AutoHotkey Community

[ribbet.1]

The most common footpedal device used for transcription is your "Infinity" USB pedal. They're sold for ~ $75 USD and have 3 pedals on one device. Typical footpedal software only privides for play, pause, rewind, etc. using a specific audio program. I have one, and I'd like to extend the functionality of my pedal to lots of other stuff but don't know where to start. Any way to capture this input and use it in AHK?

[Conquer]

You probably already checked, but do any of the pedals show up in KeyHistory? If so you can just remap the key with the SC Code #.


If you find it shows up in KeyHistory, please post your results.

[Erittaf]

This is likely something that AHK won't be able to see. However, don't give up before you try the method at the bottom of http://www.autohotkey.com/docs/KeyList.htm

[[VxE]]

here's another thought, though it may be a long shot: try the joystick test script to see if your footpedal shows up as a joystick
_________________
Ternary (a ? b : c) guide     TSV Table Manipulation Library
Post code inside [code][/code] tags!

[ribbet.1]

Hey thanks everybody for all your replies. I've tried all your suggestions and no go. But I've learned a few things from your answers, so it was well worth it. Does not show in key history, is not recognized as a joystick. But thanks anyway! Lots of other solutions out there.

[ribbet.1]

Eh, months later, I still don't know the answer to this one, but I do know that a pedal made by p.i. design allows you to assign any text string to each of the pedals.

[TrollingAL]

I know you wanted to use autohotkey for this but maybe a different route

http://www.nch.com.au/footpedal/

[ribbet.1]

Hey, thanks! I just installed Pedable, and I can certainly use it in conjunction with AHK. This is a very exciting development. Your standard Infinity USB pedal is selling online nowadays for about $58 USD, and you can find them for much less 2nd-hand. Which means one can have a 3-button footpedal to send 3 or more hotkeys for a very low price. It gives the same functionality to a VEC pedal as the PI Engineering, but for a much better price.

IMO, NCH has done it again!

[bflmpsvz]

Hi,
I have solved the problem by another way - I used electronic from old waste keyboard together with pedal and the result is a kind of keyboard. So it works with AutoHotkey as any other keyboard.
See my page http://staff.cesnet.cz/~michal/vms/pedal/
(This is in czech language, but pictures are essential - or you can try google translation, which has funny results, but sometimes it is usable)
My pedal is Olympus, which is seen by Windows as HID - I am going to try Pedable or this: http://www.autohotkey.net/~Micha/HIDsupport/Autohotkey.html
Now I use only switches in my pedal, but pedal is able to communicate over USB. I gave up my attempts to find software solution and I assembled my keyboard-like solution, which works great, so I have no motivation, but I'll try it.

[ribbet.1]

If your Olympus pedal is seen by Windows as a HID device I think maybe there is no need to install Pedable. I believe AHK can work with any generic HID device.

My problem has always been that the Infinity brand is not even recognized as HID, and the drivers were not to be found until recently to allow me to do anything else with it. My work has involved transcription and so I had the common Infinity pedal but could not use it for anything else. I can now.

[n-l-i-d]

I think you can get this cheaper, and with more options if you go for (old) MIDI footpanels instead of dedicated (newer) USB devices.

MIDI input library

HTH

[ribbet.1]

Eh, I originated this thread with regards to how to use the VEC Infinity footpedal with AHK. As far as I'm concerned the introduction of Pedable is a solution to this problem, although I don't object to others. But the purchase of some MIDI pedal instead is not a solution so much as a good idea for a different thread. I own a VEC pedal already and several MIDI devices, and I'll assure anyone out there that setting up an Infinity pedal is a lot less hassle than setting up a MIDI footpedal just to send keystrokes or simple commands.

The price comparison between a used MIDI foot pedal and a used VEC pedal still favors the VEC. I got one on eBay for $25 a few weeks ago. Install the driver software, set up the hotkeys, and you're done. No fussing with velocity, program change, CC, etc. Very plug-and-play.

[n-l-i-d]

Sure.

But you only get 3 pedals...

Elaborate MIDI footpedals have many more.

It was just a hint, do with it whatever you like. A quick look on eBay and similar gives me multiple MIDI footpanels for around 50$ that have 10 or more switches.

[ribbet.1]

Well I don't want to discourage you. I did try using a simple MIDI keyboard and Orbik's library. It worked but froze up after a few hours, don't know why. I have also built this:

http://homeofthegnome.net/junkdrawer/reaper.pedals.jpg

which used this: http://www.xkeys.com/xkeys/xkswi.php

And it works great.

There are plenty of options.

http://www.delcomproducts.com/products_USBFSW.asp

And I hear that those "dance pads" just send joystick messages, too. So they are yet another option.

And as bflmpsvz mentions, you can just cut up an old keyboard, too. Which is a very direct solution.

And if anybody has any more input about using the Infinity pedal, that would be great. They are commonplace in transcription and in medical transcription also. And thanks to NCH and their application Pedable, they can now be used for a lot more. (Not a paid advertisement. )

[DreymaR]

Interesting concept. Three or so foot switches for each switch... vroom vroom!

Could this thing be of help?
_________________
Better burden you cannot carry than man-wisdom much -- Hávamál