Arduino Project Tutorial: Macro Keyboard
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- Опубликовано: 23 июл 2016
- UPDATE 1/7/17: I've uploaded my code seen in the video to my GitHub. I've also uploaded my own links to the .hex firmware files because of the ongoing issues with the original links. All of this can be found here: github.com/BlitzCityDIY/ardui...
Links
mitchtech.net article: mitchtech.net/arduino-usb-hid-...
Arduino reference page on loading firmware: www.arduino.cc/en/Hacking/DFU...
USB HID Usage Table (PDF, page 53 for DEC codes): www.usb.org/developers/hidpage...
Atmel Flip (download the "Java Runtime Included" version to ensure compatibility with Windows 10): www.atmel.com/tools/FLIP.aspx
.hex file downloads
Keyboard: hunt.net.nz/users/darran/weblo...
Arduino Uno (scroll down to about 1/4 of the way down the page to the "Download" section and choose the "Arduino.usb serial.hex"): hunt.net.nz/users/darran/weblo...
Reset your board's firmware at your own risk.
Arduino is an open source micro controller with a huge online community. The types of projects you can build with it are almost endless, and in this video I go through step-by-step how you can build a macro (shortcuts, hot keys, etc.) keyboard with a basic push button circuit, some coding and a change in firmware on the Arduino.
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Thank you! I have long thought about building this kind of keyboard but as you mentioned out, there are only few tutorials out on the internet. This really helps me out.
This is the BEST tutorial I have ever seen on this subject
Nice job - I am working with an accelerometer and arduino as an input to a virtual pinball machine which takes keyboard inputs. I looked at the same article you did (MitchTech), but wimped out and decided to buy a Leonardo which uses the Atmega32U4 and supports keyboard without firmware modification. If I had seen this post before I ordered the Leonardo, I could have saved a little money. Again, good job.
Thank you! And that project sounds awesome!
What a great idea! The possibilities of this project are endless :)
Kudos to your tutorial. I was looking exactly for this. You're a great explainer.
hey there! can u share the link to the flip software? the link on the description isn't working anymore
Nice. Simple yet enough to get anyone started.
Thank you!
Thanks!
Great video and an unassuming gem of a channel. Glad I found you.
Thanks!
This is exactly what I need for my project. Many thanks!
Superb video! Thanks for the explanations, instructions, and demonstration. I must check out more of your vids now! 😎
10/10 Video, just what I was looking for. Thanks for sharing!
feel relax after watching so many videos
Loved the video and I'm gonna make it soon. You should be more famous, you got a sub!😁
Thank you so much, I needed a way to add some keyboard inputs into an arcade machine Im building, this is just what I was needing
Thanks. Really helpful video for my jukebox project. Since i only needs a couple of buttons and this can do that.
But D.. the music is annoying.
keep up the good work.
hope its not to late to say THANK YOU - hope this still works
Muy buen tutorial....Felicitaciones!!!!!
Thank you for this video
Helped me a lot for my project👍👍
Thank you. I tried many ways but it didn't work until I watch your video.
Awesome, so glad it was helpful!
Amazing tutorial 🏆
Thank you ty
Thanks so much for this, been struggling with Flip for a while. Is there an easy way to print entire words, not just single letters/keystrokes? Thanks again!
Thank you. and on my way to try.
My board looks a bit difrent. Can I short circut GND + RESET from the pin area in the POWER line?
nice video thank you everything worked fine and easy!
You're from the electrosmash team!
Thank you!!! Man, I've been searching for this for a while. I do have one question, though. What would you need to do for even more simultaneous keys, like ctrl+shift+s or even crazier like ctrl+shift+alt+s? Is it possible?
Nice Nice Nice.
You are very easy to follow.
Thankyou
Thanks for posting this video!
Unfortunately the website where you got your .hex firmwares is no longer available. Do you know where else can we get them?
Also, can the Mega be flashed with the same .hex or does it need a specific one?
Hey there, I actually have the .hex files on my GitHub: github.com/BlitzCityDIY/arduinoMacroKeyboard Just download the .zip file and you'll get them.The Mega should be able to be flashed with the same .hex because it has the same MCU architecture are the Uno.
Great tutorial, love your videos!
