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When my computer suddenly starts being weird and ignoring mouse buttons and keystrokes, I pull this Oz looking key out of my pocket and turn the keyswitch. It reruns my xmodmap & xkbset commands from my .xsession startup file.
All fixed.
(This only happens once or twice a year, but it can be such a hassle to fix by hand...)
@davefischer is like to know more about the rest of this rig.
@mhoye I use a generic "usb joystick interface board" to wire up switches/buttons/etc. That's connected to a raspberry pi running a program that just watches for open/closed circuit changes, and launches shell scripts as commanded. Very simple. (One funny thing: I use a lot of what I call "flip flop switches": a toggle switch used as a button. Flip it either way, it doesn't matter, flipping it does the thing.)
https://www.amazon.com/EG-STARTS-Encoder-Controller-Joystick/dp/B01L8K21CK
@davefischer @mhoye what does DROIDS do exactly?
@aburka @mhoye It went through a few different things, all related to the old Motorola Droids that I was using as X displays. At this point it's idle waiting for a new mission.
One of the push-pull switches to the left is my "I'm waiting for an important email, so if anything arrives from someone in my address book, ring the doorbell" switch. Ha ha.
@davefischer @mhoye You should check out my project HIDPanel. It allows you to make custom game controllers, but you could use it for that too. I use it to make custom control panels for games like starship bridge simulator games.
@profdc9 @mhoye Oh, that's very clever. Nice.
My user interface panel is... functional, but sort of for fun. It isn't actually necessary. However, the more serious thing I built using the same interface boards, etc is my camera UI box:
https://www.cca.org/blog/20201111-Machine-Vision-Camera.shtml
@davefischer @mhoye so is it all rpi or an rpi plugged to another computer?
Matera the Mad@davefischer Nice trick. When my inputsies go postal, it's more likely demonic possession (last kbd incident 
- the replacement is sane)
@davefischer aspirational...
Some day I hope to have a "computer room", those who don't know would mistake it for a retro-future styled escape room.
Self imposed Important design rule: each affectation has a function.
Sure there is a flux capacitor type device, but... Perhaps it is a source of entropy for a RNG, perhaps the blinking light board behind the console chair is actually a status indicator of CPU register status... Or something! Dunno, just spitballing.
@RyeNCode Oh hell yeah. The original inspiration for all this was, of course, the front panels of old minicomputers. (I once wrote a small graphics demo program on a PDP-12 from 1969 using just the switches & lights!)
@davefischer someone at work has an old* serial modem that I would love to fill with a modern-ish RPi like device. The form factor is great with the title switch and indicator lights. The faux-wood inlay is just... <chefs-kiss />
* I used things like that unironcally and can still remember the negotiation sounds that meant I got the fast line at the BBS.
@davefischer ah, lots of important computer interfaces in this image
@davefischer Do you have a partner that has to turn an identical key at the same time for it to register?
@profdc9 HA! I did used to have two buttons that had to be pressed simultaneously, because it ran a potentially destructive command. (Delete whatever file is currently playing in the media player.)
@davefischer Respect. Geek move++
@davefischer This is absolutely wild, and I'm madly in love. I see a project in my future.
@davefischer
This feels like it should be an XKCD.
@davefischer steampunk AF