XBOX Controller Mods: Analog WASD Gaming Keyboard
Why Hacker News recommends it
Cited as 2012 prior art for analog keyboards when newer analog-key products and patents come up.
What it is
Ben Heck modifies a keyboard with magnets, Hall effect sensors and an Xbox controller so the WASD keys give analog control. He walks through the hardware build.
Recommended by 0 HN commenters across 0 different months, 2020 to 2026.
What Hacker News said
Cites chrismorgan · 2020-07 · on “I made a macro keypad with 3D-printed switches”
I wouldn’t worry about those ones at least. I read through the claims of the US patents, and they’re essentially describing “turn the arrow keys into a joystick”. US8717202B1 explicitly limits the mechanism to a light-and-mirror sort of arrangement (thus, optical switches). US8922399B2 is a broadening of the former patent, removing that limitation (which weakens it a lot because it’s not describing a concrete implementation but an abstract idea), and thus I think it would be claiming other forms of analogue switches (e.g. magnetic) too. Either way, there are a number of products on the market that, if would be infringing these patents (unless their manufacturers licensed the patents). Beside
Cites thro1 · 2025-11 · on “Max Number of Simultaneous Key-Press (N-Key Rollover, NKRO, Ghosting) (2010)”
There are diodeless (no matrix) split keyboards ( [LINK] ) like Cantor: [LINK] . They use chips similar to that one: XIAO ESP32S3 nRF52840 Sense Plus - wireless, energy efficient, with 20 pins GPIO or more - one pin for one key - [LINK] (there was an option of 16 pins extra using expander [LINK] - which is not made anymore, but you can use same chip MCP23017 to get that effect [LINK] [LINK] , up to 128 I/O pins : [LINK] - in that case - 36 simultaneous inputs by hand) - and with Hall sensor keys or similar we are soon talking about _easy_ having ~40+ .. simultaneus muiltiple ANALOG inputs in "keyboards" - like in Mitt [LINK] - or XBOX Controller Mods: Analog WASD Gaming Keyboard [this video] .
Cites t23414321 · 2026-02 · on “Exploring Different Keyboard Sensing Technologies”
That's mostly copycats of Ben Heck approach from 2012 - some technical improvements, but like without understanding, further thinking about function - or imagination why someone needed it first, then what would be next. So all seems stuck for me, and not much than a bit a closer since then to what (and in which way) I want, starting from smoothly increasing the repeat rate with pressure for cursor keys or scrolling - not having to macro simulate it with few levels only. ( XBOX Controller Mods: Analog WASD Gaming Keyboard [this video] 2012)