The ".hex file downloads" link isnt working anymore :(
...and I wonder if this can be done with a Mega2560?
I'm wondering the same thing, bcuz I need at least 4 serial input pins, and I don't think any others have that (though I could be wrong, as I've never really messed with Arduino before)
Great video, very informative thanks, you got a new subscriber and thumbs up :O)
this is a cool project, though I do have a couple questions. It seems there are some libraries used in the code that weren't displayed on screen, and also while this does work clearly, why not use a micro or a Leonardo instead since they come compatible with the keyboard library to make the code much simpler? sorry if it comes off wrong, I'm just genuinely curious, is it just because the Uno is generally good for beginner?
Thanks for the tutorial!
Great video! Is it possible to have one button send several commands with short random length delay between each command?
Thanks for the vid. I have the idea to build a similar input tool for excel. In my work i need to input fraction and i think this is totally do-able. Cant wait to show them . Question...do you have resistors in series with each button?
Judge1257 D if you are using a pull-up resistor with the buttons (recommended) then you don’t need a resistor in series.
Hi many thanks for the video. Three questions:
- Is it possible to use all pins on the atmega for inputs i.e. including the analog pins but defined as digital?
- If i want to implement a full size keyboard with more switches than available pins, i need to put them in a grid of rows and columns. Can I follow the same logic as in your example to find which key is active by checking both the rows and columns.
- How can this code be extended to work with multiple keys being pressed at the same time such as: "Ctrl+C" or "Ctrl+Alt+Del"? I understand that the macros you demonstrated are based on single button being pressed, which calls multiple commands in sequence, instead of multiple buttons being pressed at the same time with each one calling a single command.
Very nice tutorial!
I have a question. When shall I write the code on to Arduino? Is it before using Flip or after using Flip? If it is after using Flip, is it possible to write code using Arduino IDE as usual?
thanks! so the proper order is to code in the Arduino IDE, upload the sketch to the Arduino as normal and then use Flip to change to the keyboard firmware. Hope this helps!
Blitz City DIY Thank you for your reply :)
ashimo
Good day, I have
a question, when you turn on the computer on the screen are different
icons by pressing the up or down arrow to highlight the icon to select
it, press enter and open a program, how to make the joystick or keyboard
like the movie works in the same way as the arrow And enter in a normal computer keyboard
Can you please advise on schematic available for a keyboard contaning rotary encoders, inaddition the code
This project is for a Hantek 6254 USB PC based Scope.
Great tutorial!!
One question...
Does this work with a generic arduino uno board?
thanks! and it does, that's actually the board i'm using in the video, but I loaded keyboard firmware onto it for it to work. recently i did see a video and tutorial uploaded showcasing how to make a macro keyboard using the Arduino Pro Micro, which doesn't require firmware to be loaded onto it: www.makeuseof.com/tag/make-custom-shortcut-buttons-arduino/
If you arduino is not recognized by your operating system and you dont know which device to choose, try opening the device manager and press update drivers. Select that you want to use a local driver and navigate to Atmel/Flip X.X.X/usb Windows should now find a driver and install it. The driver will also immediatly show you which device to pick, since the name of the device will be changed accordingly.
THANK YOUUUUUUUUU!!!
I haven't keyboard thing (1:25). Using laptop can be reason for that?
I'll definitely try this thanks:)
can this work with a analog keyboard sending input values between 0 and 1023?
Thank you very much for this video! But I have one question... Can you do the same things while using a bluetooth adapter?
No because Arduino dont have bateries
Hey there! U helped me a lot! I will mention ur channel in my project as a source of knowledge. I have one question! Can I write a complete sentence like a value present on a variable??
Hi, where and which firmware do I use for nano if and when I need to upload arduino firmware again? Is nano firmware the same as uno?
What if i want the arduino to press just one key when I give him a input (for example if I have a joystick connected to my arduino and i want, when I move my stick forward, him to emulate a up arrow)
Hey, I want to just throw multiple keys when the arduino is connected to the PC how can I do that please?
Can i just make a regular keyboard with normal letter to make a controller using the arduino? is the imput lag bigger or then a regular keyboard ? thanks
Nice! Is it possible to use an arduino nano instead? Can I reset my arduino afterwards to the old firmware? Thank you for the video
Yes and yes. I've reset the firmware back and forth countless times. Thanks for watching!
