Author Topic: NOSTROMO 3D  (Read 69136 times)

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Offline thp777

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NOSTROMO 3D
« on: Tue, 02 August 2011, 16:21:12 »
I've decided to make this even more useful and started designing a right hand one so I can use the two together like and ergo dox.
The right hand will have a trackball in place of 3d mouse. probably will use kensington expert trackball for this.
The pcbs for it are small enough to fit and its about same size as space navigator.


This is how the left side will stay for now until i have both the left and right sides how i want them and laser cut from acrylic
« Last Edit: Mon, 15 October 2012, 20:08:42 by thp777 »

Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #1 on: Tue, 02 August 2011, 16:45:56 »
Ya i thought that would be an issue so im making a top plate and then a bottom plate for the pegs to keep them stable but im trying to contour it so itll be tricky. if it doesnt work out ill just keep them flat.

Offline REVENGE

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #2 on: Tue, 02 August 2011, 20:42:46 »
Good luck!
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Offline Lanx

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #3 on: Wed, 03 August 2011, 12:22:22 »
to cut out everything perfectly i used a dremel and a modeling razer (the exacto type for toy models) that only took like 1hr, the soldering was the annoying part, but it's a day project and my nostromo is always by my side, i used gorilla glue to keep it down, don't know how you plan to start out.

Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #4 on: Wed, 03 August 2011, 19:22:03 »
I got template done. not bad for first time using autocad. gonna make top plate outa extra plastic i got first to make sure everything fits and to figure out how im angling the bottom and top rows. hope to get some work done on it tmrw.

Offline thp777

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work
« Reply #5 on: Sat, 06 August 2011, 03:45:06 »
got some work done this afternoon. most of the switches fit snug without glue and the ones that dont are stable but will secure them with hot glue probably so they can be removed if needed . still need to unsolder some more switches to put in  it but im out of desoldering wick atm. my casing is just gonna be a top plate for the switches and a bottom plate to mount the thumb button scroll wheel and electronics on separated by hex standoffs. im also working on replacing the cable with mini usb one that i can unplug if i need to and making the footpedal unplugable. building it out of extra plastic i got then im prolly gonna get the top and bottom plates laser cut out of clear,white or black acrylic when i get some other stuff laser cut soon. Im going to wire the switches for now till i can get a chance to etch a pcb for them.

Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #6 on: Sun, 07 August 2011, 16:52:24 »
working on finishing up will post pics tonight

Offline WasabiJ

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #7 on: Sun, 07 August 2011, 18:52:35 »
hmmmm... I wonder if you could do this mod with a G13.


>_>

Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #8 on: Sun, 07 August 2011, 19:49:31 »
should work with a g13. i would actually like to try that if i had one still. the lcd would be nice and u could control led color thru it.

heres some picks of my casing its just rough cut since im going to be getting it lasercut for final product. final one will have curves,text cutouts and maybe some engraving. no point overdoing a prototype. have another piece for the space key its going to be angled. may have to glue some supports in middle of keyplate to prevent it from breaking. hoping i got enough wire for it. still not sure where im place the scroll wheel. fits perfectly next to my razer goliathus large mousepad on my keyboard drawer.



Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #9 on: Sun, 07 August 2011, 22:22:50 »
got the electronics mounted and all the switches in and dab of hotglue on each corner for temporary hold tho only 1 switch doesnt fit snug. gonna finish wiring them in the morning. point and blur camera not turning on ill get pics with the dslr when i finish tmrw

Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #10 on: Mon, 08 August 2011, 03:16:09 »
heres cad layout of what lasercut casing will look like.  



Im thinking of getting this laser cut out in stencil style but with that font right below the keys also but not sure

Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #11 on: Mon, 08 August 2011, 21:30:33 »
almost done gotta wire scroll wheel and the space button and leds. got qoute for laser cutting it would be $25 because of the minimum fee but if i get 2 casing cut it would be $31 so ill have an extra. or i might get something else made to get to the minimum.

Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #12 on: Mon, 08 August 2011, 22:13:33 »
FINISHED with prototype
And yes it works.
may need to elevate the scroll wheel in final version.three keys seems to not be working ill check on it tmrw maybe wired them wrong.









Offline REVENGE

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #13 on: Mon, 08 August 2011, 22:15:46 »
Nice one!
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Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #14 on: Mon, 08 August 2011, 22:27:11 »
ty

Offline WasabiJ

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #15 on: Mon, 08 August 2011, 22:41:52 »
I cannot see any of these images .... :(

Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #16 on: Mon, 08 August 2011, 23:22:03 »
the keycaps and switches are off tg3 blt so i guess they are deck keys too. Yes im going to backlight them when i redo wiring for final build its really rushed wiring atm.

Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #17 on: Tue, 09 August 2011, 05:09:44 »
I will be ordering red wire and red heatshrink for final product and be putting red leds in the switches. will be wiring directly to board instead of the socket next time so it looks cleaner.it will have a mini usb plug so i can remove cable if i need to. ill probably also make the scroll wheel removable because i never use it for anything.

Offline CeeSA

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #18 on: Wed, 10 August 2011, 09:41:36 »
awesome - i like it a lot!

Offline ricercar

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #19 on: Wed, 10 August 2011, 18:32:11 »
A+

You mentioned laser cutting. Do you have a tech shop nearby where you do the work yourself, or do you have to farm it out?
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Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #20 on: Thu, 11 August 2011, 01:31:13 »
Wish i had a laser cutter. I have to farm it out. Im going to use http://www.customlasercutting.com/.

Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #21 on: Fri, 12 August 2011, 03:42:35 »
working on designing a poker size teensy powered keyboard to match the final version of this so it might be a week or two b4 i have any actual changes done.
thinking of adding an extra xbox 360 controller board i have laying around into it and adding modifiers near the space button and maybe an analog stick
have a wireless board and a wired one but might save the wirless for an arcade stick build ofcourse that would be matching also

Offline REVENGE

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #22 on: Wed, 17 August 2011, 18:48:37 »
Quote from: thp777;397528
working on designing a poker size teensy powered keyboard to match the final version of this so it might be a week or two b4 i have any actual changes done.
thinking of adding an extra xbox 360 controller board i have laying around into it and adding modifiers near the space button and maybe an analog stick
have a wireless board and a wired one but might save the wirless for an arcade stick build ofcourse that would be matching also
I vote for the analog stick, that would be one sweet controller!
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Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #23 on: Wed, 17 August 2011, 19:39:21 »
working on new design to incorporate the analog stick already. also trying out making my own pcbs so i can make xbox controller board more compact

Offline Inf3rn0_44

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #24 on: Wed, 21 March 2012, 18:41:27 »
props to you dude! that looks sweet!
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Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #25 on: Sun, 25 March 2012, 03:22:07 »
thanks. havent got a chance to rework this project yet. working on a project for a friend where ill need to get some laser cutting done and some pcbs made so ill prolly go ahead and get some stuff designed up for an rgb backlight version of my nostromo. gonna be designed now to be used with spacenavigator 3d mouse in same hand and naga in other so i have more hotkeys for 3ds max.

Offline kriminal

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #26 on: Sun, 25 March 2012, 08:27:42 »
hey can you take a closer pic of where the wires all meet on the PCB, i was wondering if i had to rip off the little plastic lip where the plastic sheet was originally stuck in and solder the wires directly tp the pcb or do i stick them in...
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Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #27 on: Mon, 26 March 2012, 08:51:07 »
i sanded the top to get to pins the first time but wasnt happy with results so second time i soldered directly to where the plug meets the pcb. dont pull up the plug because you risk pulling up the solder pads and ruining board. i think i was using 30 or 32 awg solid wire for the one in pic .theres not much room to work wit so i slid a piece of aluminum between the pins each time i soldered a wire to make sure non were touching. hope this helps u out

this was the third nostromo i did.
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Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #28 on: Mon, 26 March 2012, 16:33:59 »
not sure if i still have the file ill have to see. tho the row spacing and angles isnt the same as normal nostromo for my custom one i dont think. I can make a normal nostromo one and ill put it up for everyone to use. finishing up a desk build so desktop is not connected at the moment so prolly wont be able to do nothin till thursday.

Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #29 on: Wed, 28 March 2012, 03:56:35 »
working on the template for the normal nostromo still gotta print it and make sure it fits right but its 4 in morning and people are sleeping. in the mean time did a quick 3d mock up of new idea i had for the custom nostromo to incorporate the spacenavigator 3d mouse. might be able to add 2 more keys if can i wire up scroll up and down. this would give me 36 programmable buttons between the nostromo my naga and the 3d mouse. 38 if i can add the scrolls as buttons.

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Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #30 on: Tue, 03 April 2012, 17:56:57 »
starting on building it by hand for now till i can get it lasercut. taking my time on this one. Not sure yet wether im going to use blacks or browns or make reds. this is the layout ive decided on tho
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Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #31 on: Tue, 03 April 2012, 22:39:38 »
I made up new template in autocad. I am scoring plastic before cutting.
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Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #32 on: Wed, 04 April 2012, 23:50:32 »
got a few holes cut out tonight. all switches fit snug so far without needing glue. i route the holes out with dremel on drill press stand then just use exacto knife to trim it up to where its scored already. Going with relegendable caps this time. [ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 47291[/ATTACH]

Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #33 on: Thu, 05 April 2012, 20:06:48 »

Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #34 on: Fri, 06 April 2012, 23:43:50 »
Got most of wiring done. got a few burnt out diodes tho. explains why some buttons didnt work on first one. gotta find my header pins to make the led board unplugable and ill finish wiring up that and the dpad keys. might add a mini usb plug if i can find my extras.
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« Last Edit: Sat, 07 April 2012, 01:41:43 by thp777 »

Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #35 on: Sat, 07 April 2012, 23:22:58 »
So got it all done except for the led board because i cant find a plug for it atm. replacing the diodes worked perfectly and all keys work now. The only original nostromo parts are the main circuit board and the led circuit board. now i gotta figure out what shortcuts are going where and make up key labels.





Offline symphonic1985

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #36 on: Tue, 10 April 2012, 14:51:34 »
I love it. Can you tell us more about your usage of the space navigator part of it in practice? What do you bind to it in a shooter? I've always wondered whether it could be used as an analog stick for WASD cardinal movement.

Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #37 on: Wed, 11 April 2012, 01:01:28 »
the space navigator is setup as joystick for choppers and jets in bf3, in wow i use it for movement if im caster but still use wasd for melee. havent really played another other games yet since i got it together

Offline thp777

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #38 on: Sun, 13 May 2012, 18:46:06 »
just some more update pics of reference next to belken n52te and mockup of plamrest added. i switch out the wasd cluster while gaming and the bottom 2 buttons.
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Offline Rukh

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Cherry black nostromo with foot pedal wip
« Reply #39 on: Sat, 16 June 2012, 20:33:12 »
Very interesting build.  Any updates?  I'm particularly curious as to how that spacenavigator mouse is working for you.  Do you control it like a thumbstick/dpad, or do you have to take your fingers of the keypad to manipulate it?

Also, if you have that nostromo template available I'd love to have it.  I recently opened up my n52 (original) and want to drop some cherry browns in there over the next few weeks.

Offline Inf3rn0_44

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Re: Cherry black nostromo[prototype finished]
« Reply #40 on: Sat, 28 July 2012, 18:45:38 »
BUMP the last post!
I am considering doing that to a n52 as well!
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Offline braaaiiins

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Re: Cherry black nostromo[prototype finished]
« Reply #41 on: Sat, 28 July 2012, 20:50:00 »
niiiiiice diy! Ive always wanted a thumb joystick for my left hand in games. It would be awesome to have one control screen panning in RTS games like SC2 or HoN. I'd want something smaller though, maybe a ps3 type joystick. in arma2 you could use it to control your head in free look. The possibilities are so tempting. You've inspired me!

