Suggestions for using a pedal (foot switch) for an application

Hi all,

  I would like to know any suggestions o recomendations for using a
pedal in an application.

  In the application I refer, the user are not able to use it's hands
at the time he/she wants to capture images or video, but is perfectly
able to press a pedal wich the application detects (ideally as hooked
event that is triggered by, for instance, aFootPedal object in the
dolphin application).

  If any of you has made some interface for this kind of control I'll
like to know, share info.

  For reference: I was searching in GlobalSpec
(http://www.globalspec.com/) for heavy duty pedals and already found
some options, but all of them have a lak of PC interface, and it's
respective API. So until now it seems, that if I want to have this kind
of control, I'll have to make some kind of microcontroller wich can be
connected to the USB port and then make the driver to access from the
dolphin image.

  cheers,

Sebastian

Sebastián.

> of control, I'll have to make some kind of microcontroller wich can be
> connected to the USB port and then make the driver to access from the
> dolphin image.

It would be a lot easier to use either the PC's joystick interface (four
single wire inputs that just need to be taken to earth, IIRC) or serial
(RS232) interface (2 or 3 control inputs that can be earthed or taken to +/-
12V).  Interfacing either to Dolphin is not too difficult, although I
haven't looked at the joystick interface for some time so the API may have
changed in WinXP.

--
Ian

Use the Reply-To address to contact me (limited validity).
Mail sent to the From address is ignored.

Sebastián,

>   I would like to know any suggestions o recomendations for using a
> pedal in an application.

You've reminded me of how much I used to yearn for a foot-pedal instead of a
shift key ;-)  So I went looking, and found this:

    http://www.xkeys.com/xkeys/xkfoot.php

I don't know if it is at all suitable for what you want, but I'm tempted ;-)

    -- chris

Chris Uppal escribió:
> Sebastián,
>
>>   I would like to know any suggestions o recomendations for using a
>> pedal in an application.
>
> You've reminded me of how much I used to yearn for a foot-pedal instead of a
> shift key ;-)  So I went looking, and found this:

:D

>     http://www.xkeys.com/xkeys/xkfoot.php
>
> I don't know if it is at all suitable for what you want, but I'm tempted ;-)

Why not use the pedals from a steering wheel through some DirectPlay
interface? This way, You also can play need for speed :D.

Regards,

--
Esteban.

Sebastián,

>  If any of you has made some interface for this kind of control I'll
> like to know, share info.

If you want to go down the joystick interface route I've dug out my old
multimedia classes and added a ButtonMonitor class. It runs in the
background and triggers Dolphin events when a specific joystick interface
button is pressed and released.

All you need then (assuming the target machine has a joystick interface -
which most do) is an old joystick cable, a foot switch and, optionally, two
10K resistors.

Let me know if you want the package and/or more details.

--
Ian

Use the Reply-To address to contact me (limited validity).
Mail sent to the From address is ignored.

Hey it's not bad ! I think the USB option is the kind of solution I'm
searching for. And it has solved all the interface mess as clean as
using the keyboard.
I think I'll let give a chance to that pedal.
Thanks Chris,

Sebastian

Chris Uppal escreveu:

Could be. But for home only. When you put that in an industrial
environment the lifetime of those products drops dramatically.

Cheers,

Sebastian

Esteban A. Maringolo escreveu:

Thank you Ian. I've considered this option too. For now I'll first try
the pedal that Chris has seen on the web, because it seems to have all
solved for a reasonable price.
Regards,

Sebastian

Ian Bartholomew escreveu: