Pushbutton > USB > Simulated keystroke

[Even92LN]

Hi! :D

Is there a simple and cheap way to convert a manual buttonpress into a simulated keyboard stroke?

For example a button like this:
https://wiki.brown.edu/confluence/do...ton_switch.jpg
-connected to a USB board and translated into a command like [right CTRL] to use as "push to talk".

Edit:
I have found the BU0836 joystick controller board that can handle up to 32 buttons or switches:
http://www.leobodnar.com/products/BU0836/
But I actually don't need more than two of the inputs. Does anyone know about a cheaper board with not so many inputs?

My plan is to use a board like this with a free program called 'Joker'. Joker can simulate up to two keyboardstrokes from any joystick buttons. And I suppose that the BU0836 board will be recognized by the computer as a joystick controller?
(Joker: https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/danorris/www/joker/ )

Or maybe it's better to buy a cheap gaming controller from ebay and replace my own pushbuttons with the ones that already is there? Will something like this work with Joker? http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-PC-Controller-Game-pad-Joypad-Joystick-/250624844433?cmd=ViewItem&pt=PCA_Joysticks_Game_Controllers&hash=item3a5a67a291 I have tested with my Logitech Freedom 2.4 and all buttons can be configured by Joker.

[ian@737ng.co.uk]

hello captain........
personally, i would go with the BU0836. ok, it's got 32 inputs. but think ahead not just to solve this one issue.
trust me, you can never have enough button inputs. there will come a time where you will want to action something else
like a system or a switch and then you will find that with the BU0836 you still have 30 spare :o
your system will see the BU0836 as a joystick controller, so there's no reason why your key send program will not work
with this card.
and of course if you have a registered version of FSUIPC, you can take advantage of the Key Press & Release option
in the FS Control dropdown menu.
good luck anyway whchever way you decide....
regards from the welsh borders.....
ian

[No Longer Active]

I can second Ian's opinion on that one, my Cessna sim uses aproximately 28 inputs from my BU0836X card and I still have 4 inputs left over, and I know that those 4 inputs left over will be gone by the time my next brain wave kicks in, the lesson here is what Ian has said, you can never have too many inputs. Buy the mini BU0836 card and just directly wire your buttons to 2 of the 12 pins, then you have 10 left over for expansion, then by the time you expand your going to want more buttons, so you will need to wire the card up in matrix mode.

Good luck!

Alex

The BU0836 is a nice card to start off with, I had one, but wanted more inputs with the new clip in technology, so bought the x version, and what a nice card it is!

[Even92LN]

Thanks for your replies!
Yes indeed! But you see this is actually a project assembling an ATC microphone with two PTT buttons to work with a computer, and then to be sold, ready to use, to a random VATSIM ATC (I'm also going to make one for myself:). And it would be a bit waste of money for the buyer if he had to pay extra for the microphone setup because of a so "expensive" board, just so he can be able to use two PTT-buttons on it :)

Sorry for my bad English, but I hope you got the point :)

[Sean Nixon]

buy a cheap joystick and rip the insides out

[Even92LN]

Thank you Sean! Do you think something like this will work?
http://usih.merchantrunglobal.com/ImageHosting/ViewImage.aspx?GlobalID=1004&MerchantID=12275&ImageID=558&DisplaySize=400&ListingID=10271

[Sean Nixon]

if windows recognises it, then i dont see why not.

[Even92LN]

Bought three like the controller on the picture ($15 with shipping), and it works like a charm :)

[Sean Nixon]

Fantastic.