Paddle Controller Volume Knob

[christo930]

I have a Dell KB with a software controlled volume knob on it.  Is there any way to use it as a paddle with Stella or MAME?  It's just a rotary controller mapped to the volume automatically.

[Rom Collector]

More likely a Driving controller.

[fluxit]

1 hour ago, christo930 said:

I have a Dell KB with a software controlled volume knob on it.  Is there any way to use it as a paddle with Stella or MAME?  It's just a rotary controller mapped to the volume automatically.

The way those keyboard knobs usually work is to actually send a 'standard' multimedia volume up command(keystroke) when turned in one direction, and a volume down keystroke when turned in the other direction.  The problem for software in doing what you propose, is that most modern OS have drivers that understand and intercept those commands before a user app like Stella would even see them.  Which is not to say that it can't be done, just that it isn't necessarily straight forward.

 

Of course, if you didn't ever intend to use the wheel for volume control at all anymore and wanted to hack the hardware, as Rom Collector says- it's most likely just a rotary encoder and could be connected to a hardware decoder or ball mouse pcb for use with emulators.

[christo930]

27 minutes ago, fluxit said:

The way those keyboard knobs usually work is to actually send a 'standard' multimedia volume up command(keystroke) when turned in one direction, and a volume down keystroke when turned in the other direction.  The problem for software in doing what you propose, is that most modern OS have drivers that understand and intercept those commands before a user app like Stella would even see them.  Which is not to say that it can't be done, just that it isn't necessarily straight forward.

 

Of course, if you didn't ever intend to use the wheel for volume control at all anymore and wanted to hack the hardware, as Rom Collector says- it's most likely just a rotary encoder and could be connected to a hardware decoder or ball mouse pcb for use with emulators.

That's what I thought. I thought maybe someone wrote a driver.