Foot Controller for Presentations

Have you ever wanted to click through a PowerPoint slideshow without your hands? Do you have a cheap or slightly broken computer keyboard lying around?

This Instructable will hopefully help you get started solving those problems.

Step 1 Materials and Tools

Materials:
- keyboard (I used a Dell Multimedia Keyboard that was missing some keys)
- container large enough for keyboard circuit board (I used an old Tupperware container)
- 1/4" headphone jack (one for each key you want to be able to use)
- a few short wires (I used strands from solid core Cat5 cable)
- foot switch(es), or other (momentary, normally open) switch, such as this

Tools:
Screwdriver
Drill
Utility knife (or similar sharp instrument)
Handheld rotary tool (optional)

Comments

[caitlinsdad]

Nice.

Could you identify which keys correspond to the switches you have on the pedal? And is that a joystick/mouse button in the center? I'm not sure of what the 1/4"jacks would connect to? (You can label right on the images, drag a box and edit text). I was thinking of using something like this to control the pdf viewer when the laptop displays scanned sheet music. Thanks.

[MisterHay]

The 1/4" jacks are for plugging in the foot switch, which has a 1/4" plug. You're right, though I should label them on the photos.

That dial in the center is the volume control from the keyboard.

Good idea about using this with sheet music in a pdf viewer. I'll add that as a suggestion to my last step too, if you don't mind.

[caitlinsdad]

I thought the tupperware box itself was placed on the floor as the footswitch but I see that would be the desktop "remote" control. Those music display systems start at $800, sure, they scroll and highlight the notes but I just need something to flip the pages as I try to play.