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Step 11Software
To actually translate joystick movement to mouse movement, we use the program AutoHotKey.
There is a variation of AutoHotKey called IronAHK that is supposed to work under Linux or Mac using the Mono framework. I haven't gotten it to work, but your mileage may vary. There are other programs available for Mac and Linux that do system automation that should work with the Joystick mouse.
There are other programs that can do joystick to mouse conversions:
-----------
Innovation / RJ Cooper Joystick to Mouse
Can toggle buttons (drag), can set buttons for mouse, keyboard
Has acceleration (adjustable) Has Sound effects
Suggested Retail: $19.95
Website: http://www.imgpresents.com/
Joystick 2 Mouse
Can set joystick buttons to mouse events (left click, etc.), windows keys, functions keys, alphanumeric keys, web addresses, etc, double-click, etc.
Has acceleration built in ( goes faster if hold it longer), - this can be adjusted or disabled
Price: Free, $20 donations accepted.
Website: http://atzitznet.no-ip.org/Joy2Mouse3/
Stickmouse
Acceleration turned on, not configurable, Only Left and Right button
Price - $5
Website: Trajectorylabs.com
JoyMse
No Keyboard keys, no configuration, no drag or double-click
Exits if tray left-clicked, options if right-clicked
Price: Free
Website: http://www.deinmeister.de/jmt_e.htm
--------------------
Most of the programs listed above lack the ability to drag except to hold the button down while moving. None of the programs listed above can talk, although some can make sounds. AutoHotKey is far and away more configurable. It is also free software.
1) Download AutoHotKey to the computer that will run the joystick mouse
2) Download the "Joystick Mouse.zip" file attached to this step
3) Unzip the Joystick Mouse.zip file to its own directory
4) Inside the directory should be a bunch of .wav sound files and the file "Joystick Mouse.ahk". This is the file that runs the script and makes all the magic happen.
The file is set up for basic mouse operation. If a Joystick Mouse is built the way demonstrated, upper left is left-click, upper-right is right-click, middle left is double-click, middle right starts/stops dragging, lower left is speed up, and lower right is slow down.
The basic logic that the program follows is this:
Wait for joystick button press
When a joystick button is pressed:
Play the corresponding sound (e.g. say "Left click")
Do the corresponding action (e.g. click the left mouse at the current location)
When the joystick is moved:
Move the mouse cursor correspondingly
If you need to edit it, I would first get familiar with AutoHotKey. It is a very powerful scripting language and I am continually amazed at how useful it can be. There are instructions throughout the file detailing how to change and customize it. With it, you can launch program, play sound files (which is how we get it to talk) and do anything you could do with a mouse or keyboard.
For example, the original user didn't need the double-click or the dragging feature. Instead, we set up the software to launch Microsoft Word when the right middle button was pressed and a talking on-screen keyboard when the left middle button was pressed. This allowed him to quickly launch a word processor and an onscreen keyboard so that he could communicate with others and spell what he wanted or needed. The beauty of this approach is that it is all done in software. Using AutoHotKey, someone can tie any combination of keyboard or mouse actions to a joystick button. This system is infinitely configurable for individual needs and preferences.
5) To record new sounds:
a) Plug in a microphone, use the Sound Recorder accessory (or Audacity)
-or-
b) Go to AT&T's Text-To-Speech Site. Type what you want said in the box, then click "Download" to get a wav file from their site. Store this file in the same folder as the "Joystick Mouse.AHK" file.
6) If you need the joystick mouse to start when the computer turns on, put a shortcut to the file in the Startup folder under the system tray. I often put a shortcut link to the "Joystick Mouse.AHK" file in situations where it is a shared computer - that way it can be turned on as needed.
If the software is running, you should see the green AutoHotKey icon in the system tray. At this point, you should be able to plug the joystick in and steer the mouse cursor around by pressing the stick and press the buttons to left,right,double click.
