avi
Keymaster
MaKey MaKey - An Invention Kit for Everyone
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krishnandu
Galvanizer
LOL.. What is so special about this that it has to be portrayed as some high and mighty MIT project? You are basically just using your body to close a circuit. I have done this myself when was in 4th or 5th standard. Maybe I should have gone for a patent. 
I took apart a small Rs 100 Chinese electronic piano that we used to have and then made some connections from the keys to each of my friends and the ground to myself. Whenever I touch them a correspoinding tune would play. It would also work with various vegetables or fruits as contact.
I have also done this with a 8 bit Nintendo console clone game pad as well. Just draw out leads from each of the key contacts and then use it them to connect through various things. When ever circuit is completed, it will perform the corresponding action.
I don' think this is something that needs to be bought, you can do it yourself with an old keyboard, mouse or game pad.
I took apart a small Rs 100 Chinese electronic piano that we used to have and then made some connections from the keys to each of my friends and the ground to myself. Whenever I touch them a correspoinding tune would play. It would also work with various vegetables or fruits as contact.
I have also done this with a 8 bit Nintendo console clone game pad as well. Just draw out leads from each of the key contacts and then use it them to connect through various things. When ever circuit is completed, it will perform the corresponding action.
I don' think this is something that needs to be bought, you can do it yourself with an old keyboard, mouse or game pad.
letmein
Herald
LOL.. What is so special about this that it has to be portrayed as some high and mighty MIT project? You are basically just using your body to close a circuit. I have done this myself when was in 4th or 5th standard. Maybe I should have gone for a patent.
I took apart a small Rs 100 Chinese electronic piano that we used to have and then made some connections from the keys to each of my friends and the ground to myself. Whenever I touch them a correspoinding tune would play. It would also work with various vegetables or fruits as contact.
I have also done this with a 8 bit Nintendo console clone game pad as well. Just draw out leads from each of the key contacts and then use it them to connect through various things. When ever circuit is completed, it will perform the corresponding action.
I don' think this is something that needs to be bought, you can do it yourself with an old keyboard, mouse or game pad.
Are you a wizard?
How about making a short tutorial for TE if you have the time?
^^ LOL. What is there to make a tutorial about.
For example, if you want to do this with an old game pad, you can pry it open and you will see that the buttons have rubber underneath fitted with graphite contacts. the PCB itself will have two etched trails coming under each button. When the graphite contact touches the two trails on the PCB, the circuit is completed and a signal is sent indicating a press. Try touching the PCB contacts with your finger directly and you will see that your finger can also complete the circuit. One of the trails for each button should lead to a common ground. so setup wires from that common point as well as form each of the unique trails for the buttons. To register a press, its just a matter of completing the circuit from the common to the unique lines through whatever conductor you want to use. This is the part where you get creative.
This can be done with most digital buttons that use a similar principle to make them work. Membrane keyboards also use the same principle, but instead of PCB, they use three thin layers of plastic/rubber. The trails are etched into the top and bottom layers and the middle layer contains acts as a separator. When a button is pressed, the contact on the top layer is made to touch the contact on the bottom layer through a hole in the middle. If you can attach wires to these points or to the points where they go to in the small PCB, you can get the same effect.
Of course note that analog controls on joysticks, ball mice etc are a different matter as they use potentiometers and their working model is to measure change in voltage due to change in potentiometer resistance. However you can get creative with these as well.
For example, if you want to do this with an old game pad, you can pry it open and you will see that the buttons have rubber underneath fitted with graphite contacts. the PCB itself will have two etched trails coming under each button. When the graphite contact touches the two trails on the PCB, the circuit is completed and a signal is sent indicating a press. Try touching the PCB contacts with your finger directly and you will see that your finger can also complete the circuit. One of the trails for each button should lead to a common ground. so setup wires from that common point as well as form each of the unique trails for the buttons. To register a press, its just a matter of completing the circuit from the common to the unique lines through whatever conductor you want to use. This is the part where you get creative.
This can be done with most digital buttons that use a similar principle to make them work. Membrane keyboards also use the same principle, but instead of PCB, they use three thin layers of plastic/rubber. The trails are etched into the top and bottom layers and the middle layer contains acts as a separator. When a button is pressed, the contact on the top layer is made to touch the contact on the bottom layer through a hole in the middle. If you can attach wires to these points or to the points where they go to in the small PCB, you can get the same effect.
Of course note that analog controls on joysticks, ball mice etc are a different matter as they use potentiometers and their working model is to measure change in voltage due to change in potentiometer resistance. However you can get creative with these as well.
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