computer science

Prodikeys

Prodikeys is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Prodikeys rather than just read about it. In short: Prodikeys is a music and computer keyboard. It was created by Singaporean audio company Creative Technology.

Key takeaways

Prodikeys belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Prodikeys to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Prodikeys from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Prodikeys is a music and computer keyboard. It was created by Singaporean audio company Creative Technology. So far, three different versions of Prodikeys have been launched: Creative Prodikeys, Creative Prodikeys DM and Creative Prodikeys PC-MIDI. The products are computer keyboards, extended by 37 mini-sized MIDI keyboard at the bottom. The MIDI keyboard is placed under a detachable palm cover. Prodikeys can also be used as a MIDI controller for third-party MIDI software. It supports Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Linux, but is incompatible with newer versions of Windows or Mac OS. Prodikeys gained popularity on the Internet after one of its product demonstration videos went viral after its release in 2003; in it, Paul Seow shows the keyboard's keys functioning as drum pads by playing a simple rock beat, but eventually culminating in an unexpected drum solo.

Prodikeys Software The products are shipped with an additional software. It includes the following features:

EasyNotes is a software to learn to play melodies on the keyboard. It comes with an included song library which can be extended with MIDI files by the user. EasyNotes supports music format in SEQ and MIDI. FunMix can create and record own music with pre-arranged mixes. HotKeys Manager is a tool to customize the keyboard's hotkeys functions to change access to the software suite. Mini Keyboard is a keyboard software with a sound library of more than 100 instrument sounds like piano, flute, guitar and drums. Prodikeys Launcher is a Launcher for the software suite. It also has an interactive tutorial.

Prodikeys DM The Prodikeys DM has one single mini-DIN connector for the PS/2 port and is therefore detected as a regular typing keyboard. The included Windows software communicates with the keyboard driver in order to send and receive MIDI data over the PS/2 line. This protocol has been partly reverse-engineered, making it possible to use the Prodikeys DM on a regular USB port using an Arduino microcontroller as an adaptor.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Prodikeys

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Prodikeys claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Prodikeys before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Prodikeys ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Prodikeys

In research: Prodikeys appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Prodikeys in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Prodikeys is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer hardware stubs, Computer keyboards, Keyboard instruments, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Prodikeys outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Prodikeys in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Prodikeys means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Prodikeys out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Prodikeys in simple terms?

Prodikeys is a music and computer keyboard. It was created by Singaporean audio company Creative Technology.

Why does Prodikeys matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Prodikeys?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Prodikeys.