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What is the shelf life of a Pop-Tart-inspired foot pedal?

A project log for Wild Berry Pause 'n Play Pedal

A foot pedal that sends 'k' when pressed so I can pause and restart videos with my foot. Also, the pedal looks like a Wild Berry Pop-Tart.

kristina-panoskristina panos 07/09/2020 at 16:524 Comments

We're gonna find out. 

While I was working on this project initially, I started to really like the idea of a pedal for pressing Shift so I can stop wearing out my pinky (I'm a left Shifter only). I love the pedal. Kind of wish I'd bought a double or triple pedal. 

Here's the thing: using it all day every day has really made me consider how robust a foot pedal needs to be. So at the very least, I think I'll be looking for a stronger spring for this. 

The thing about using a foot pedal while you type is that you're naturally inclined to want to rest your foot on it (or at least your big toe -- that's what I do)  so it's ready to go. What you don't want to do is hover your foot to avoid pushing the switch, because that will wear out your foot/ankle. 

Discussions

Simon Merrett wrote 07/11/2020 at 12:17 point

I was thinking about this. Been looking at a few foot pedals - you can get some sewing machine style right up to the industrial-looking ones. Some of the latter kind have guards to stop you accidentally standing on them and actuating them. This made me think that you almost want to lift your foot to actuate, rather than push down. With a hoop or bar over your toes, this makes it easy to rest the foot with no concern over resting pressure, but also allows you to use a very light pressure upwards to actuate. From a quick flex, I think it's easier to apply upward pressure than downward, when pivoting on the heel. A multiple switch actuator could just be a bar you slide your foot along as a guide and then use the same buttons as your macro footstool, or a lighter pressure switch if needed, mounted above, facing down to the toes. Might need a drawing to explain! 

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kristina panos wrote 07/17/2020 at 16:30 point

I like the idea of lifting my foot do something. Since I recently decided that I need a foot-driven way to alt+tab between windows, I'm going to try adding an arcade switch with a long wire actuator to my shift pedal. If that works out, I'll add another to hit with the side of my foot.

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kristina panos wrote 07/10/2020 at 01:13 point

Oh, that's a nice idea. Thanks! ^_^

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Alexander wrote 07/09/2020 at 18:28 point

If you can find the type of pedals they use for tattoo machines, I would recommend those. They are simple on-off switches, but they take enough pressure to depress that you can rest your foot on them. They also are meant to be depressed for long periods of time, as well as last many many years. I'm sure you can find fairly inexpensive ones on AliExpress or the like.

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