Firmware

8BitDo produces great gaming accessories, including PC peripherals like the Retro 18 Mechanical Numpad. I recently bought one and was intrigued by the possibility of hacking it. Many 8BitDo devices feature firmware upgrades; some offer extensive configuration options, and others hide undisclosed features. I wanted to see whether I could adapt my numpad to emulate the ancient Canon LS-100TKM built-in calculator mode, which was able to send results from the onboard display to the computer as key presses. Ultimately, it proved nearly impossible, so I submitted a feature request to 8BitDo. However, I’ll share my journey, since most online discussions merely noted the challenges of modifying 8BitDo firmware without offering practical guidance.