Idea: Invert Volume

[abent professor]

Hi! Firstly, I wanted to come clean and admit that I registered to selfishly make a request. However, I realised at the same time I could wast time repeating what everyone is thinking - This software is a goldmine! I'm truly blown away by how ridiculously useful this collection of apps is. I am also baffled as to why Microsoft hasn't added anything remotely useful to their 'accessories' folder in over 10 years of new operating systems.

I have integrated a lot of them to work on startup and I use them constantly. My favourite is dimscreen - its essential. I work for myself and sometimes pull all-nighters (like now in fact - its 6:15am). From around the insane-o-clock time of 4am, my eyes become hyper-sensitive to light. But now, I just put dim on a ridiculously high setting and work in comfort until the sun comes up (I'm often in bed too, so it doesn't wake up whoever is next to me..)

I feel like I'm cheating someone! Next month I'm throwing some currency around.

Anyway, my idea/problem >

I have a rotary volume control wheel on the side of my laptop. I didn't install any drivers, but XP recognised it and so I have an extremely handy quick-access volume control. However, my problem is that the rotation of the wheel seems inverted to me. After a year of trying to accept clockwise rotation as attenuation (I did find and install correct drivers to replace the generic XP, but the result) is the same I've given up. I'm now really annoyed that my quick leaps to make an adjustment during an amplification emergency always results in a further deafening increase or missing some vital film plot dialogue.

Please could somebody whip up a volume knob invert app? Is this possible, or would it only work on a per-laptop basis? I don't know how buttons/wheels/sliders get direct access to the Master volume, but can something to be done to intecept and swap? Anyway, I've rambled on long enough, you get the idea..

Tthanks anyway.
Kind regards,
Tom

[sri]

http://www.nirsoft.n...utils/volumouse.html

[abent professor]

I'm on a laptop, and I don't use a mouse. If I did, that would be the first bit of software I expect Google would return!

Credit me with some research before saying 'make an app for it' !

Thanks for the quick reply though

[mouser]

this might be kind of hard to do, and i'm not sure if it's worth it.. maybe the correct answer in this case is just "get used to it."  hell that's the correct answer for most problems i've found

[skwire]

I should be able to do this one.  Would you please run the attached executable, rotate your volume knob both ways, and report back which VK codes it's using?  You may have to disable any sort of hotkey app that it uses to see the code properly.  Thanks.

[abent professor]

Haha, it's true. 'Get used to it' was my plan for a year.. but I thought if I wrapped up my pain in a comical story about destroying my hearing and missing important plot points in films, someone might take pity and help.

Isn't it just crazily annoying when something just isn't ergonomic, or not *quite right*, counter intuitive.
I mean, seriously, clockwise.. volume up, yes?? But no!


Skwire, you're a legend, thanks. I ran the program and twiddled the wheel and the code 'VKAF' came up for both clockwise and anti. Any help?


No hotkey stuff, I can't stand all that extra bloat software, this is just a wheel in the side, no desktop app doing anything at all.

[skwire]

I ran the program and twiddled the wheel and the code 'VKAF' came up for both clockwise and anti. Any help?

-abent professor (September 14, 2009, 02:31 AM)

Ugh, are you sure it was VKAF for both?  VKAF is VK_VOLUME_UP...VKAE is VK_VOLUME_DOWN.

[skwire]

Actually, now that I think about it...a knob would only have one VK code.  Let me see what I can come up with.

[skwire]

It looks like this is going to have to be solved this via the Windows HID API as demonstrated here: http://www.autohotke...net/~TheGood/AHKHID/

As I don't have access to your laptop, you're going to have to do the bulk of the legwork.  First of all you will need to install AutoHotkey and then download all four files linked at the top of that page.  If you can use examples 1 and 2 on that page to get me the information I need, I can write this for you.  I will assume your device will show on the "Other" tab of example 1 since it's neither a mouse nor a keyboard.  Once you have that TLC info (The UsagePage and Usage numbers), you will need to enter that information into example 2, click Add and then Call, and get me the data that it spits out when you rotate that volume knob.  I hope all this made sense.

[abent professor]

'fraid so. My heart sank a bit when I saw the code was the same for up and down.

Does it really make sense to you, how does the computer know how to interpret one code differently?

[skwire]

Does it really make sense to you, how does the computer know how to interpret one code differently?

-abent professor (September 14, 2009, 05:22 AM)

Yes, it does, since it's handled by the HID API.

[r0bertdenir0]

Wat about a cheat...
Let's say only this dial is changing the master volume.
Now what if you had a AHK script startup & save the current master volume as a baseline.
Then watch for the VKAF code. But let the default keyboard handler adjust volume.
Then compare new volume against previous volume & that difference is yr inversion value.
So if yr baseline is 50, and you adjust the volume to 70, take the difference of 20 & turn yr 50 to 30.
The set 30 as yr new baseline.
Voila inversion!

This could get ugly if the volume change is not low level & AHK gets the scancode b4 the default handler. Then you'd need a timer delay. But that's unlikely since this is probably driver behaviour & also if you turn off AHK's keyboard hook so it gets events last.

I also suspect this wud have a strange sound effect when you turn the dial continuously as the volume would see-saw between what Windows & you're trying 2 do with the volume