Do you want to make your own USB foot pedal (USB keyboard)? In this video I will show you how to make one. All you need is an enclosure, few buttons and 5€-worth electronics with USB cable.
See the video about it on YouTube!
Hi. As a programmer I’ve always wanted to have some extra keys for some hard to remember shortcuts. I’ve never had time to make a separate USB keyboard, but as I started recording videos for internet, I’ve made one. Why you ask? First I started recording and speaking in a free-style manner, but I soon discovered it takes more time due to failed records. I started writing scripts and reading them from my DIY teleprompter. I needed a separate keyboard to pause it. I pause it with my foot. Another usage of keyboard I can think of is for playing games.
HARDWARE (CHIP, SPECIFICATIONS, SCHEMATICS)
The keyboard is totally customizable. The key functions are programatically definable. I decided to use Arduino pro micro due to its size and USB port. The current price is around 3€ in China. See the links in the description below. It has a Microchip ATmega32U4 chip. See specifications. This means it has enough memory for the keyboard and that it has a hardware USB port. It has 18 free pins to use, so we can hook up to 18 keys directly. I only use 3 buttons for now.
Let’s see the scheme. Each key is connected from separate Arduino pin to the ground. That’s all!
MAKING THE KEYBOARD
Let’s see how I made one. I chose a small enclosure, drilled a hole for USB connector, fastened the Arduino board, drilled three holes for keys, put them through and soldered the wires.
PROGRAMMING
Programming is also simple. You can find my source code on my github page. See the links in the description below. I use the keyboard library. I defined three keys. One represents SPACE key, the other two represent the up- and down-arrow keys. Connect the board to your PC, run Arduino environment, select appropriate board and compile the code. The new keyboard is detected by PC without any problems.
WORKING EXAMPLE
See video (link above).
SUMMARY
I showed you how to make a simple USB keyboard for a few bucks in a few minutes. I have to invite you to support my work by clicking LIKE button, SHARE video with your friends, COMMENT below if you have any questions or suggestions and SUBSCRIBE to my channel. Don’t forget to press notification bell next to SUBSCRIBE button and don’t forget to watch my other videos. You can even support me via Patreon. See you next time!
DESCRIPTION
I will show you how to make a cheap USB keyboard. I use it for shortcuts while programming and to control the teleprompter. We will use Arduino pro micro and make use of its USB port. I will show schematics, hardware and software. Software is free to use (github link below). DIY Arduino project for beginners.
ATmega32U4:
32kB flash
2.5kB RAM
1kB EEPROM
16MIPS at 16MHz
USB 2.0 port
2.7-5.5V
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