Instructions of making additional keyboard to PC?

[MysTiCy]

So, i was searching in the net about making additional keyboard to computer, and did'nt found. And then i was redirected to search a PIC based serial port keyboard, and found this forum.

So anyone know where to find how to do that? Like "guide for dummies"
Schematics and program to bind the keys to computer functions. If somewhere is guide to doing around 20 button keypad.

 

[mramos1]

Search google for "pc keyboard interface pic chip circuit"

I saw a few on the first page.

 

[MysTiCy]

I did'nt saw anything, there was some links about keyboards, but they were broken links.

 

[i_build_stuff]

You should be able to take some USB keyboards and just plug them in. If you're using WinXP, it should recognize them and work normally (I know it does with USB mice).

 

[MysTiCy]

U did'nt understand what im meaning...
I mean that i want extra buttons with my normal keyboard.

And yea, i can buy a keyboard that has already extra buttons, but i wanna build by myself, and its cheaper

 

[mramos1]

U did'nt understand what im meaning...
I mean that i want extra buttons with my normal keyboard.

And yea, i can buy a keyboard that has already extra buttons, but i wanna build by myself, and its cheaper

Another option, make a serial keyboard and feed the keys through your serial port on the back. You will need a program on the PC to read the serial port and feed the characters to the keyboard buffer. Look at powerbasic.com for PBWIN, you can open COM and sendkeys pretty easy.

I think dontronics has a PIC TTY terminal, but you can get schematics and make it yourself. You have a programmer I take it.

EDIT: just re-read the first post. So you have the serial PIC keyboard stuff, then see my above powerbasic.com comments.

 

[MysTiCy]

So you have the serial PIC keyboard stuff,

No, i dont have. I need schematics to do keyboard.

 

[mramos1]

Here is one, just leave off the LCD display.

**broken link removed**

here are a bunch of them. First one looks like what you need.

http://www.trash.net/~luethi/microchip/projects/projects.html

 

[MysTiCy]

Yea, that was what i'm looking for, other one has 16 button max, thats enough good. And whole keyboard is good too.

But problem is, that i dont know C or asm :/
Is there programs that any key of those can be binded to macros or dos-commands? Like that one key can be put for example, to open notepad.
I'm looking something that is like this **broken link removed**
but that it would have more keys, 7 is not enough.

 

[mramos1]

Your sent the Windows side of it. You need a PIC terminal for your keypad and a program for the PC to read, translate and stuff the keys in the PC buffer.

 

[MysTiCy]

What's a PIC terminal?
I thought that it needs only those schematics in links u posted, and a code that binds something to keys. There was macro making in that full keyboard thing, so i thought it already does reading, translating and stuff. That the code only needs modification, so that it's like a program what i shoved in link.
Would it be hard to do that kind of program?

 

[mramos1]

Right, it looked like everything you needed, just leave off the LCD display.