expired Posted by StefanoM3235 ā¢ Mar 7, 2022
Mar 7, 2022 1:33 AM
Item 1 of 7
Item 1 of 7
expired Posted by StefanoM3235 ā¢ Mar 7, 2022
Mar 7, 2022 1:33 AM
Elgato Stream Deck Controller (version 1) $128
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I use a stream deck for a lot of windows app toolboxes/functions, app window management/placement/states, system config panels/settings, steam gaming functions, etc. I use a usb midi board with physical sliders and knobs along with midi mixer app to control each applications audio individually without having to break out of full-screen exclusive mode and just because I find it more handy that way than using windows' software mixer window. I could do the audio levels per app on the stream deck but I prefer the midi board's sliders and knobs to a +/- button for that particular functionality and it also allows me to keep the stream deck available for the other functions without swapping to audio buttons and back.
Using these just for a "page" of app buttons that launch apps and place apps, min/restore etc (which can all be done with a single multi-state series of buttons presses per app name) alone is enough for these to be great. Add a single "saved window position profile" to a single button and you can shuffle all of your apps back to their pre-set "home" positions at a touch of a button. That and a set of generic placement buttons for whatever is the active window at any given time for when you want to micro-manage which monitor the active window jumps to, some pre-set screen relative location + size cookie-cutter buttons, fullscreen/restore toggle, etc. I practically never have to drag or resize a window ever in the years since I got my stream deck - even using a three screen array. Having all off the most handy operating system panels available is nice too. Throwing in the toolboxes/shortcuts for photoshop/gimp etc is very useful also. There are so many other things they are useful for though.
What I like:
- Tactile buttons are nice
- The displays are cool - I can display things like stock movement up and down
- The buttons control a lot - I have it linked to home assistant so that I can run home automation shortcuts quietly without having to get a separate scene switch or speak to Alexa (late night use when others are asleep).
- If I was a streamer, or if I was simply making content, I'd probably find it nice having 15 accessible shortcuts handy
What I don't like:
- Your PC needs to be on for it to work. If you're streaming, this is a non-issue. If you're using it for other things, then a PC being on all the time is going to make this manageable. This is a non-issue for me most of the time. I'm thinking of ways to run this on a media server to keep it up all the time without needing a PC
- You get 15 shortcuts, and to the best of my knowledge, you can only switch them in the software app. It'd be handy to be able to do this right from the streamdeck.
I think you might be able to flip all off the screens/buttons on them upside down potentially so you could make the wire come out of the bottom though it might require dremeling the stand or something to feed the wire underneath. I haven't really looked into that yet.
Apparently there were some requests made a year ago for flipping the icons upside down so elgato is aware of people asking for that capability to be built in globally. As far as I know the only way to do it is to use custom icons and flip them upside down and rename them in an image editor like gimp.
I.e.
mic.audio.mute.icon-1.png ... to.. mic.audio.mute_upside-down_icon-1.png
mic.audio.unmute.icon-1.png ... to.. mic.audio.unmute_upside-down_icon-1.png
I'd have to dig through google results to see if there are plugins to do this instead or any progress from elgato on that front.
If I were to do it in gimp I'd make a whole subfolder of the twin upside down version of all of my custom icons, then flip the stream deck upside down. That of course doesn't work for the built in text labeling of the buttons in the elgato app, only your custom icones/screen captured images as icons and any image editor text on them that you flipped manually.
Incidentally there are some 3d printed custom stands you can but online for these or maybe find the specs for one if you have a 3d printer. That or if you are handy with wood you could make one that way too.
https://m.media-amazon.com/images...-xjANS.jpg
Elgato Streamdeck 1st vs 2nd Gen Comparison and Unboxing
Smart Tech with Professor Tirado
https://www.amazon.com/vdp/02aea2...77cec3
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- You get 15 shortcuts, and to the best of my knowledge, you can only switch them in the software app. It'd be handy to be able to do this right from the streamdeck.
You can make multiple pages, and even have the icons change based on the context of what application you are using at the moment.
I use it to launch and place apps to predesignated locations like tiles almost. I also have a saved window position profile so I can shuffle all of my windows back to their "home" positions with a single button. I also have location+size buttons set up to place whatever generic window is active in preset locations like 66% bottom of my portrait mode screen, 33% top, or buttons for 3rds of the screen so I can stack 3 windows on top of each other like a totem pole. That and a maximize/restore toggle button. I also have a button for each screen with a picture of each screen on it which moves the active window to a preset location on that screen (the bottom 40% of the portrait screens or the middle of my landscape center media/gaming screen).
You can also mute/un-mute mic, toggle or multi-stage button press between audio out devices (the icons can also change to reflect each state or device).
Opening commonly used windows settings panels is another good use, opening folders, screen shotting different ways (selection window, full-screen, video capture).
I have a button set up to launch steam big picture or go back to desktop steam as a toggle button. Also a forced close and re-launch steam button in case it ever gets buggy or locks up.
There is a ton more you can do with these. I have a lot of pages of buttons set up by category that I drill down to from the root "page" of buttons where they act more like folder headings.
Takes a little work to set up all the plugins/functions but that's part of the fun for me. Growing my library of functions/plugins and setting them up to my usage habits and personal taste.
Here is my window management "page". I like to keep this one up all the time so I eventually bought another stream deck so I could leave one on this most of the time.
https://i.imgur.com/EOKDETC.png
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