mouse | The Electronic Mercenary

Finally!, Memulator is back! and with only one error!

So, what’s the issue this time? My old computer I guess ^_^U

I use a 2012 Altium build but on a very old pc (2008-ish). As computers go, that is quite old and slow, so what’s the point? well, I have to uncheck ALL drc, otherwise it freezes for 4/5 seconds every time I move a component…rubbish.

So, this happened:

Nothing that can’t be repaired but well, who likes making mistakes?

See it in action (Sorry it’s a vertical video!)

Since the start of the “project”, we’ve made a new board wich uses a lot more buttons than I expected. It’s no good that Memulator only has eight. If you are old enough to have used extensively a resistive touchscreen phone/tablet, you know the little trick I have used to virtually increase the clicker count. If not, well, it’s just that if you click on two (or more) buttons, the position it picks up, is the middle point between all them. So, for two buttons, you have three positions, and for five buttons you get nine clicks in nine equally spaced places (if all the five are positioned correctly)

I also added headers for quick calibration, altough you must use an ohm meter to center the pots to the same value, otherwise, you get a skewed polygon wich causes really interesting artifacts when moving the cursors with the trimpots.

Now it only remains to finish the firmware, wich will take an indeterminate amount of time…you know I hate programming…altough remember that as it stands right now, it is a fully functional unit for the purpose it was built. There is only a minor issue about the covered screen area. Right now, it doesn’t reach all the way to the border, altough its good enough for work.

Also, after transforming the top silk, drill and keepout layers to DXF (through some black magic called “DXF export” XD!) I was able to make a little neat top cover:

Go to Memulator 1.5

After many years, I’m doing circuits again! I have tons of stuff to remember about track placing and so on…meanwhile I try not to screw up in a big way, here’s a preview of what I’m doing.

This is a hardware, USB mouse emulator, with “macro” capabilities. This is an idea I have been toying about since I got in my actual job. As of now, we use some test software (programming has been easied with the “mouse tumor” mod) that requires various mouse clicks around, and it’s not counterproductive just by a hair width. I have the idea that a simple button pad with the click positions already in it, will make production easier, as you don’t have to mess around with the mouse. That’s the idea at least.

Since USB programming is waaay out of my league, I’m using a resistive touchscreen module, hacking it with potentiometers, to hardwire screen positions. Some relays that can be operated either by the pushbuttons or the pic, do the trick.

As I was on the idea, I thought I could use some relays and a PIC to automate processes, not that there is a real need for it, but it gave me an unavoidable excuse to also play with programming. (besides being a simple state machine, of course).

It will have 10 reprogramable slots, to record button presses, to make a “macro”, but of course, only with the avaliable hardwired positions. I don’t really believe there is a need for the whole complication at work, but it is fun!…and since I’ll have one for me, I might program fun macros for my computer XD!

I would like to add that this is purely an excuse for having the boards professionally made, just for the heck of it. XD

As fun point, since I have to have made a few boards of this, I will probably put some for sale, just for fun. XD!