Controlling EQ2 Voice Chat with a pedal switch & Adesso USB iKP-18 Keypad for under $1.00:
Ok, so I’m not the greatest Everquest 2 player. I have a level 84 Necromancer that always seems to be *just* getting by. I found it a nuisance to hold down the ‘tab’ key in order to use the voice chat functions. What I needed was a pedal that can control that function.
While at my local thrift store, I came across a Radio Shack Realistic Cassette Recorder remote foot switch. 25 cents? You got it! Sold! Brand new and still in the original box? Even better.
I had initial thoughts of wiring the foot switch into the keyboard ‘tab’ key. Nah, too messy. On a subsequent trip to a different thrift store, I found a USB Adesso iKP-18 keypad, for the low, low price of 50 cents. Sold!
Now we are rolling, and almost done. I took my treasures home, and promptly cracked open the USB Keypad, mining out the controller board and cable, and setting the case and keypad aside.
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I opened textedit and plugged in the USB cable connected to the circuit board. The keypad used to be connected by a ribbon, which had pads that I could use to solder to the two switch wires I ended up with after cutting off the end of the cable to the foot switch. I took a small length of a strand of cat5, stripped a bit off of each end, and began probing the ribbon clips exposed pins/pads. I found that the third from the left pin, and the second from the right pin gave the ‘tab’ keyboard entry I was looking for when I shorted these two pins.
I soldered up the two wires to the proper pads/pins, tested with success, (getting a tab entry in textedit), celebrated with a beer, wrapped the circuit board up in electrical tape, and called it good.
The last thing to do (which was already done), is to set the tab key as your trigger for voicechat in Everquest 2. Works perfect!
** I now want to use the portion of the keypad case to mount the circuit board in, and trim the fat from the remaining plastic case. This should protect it a little bit.
Happy modding!