There is a variation of AutoHotKey called IronAHK that is supposed to work under Linux or Mac using the Mono framework. I haven't gotten it to work, but your mileage may vary. There are other programs available for Mac and Linux that do system automation that should work with the Joystick mouse.
There are other programs that can do joystick to mouse conversions:
-----------
Innovation / RJ Cooper Joystick to Mouse
Can toggle buttons (drag), can set buttons for mouse, keyboard
Has acceleration (adjustable) Has Sound effects
Suggested Retail: $19.95
Website: http://www.imgpresents.com/
Joystick 2 Mouse
Can set joystick buttons to mouse events (left click, etc.), windows keys, functions keys, alphanumeric keys, web addresses, etc, double-click, etc.
Has acceleration built in ( goes faster if hold it longer), - this can be adjusted or disabled
Price: Free, $20 donations accepted.
Website: http://atzitznet.no-ip.org/Joy2Mouse3/
Stickmouse
Acceleration turned on, not configurable, Only Left and Right button
Price - $5
Website: Trajectorylabs.com
JoyMse
No Keyboard keys, no configuration, no drag or double-click
Exits if tray left-clicked, options if right-clicked
Price: Free
Website: http://www.deinmeister.de/jmt_e.htm
--------------------
Most of the programs listed above lack the ability to drag except to hold the button down while moving. None of the programs listed above can talk, although some can make sounds. AutoHotKey is far and away more configurable. It is also free software.
1) Download AutoHotKey to the computer that will run the joystick mouse
2) Download the "Joystick Mouse.zip" file attached to this step
3) Unzip the Joystick Mouse.zip file to its own directory
4) Inside the directory should be a bunch of .wav sound files and the file "Joystick Mouse.ahk". This is the file that runs the script and makes all the magic happen.
The file is set up for basic mouse operation. If a Joystick Mouse is built the way demonstrated, upper left is left-click, upper-right is right-click, middle left is double-click, middle right starts/stops dragging, lower left is speed up, and lower right is slow down.
The basic logic that the program follows is this:
Wait for joystick button press
When a joystick button is pressed:
Play the corresponding sound (e.g. say "Left click")
Do the corresponding action (e.g. click the left mouse at the current location)
When the joystick is moved:
Move the mouse cursor correspondingly
If you need to edit it, I would first get familiar with AutoHotKey. It is a very powerful scripting language and I am continually amazed at how useful it can be. There are instructions throughout the file detailing how to change and customize it. With it, you can launch program, play sound files (which is how we get it to talk) and do anything you could do with a mouse or keyboard.
For example, the original user didn't need the double-click or the dragging feature. Instead, we set up the software to launch Microsoft Word when the right middle button was pressed and a talking on-screen keyboard when the left middle button was pressed. This allowed him to quickly launch a word processor and an onscreen keyboard so that he could communicate with others and spell what he wanted or needed. The beauty of this approach is that it is all done in software. Using AutoHotKey, someone can tie any combination of keyboard or mouse actions to a joystick button. This system is infinitely configurable for individual needs and preferences.
5) To record new sounds:
a) Plug in a microphone, use the Sound Recorder accessory (or Audacity)
-or-
b) Go to AT&T's Text-To-Speech Site. Type what you want said in the box, then click "Download" to get a wav file from their site. Store this file in the same folder as the "Joystick Mouse.AHK" file.
6) If you need the joystick mouse to start when the computer turns on, put a shortcut to the file in the Startup folder under the system tray. I often put a shortcut link to the "Joystick Mouse.AHK" file in situations where it is a shared computer - that way it can be turned on as needed.
If the software is running, you should see the green AutoHotKey icon in the system tray. At this point, you should be able to plug the joystick in and steer the mouse cursor around by pressing the stick and press the buttons to left,right,double click.
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They can program both keyboard and mouse. JoyToKey is free, but Xpadder costs 5 dollars for each latest version.