Keyboard - Closer Look inside

Today we take on the following task: How can I control a PC application with an individual keyboard layout without using a standard keyboard?

I can offer 3 solutions:

* take an Arduino Leonardo equivalent (Pro Micro) with Atmel 32U4 chip (mandatory), otherwise the Arduino library mouse and keyboard cannot be flashed due to the lack of HID support as a USB controller.

* Processing / Firmata.

* take an old keyboard and misuse the controller.

I present this second option to you here:

At the beginning there is the complete removal of the screws. You finally get to the controller via pressure switches, rubber switches, a layer of foil PCB, various contacts:

Here the controller we are looking for:

The effort now is to get the PIN assignment for the controller: for this you connect this controller via USB to the desktop PC and can try out the contacts with a jumper cable. The trigger follows the reaction directly on the screen, for example, under the started editor or MS Excel.

Sometimes a keystroke is simulated, sometimes a function key is triggered. If something unusual happens, a second, normal keyboard is also connected to the desktop PC so that you can intervene if something has been changed.

Fix the controller with a third hand and note the reaction of the jumper cable attached to 2 PINs, for example in an MS Excel. Try out all possible combinations on the controller.

If we now know at which pin assignment the corresponding key can be simulated, we can take this to use a chic red button.

In the further course, the game "Farming Simulator 19" is to be controlled by an almost realistic model, instead of using a keyboard. Anyone who can provide information on drawings and dimensions of the cockpit of a Fendt 936 tractor is welcome to share their information.