workshop
living
food
play
outside
Table of Contents
Easy stealth footswitch / pedal to minimize windows and show Desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Intro: Easy stealth footswitch / pedal to minimize windows and show Desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Step 2: Unscrewing the keyboard and finding the "Scroll Lock" key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Step 7: Programming the Scroll Lock key to hide all the windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Step 8: Load the file automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Step 9: The video of the pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Step 10: Done!! start hiding your windows!!! =P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-stealth-footswitch-pedal-to-minimize-window/
Author:eliastorre
Hi there, member since long time ago, not much instructables, but happy to browse around.
Intro: Easy stealth footswitch / pedal to minimize windows and show Desktop
I spend most of the time at a computer programming, and in a matter of no time I end with all my screen real state filled with windows. Also, most of the time my feet are
very lazy, so I took the idea I saw somewhere to do a very easy and cheap foot pedal to hide / unhide all the windows by using my feet.
Also, I had a lot of friends that would like to hide all the IM and youtube screens when the boss passes by, so maybe this will help =P
Most of the modern computer keyboards don't use the "Scrll Lock" (or Bloq Despl in spanish) for anything, so we will use this key to trigger the hiding function in
windows.
I hope you have fun doing it as I had fun making it.
BTW, I was a member like for 4 years now, but this is my very first instructable.
Thank you!! and please have a look at my blog for extra pics: my blog
UPDATE: Just to be clear, this instructable is not about hacking your actual keyboard, but hacking and attaching an extra one to your regular computer, so you end using
your regular keyboard and also this hacked one, both at the same time. Have fun!
Image Notes
1. The foot switch =)
2. Inside this tiny box is the circuitry, than can be used for future projects... keep in touch
3. This is the foot switch!
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-stealth-footswitch-pedal-to-minimize-window/
Image Notes
1. To check the resistance of the circuits, and the continuity between the cable
ends
Image Notes
1. Heavy duty buttons
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-stealth-footswitch-pedal-to-minimize-window/
Step 2: Unscrewing the keyboard and finding the "Scroll Lock" key
A keyboard works by closing a circuit between 2 plastic layers; when you press a key, the 2 layers get in contact and a current flow between this connection, sending a
signal to the microcontroller inside the keyboard.
1) You will have to disassemble the keyboard. Remove all the screws you might find in the back, and release the back cover.
2) Then, remove the thin plastic layers thar are inside the keyboard.
3) then, put the cover on the back and turn the keyboard facing up, to put the layers over the keys to write with a permanent marker where the keys are, one for the upper
layer, and one for the bottom layer.
Image Notes
1. Carefully "peel" the plastic layers in the keyboard
2. Here's the microcontroller, you will also need it
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-stealth-footswitch-pedal-to-minimize-window/
Image Notes
1. Here are the keyboard layers.
2. This is the microcontroller pins that get in contact with it
Image Notes
1. Put the layers over the keys, to find where exactly are our Scroll Lock key...
2. ... and here we have, mark the key in both keybard layers, the top and the
bottom, so you can find it later!
Image Notes
1. Ok, here is the keyboard plastic layers, lying over a piece of fabric
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-stealth-footswitch-pedal-to-minimize-window/
Image Notes
1. One of the probes over our key...
2. The other probe at the track endings...
3. We get no reading, this means that the current key and the current track end
aren't the same, we need to find the same track along the keyboard
Image Notes
1. Move the probe tip to the next track
2. Keep this tip on the key, be carefull to not press too hard
3. And now we get some reading!!! we have found the track on the upper plastic
layer for our key!!! Do the same for the bottom layer
Image Notes
1. The pins are shiny beneath the black coating, use the dremel brush to
remove that coating.
Image Notes
1. The key pins whitout the coating
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-stealth-footswitch-pedal-to-minimize-window/
Image Notes
1. Hold the cable with the dremel tweezer, and apply some solder over each
pin and cable
Image Notes
1. This two are the cables for the scroll lock key. If you connect both wire endings
the scrll lock will be "pressed" and the microcontroller will send the code to the
computer. The rest of the cables are for the other keys that will be used for
another instrcutable very soon!
2. I glued the cables to a small piece of wood found in a popsicle stick, this was
made just to give a little bit strenght to the soldering
Image Notes
1. Use the marker to draw the size of the hole
Image Notes
1. Remove the switch by pulling this leg to the right, then hold the switch a little bit
to the left and then pull it towards you. It will gently snap
2. The removed switch
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-stealth-footswitch-pedal-to-minimize-window/
Image Notes
1. Cut the hole and spin the button to screw it into the box...
Image Notes
1. Tighten the nut to hold the button to the box
Image Notes
1. Put some wire in these two terminals, these are switched when you press
the button
Image Notes
1. Apply some solder to the cables and assemble back the switch to the button
inside the box, then, close the box.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-stealth-footswitch-pedal-to-minimize-window/
Image Notes
1. Solder the footswitch cable ends to the previously soldered microcontroller
cables.
