Introduction: Make Your Own Keyboard With Integrated Trackball Mouse
My home computer setup is much like a media center PC. I have a small Shuttle PC hooked up to a large 37" 1080p LCD panel as the main monitor. As a bachelor renting a house with friends, my PC is in the same room as my bed, and there are a lot of times when I'm watching a DVD or Hulu.com or playing World of Warcraft and would really like to be able to lounge on the bed and control the computer.
I have used wireless keyboard & mouse combo units and found that they are totally unreliable. The thumb stick is nearly useless in precision and doesn't allow you to quickly move the mouse around the screen. They also tend to run through batteries quickly, and when running low on batteries they will miss key presses or mouse input randomly. I searched for a wired keyboard & mouse combo and found that my options were very limited. Many of them were built for media center PCs and have non-standard keyboard layouts, small keys, and were also pretty expensive.
After running out of other options, I decided to roll my own! This instructable will show you how to take an ordinary USB keyboard and USB trackball mouse and combine them into a single unit. The units in this instructable are WIRED, however you should be able to do the same thing with a wireless keyboard and mouse, albeit at a much higher price.
Step 1: Gather the Materials...
I purchased all of the electronic items in this instructable at Newegg.com. Here is the list:
1) LITE-ON Black USB keyboard - $7
2) Logitech Gray 3 Buttons + Wheel USB TrackBall TrackMan Wheel Mouse - $30
3) SYBA 4-port mini USB hub - $8
4) BYTECC 10ft USB extension cable (Type-A Male-Female) - $3
5) JB Weld - Had this already.. use whatever epoxy-like compound you have handy
6) Small Zip Ties - Already had this as well, feel free to use twist ties or whatever
Total price: $48 + shipping
Total time spent: ~30 minutes construction time, plus a few hours to let the JB weld set properly
Step 2: Pop the Number Pad Keys Off
This step is very exciting!
Take a flat-head screw driver or other flat instrument (butter knife?) and pry all of the keys off of the keyboard. I say it is exciting because these little keys just FLY OFF and across the room! Watch your eyes here, really!
I also recommend doing a dry-run before hand to make sure your mouse is going to fit in the proper location.
Step 3: Create JB Weld Tools & Mix JB Weld
I didn't want to try to find something to stir up and apply the JB Weld, so I cut up the box that the mouse came in and made some stirring utensils. They work really well! I recommend making a couple of them, in case one loses its structural integrity during the process.
Once your tools are finished, use the plastic mouse shell that came in the packaging as a good place to put your JB Weld / epoxy, and mix up a small batch!
Step 4: Attach Mouse to Keyboard
Now that the keys are off of the keyboard, determine exactly where the mouse will sit. Keep in your mind an idea of where the bottom of the mouse touches the keyboard, and flip over the mouse and put a liberal amount of epoxy / JB Weld where they touch. Press the mouse firmly down on the keyboard, and use any excess epoxy to fill in the gaps between the keyboard & mouse so that you get a very strong bond.
I would highly recommend laying down some plastic wrap or a pizza box or something down when doing this step, you really don't want to get JB weld stuck to anything unintended.
Be sure to wipe off anything that you accidentally epoxy as soon as possible, once its dried its a horrible mess to get off!
Once you're happy with the JB weld job, set the keyboard down somewhere flat so the mouse doesn't slide off, and get the location of the mouse however you like it. I recommend sitting the keyboard on your lap and type on it a bit, and make sure that the mouse feels right, because once it's dry its not going anywhere. Luckily, JB weld takes a while to dry, so you have half an hour or so to play around with it.
Step 5: Finishing Up
Now that the keyboard & mouse is drying, grab some twist ties and take care of the cabling. If you twist the two cables a little bit and then zip-tie them, they wont be able to untwist and the cables will stay together, keeping the keyboard nice and tidy.
This is the time to also hook up your USB hub, and then use the extension cable to connect it to your PC. Since you're using an active hub, the length of your USB cable can be up to 16 feet without having to go to an active-repeater-cable.
Give the keyboard a few hours to dry before you start trying to really use it. JB Weld is very slow to dry, so leave it over night. If you use a 'real' epoxy, it will certainly dry much faster.
