Arduino USB Touchpad - ZenDeck - Episode 2
Ғылым және технология
After the last episode an overwhelming number of you reqested that I add a trackpad to the design.
In this video I'm going to investigate some of the options we have for such a small trackpad.
If you're interested in using this touchpad in your own projects, make sure you let me know in the comments and I will finish off the code so I can put it up on Github for you!
Here's a link to the trackpad I used in the video: www.digikey.com.au/en/product...
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Пікірлер: 99
wow, touchpad is really cool thing for this devices, love to see him in your project)
@cncdan
10 күн бұрын
I'm looking forward to discovering some of the uses for the trackpad in games. Everyone seems so keen on the steamdeck ones so it must be useful!
@mr.shplorb662
7 күн бұрын
@@cncdanit absolutely is
@cncdan
7 күн бұрын
Can't wait to experience it for myself!
Dude i love the ingenuity and skill it took to make something that is almost or even as polished as some of the big boys like the steam deck and ally.
@cncdan
9 күн бұрын
Thanks! I have spent an awful lot of time on these projects over the last 4 or so years so I've had a bit of practice. Looking forward to moving on to some different types of projects once this is complete as I have heaps of stuff I want to do!
Nice! I was looking for trackpad too for my project and didn't find good solution. So I finally decided to control mouse with joystick. Awesome job!
@cncdan
9 күн бұрын
Yeah I had mouse control with the joysticks on the last one. At least that's one less thing I should have to implement this time around!
you're insane man, this so great
@cncdan
10 күн бұрын
Thanks! Can't wait to start making parts for this thing!
It looks amazing bro, Keep up the good work! Btw ur so underrated more people need to notice this channel
@cncdan
9 күн бұрын
Thanks! Hopefully the views pick up again soon, I'm trying my best to improve with every video!
the experiments with touchpads are definitely interesting and valuable knowledge for anyone doing a similar project, or maybe even something very different.
@cncdan
7 күн бұрын
Yeah I thought so too! There's very few DIY trackpad projects on KZread (and the internet in general) and even fewer making use of these azoteq modules. Its a shame, because it seems to be a great trackpad and has honestly been very easy to work with!
You got a new subscriber, I'm finally going to be able to integrate a touchpad in my projects. Thanks for the documentation!
@cncdan
16 сағат бұрын
No worries! There's a shockingly small amount of information out there on DIY trackpads. I really was expecting to just be able to buy something cheap and readily made!
ZenDeck sounds like something ASUS would make.. :D Really nice video series so far, im absolutely in love!
@cncdan
7 күн бұрын
Yeah I guess it does a bit! Glad you're enjoying the series so far!
Yes man, finally another release, I am building something so similar 😀
@cncdan
10 күн бұрын
Sorry it's taken a while! Between trying to get the NucDeck finished, renovations and I got sick for a week in the middle of it all too. But I'm back on track now and aiming to smash through this design/build as fast as possible!
this is sick, keep it up!
@cncdan
8 күн бұрын
Thanks, that's the plan!
sweet build mate :)
@cncdan
10 күн бұрын
Thanks, it's definitely coming along!
whoa! this is awesome!
@cncdan
7 күн бұрын
Thanks!
SO EXCITED!
@cncdan
9 күн бұрын
As am I! Can't wait to get this thing up an running!
went in not too interested, but just enough to watch, was not disappointed i loved this will watch more episodes
@cncdan
5 күн бұрын
Glad it was entertaining enough to keep you watching! I'm certain some of my older videos won't be, but I'm always trying to improve!
@BiffleDiffle-bc3ku
4 күн бұрын
@@cncdan A: love that you are always trying, same here B: this is a super cool project, i am super interested in making my own portable and this will be super helpful C: dropping a sub this is actually useful and interesting for me, good job! the work is paying off
very cool, I just learned something today :) I might implement something smillar to my RPi handheld
@cncdan
9 күн бұрын
Go for it! The TPS43 is very easy to work with and azoteq make a couple of larger models too. I'm considering buying one and making it into a nice standalone desktop trackpad with a machined aluminium housing. Would be handy for pen input in Photoshop etc!
dude so cool! I was thinking about adding trackpads in a future iternation of my(not as cool as yours) project. Seems people really want it for some reason lol
@cncdan
8 күн бұрын
Yeah I must admit I don't know if I understand the appeal yet. Keen to get this thing fired up so I can experience it for myself! 😁
I really, REALLY want this to work with a SteamOS-like Linux distro like Bazzite or Nobara Steam Deck Edition
@cncdan
9 күн бұрын
I am planning to do a whole episode on a few of the different Linux distros once I have it complete enough to power up again!
