No, but you're missing the fact that direct input bypasses the TI-OS entirely; I need to come up with a way to detect when direct input is (or is not) occurring and handle things appropriately. I guess I could do it the opposite way, by doing something to some ports (via a keyhook) when getKey/getCSC is being used, and assume that at all other times I should do direct input. The microprocessor connected to the new keypad would just have to watch for the particular signal.

Edit: On the recommendation of a lab tech at my university, experimented with fiberglass as a possible material from which to build the body of the device. Tried cutting out a key-sized hole and putting a key in it to test how easy the material is to work and if it would bind with the key. The results are below, and seem quite positive; you can see the ghostly shape of a membrane pad underneath the key.

Do you have access to a CNC machine?

I do indirectly; I'd have to find out the proper protocol for accessing it. Yeah, I know this would be something good to do on a CNC machine.

I can see a few painfully obvious pitfalls here.

Not only do a lot of games use more than 2nd and Alpha, but some even use the keys in a sense that worked on the usual keypad. But the former is really an issue, not the latter.

It'd also be a little bit of an issue in that when you game on your 83/+/84+ it may look like you are doing math, however on anything that rotates and flips down, that'd be hard

I do like the idea of QWERTY however. Not going to like, that's the bit I liked best about my 92. The trackball is a nifty idea, but what about a PSP style nubbin? It may be easier to implement, but I am not 100% sure about that.

Also, how hard would it be to just, you know, get a teeny tiny teensy tiiiiny USB keyboard? I thought I recalled USB8x recalling regular key presses when using the keyboard at times, but I am not 100% sure [ something like the effect in PTI ]

Hey CDI, thanks for stopping by and giving me some feedback. I agree, there are limitations to the design, but I'm hoping to compensate for a lot of them through some creative mapping of keys in hardware, one of the arguments for using a microcontroller to bridge the keypad(s) and the mainboard. I'll look into the nubbin idea, which may indeed be easier. Do you know of any sources for that hardware?

I'd look into how it'd added to the PSP systems for the nubbin, some 3rd party must sell them for cheap

And believe it or not, here we go, for <$5!
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9426

Hey, rather than using the built it keyboard, replace it with a small keyboard designed for typing. Not only would it look nicer, but would allow for more functionallity. For example, quit has its own key now, ESC (My initials by the way, ), and the number problem is solved, along with the 2nd function key and the mathimatical operations. Assign new hotkeys, which you'll have to do anyway, hehe. Then, all you would have to do is make the case, and bind everything together.

On top of all of that, I could make a usb hub driver to expand the ports, which would allow for a mouthload of all sorts of expansions like ram, archive, even a color display at a higher resolution, not to mention, another processor devoted to what ever you want it to. The possibilities are unlimited with just a few extra ports!

The "assign new hotkeys" part is supposed to take place on the proposed microcontroller, and the rest of your suggestion is indeed already planned.

And when are you going to write this driver? RAM is not expandable, by the way, and an external display is unlikely unless it has its own buffer and an I2C-style interface with few data lines.

if you had a desire to use a pre-made keyboard compared to making one. the Xbox 360 ChatPad seems easy enough to work with on a code level, and is cheap and readily available, but is kinda specific hardware. However, if you get ahold of tr1p1ea who was working on bluetooth no? Then you can solve a LOT of problems possibly by getting ahold of the Message Pad for the PS3 which is a separate bluetooth keyboard, BUT! Get this, and you'll love this, the keys are all touch sensitive and send data as a mouse to the PS3, in theory this should just report as a bluetooth keyboard and mouse right? At least that's how I saw it report to a computer, I can do a little more research, but if you can find these message pads for cheap, then you solve 2 problems in 1 and make it look that much cooler. That being said, I am afraid the little nubbin might make it look a little too much like the Open Pandora project. Just my 2¢