Making Video Game Controllers with Teensy

This is a class taught by Tim (kiyoshigawa) about how to use the Teensy USB libraries to create USB game controllers using various hardware and software input methods and converting them into custom USB joystick or keyboard controllers. The class will cover how to connect and get data from several common hardware input devices such as buttons, joysticks (both 8-way digital and analog), encoders, and MIDI devices. It will also cover how to interpret the signals read from these devices and output it as a USB input of your choice (i.e. Joystick, keyboard, macro commands over any device or multiple devices, etc.) using the Teensy USB libraries.

To get the most out of this class, it is best to have a general familiarity with embedded C programming, or at least basic programming in general, as well as the ability to read basic electronic schematics (Here's a guide on schematics from Sparkfun: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/how-to-read-a-schematic/ ). Hamster ran two classes last year ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nslHeXYYATM and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAML97O8tHI ) that give a good overview of microcontroller firmware which are a good base of background knowledge used in this class. The code examples will be written for the Teensy, which is built on top of the Arduino IDE. The Teensy libraries are all open source (available on github: https://github.com/PaulStoffregen/cores ), so you can modify them for any native USB capable microcontroller of your choice if you are so inclined.

Class is open to the public and will be held during the regular 801 Labs Hangout Night on Thursday, in the classroom.