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chumbysphere forum → Hardware → Keyboard
I'm wating to get my hands on my Chumby so that i can start programming and making my Chumby keyboard and keep it right next to my psp's 
. I really am enjoying the feedback from the Chumby so far. Congratz to all of you that have one. I guess i have to wait.
As i was informed on the Software form the Chumby won't need to be harware hacked, but software/driver so this thread is now considered closed to me.
if you have a keyboard with compliant USB HID software, it should run natively. Ive not come across a linux distro yet that didnt support USB keyboards. even my fancy microsoft keyboard and mouse jobby works perfectly.
if you have a keyboard with compliant USB HID software, it should run natively. Ive not come across a linux distro yet that didnt support USB keyboards. even my fancy microsoft keyboard and mouse jobby works perfectly.
Well, they work only because the desktop distros typically include the drivers. This generally isn't true of embedded systems that typically only include the drivers needed for the particular hardware configuration.
As I mentioned, even though the keyboard driver is there, there's nothing that's included with with the chumby that uses it.
Widget perhaps?
Widget perhaps?
Well, a widget could use the keyboard only if the chumby's Flash Player processes keyboard events, which it currently doesn't do.
I suppose I can add keyboard event support - the danger being that people start making widgets with text input fields or otherwise require the use of a keyboard. This is not something we particularly want to encourage. Any significant number of widgets that require non-standard hardware would cause confusion.
Please do add keyboard support! If you're worried about confusing people just be clear that it's an unsupported feature and should only be used for your own widgets or something like that.
It would be cool if you could add support for keyboard events as an unsupported/undocument feature. I have some ideas that having the key events available would be perfect for.
Rob
That's in the plan.
Awesome! Even just a numeric keyboard, the USB number pads would be great for doing calculations or for controls of small games. I could see securing a number pad (sideways even) to the back of a Chumby; where-in while holding the Chumby in your hands your index to pinky fingers could reach the top and bottom rows of keys. This may only give you 7 keys to use in this fashion, but a keystroke event is a keystroke event.
The zen of Chumby is not to be trifled with. Now that's established we need to follow
the Dalai Lama in learning the rules in order to intelligently break them,
I suggest a re-examination of the human to Chumby bidirectional concepts.
Ideally the truest Human>Chumby inputs at the local level Chumby are screen based widget buttons or the squeeze sensor. Possibly I am overly restrictive ? Then again here comes the rule breaking while allowing soft default for those not having what you propose adding. Go on and mod software&hardware for extra buttons.
BUT! Write your code so that somehow the unmodded Chumby can "know" it's unmodded and display screen widget buttons in lieu of the mods you propose.
That way- anyone wishing to add buttons can do so-and the unmodded Chumby users still can take advantage of whatever your modded path content offers.
Having stated my take on Chumby Zen and intelligent breaking of it with respect,
I offer a possible hardware hack of plug only complexity. A cheap usb hub and one of the many "dongle" interfaced keyboards fits with your concept. The fewer wires in places where Chumby lives are part of it's zen also. If it seems arrogant of me that anyone but Bunny should be warping Chumby's zen think instead of it as being consistent with the hackable by design genetics of Chumby...
I need to qualify something missing from this thread.
The keyboard issue is only the "Thin Entering Wedge" if we let it be.
Yes- some of us do want to use Chumby for more diverse things.
My overt concern is that in so doing we fragment the userbase.
I humbly thus beg that those of us who feel it good to "add stuff"
to Chumby do so mindful of retaining backwards fail-softness
so we avoid a compatibility gap. SO-
Add all we can to Chumby while making sure all we add remains
compatible with a virgin Chumby for basic usability.
Add all we can to Chumby while making sure all we add remains compatible with a virgin Chumby for basic usability.
Yes, I think that's the key if you're making widgets that are designed to work within our ecosystem.
The device already has USB keyboard drivers, so there's no barrier to someone making their own non-Flash applications.
Glad I was able to help firm up the guidelines.
I just saw a demo of the laser keyboard thing.
Someday if they get cheap enough all these rules may change.
how about puting in a blue tooth sender reciever
this wil lallow for a wirless keboard and can be used for other bluthtooth devices.
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