2. The rest of the cables will not be used in this project at this time, just the ones
for the scroll lock key
Image Notes
1. Put the circuitry inside the tiny box, coincidentally, it's almost the exact size.
Image Notes
1. Inside lies the brains and the cable reaches the exterior...
Step 7: Programming the Scroll Lock key to hide all the windows
So far, the foot switch only presses the scroll lock key, which is kind of useless. We need a freeware program called AutoHotKey to tell the computer to minimize all when
we press the key. This program has a lot of functionality (sadly, only under windows and not in Linux), but we will use just the basics. If you want more information you
can read the embedded help.
So:
1) Download the program from http://www.autohotkey.com/download/ download the "Install AutoHotKey" option.
2) Install the program, it's pretty straightforward
3) Then we have to program the code in a text file called minimize.ahk , you can find the file for downlad below, but in case you want an explanation of the code, here you
have:
SetScrollLockState, AlwaysOff ------------ this will turn off the scroll lock LED light
ScrollLock:: --------- if you press the Scroll Lock key, the function will minimize all the windows
WinMinimizeAll
return
+ScrollLock:: -------- if you pres the Scroll Lock key, while holding the Shift key, all the windows will return to the screen
WinMinimizeAllUndo
return
You can download the file below, and save it inside the AutoHotkey folder in you computer.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-stealth-footswitch-pedal-to-minimize-window/
Image Notes
1. Once you install the AutoHotKey, this icon will be added to your taskbar
File Downloads
Image Notes
1. Here's the shorcut... just drag it to the "Start" button, then, over "Programs",
and at last, over the "Star" sub folder
Image Notes
1. Here's the file with the script
2. Create shortcut (sorry, my computer OS is in spanish)
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-stealth-footswitch-pedal-to-minimize-window/
Image Notes
1. There we have our shortcut, this will make to load the script everytime we start
the computer, so the footpedal always be enabled to minimize the windows
Image Notes
1. The foot switch =)
2. Inside this tiny box is the circuitry, than can be used for future projects... keep in touch
3. This is the foot switch!
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-stealth-footswitch-pedal-to-minimize-window/
Related Instructables
Guitar amp
channel
switching pedal
by dentsinger
Install LEDs in
your amp's
footswitch by
curbowman
Advertisements
Comments
24 comments Add Comment
bbear4 says:
Love it!
And just mentioning the other project, I had to go check that one out too! I started working on this and got frustrated trying to find the two pins to close the gap
for the keys I needed. I didn't think of using a multimeter rather than trial and error with a keyboard button test. It was a cool program though. It'll highlight the
keys you press on an on-screen keyboard so you know if they are working. I don't remember its name but a google search will find it along with multitudinous
others and might come in handy for someone reading this.
Now that you've shown me a better way to isolate the keys I need, I'm going to make a similar switch.
TY
eliastorre says:
Tubehacker01 says:
Tubehacker01 says:
Hey! That file doesn't work, it only minimizes and doesn't undo :( Any ideas why?
GREAT INSTRUCTABLE +++++
eliastorre says:
Hi!
mmm I'm not sure why it is not working, do you have this on the file?
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
SetScrollLockState, AlwaysOff
ScrollLock::
WinMinimizeAll
return
+ScrollLock::
WinMinimizeAllUndo
return
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Just delete the dashes, keep the code and let me know
daneframe says:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-stealth-footswitch-pedal-to-minimize-window/
darklucifer says:
eliastorre says:
But I guess the idea is to look as if you were actually working =P a locked screen looks more suspicious hehe
thanks for comment!
kwah says:
eliastorre says:
kwah says:
eliastorre says:
berky93 says:
pyrogoth says:
eliastorre says:
SeanJay says:
Hey so doing this for my pre-IB personal project dont have a dremel tool is theyr anyway of doing this without it ??
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-stealth-footswitch-pedal-to-minimize-window/
eliastorre says:
Guy.Fawkes says:
eliastorre says:
Guy.Fawkes says:
Padlock says:
eliastorre says:
gabo83 says:
jackbravo says:
This stuff is really neat, although a little frightening =P
nice instructable.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-stealth-footswitch-pedal-to-minimize-window/