Show HN: KeyboardNotifier: Debug intermittent keyboard/input issues(github.com)
github.com
Show HN: KeyboardNotifier: Debug intermittent keyboard/input issues
https://github.com/jconley88/keyboard_notifier
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https://github.com/jconley88/keyboard_notifier
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I was getting intermittent repeating characters on random keys after replacing my mechanical keyboard switches with Outemo switches (spoiler: they were not the issue). This was often outside of a text-input application, spamming Ubuntu, preventing input and causing freeze-like issues. In addition, I often didn't recognize it right away and could not reliably determine which recent modifier or other keys I had just been pressing. There was no physical indication on the keyboard to alert me either.
Solution:
I needed a way to clearly identify when a key was stuck so I could isolate other hardware components. I also needed to know which keys it was happening on to find out if it was a small set of bad switches or randomly any key.
I wasn't able to find an existing solution that 1. Monitored continuously 2. Checked for repeating keys rather than just single presses.
Implementation:
Built for Linux and tested on Ubuntu.
This runs as a simple bash script after the user configures their input device name. It can optionally be set up as a system daemon. (The README has comprehensive instructions)
The script: 1. Sets up an input stream from `evtest` 2. monitors for repeat events 3. Notifies and logs the key name when the configurable threshold is exceeded 4. ... and again if/when the same key gets unstuck
While the body of the script was designed specifically for my use case, ie repeat keys, the project is meant as a template that sets up monitoring and notifications/logging for physical inputs. You could change it to monitor other input streams, check for press down/release events, duplicate/bounce key strikes or limit the set of keys that's monitored.
Thanks!
I hope that somebody, somewhere finds this useful in some form, even if just as a reference!