In another episode of "You're going to hack that rotary phone whether you want it or not", today we have something that is probably much simpler than a dedicated mobile phone or an Arduino-based conversion. In essence, GitHub user 'jp3141' took the rotary dial from a Trimline phone and adapted it with the help of a Teensy to work as a numeric keypad. The best part is that the device poses as a normal keyboard, and works with any operating system.
On more than one occasion I have shared my obsession with mechanical keyboards. The older they are, the better, and if possible, with an interface that allows using them on modern systems. Now, many current mechanical keyboards leave aside the numeric section to follow the tenkeyless format, and in more extreme cases they also abandon the function keys. However, that is my limit. I need the numeric keypad, no matter if the end result is a battle cruiser on the desk.
The alternative is to connect a separate numeric keypad, which on average costs about 12 euros new and wireless. Now, if you prefer a good dose of retro and DIY doesn't bother you, you can do something different and absolutely unproductive, but that will look great on your desk: Use a rotary dial.
The project has some similarities with Cameron Coward's volume control, but the main difference is in the hardware. While Cameron adopted an Arduino Nano, 'jp3141's rotary keyboard is based on a Teensy version 3.x or a Teensy LC, both with ARM chips. I imagine that some enthusiast could modify the code to work on cheaper alternatives (the Teensy LC costs 12 dollars without shipping), such as the clone of an Arduino Micro, very popular in the design of keyboard converters.
Basically, the Teensy counts the pulses of the Trimline dial, and at the same time presents itself to the computer as a 'USB keyboard', so that the registration is immediate, and has no compatibility limitations with operating systems. Also, the connections are very simple: Only two cables from the dial to the Teensy. The rest is a matter of printing a case, making it with another material, or why not, using the phone's own tube and hiding the Teensy inside.
Official site: Click here
