How Can I Program a Universal Application Keyboard?

Question

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a question from who has no experience and knowledge on this area. So before giving negative rep, please provide constructive suggestion.

I want to program a universal application keyboard. I would like to use Java programming language but i can also use c / c++ by jni.

All i need is a simple suggestions, book reommendations or samples to show a way for starting. As for beginning, i think trying to lighting up leds under keys will be good :)

This is how my keyboard is looking like, and you can have detailed informations from following links. If you can help me out, i will be really appreciated :)

*ps: I have already gathered all input values of keyboard in ascii and hex formats via test software of keyboard which was provided by vendor.

Product's Page

Technical Data Sheet

DCZ Instructions Manual

DCZ Download Area

DCZ Video Management Systems Application Notes

enter image description here

I think this place is the most suitable place in whole stackexchange forums. Because before asking, i did a little search around here and found some similar questions. Such as: http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/25498/java-and-serial-port — t1w, Jan 30 '13 at 11:40
Unless this device is programmed by flashing a microcontroller in it, I don't think it's on topic here. A quick scan of the table of contents in the instructions manual suggests this device supports the MSD, HID, CDC, VCOM, and JOYHID USB device classes. Programming it, then, depends on what facilities your OS offers for interacting with these sorts of USB devices, and occurs entirely on the computer side. — Phil Frost, Jan 30 '13 at 13:46
"I want to program a universal application keyboard." This sentence is the only informative thing I could see in the question, except for the links. And it does not blink even an LED in my brain.. — abdullah kahraman, Jan 30 '13 at 13:55
@abdullahkahraman : I'm very aware of the question does not satisfy real requirements for normal circumstances. But as i mentioned at the top of my question: "This is a question from who has no experience and knowledge on this area." Since i'm at the beginning of the task, i have no question except for asking a roap map. Not for any technical issue. — t1w, Jan 30 '13 at 14:02
@TimurAykutYıldırım What do you mean by "programming a universal application keyboard"? What this will do? How will it work? Just give some ***basic*** information, nothing technical is needed. — abdullah kahraman, Jan 30 '13 at 14:11
@abdullahkahraman : I may have used inverted sentence but i already answered your question before you ask in question : ".... samples to show a way for starting. As for beginning, i think trying to lighting up leds under keys will be good" This is what i want it to do as for beginning. Then i will try to add some more functionalities — t1w, Jan 30 '13 at 14:17
Did you want to program a device to connect to this keyboard? Or do you want to connect this keyboard to a PC (as is its intended use) and program the PC to do things with the keyboard? — Phil Frost, Jan 30 '13 at 15:08

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 30 '13 at 11:30

Your picture shows an USB connector, so you will have to built in a microcontroller that is capable of acting as a USB slave device, and of course program it. Which microcontroller you select is more or less arbitrary, it could be an AVR, PIC, Cortex, etc.

I suggest you google for 'USB HID example' to get some feeling for what is involved, and then contact someone who can do the electrical design and the programming (not necesarrily the same person). These microcontrollers don't lend themselves to being programmed in a .net or java type of language, C, C++ and assembler are the common choices (in that order??).

If all buttons and other things on your keyboard are just other ways of pressing a key on a normal keyboard you could (for a prototype) wire your keys in parallel to the keys of an existing keyboard.

How Can I Program a Universal Application Keyboard?

1 Answers1