If you’re like most people, your old keyboard is collecting dust in a corner of your room. But don’t let that stop you from using it to control your computer! By hacking an old keyboard, you can create a custom control interface that lets you do everything from changing the volume to launching applications. Here’s how to do it.

  1. Remove the keys from the keyboard and unscrew them if necessary. You’ll need at least six screws for each key.
  2. Once the screws are removed, carefully peel back the key coverings and remove the keycaps. Be sure to save any plastic pieces that came with the keys—you’ll need them later.
  3. If you’re using an older model keyboard with no numeric keypad, remove the number pad by unscrewing two screws on either side of it and pulling it out of its slot. If your keyboard has a numeric keypad, simply remove all of its keys (except for one).
  4. Now it’s time to start hacking! Start by drawing a rough outline of what you want your custom control interface to look like on some paper or cardboard—this will help you plan where each button will go later on. Once you have a rough idea in mind, start cutting out pieces of paper or cardboard to fit your design and glue them onto the buttons of your old keyboard (or use hot glue if they’re removable). Make sure all of the buttons work correctly before moving on to step 5!
  5. Next, it’s time to program your custom control interface! To do this, first connect your old keyboard directly to your computer via USB cable and install any software that comes bundled with keyboards (usually there’s an installation wizard that will walk you through this process). After installing whatever software is required, open up whatever programming toolkit you’re using (usually this is included with software like Arduino) and start coding! In most cases, all you need to do ..

Rupert, over at Runaway Brainz, wanted to avoid shelling out a lot of money for a custom control interface for a MAME cabinet. To that end he hacked apart an old keyboard, mapped the key signals on the keyboard matrix, and then rewired the board to use the inputs he needed for the new interface. The final product looks very little like a keyboard and very much like the expensive input modules he emulated for his no-cost DIY model.

Hack: Reverse Engineer and Repurpose an Old Keyboard “The Matrix Reloaded” [via Hack A Day]