What happens when you pull a successful hack off and share it with the world...

So I managed to do a successful hack by finding the pinouts of a PS/2 connected laptop touchpad that there isn't much information on. Some of you know about it by my thread on embedding this same touchpad into my desk. I left a comment on this blog that touches on the subject of connecting standard PS/2 cable to a touchpad. I left the comment under the name "Chaotic Pony" as that is my Google profile for my brony stuff. Don't ask...

I recently have gotten several emails from folks wanting my help with doing the same thing to their pads since they can't find any information on pinouts for them. I lost track of how many now but they all seemed to have come within the last week. Some I have been able to help. Others I had to tell "Good luck. I can't deduce anything from this weird thing..."

So I've learned that when you do something kinda hard that others find useful you're gonna get many wanting help. Seems my second internet profile is now picking up in popularity thanks to this. I've already made somewhat (read: not much at all but still useful in certain areas to some people...) of an impact as "sonicdude10" across several sites. I guess "Chaotic Pony" is going up the same hill now...

Now I wish I had kept my success to myself...

I know it's nothing compared to some of you guys who have done bigger and more important stuff, but still, it's starting to overwhelm me...

Comments like "good luck" or "STOP WHINING" are welcome. I'm just venting here...

 

STOP WHINING

You're welcome :encouragement:

 

You should concentrate yourself on doing accomplishments that nobody cares about, like overclocking a nokia phone or replacing the audio amp in a DMG game boy, instead of doing actual useful stuff that appeals to the masses.

This way you wont get pestered by hordes of wannabe techies who cannot read a datasheet by themselves :witless:

 

Please don't Whenever good info is posted, you hear from all the squeaky wheels that need help, not the many others who used your advice and did it themselves no problems at all.

Also, in your post on that link... you did put at the end of your post "If you want to know more about this just send me an email: sonicdude10@hotmail.com". That might have kinda set you up for a lot questions.

 

Please don't keep your discoveries to yourself. Not only will it not benefit anyone else, you won't get to share your joy.

I feel that you should also know your rights. You don't have to help everybody who approaches you for help, especially if you know that they are perfectly capable of helping themselves.

But on a side note, I do wish that I had your sort of success. I did work on some smaller projects for the PS2, but most of those small ones are now just burried under the thick carpet of threads and posts across the two forums I'm on... which nobody really cared about. :/

 

True but I was thinking on those asking for info on my setup. Not asking for help on their attempt. I guess I should have thought it through better.

 

Unless it's some monumental work that makes you an authority on a subject I say please keep it to yourself. There is TOO MUCH information on the internet, and when it comes to technical things far too much is wrong/incomplete/misleading/misinformed.

On the other hand I say build a portfolio, show off your accomplishments, but please don't deliberately influence others to follow suit by "opening" up your projects and n00b pandering. There is a natural progression of knowledge before you're supposed to be able to do something. Giving people shortcuts often leads to waste, misunderstandings, greed and frustration all around. As a general rule anyone with the skill set to pull off a project will only need the inspiration, not handholding.

 

I dont get this post...

You post on a site someone has done a hack, saying you have managed to do the same. Then post your email for people to email you about it and then complain people are emailing you about it.

You often seem to crave attention, then complain when you get it.

This thread just seems like you are bringing attention to the fact people are showing you attention, therefore trying to create more attention.

Your facebook dreamcast thing - you seem to take a lot of credit for just setting up a facebook page
you vanish for a month - we get a whole "Im back!" thread. We have users that vanish for like a year, then post again. You dont see them doing that.
PS2 pinouts - get a scope, not that hard to find the pinout (assuming its normal PS2 and nothing custom/fancy). People contacting you are cluelss or lazy, not because its "kinda hard".

I am sure there are more, but this is how all this seems to me.

In short "stop whining", if this attention is truly not what you wanted - then you should adjust how you post, as it certainly seems like this is exactly what you wanted?

Edit:

Your post on that site says "GND and VSS were easy to find" Gnd and Vss are the same. You probably mean Gnd and Vcc/Vdd.

 

You do realize you may have just stmbled upon an amazing business opportunity, right? I dont know of any companies that sell desks with touchpads or touchscreens embedded in them, but im sure there would be a HUGE market for it.

 

Well, trackpads for desktops do already exist, but it's an interesting homebrew solution nonetheless.

 

You connected a PS/2 compatible touchpad to a PS/2 cable and think it's an overwhelming accomplishment? No offense but I don't get it.

Maybe you should buy yourself an Arduino and tinker with that. I bet you would have a lot of fun with it :encouragement:

 

And for your next trick, you should buy a horse and hack it to be a pony

 

I second an Arduino, should be right up your street.

 

This is all over a trackpad on a desktop? They had them at my learning centre a few years back :/

 

yep we have some in our pc labs at work, nothing new

 

The thing is there was no information on the traces for this model and there was like 8 or 10 traces going to the main connector. I've thought of tinkering with the Arduino or even a Raspberry Pi. I may just do that now. Come in handy for trying TAS on real Genesis console. People have already done this on the NES and N64. Don't see why this can't be done with Sega stuff as long as I get the video clock signal to stay in sync with the movie file.

 

Ugg. People sometimes. LukeLexeme is going to be taking a break for a bit.