Home-grown, just like momma used to make.... Affordable Single-Step and 3-Step Transcription Pedals

It all started out with an idea...  :)

When I first got hired as an IC, it meant that I'll be needing to provide myself with my own set of transcriptions equipment.  PC - check, headset - check, pedal -- darn! So I stared to browse around the web for a transcriptions pedal only to find out that the Infinitys and the Olympuses cost an arm and a leg (the cheapest one will set you back by 4 grand) and is not within reach of the average guy, especially the onese who's just starting to get into this business.  

Then I happened to stumble upon Sulit.com.ph, a great free ads site, and found some local folks who manufacture transcription pedals, I was able to get meslef a neat single-step USB pedal which set me back around P1,750 (including the delivery fee).  

The pedal worked great, and the price, although relatively cheap when compared to the imported models, are still too steep for the common Pinoy.  So then came the idea of building one, I'm a B.S. Electrical Engineering graduate anyway so there's no sense of letting all those gruelling hours of physics and electronics classes go to waste. :)

Hopping  around the different electronics forum which abound the web, I studied what makes it tick, I also took apart the single-step i bought to see what makes it tick (and it's a tribute to good old Filipino ingenuity, really).

I first came up with a single-step using a 9-pin serial connector and a plastic foot pedal (the ones used in sewing machines) and when i got it to work, I tried to offer it to my officemates (most of them my staff, so they'll find it hard to refuse :P) for P800 a pop.

From there, i tried to improve the design and worked on building a three-way pedal, and because the plastics foot pedal housings were a bit on the expensive side, I decided to build my own housing instead, made of sheet metal -- that way, it'd be more durable and would be able to handle all the stress that a person working on crappy audio could dish out.  :P

If you have the time, please check out my home-grown foot pedals -- in 3-way and single-step designs and in available in USB/9-pin Serial/15-pin gameport configurations at www.sulit.com.ph/homebasedtrans.  They're solidly built, and best of all, it's strategically priced to be well-within the reach of your average Juan DelaCruz.

I've also posted instructions on how to build one for those who, despite my budget-friendly price, is still unable to buy one.  I'll echo what i said in my ad -- it'd be a shame if someone with the right skills, be deterred just because of some money issues. So if you're just starting out, and you're willing to invest to becoming a full-time professional transcriptionist, consider my products first, if you don't have the cash, just follow the instructions and you'd be able to build something that works for P500, or you could buy the more expensive ones, whichever best fits you needs - (though I'd very much prefer that you choose mine LOLs).

Till next time, happy transcribing!!! 

Rock and roll!!