Genius idea of the day

[Laser]

Indeed, but this wouldn't be a big problem - that's the joy of 3d printing, you design something just for you And the battery idea is great (especially for older tablets), if either the tablet allows charging and keyboard detection at the same time; otherwise an extra switch (charge/OTG) could do the trick.

[Muirium]

Now, about the DT sanctioned keyboard. I picture something with a handy tablet ledge, like an IBM AT…

Actually, kidding aside, years ago when I got my first mech—an XT—and hooked it up to my iPad with Soarer’s converter, that ledge did vex me. The iPad slid against it perfectly, but how to prop it up? I never did find an elegant solution.

[Laser]

On https://thingiverse.com there are a lot of designs for iPad/tablets stands - one adapted to have a base handle gripping on the keyboard to keep the iPad at the right viewing angle (and maybe pushed further back) could do the trick - but you need to design it and print it (there are 3d-printing online services though). Or luckily one existing design that grips on a base would already fit. Or you just glue it on top of the keyboard

Random example: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1697853 (searching for 'keyboard tablet stand' on thingiverse)

[gipetto]

Someone could make a keyboard converter using a neural net so that in theory any obscure protocol could be supported as long as the voltages were correct.

[Muirium]

That’s just one step away from the singularity!

Actually thinking about the task, I suppose it’s a fairly constrained problem space. You could automate protocol reverse engineering, in a dirty way, by probing and listening while a regular user does the monkey work of pressing the requested keys. Doubt it would get you all the way to a Unimap compatible hex file for a Teensy, but then again it might…

[Findecanor]

And the battery idea is great (especially for older tablets), if either the tablet allows charging and keyboard detection at the same time; otherwise an extra switch (charge/OTG) could do the trick.

BTW, is there a way in the USB spec to tell the downstream port that the power supplied is for running on and not for charging?
I think that drawing on one battery to charge another is a bit wasteful.

[Laser]

I'm afraid all this USB power/data direction handling stuff is way over my head, unfortunately :/ Some new tablets have larger batteries, I think the simplest would be to just rely on that tablet's internal battery and let the keyboard draw from it too; and in the end, you have to charge just one battery, instead of two. If the keyboard has TMK/QMK firmware, one could also add some faster sleep optimization, maybe slower polling, and define a 'keyboard wake from sleep' dedicated key (similar to how most bluetooth keyboards already act probably to save power - but in this case, we save the tablet's power).

[Muirium]

This isn’t my idea, but when you want your labels off without harm, this may be genius:



Freezer spray, whatever that is. Anyone know if this works on IBM silver labels?

[SneakyRobb]

This isn’t my idea, but when you want your labels off without harm, this may be genius:



Freezer spray, whatever that is. Anyone know if this works on IBM silver labels?

Hi, this spray is basically the same as keyboard cleaner but it is optimized for shooting cold air specifically. A pressurized liquid-gas that is released just like in an air-conditioner. The specific gas may be different.

When you shot the label like this, the whole label contracts at once and it can break the glue hold instantly.

TBH no idea if will work on silver label. Maybe someone wants to be test subject. But with sudden cold, fractures, cracks etc could happen. So if someone wants to try, keep in mind it could crack the case.