Path: utzoo!utgpu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!rpi!crdgw1!uunet!digibd!merlyn
From: merlyn@digibd.com (Merlyn LeRoy)
Newsgroups: alt.hackers
Subject: Re: keyboard hackers out there?
Message-ID: <1991Apr11.142314.9858@digibd.com>
Date: 11 Apr 91 14:23:14 GMT
References: <1991Apr1.134650@dneast.enet.dec.com>
Organization: DigiBoard Incorporated, St. Louis Park, MN
Lines: 18
Approved: qwerty

pfister_rob@dneast.enet.dec.com (Robb Pfister) writes:
>I've seen advertisements for non-standard keyboards that have
>like four keys per hand
>Has anyone a clue on how the keys are assigned..

The one I've read about (the WriteHander) is done like this, I think:

the 4 fingers hold down (or don't hold down) buttons for the
lowest 4-bits of ASCII (digits 0-9 come out in binary).  Then the
thumb presses one of 8 buttons for 7-bit ASCII, or one of 4
buttons for 6-bit (old, uppercase only) ASCII.  The finger buttons
are only read when the thumb button is pressed, so you set the fingers
and strobe the data with your thumb, then set up for the next char.

This is from very old organic RAM, so don't blame me if it's wrong...

---
Merlyn LeRoy