My footpedal ============ --- date: "2025-05-31" markdown_options: "+superscript" --- A collection of things I have written about the footpedal that I sometimes use with my computer: ---- > I have a VEC Infinity IN-USB-2 that I grabbed at Goodwill for $5. > > I love it. I tend to use it less when the RSI isn't flaring up, but > the first time I had RSI being bad is when I started to use it--it > really helped. My RSI was in the few fingers on the pinky-side of > my hands (so the opposite of CTS; I'm told this is less common, but I'm figuring > it's more common for Emacs users, with all the talk of > "Emacs-pinky"), and much worse on my right hand. The pedal has 3 > keys; I have them as (left-to-right) Control, Shift, and Alt/Meta, > with the addition that if I short-tap the center, it does Enter; > this basically means that I can avoid using my right pinky at all > when typing. This allowed me to keep using the computer without > making things worse, while I did other things to improve the RSI > (stretches, wearing wrist braces at night). The tap-for-Enter seems > a bit weird, but I added it after that motion seemed instinctual > when using left-button for control in a repeated C-s search; hold > foot-left and tap keyboard-S to increment search, then tap > foot-center to complete the search. > > About the IN-USB-2 specifically: > > ***It's an XK-3:*** It's actually made by P.I. Engineering for VEC; > it's a [rear-hinged X-Keys > XK-3](https://web.archive.org/web/20180119/http://piengineering.com/xkeys/xkfootRear.php)^([updated > link](https://xkeys.com/xkfootrear.html))^ with a different (less > capable) firmware. The benefit of the crippled firmware is that the > IN-USB-2 is way cheaper than buying a "real" XK-3 (even without > finding one at Goodwill). > > ***Firmware:*** On the downside of that, the firmware is less > capable; unlike the XK-3, it shows up as a generic HID device with 3 > buttons, instead of as a keyboard, and thus you can't configure > which button is which key. That is, you'll have to have a program > running to monitor the HID buttons and synthesize whichever key > events you want, instead of configuring the keys on the device. > Fortunately, the device is supported by P.I. Engineering's Linux > SDK, > [`pihid`](https://web.archive.org/web/20180119/http://xkeys.com/PISupport/DeveloperLinuxSDK.php)^([updated > link](https://xkeys.com/software/developer/developerlinuxsdk.html))^ > ([git](https://github.com/piengineering/xkeys)), so that program is > fairly easy to write (and as an Emacs user, you probably appreciate > that configuration-is-code gives you more flexibility). The `pihid` > SDK is a crappy little wrapper around the `hidapi` library with the > appropriate magic numbers for the hardware. `hidapi` is portable to > macOS; I imagine that getting `pihid` working on macOS is no trouble > at all. (IDK if their > [ControllerMate](https://web.archive.org/web/20180119/http://piengineering.com/PISupport/SoftwareControllerMate.php) > program for macOS works with it, or if ControllerMate requires the > real XK-3 firmware.) > > ***Hardware:*** The thing feels sturdy. If the switch ever craps > out (not that I think it would), it's a generic switch that's in > everything that you can pick up for $0.50; which is nice for > peace-of-mind. The middle button feels a little wide; I generally > have my foot around the left side of it, for Control, and it is > difficult to reach over to the right for Meta, and usually end up > hitting Meta on the keyboard instead. > > [Reddit, 2018-01-19](https://reddit.com/r/emacs/comments/7remed/has_anybody_used_foot_pedals/dswhzkt/) ---- > I love it, but I don't necessarily love it *more than I would any > other foot pedal*. If you find a different one for cheaper, go for > it. > > [Reddit, 2018-01-19](https://reddit.com/r/emacs/comments/7remed/has_anybody_used_foot_pedals/dswrf3r/) ---- > I found that my brain didn't want to treat the pedals like it did > keys--it wanted to treat them modally. I wasn't *pressing control*, > I was *entering control-mode*. I wasn't *pressing shift*, I was > *entering caps-mode*. Which works out, because it isn't the quick > keystrokes that cause the most strain, it's holding the modifier > with one finger while the rest of the hand moves around. I wouldn't > use the footpedal Control for the usual quick C-f/b/n/p, but it's > great for holding Control as you C-s through a document. > > [Reddit, 2018-01-19](https://reddit.com/r/emacs/comments/7remed/has_anybody_used_foot_pedals/dswrmo5/)