Amazing
@cncdan
9 күн бұрын
Thanks!
I would buy a premade trackpad from you for sure. I've got other portable PC projects that this would work great for.
@cncdan
16 сағат бұрын
Thanks for letting me know. I'll keep that in mind!
You should check out these really cheap mini usb keyboard/touchpad combos. They have a very small trackpad and it works pretty well.
@cncdan
6 күн бұрын
This was one of my first thoughts as well. I had a look at some photos of a disassembled one and it looks like the track pad is all part of the keyboard PCB. No wonder they can make them so cheap!
Awesome stuff. Not sure if this is relevant, but Cirque also makes some small trackpads that are sometimes used by the mechanical keyboard community.
@cncdan
7 күн бұрын
Yeah I had a look at what Cirque has to offer, but it looks like all of their trackpads are round. I didn't think that would make a very good trackpad to use as a mouse pointer so I opted for the Azoteq ones instead!
Neat! I'm glad you tried insetting the trackpad, as that gives you a bit of flexibility. Trackpads are so handy on PC handhelds, letting you handle stuff not designed for handheld use, like in-game menus and Windows functions, just a bit better. I've even on occasion used a Trackpad instead of one of the joysticks for a tiny bit more precision in character control on my Steam Deck. Will the controller have mappings to let you use some of it's buttons as mouse buttons? I usually map one or two of the back flaps of the Steam Deck as mouse buttons in certain games.
@cncdan
9 күн бұрын
Yeah that's definitely something that I should be able to do! I'd love to make a software controller configuration tool this time around. Can't make any promises but it would be handy to be able to remap the buttons by just opening a bit of software on the PC
Didn't want to go with PC nipples huh? 😂 I love your work, you literally do the stuff I dreamed of doing when I was a kid 😊
@cncdan
4 күн бұрын
Yeah, despite how funny it would've been I think I'd prefer a trackpad on a device like this! Glad you're enjoying it!
Noice
I have a cool project going on here. And I wish you the best as you continue to iterate and evolve the system. I had one question as a super novice along the hypothetical realm. Could it be theoretically possible to map this pad sensor's input to a HID controller Dpad direction instead of mouse input? Could it potentially be done?
@cncdan
4 күн бұрын
Yeah, that's something you absolutely could do. The trackpad can report an overall X and Y co-ordinate which you could map sectors to buttons. I'm still working out the finer details of how the controls will all connect so I don't know if the trackpad will be integrated into the controller or if it will be its own seperate device yet. If it does get integrated I'll definitely look into some options like this!
Nice
@cncdan
5 күн бұрын
Thankyou!
Yaknow, the Steamdeck trackpads actually don't support gestures, so this actually has a feature the steamdeck *doesnt* have!
@cncdan
5 күн бұрын
Well, there you go! I did watch a few videos on what the steamdeck trackpads do and how it makes use of them, but I've never had the opportunity to play with one to see what they are actually like!
A keyboard like the one on the PS5 would also be good
@cncdan
5 күн бұрын
You mean the little removable ones? I can't think of a way to add that permanently without making it significantly larger!
I would love if you linked the code you used in github! Both the code you have at the end of this video, and the code if you put more gesture controls in it
@cncdan
7 күн бұрын
The reason I didn't is because I suspect Azoteq may not be fond of me reposting their entire sample code with only a handful of changes. I will be using this sensor in the project so once I have my own code written for it I will be sure to get it up on GitHub!
Bro really said "nah the steam deck is too pricey ill just make one myself"
@cncdan
5 күн бұрын
It will take some sort of miracle for this to end up being cheaper than a steam deck 🤣 This is more a passion project than anything, I just enjoy the challenge of building stuff!
I haven't yet seen a deck of any kind come with a stylus yet or with 5g mobile as well. Possible in integrating it?
@cncdan
5 күн бұрын
You could probably squeeze a USB 5G modem in there somewhere too if you wanted. As for the stylus, the display is capacitive so it should work with any stylus designed for a capacitive touch screen.
This might be a dumb question but...have you tried cutting the TPS 43? Or using the MCU from the TPS 43 on your own PCB without flashing it?
@cncdan
4 күн бұрын
Not a dumb question, I considered both of these options already. Based on what I can gather from the documentation they provide on designing a track pad, the outer ground ring is fairly important to the function so if you trim it, it may not work. As for removing the IC, it may work but there is a fair bit of configuration required which I can't do without the programmer regardless. Being able to use an off the shelf product that anyone can just buy is my ideal outcome anyway so since I've been able to squeeze the TPS43 in I think I'll stick with it for now!
