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What can I do with this laptop keyboard?
from nutbutter@discuss.tchncs.de to nostupidquestions@lemmy.world on 16 Jun 05:45
https://discuss.tchncs.de/post/38692825

It is from an old Dell Inspiron laptop. Is there a way to use this as a wired keyboard (could not find any easy/cheap way on the internet)? Or maybe use it as something else?

#nostupidquestions

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Lembot_0003@lemmy.zip on 16 Jun 05:51 next collapse

Depends on how much of a DIY guy you are. Overall, trying to make a separate keyboard out of it isn’t worth the hassle. Just put it in the box where you store things that you can’t just throw away and that “surely will be handy eventually” and forget about it :)

recursive_recursion@lemmy.ca on 16 Jun 06:41 collapse

I need you to change your editorial direction as I’m in this comment. /s

DemandtheOxfordComma@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 16 Jun 05:56 next collapse

Not impossible but more pain than it’s probably worth, unless you really want to dive in for the experience and challenge:

Here is a solution to enable laptop bottom case keyboards as USB keyboards using a Teensy microcontroller. The author has tested a wide variety of keyboard models, including Dell Inspiron, HP Presario, Sony Vaio, and IBM / Lenovo ThinkPad.

A typical laptop keyboard relies on the motherboard for the scanning circuitry. I use a Teensy microcontroller mounted on a connector board to take over this function.

hackaday.com/…/teensy-liberates-the-thinkpad-keyb…

Frank Adams liked the keyboard on his Lenovo ThinkPad T61 so much that he decided to design an adapter so he could use it over USB with the Teensy microcontroller. He got the Trackpoint working, and along the way managed to add support for a number of other laptop boards as well. Before you know it, he had a full-blown open source project on his hands.

Links for this project:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1PheqSNNP8

https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-USB-Laptop-Keyboard-Controller/

https://github.com/thedalles77/USB_Laptop_Keyboard_Controller

nutbutter@discuss.tchncs.de on 16 Jun 06:08 collapse

A Teensy board would cost a lot more than a really nice new keyboard. Thanks for this guide, though. It helped me learn a lot.

DemandtheOxfordComma@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 16 Jun 06:10 next collapse

Sure. It wasn’t my guide, just the first thing I found on Google.

solrize@lemmy.ml on 16 Jun 07:09 collapse

Raspberry pi pico

someguy3@lemmy.world on 16 Jun 06:08 next collapse

I’m curious what happened to the rat of the laptop?

puppycat@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 16 Jun 06:42 collapse

💻🐀

someguy3@lemmy.world on 16 Jun 14:55 collapse

Ratalaptop.

felbane@lemmy.world on 16 Jun 07:04 next collapse

You might consider testing its viability as a Frisbee.

dwindling7373@feddit.it on 16 Jun 07:26 next collapse

Smash the fash?

MummifiedClient5000@feddit.dk on 16 Jun 09:01 collapse

tehmics@lemmy.world on 16 Jun 08:31 next collapse

Put it in a laptop

callouscomic@lemm.ee on 16 Jun 09:00 next collapse

Install Skyrim on it to appease the Todd Howard?

Or Doom if you worship the Romero.

RvTV95XBeo@sh.itjust.works on 16 Jun 12:20 next collapse

A hat, or a brooch, or a pterodactyl!

Lasherz12@lemmy.world on 16 Jun 12:56 next collapse

It would be trivial to use as an ugly external keyboard for a compatible laptop, but to use it as USB is probably not as easy as hooking it to a standard motherboard header so it’ll cost more than a cheap keyboard to get working.

throwawayacc0430@sh.itjust.works on 16 Jun 13:40 next collapse

Dicska@lemmy.world on 18 Jun 05:52 next collapse

A bit cliché and it might not look great around the handle, but wash it and wrap it (trim it?) around a tall+wide enough mug?

nutbutter@discuss.tchncs.de on 18 Jun 11:03 collapse

That’s a pretty good idea. However, I removed individual keys and will make something with those letters.

Dicska@lemmy.world on 18 Jun 12:38 collapse

Nice! Just make sure it has a flared ba… I mean, I’m happy you found a use!

TheFANUM@lemmy.world on 21 Jun 18:58 collapse