Turn a laptop keyboard into a USB keyboard

[al086]

Hi.
Some time ago, my old Acer Aspire 7720G died (some card chip thing dead, and it's too expensive for replancement.)
So I decided to recycle that laptop and use whatever's useful for me. I turned the hard drive into an external hard drive.
I found out how to use the screen as a monitor for barely 30$.
I got all the pc in pieces, and I end up with this nice, thin keyboard.

http://www.hostingpics.net/viewer.php?id=810690keyboard1.jpg

So I'd like to turn it into a usb keyboard, if possible. Here's the keyboard output plug thing, which goes into the following :

http://www.hostingpics.net/viewer.php?id=654510plug.jpg
http://www.hostingpics.net/viewer.php?id=680300mainboard.jpg

If you know how to do this, your help will be very appreaciated.

 

[johnb35]

Just go buy a $10 usb keyboard. I don't think what you are wanting to do is even possible.

 

[spynoodle]

Funny you should mention this, I've wanted to use a keyboard from an old gateway laptop for quite some time now. Hope someone else knows how to do this!

 

[TrainTrackHack]

A bit off topic but you wouldn't mind sharing how you got the screen to work? I have two laptop screens floating around (one from a Presario C700, the other from an Acer Aspire but I forget the model) and I'd really like to make them useful.

 

[Perkomate]

subbed. i wanna find out

 

[al086]

For the screen, take it off the rest of the laptop. normally, you'll have a large wrapped cable. On ebay, contact njytouch to know exactly what you need. For under 30$, you can get a small board to which you can plug your screen and a vga cable (something like a Compatible R.RM5451 LCD Controller Board Kit with DVI). It should come with a power supply switch thing also. You can check it up on youtube too.
As for the screen, I'm still searching a bit everywhere. I'm sure it'll end up more expensive than a flexible waterproof keyboard but I'd just like to know. Besides, I like how keys are close to each other on laptops.

 

[Casey]

I have an old laptop keyboard too, it would be great to have that as a keyboard just to play around with.

 

[Kubrick182]

an big Tower as CPU and a Laptop just as Screen and Keyboard

I have an old laptop keyboard too, it would be great to have that as a keyboard just to play around with.

Up!

I am also interested on this.

Actually the idea is to use a Desktop Computer (big tower) as the "Brain" and then use a laptop for the keyboard/touch-pad ( input ) and for the screen (output).

I guess with just 2 long cables, one or the screen and another USB for the keyboard... it would be possible to use the laptop as input/output device.

 

[Punk]

I like the idea of recycling old PC parts so I'll follow this thread.

I'm sorry I have no idea how to do that though.

 

[cjmarsh81]

I guess you could find the pinouts of the ribbon cable on the keyboard and wire it to a ps2 port. You could then get a usb to ps2 adaptor to run it.

The question is why? Laptop keyboards are generally awful, you would get a better more practical keyboard for $10

 

[cjmarsh81]

Just did a quick look online and this will be virtually impossible.

Laptop keyboards do not have controllers in them. The keyboard controller is built into the motherboard. So the keyboard is simply a bunch of buttons with a wire hanging out. You will not be able to interface it without a controller.

You could try butchering a normal keyboard and connecting the pins of the laptop keyboard into the controller, however laptop keyboards tend to have more pins than standard keyboards and will not easily be connectable.

 

[wezzles]

Hi all, just saw this thread and decided to share my small amounts of knowledge;
Laptop keyboards utilise a method of communication with a controller chip called a keypad matrix, there is a basic tutorial here,http://ianlangelectronic.webeden.co.uk/#/keypad/4557690833 on matrix keypads. If you are a little competent at electronics you could buy a USB HID interface board, such as the Leonardo and try to work which wires correspond to various lines and columns of the matrix. The hard part will be finding a correct breakout board/connecter for the ribbon cable of the keyboard (most likely there is no common standard!). I am planning on doing this in the summer after my exams have passed, and it should not be too hard. Any none standard keys on the keyboard I can turn into 1-press keyboard shortcuts through a program.

The bottom line, if you have no electronics skills whatsoever, maybe not a great project to try, but if you have time and some skill with microcontrollers, (and can be bothered pressing lots of keys to find a connection) give it a go!

 

[spynoodle]

Hi all, just saw this thread and decided to share my small amounts of knowledge;
Laptop keyboards utilise a method of communication with a controller chip called a keypad matrix, there is a basic tutorial here,http://ianlangelectronic.webeden.co.uk/#/keypad/4557690833 on matrix keypads. If you are a little competent at electronics you could buy a USB HID interface board, such as the Leonardo and try to work which wires correspond to various lines and columns of the matrix. The hard part will be finding a correct breakout board/connecter for the ribbon cable of the keyboard (most likely there is no common standard!). I am planning on doing this in the summer after my exams have passed, and it should not be too hard. Any none standard keys on the keyboard I can turn into 1-press keyboard shortcuts through a program.

The bottom line, if you have no electronics skills whatsoever, maybe not a great project to try, but if you have time and some skill with microcontrollers, (and can be bothered pressing lots of keys to find a connection) give it a go!

This sounds like a pretty cool project; good luck, and keep us posted!

 

[Okedokey]

Just did a quick look online and this will be virtually impossible.

Laptop keyboards do not have controllers in them. The keyboard controller is built into the motherboard. So the keyboard is simply a bunch of buttons with a wire hanging out. You will not be able to interface it without a controller.

You could try butchering a normal keyboard and connecting the pins of the laptop keyboard into the controller, however laptop keyboards tend to have more pins than standard keyboards and will not easily be connectable.

Bit too quick to make a conclusion there mate

It can be done http://www.grynx.com/index.php/projects/converted-laptop-keyboard/

You need an AT chip and a soldering iron.