Once you give it time to dry, its very strong, I am able to lift up the keyboard by the mouse with no problem. I've been using it for a week now and it works AWESOME! Watching movies is much more pleasant now! :)
37 Comments
10 years ago on Introduction
I came up with this idea I my own, figured I would check before posting and here it is! I mated mine with a split ergonomic keyboard and dremeled a space where the trackball can fit. Turned out nice actually.
13 years ago on Step 4
i does not understand ur step no 3 clearly, plese or clera kare
13 years ago on Introduction
You sir quiet obviously do not do enough math with your computer. YOU DESTROYED YOUR PRECIOUS NUMPAD!!! Oh god I couldn't ever think of doing such an atrocious act. How will you ever efficiently enter data? :( I pity you, sir.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Haha!
I do a -lot- of number entry... When I'm at work! Not when I'm sitting on the couch though. ;)
14 years ago on Introduction
its DUCT tape, not duck. Its original use was to tape up... wait for it... DUCTS. Also, the word 'wouila' doesn't exist. 'voilà', is a french word which roughly translates to 'there it is' or 'there you are'. There is really no need to type it twice in two languages. In my house, I prefer that things look nice. I try not to use duct tape on things that are going to be seen. I have guests often, and if everything in my house was covered in duct tape, they'd be less likely to come back. Besides, duct tape is rarely the best way to go. Using JB Weld holds stronger, lasts longer, looks better, and doesn't cover half of the palm rest.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Not so fast, CB :-)
The tape we all know and love was originally called duck tape, and there is even a brand of it called Duck Tape, most likely available at any home improvement store near you, at least if you live in the United States.
It only came to be called duct tape later (= after WW II; it was developed during the war to fill the need for a strong, waterproof tape). Also, if you look on rolls of duct tape, they typically include a warning not to use it on heating and air conditioning ducts. Why not? It's waterproof, but heatproof? Not so much. Some kind of metallized tape is usually used on ducts,.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Actually, its original use was to tape up ammunition crates in WWII and make them waterproof. Then it was called Duct Tape, because it was the only tape in that time period that could create a strong enough seal, and last for a long time.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
it still doesn't look nice :( it isn't hard to build the cabling into the keyboards.
its hard to paint the keyboard but you could have painted the trackball casing black and use some Plexiglas or anything to smooth out the edges between the trackball and the keyboard.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
well yeah, but on some rolls of duct tape, presumably made by a different company, there is a duck on the inside. i would really do this, but i like my keypad. i might do it anyway, but use some bondo or something to make the mouse look more ""integrated"" or something.. but i like it : ) if i get a good looking one and send you a pic, can i collaborate to make it look better?
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Absolutely! :) Sounds good! If you spent a lot of time on it, you could use bondo or other body filler to really make the whole thing look great. Just make sure that you keep the ergonomics of the mouse in check. Its not good to have something really pretty that gives you carpel tunnel in an hour. ;) Good luck!
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
You sir would make one cruel admin, I tremble in fear, or maybe thats urine. Hmm.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
duck tape is always the best way to go
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Actually, it was originally created to water proof ammo cases in world war 2 and so was named duck tape. The name was later changed to duct tape. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
i think it might of been a joke...............................................just maybe
13 years ago on Introduction
Carov, I think your comment sux. Criticism should be constructive and/or encouraging.
CyberBill: Rather than sacrifice the numeric pad, I would get a piece of 3mm acrylic cut to size so that it fits under the keyboard and protrudes far enough on the right side so you can attach the track-ball.
If the keyboard cable is coiled, thread the trackball cable through the middle. If not, rather than twisting them together, use braiding technique--that way they still look twisted together, but they won't keep trying to untwist.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Agreed
13 years ago on Introduction
you should try it on the wii see if the mouse works
13 years ago on Introduction
your name looks like mine:P
13 years ago on Introduction
hmmm...... so effectively, you've just stuck a mouse on the keyboard and plugged them both into a hub connected to the computer. Pointless and a slight waste of a mouse, but if it works I shouldn't be criticizing it.
14 years ago on Introduction
Not that I'm promoting Brando or anything (they do sell some amazingly bad crap), but as you indicated your cost is USD 48 + shipping, I'd invite you to take a look at this:
http://usb.brando.com.hk/prod_detail.php?prod_id=00678
And it's wireless too!