Offline thp777

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Re: Cherry black nostromo[prototype finished]
« Reply #42 on: Fri, 10 August 2012, 16:52:37 »
I can use the spacenavigator as an analog stick in some stuff with my thumb but its not just 2 axis its 6 axis so its capable of more then up down left right. I was given an n52te and im thinking of making one of these with ghetto reds just for my gaming.

Offline thp777

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Re: Cherry black nostromo[prototype finished]
« Reply #43 on: Mon, 13 August 2012, 22:47:14 »
I will post up templates for normal nostromo cherry mod in a week.when i have my pc again.

Offline thp777

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Re: Cherry black nostromo[prototype finished]
« Reply #44 on: Sun, 30 September 2012, 01:12:26 »
working on building a keycap using this method to make multiple backlight legends into a single keycap for my keypad. http://metku.net/index.html?path=mods/multilayer-animation/index_eng
will have some pics.
and nostromo template coming soon
« Last Edit: Sun, 30 September 2012, 03:45:51 by thp777 »

Offline longwing

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Re: NOSTROMO 3D
« Reply #45 on: Mon, 22 October 2012, 14:17:04 »
I'm curious, how did you translate the signal from the Nostromo's mouse-wheel rotary encoder into a signal that you could simulate with a key press? I'm working on a similar mod based on a Razer Nostromo*, and while I can get a reliable signal for Wheel Up by bridging both rotary connectors to the common line, I can't get Wheel down.

* - Yes, I know the Belkin n52-TE is generally better hardware, but I'm working with what I have to spare.
« Last Edit: Mon, 22 October 2012, 14:19:02 by longwing »

Offline thp777

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Re: NOSTROMO 3D
« Reply #46 on: Tue, 23 October 2012, 16:41:53 »
i actually never got around to trying to wire the scroll wheel as buttons. but i think itll require logic chips to work if im not mistaken.

Offline longwing

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Re: NOSTROMO 3D
« Reply #47 on: Wed, 31 October 2012, 16:05:17 »
Ah well, I figured I'd ask.

Further experimentation shows that I can get a reliable signal by raking the two contacts across common in rapid succession. Common C1->C2, or Common C2->C1 yield wheel up and wheel down. Unfortunately, I'm not a skilled enough electrical engineer to know how to simulate that effect without a rotary encoder.

For my hack, I'm just going to use the wheel up trick to get one key, and the wheel click to get a second key. Two keys will be a lot more useful than a single mousewheel that I never use, even if I'm technically "Losing" one key to the hack.

Offline thp777

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Re: NOSTROMO 3D
« Reply #48 on: Wed, 05 December 2012, 15:49:14 »
working on a 3rd version of keypad. switching to a teensy now. wasd cluster will feature hall effect sensors with magnets in the switches to have analog stick like movement. Going to be adding a few more keys in this design for pinky and thumb. the 3d mouse will have the base removed and be mounted in the casing this time instead of the case just fitting around it. I plan on storing the profiles on the device itself. Ive also got an android phone im adding in with software to function as extra monitor using screenslider app and remote with unified remote. Plan on making right hand piece to act as a split keyboard with a trackball with scrollring on right side and maybe another android phone in that side too as i have a few laying around.  Going to look into making it wireless later on. 

Offline jcrouse

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Re: NOSTROMO 3D
« Reply #49 on: Wed, 05 December 2012, 16:56:29 »
the space navigator is setup as joystick for choppers and jets in bf3, in wow i use it for movement if im caster but still use wasd for melee. havent really played another other games yet since i got it together

Back in the day, when I first started gaming I plated a lot of Descent. I used a device called a SpaceORB 360. I bought it in a retail CompUSA store in about 1996 or 1997, I think. It is where the technology started for the 3D Connexcions series. I believe they bought out the Space ORB people. Anyways, it was so far superior when flying a craft of any sorts that it was ridiculous. Ahhhh, the good old days of Internet gaming using a 28,800 modem.

SpaceORB Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceOrb_360