if it shows as an HID device it means it would be easy to hack the mini plug off and put a usb interface in its place.

it does show as a hid, but then installs joypad software for the controller, nothing else shows up at all...

turbocad6 · 09-09-2007, 11:38 PM

drew, is that cdr's software? I know he has a cool joypad software too.

sporty_drew · 09-09-2007, 11:43 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by turbocad6

drew, is that cdr's software? I know he has a cool joypad software too.

not that i know of, it can handle up to 16 joysticks (would be good it you had to remap the inputs) here is the site, it works well for me, and the x-xbox drivers.

FC3S · 09-10-2007, 03:24 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by turbocad6

ok, I bought a wired controller (usb), plugged it in, hardware wizard connected to microsofts website, downloaded a dll, boom, controller installed, no problem, no response from the keyboard. doesn't even light up(the controller didn't either, till driver installed)

unplug the keyboard from controller & replug, it then sees an audio interface (headset?) & installs a driver for that, installed & ready to use, no problem, but... the keyboard is still nothing...

it doesn't see the keyboard seperatley at all, not as an unknown device or anything...

isnt that what i'd said? +_+

anyway, i'd checked, as i thought i'd try to help you out like you've helped gimme different idea's for when im ready to do my install, but yeah, people are working on drivers for it, but nothing yet

from the XBOX forum

"Chatting with friends and family on Xbox LIVE® and Windows-based PCs is easy using the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit."

Sounds like they're marketing it to PC users to me.

I do, however, remember reading a review somewhere where they stated that PC functionality wasn't finished yet. It's probably a driver thing."

Sonicxtacy02 · 09-10-2007, 09:57 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by turbocad6

it does show as a hid, but then installs joypad software for the controller, nothing else shows up at all...

the keyboard does or the joystick does? if you installed the joystick then later plugged the keyboard into the joypad and two sets of drivers installed then the keypad would be usable. If no driver installs when u plug the keypad into the controller and the keyboard doesnt work in windows then its likely microsoft released the keypad too early and will later release a driver for it. They're notorious for behing behind on gettin xbox peripherals to work on a pc. The first set of wired controllers didnt work with windows at all.. second batch were detected in windows but microsoft took months to release the drivers to make them usable. I think its safe to say at some point the keypads will work in wondows just dont expect it to happen sooner rather than later.

turbocad6 · 09-10-2007, 10:00 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by FC3S

isnt that what i'd said? +_+

yeah, I know you said that, but I just had to see for myself too

so I wonder how new this keyboard is, I mean if it just came out then maybe drivers are right around the corner, but if it's been out for a while now & still no drivers then it might take awhile....

gonna poke around some more today to see what I can find & also open it up

turbocad6 · 09-10-2007, 10:04 AM

sonic, it installed one driver for the joypad, another when the keyboard plugged in, but what it installed when the keyboard plugged in was for the headset... I guess the keyboard also has a headset module as it's a pass thru for it?

sporty_drew · 09-10-2007, 10:35 AM

www.xbox.com said here that the release date was September 4th. 6 days ago... when did you pick yours up?

turbocad6 · 09-10-2007, 11:09 AM

last week sometime...ohh, guess it is pretty new

maybe there'll be something soon then....

sporty_drew · 09-10-2007, 11:12 AM

yea lol

get a chance to crack it open? I tried to find some pictures but it doesn't seem like anyone is to keen to open theirs up

I did run into some pictures of the backlit and it looks wicked!!

turbocad6 · 09-10-2007, 11:15 AM

soon, doing "real work" right now

turbocad6 · 09-10-2007, 11:43 AM

I just called microsoft... techs answer is keep checking, he thinks they'll have something within a few weeks, maybe I won't have to reinvent the wheel afterall

they gotta get this for the pc eventually I guess, I'm starting to plan how I want this built into my console, motorized ejecting sounds about right maybe

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