RADOVAN ROBOTICS
Newbury Park, California

EASY INPUT

Easy Input

USB Keyboard Emulator

* NO drivers required

* PC Windows and MAC OS X compatable

The Easy Input chip is designed to allow external equipment to send ASCII data directly into windows applications without the need for interface cards or custom software. It can be embedded into external equipment, data collection devices, multiple key generation devices, voice or other recognition devices, virtually anything that would benefit from sending data directly into keyboard based applications (wordprocessors, spreadsheets, menu's, etc.).

The Easy Input chip maximizes compatability with generic systems by emulating commands from a standard USB keyboard. Since it emulates these standard commands, it is expected to be compatable with future systems without the development or maintainence of custom driver software. It will interface to almost any system running windows 98 (or better) with a standard USB port (virtually all new PC's have USB ports). It uses the USB keyboard driver which comes with the operating system so compatability is established by the developer of the operating system.

As the name implies, Easy Input is designed to be easy. This is true for both the developer and the end user. Minimal time will be spent on board design, customer installation, customer use, customer service calls, etc. Please view our usage profiles to see how the Easy Input device can be used.

USAGE PROFILES:

Example 1: Sending data from a remote device directly into a PC spreadsheet

The ABC company builds hand held instrumentation equipment. Data from their instrumentation is best processed on a PC. However, it would be very expensive for the ABC company to develop and maintain custom application software and a download interface. Also, a lot of support will be required to handle issues resulting from the custom software.

To solve the problem, the ABC company can embed the Easy Input chip into their hand held equipment using a simple parallel interface to their on-board processor. The user simply opens a spread sheet and plugs the equipment cable into their USB port (while the power is on). The hand held equipment sends data, formatting and keyboard commands to the spreadsheet. The result is downloaded data, processed results, graphs and charts in a format predetermined by the ABC company.

Example 2: Processing dynamically changing data from an external device

The DEF company builds equipment that collects data every 5 minutes. If the data is processed after it is all collected, it would take a long time to view the results. It would be more useful to process the data and view the changing result as it is collected. It would be prohibitively expensive to develop and maintain custom software and a download interface.

To solve the problem, the DEF company embeds the Easy Input chip into their data collection equipment. It is left connected to the PC's USB port with a spreadsheet application open. Simple firmware within the data collection equipment sends standard keyboard commands to set up the spreadsheet, formatting and calculations. As new data arrives, it is entered into the spreadsheet and a command is sent which processes the data and displays the result using the spreadsheet's standard key command set. To the user, the interface is very simple and the results are displayed dynamically.

Example 3: External keypad to make an application more intuitive

The GHI company makes application software which offers very powerful processing for its users. While the software is powerful, it is not as intuitive as the GHI company would like it to be. They are concerned that competitive products may start incroaching on their business. The GHI company would like to make its application software easier to use for new customers without changing the product which is famaliar to their existing customer base.

To solve the problem, the GHI company embeds the Easy Input chip into a custom key pad. They make the custom key pad with icons, labels, key positions, ergonomics and functions which are well known and intuitive to users in their field. Internally, the keypad sends a sequence of key strokes through the Easy Input chip to the host for each keypad key pressed. The sequence of key data can be very elaborate to generate very powerful commands. To the user, the keypad is very intuitive and easy to use.

Example 4: Ergonomic key and macro entry

The JKL company makes key and macro entry equipment for disabled users and other specialized applications. They would like the equipment to be owned by the user but useable on public access PC's. Also, they would like the equipment to be useable on almost any application.

The JKL company implements the Easy Input chip into their equipment to acheive these results. The user can take the equipment with them and "hot plug" it into public PC's without powering down. The specialized equipment can be used simultaneously with the keyboard if desired. The JKL company can implement this solution quickly, without developing a custom interface.

Example 5: Sending data in a report format

The MNO company makes data collection equipment for specific applications. In these applications, it would be best to read this data in a text report format which describes its meaning. The MNO company would like to make the generation of these reports as easy as possible.

To acheive this, the MNO company embeds the Easy Input chip in its equipment. They send the ASCII data within the format of a standard text report to the Easy Input chip. The Easy Input chip then sends it to the PC as if it were being typed on the keyboard at a very high speed. The user simply opens a word processor, connects the device and sends the data. The output is a report which is ready to be printed, emailed, edited, etc.

Download PDF Specifications Here:

Specification

Package Outlines

USB Connector Drawings

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When ordering, please specify a 24 pin DIP or 24 pin SOIC device. Both devices have the same pinout connections. Both devices utilize the full upgraded ASCII table from the spec sheet including caps and lower case plus CTRL, ALT, SHIFT.

 

Optional Accessory Kits are available for your convience. They include all components necessary to bring up and start using the Easy Input device (1.5k resistor, USB cable and cable color code and pinout information.)

Easy Input Device Pricing:

Quantity

Price

1

$ 10.00

25

$ 8.93

100

$ 8.42

250

$ 7.75

500

$ 7.39

1,000

$ 6.83

5,000

$ 5.85

10,000

$ 5.37

Easy Input Accessory Kit Pricing:

Quantity

Price

1

$ 10.00

25

$ 8.93

100

$ 8.42

250

$ 7.75

500

$ 7.39

1,000

$ 6.83

5,000

$ 5.85

10,000

$ 5.37


Order by Secure FAX
 Phone: 805-375-7059
FAX: 805-375-6965
EMAIL: CONTACT
Website: http://www.radovan.org