mini keyboard

Alphared · 01-24-2003, 02:17 PM

Well, i've seen post on how to convert a mini keyboard (thumb board) for the pda to pc. Yet none shows how to do so. I got one and opened it. The set up looks like a ps2 keyboard, but has 3 wires instead of 4. Other differences is that it takes somewhere like 3.5v to power it, unlike the 5v for a regular board. So, have to step down the voltage with a transistor type voltage regulator (like one dollar from radioshack) The other is that pretty sure that without software drivers the keyboard will not work. Due to the compact size, numbers and other keys can only be used with a function key, SO the pc have to be able to understand this.

One of the simpler way is to find a membrane type mini keyboard and use the decoder form a regular keyboard as most have done with buttons.

Other suggestion for space saving is to use the onscreen keyboard provided by win2k and xp.

ShinkunoNamida · 01-24-2003, 03:25 PM

http://www.tapspring.com/default.htm

A lot of cool things, among which, a way to convert a mini keybaord to ps2

CA 3000GT · 01-24-2003, 04:30 PM

ShinkunoNamida, that site is awesome! thanks for the link.

Alphared, please keep looking, I would kill to have a thumb-board-key-board!

CA 3000GT · 01-24-2003, 08:20 PM

Ok... heres a real hack...

get the crique keypad ($14.95)
http://www.cirque.com/products/pocket.html

get the palm adaptor: ($4.95 each)
http://www.cirque.com/products/pocket_adapt.html

get the palm to ps2 converter ($19.95)
http://www.tapspring.com/Order.htm

or, I suppose just use the
http://www.tapspring.com/Order.htm
converters on one of those really really tiny snap in palm keypads (not the fold out kinds, those are too big..)

Total Cost: ~$40+shipping
Total Hacks: 2
Chance of working: who knows... seems like it should...

The thing is I dont know how the tapspring folks emulated the palm keyboard, so its hard to know if there solution is a general one and will work for all palm keypads, or just the fold out one.

Alphared · 01-24-2003, 10:38 PM

I don't know, I'm pretty sure you need some type of driver inorder to use it. I've check pretty much alot of other ppl's way to it, and no one really did a thumb pad. That crique pad has its own battery, so voltage stepdown wouldn't be needed, so I'm not sure if it can work with a ps2 plug (maybe a resistor to draw current, but not sure) And its still not really like a regular keyboard, so thats why I said it needs some type of drivers to map the keys correctly. You can give it a try and let us know if it works, I'll do the same with the palm thumb board.

Alphared · 01-25-2003, 06:53 AM

CA 3000GT

http://wearables.blu.org/wear-hard-02/20026251.html

take a look at that. It shows how to use the crique keypad to hook up to serial. but no talks about drivers, so not sure if it'll work.

CA 3000GT · 01-25-2003, 06:45 PM

Alphared: Yes! I think that one is worth a shot.. Im going to hold out a little longer for something that is confirmed to actually work on a pc, and then I am going to buy that stuff, and see if I can get it to work!

Thanks!
Dan

thenominous · 01-25-2003, 09:09 PM

Sod the keyboard interface, I wanna hook up my phone to open my car up

Dave

Charliey · 01-25-2003, 11:39 PM

hmm, that would be interesting. it might be possible to get a cellphone to work if it had bluetooth, and if the computer had a bluetooth adapter.

i dont quite know what bluetooth enables, i think you might need special apps to run on the phone and the computer, but it doesnt seem beyond the realm of posibility.

thenominous · 01-26-2003, 07:15 AM

http://www.tapspring.com/PACS.htm
http://www.tapspring.com/ (scroll down)

It was on the tapspring link from earlier! only $20 too

Dave

CA 3000GT · 01-27-2003, 01:09 AM

Hey folks! heres what Im gonna be trying.
There is this program to control a pc with a Palm pda. I already have a palm. So, Im gonna buy a thumboard keypad for the palm ($16+ on Ebay) Use the free control software, and thats my mini-keypad + touchpad

(software)
http://www.btinternet.com/~harakan/PalmVNC/

I put this down in the mini faq I tried writing along w/ some more info.

Alphared · 01-27-2003, 01:41 AM

you need a lan connection to use it. I have that prog on my toshiba e740. Trust me, its not as great as you imagine. It acts like a virtual desktop for your pc. If you display on your pc is like 640x480 you won't be able to see all of it on the pda (considering if you pda is 320x240 or less).

Its also very slow. My e740 is 400mhz and its still pretty slow to view the window and run programs, can't imagine how slow it'll be on a palm.

I have to say imho, that that is not really the road you would like to go. You have to get a ethernet card for your palm inorder to connect to your pc a lan connection running on you pc as well.

CA 3000GT · 01-27-2003, 12:59 PM

That is a good point Alphared, perhaps I was overly enthusiastic at just finding something close to what I want to be able to do.
I do not think using a palm as a VNC controller would work out well. However, if Im just using it as means to input text, it might work out ok. The needing ethernet part would be a pain though.

What do you think about the following:

Right now I am thinking that the "Compaq iPAQ Mini Portable Mobile Keyboard" is the best bet in terms of a cheap pda keypad that can be made to work on a pc
- It already has a mini-usb plug, so with a mini-usb to usb cable, there is no soldering of wires involved.
- There are already wince drivers for it.
- perhaps those wince drivers will work on a regular pc? perhaps someone has written a regular windows driver for that keypad?

hd54321 · 07-23-2004, 03:26 PM

Resurrecting a 1.5 year old thread.

Anyone succesfully used one of these thumboards on a PC?? I've done a few google searches but can't find anything that shows how to convert a thumboard for PC use.

Thanks.

-HD

Twopoint · 07-24-2004, 01:28 AM

here is a small keyboard you might like:
http://www.fentek-ind.com/touchstream.htm#kbmig

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