help on rotary encoders

MIDIbox HUIs
1

hi all,

i am a true supporter of the midibox hardware and software

but recently i find it much more easier to hack usb devices to get things done,

i have a question about rotary encoders.

these rotary encoders are are connected to the din modules (where the buttons are supposed to be connected)

can one -optimistically- assume that he can hack a usb keyboard (which has 101 inputs) and use -lets say- 50 rotary encoders?

if yes

how?

because i have been trying to understand this, but since i am only a little more clever than a monkey i could not figure it out

what i figured out is that software is the trick for this/maybe?

thanks in advance

2

what i figured out is that software is the trick for this/maybe?

right, now how are you going to hack an inbuilt firmware of a commercial keyboard?

3

Assuming you mean a computer-program that monitors hacked keystrokes on a computer-keyboard…

You may have trouble hacking the hardware - keyboards are actually scanning matrices, and the keyboard firmware & OS usually do strange things when lots of keys are pressed at once.  Wikipedia has a surprising amount of info on keyboard guts, well worth a read.  :smiley:

(Also, a few people around here have done the opposite - feeding C64 keyboards into MIDIBox; try searching that, you might find it interesting or it might give you some ideas)

4

i have no idea infact..

since i do not understand rotary encoders i automatically assumed this;

rotary encoders on midibox are connected to the same inputs as buttons

so it must be a software trick

that was what i thought

5

i have no idea infact..

since i do not understand rotary encoders i automatically assumed this;

rotary encoders on midibox are connected to the same inputs as buttons

so it must be a software trick

that was what i thought

again, you are right there: it s the software that translates the buttons/encoders to MIDI events, the point is: MIOS and its apps are ready to be modified, but how will you deal with a proprietary code embedded in a commercial machine?

6

You could perhaps write software to do something with such a hacked keyboard, but as mentioned above, you most likely would not be able to turn more than one knob at once, making such a project pointless and time consuming. Use MIOS and MIDIBOX instead, that’s what it was designed for. Stick around , read ucapps.de. Start with the MB64E.

7

… and if you really insist, you could build the thing in a keyboard case, and hang a USB cable off the end.

8

…there is actually a solution if you are going to use a computer: you can use Midiox/MidiPipe/Qmidirouter to translate a couple of note events in CC increment/decrement

9

hey guys thanks for your answers

as i told you i am a huge fan of midibox and already built an old midiboxplus (was it like that i even forgot) and a newer midibox

the reason i wanted to hack a keyboard was because of the price and the instant usb thing

but when you try to connect a rotary encoder instead of two buttons nothing happens

my question was

is there a hardware or software solution for that?

-no hacking firmware because that is impossible i know, and even if there were it wouldnt be worth it-

why i dont want to try building another midibox -

because the first time i hacked a usb gamepad and built a midi controller in 30 minutes out of it, and when midibox decided not to support big USB PIC module, midibox lost its charm for me

i know it is the most supported DIY midi thing around and i love it but i dont want to complicate things anymore.

so i repeat my question

forget about keyboard matrices

the question -simplified- is this

i know that in midibox it is possible to connect 1 rotary encoder instead of two buttons

gamepads/keyboards have also buttons

does anyone have a clue if it would be possible to connect rotary encoders to gamepads/keyboards/usb mice-other than the wheel-/

if nothing software can be done, is there a hardware/electronics trick that would allow me to connect a rotary encoder so that the stupid usb device would think that one of the buttons are constantly pressed when i turn it.

i hope i finally made myself clear

sorry for my bad english

thank you

10

For months, I thought rotary encoders were mysterious, until I read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_encoder  They just work in 2-bit binary.  What you want to do is convert the binary numbers to up/down signals, or a number, or maybe something else.

Should be easy enough to do any of these conversions with some custom PC software.  Not sure if a non-Midibox pure-electronics conversion exists or is easy…  :-\

11

if nothing software can be done, is there a hardware/electronics trick that would allow me to connect a rotary encoder so that the stupid usb device would think that one of the buttons are constantly pressed when i turn it.

…there is actually a solution if you are going to use a computer: you can use Midiox/MidiPipe/Qmidirouter to translate a couple of note events in CC increment/decrement

i hope that i ve made myself clear :wink:

12

…Oh yeah  ;D  Of course, that should do the trick.

13

Not sure if a non-Midibox pure-electronics conversion exists or is easy…  :-\

Yeh, you can use a binary counter IC as a basis for this. Not that you need to (see above)