Best Programming Method... EVER

[IEC]

Ok.  Being that I'm a complete nerd and figured this is a nerd's forum I want to share this with you.

I have wired an original xbox controller to USB, installed drivers, found a program (pinnacle game profiler) that will map the joysticks to be a mouse and keys.... 

and will now never go back to programming LabView with a mouse.

Try it out. 

The people here at work think I'm playing video games, but really (especially since I preset the controller with tons of quick-keys) I am programming labview faster than ever before.

Hehe.  🙂

When does NI come out with LabView the operating system?  Screw windows...

[Joe_H]

How did you wire it for USB and what drivers did you install to get it to work.

[tst]

Upload pictures, give more details (like which shortcuts you programmed in or how you get over the problem of not being able to go immediately to any point in the screen like you can with a mouse), maybe even upload a video demonstrating this - then you'll deserve some stars and the undying respect of the regulars.

[Steve_Brooks]

Sounds good but try this:  I have a video editor controller called "ShuttlePRO Contour" (http://www.contourdesign.com/shuttlepro/) that has 13 programmable buttons and two jog wheels.  Who needs a keyboard?

[Steve_Brooks]

Message Edited by Murfi on 05-22-2006 04:41 PM

[IEC]

Whoa whoa whoa....

First I don't want to take credit for anything here.... the drivers I found online, and someone else wrote.  Just google XBCD xbox game controller drivers, you'll find them there.

As for wiring the controller, the xbox controller is already a USB controller.  Microsoft just put some proprietary connector on it, I guess, because they're greedy and want more money.  All you have to do is cut and splice.  There's prolly even a tutorial online if you want to google that too, but it's splicing color to color so its super easy (uber easy, even).

Once you have the controller wired and drivers installed, I got a second program which allows you to map the buttons to any key, mouse, cycle of keys, or sequence of keys, that you can think up.  It's called Pinnacle Game Profiler.  Whoever wrote that prog.... good job!

I suppose you could wire it up and write the drivers yourself, but then you have to mess with the clock signal and blah blah blah.... someone already did it.

How I set it up is that the right joystick on the controller is the mouse, the black button is alt (which allows you to access any menu item using the D-pad), then there are buttons for double click, right click, etc...

It's not that cool... just kinda neat.

Oh and as for the undying respect of the regulars, you can wait.  Once you're dying then give it up. 🙂

By then I should have something worthy of respect.... like the laser system I'm building.

jonathan

(Best part of all this... if you play Battlefield 2, you can use the xbox controller for it.)

[IEC]

I forgot...

When I get the original nintendo controller working (probably by July) I'll upload pictures of that... that'll be cool. 

I'm using it to control galvo-driven beam steering mirrors for a quick and easy manual control mode of a high power laser scribing system I'm desiging.  'A' button turns q switch gate on/off, 'B' button opens external shutter, d-pad directs galvos, select and start will operate menus.

jonathan 

[vivi]

instead of an nes controller i think you should use a snes controller. it has more buttons and you more than likely will need more than 8 buttons.
really cool project, vivi

[tst]

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@IEC wrote:

I forgot...

When I get the original nintendo controller working (probably by July) I'll upload pictures of that... that'll be cool. 

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Just get the new Wii controller to work like this and you'll be able to program LV in a really cool manner.

Hey, combine it with you lasers and you can even have a light saber.

I still wouldn't mind seeing some pictures and hearing some more explanations about your actual usage (the questions in my last post).

[IEC]

Thanks tst....

thanks to your meddling I just spent the last hour and a half thinking up ways to use the wii controller as a light saber.

Great. 

Now it's time to get back to real work.

(i will post some pics and more explanation of the xbox setup tomorrow when I bring in a camera to work)