@NicksStuff
4 күн бұрын
@@cncdan Thank you!
I find it interesting that basically nobody except apple and some two amazon sellers arr offering external trackpads...
@cncdan
6 күн бұрын
So do I! I went into this expecting to easily be able to pick up a little USB trackpad from Aliexpress or something but obviously I was mistaken!
im thinking about modding my xbox one controller right joystick into a touchpad, do you have any suggestions on doing that?
@cncdan
7 күн бұрын
You absolutely could, but you'd need a custom solution for it. Basically you'd need a small microcontroller between the trackpad and the controller PCB. It would need to interpret the trackpad inputs and convert them to an analog voltage to feed back into the joystick pins of the controller. You could also watch for single touch events and map that to the center click of the joystick!
Perhaps, make it modular. Surely a trackpoint is easier.
@cncdan
9 күн бұрын
Yeah I thought about a trackpoint. To me it's not that different from joystick mouse control, but I'm sure the design could easily be modified to fit a trackpoint if that's something people want as an option!
Who needs a track pad... just get Oculink integrated in some way!
@cncdan
10 күн бұрын
No spare M.2 slots sadly! I know it's not as good but I should be able to make it work with a thunderbolt dock
@Cr1ScroSSsPinnin
10 күн бұрын
@cncdan there are now mini pcs coming out now with oculink built in btw - ones with 8gen ryzens for ~$500 - aoostar gem10. Not sure what the budgets for your builds are.
@cncdan
7 күн бұрын
I've already got a PC sorted for this one, so there's no budget left for that unfortunately! The option is there to upgrade it in the future though!
Would a Vita-style back touchpad work?
@cncdan
7 күн бұрын
You probably could put a trackpad on the rear, but I own a vita and I really wasn't a fan of that feature. It just felt awkward to use. It would also take away some of the area I have allocated for batteries, and I think I'm going to need all the battery I can cram into this thing!
@Exloar
7 күн бұрын
@@cncdan Then how about a laptop-style "nipple"?
we have same heat plate. you can change its language to english
@cncdan
9 күн бұрын
Thankyou, that was pretty much the first time I've used it. I'll take a look online and see if I can get it switched over to english
Doesnt it seem a little wastefull reprinting the handles, could you not just reprint a specific part to then allocate for the design?
@cncdan
8 күн бұрын
Yeah I'm not a fan of the waste either! Where I live it's quite humid, so often times by the time I'm getting to the end of a roll of filament it's really not printing very well. I usually use these roll ends for prints like this as well as running minimum wall thicknesses and infills. If I wasn't changing the shape of the controller I would just print buttons, a joystick and a trackpad and move them around to get the position right. I know this doesn't completely solve the waste issue but I do the best I can!
@slavb0i646
8 күн бұрын
@@cncdan gotta love humidity! Maybe try using a closed in 3d printer/making a little box for it to print in, so it gets less general humidity?
@cncdan
8 күн бұрын
@@slavb0i646 yeah that's definitely the plan. I actually picked up a newer printer today that will be better suit a dry box setup so hopefully it won't be as much of an issue anymore!
@slavb0i646
8 күн бұрын
@@cncdan nice one, cant wait for the new video. have you considered adding a dock functionality like other handhelds do? would be sick to be able to have like a hub at that dock with HDMI and USB's for other stuff. perhaps even more cooling. or even just modules like in the framework laptops but for a handheld? These are a bit crazy but maybe doable?
SECOND!
@andrianbaka2838
10 күн бұрын
btw I am working on a similar project an I am using a Hp Envy x 360 board but I cant seam to find a good screan that is cheap, my budjet is only 200$ and i think It is fine but the only problem is the screans are really expensive. Also the board prices are going high too!
@cncdan
10 күн бұрын
I'm using the waveshare 8DP-CAPLCD on this one. It's 1280x800 and has built in brightness control, capacitive touch and an amplified output for speakers. I've been quite impressed by the quality so far and they provide detailed 3D models on their wiki. It's about $80usd from memory
@andrianbaka2838
10 күн бұрын
@@cncdan That sounds really good, I will give it a look. Thanks for the advice!
@cncdan
10 күн бұрын
@@andrianbaka2838 no worries! Hope it helps!
Third
First!
@cncdan
10 күн бұрын
You sure are!
now make it have 2 trackpads
@cncdan
17 сағат бұрын
Without the tightly integrated software that the steamdeck has, a second trackpad is basically useless. I'm not worrying about it right now as I still need to allow room for start/select/home buttons at a minimum and If I have another trackpad that large on the other side there's no way they will fit!