How to use arduino nano board for this, where can I find full procedure
Hello. AWesome tutorial. How many button input arudino can support? Or using stm32 is better for more input?
Would there happen to be a HEX file for a mouse HID?
also, you can type unicode by holding left alt and typing the code on the numpad. (i.e. a smiley is L-ALT + 128512 [on the numpad]) the scancodes for the numpad keys are different, and I guess windows actually cares.
Links are not working anymore, also, can I load the keyboard firmware to the USB and program the microcontroler via the ICSP pins? I'd like to run a lot of tests and don't want to re-load the arduino firmware everytime I want to test a new version of my code.
You've forgot to explain how this thing works.
So, when the original Uno was designed, the designers needed a good USB-serial converter between the PC and the Atmega8 chip (later it was replaced by 328P). FTDI's converter was way too expensive, and the cheap converters weren't around that time (CH340, CP2102), so they chose an Atmega16U2 for this role, because it has hardware USB support.
Now, after you programmed the main chip, you replaced 16U2's firmware to be a keyboard (or maybe a generic USB HID device).
Nowdays most clones use CH340G to save money, you can't replace the firmware on those, so you can't use a clone for this project. Leonardos and Micros have Atmega32U4 with USB support, so you can use those instead (even micro clones will work). Or you can use a micro as a converter, and use a mini the same way the video showed.
Great little project.
Any idea if this work the same with clone boards?
I have a few WavGat Uno R3 boards I'd like to try it with but I'm not sure of which chip to select in Flip.
Thanks. :)
CH340G or Atmega328 i think. but it is not in the flip menu. try to google it
Hi Blitz City DIY!
Firstly, thank you for the video.
I have a problem with the step of Atmel Flip software. When I search for the name of the hardware (chip) that I have, I just found "Arduino UNO (COM6)". Can you help me to solve this?
Does anyone have the reference for the mapping or usage of buf[0], buf[2] and how it is used?
Hi! This project is very interesting but in case i want to build a keyboard i don't want to leave my Arduino Uno into the box. Do you think it's possible to load arduino-code and firmware into another Atmega?
I totally understand about not wanting to leave your Uno in a project. I'd recommend getting a smaller board from Adafruit or Sparkfun that has the same chip so that you can have it be dedicated to the project. The Adafruit Trinket boards are great for this. I actually just used one in a project to control lights inside my computer. Hope this helps!
Thank you Liz, i will try it! :)
why did you have to use the same port you program it with to use as the usb? thats like making a ship in a bottle, just solder on another usb
I'm thinking to control my printer directly from UNO..means that it will print a certain texts..and I think your project can help this thing out
Hey! My arduino uno r3, Atmega328P won't go into dfu mode even if I short the two pins, pls help!
my arduino wont go into dfu mode, should i try and flash a new bootloader or something?
Can you explain the buf[2] vs buf[0] portion of the code?
the hex file link doesnt work, can you update it, I really want to build it, but i can not find another file on the internet.
I have a problem where the keypress actually presses a different key instead of the one I have set. For example, I set the letter Z to 29, but it displays a foreign character. Anyway to go around this?
Jaymagus you dont set keys to their number (ascii code) they allready have set numbers you have to use. For example the key "1" on your keyboard has the ascii code 49 and you cant set nore change that. You have to use 49 as key "1".
Very helpful. Thanks.
Can I do something similar with an arduino nano (CH340) ?
no, sadly no, the uno has a far better usb serial converter, the ch340 was not made for this, hence the lower price point.
Thanks this helped me out, but now I'm having a problem. How do I connect mechanical keyboard switches to the Arduino. And also can I use an Arduino Nano, Pro Mini, Pro Micro to do this?
Lazy Chicken idk if you found an answer but the pro micro has an atmega32u4 chip, which supports keyboard input with the Keyboard.h library
Oh rich girl... Faberge egg collection... Mmmm, lets do coffee? now for a new project... i would also like to send out: Pushbutton-A = F12 command along with a serial rs232 com-port set on CTS=1 start camera scrolling. then: Pushbutton-B = F11 command along with set CTS = 0 stop camera scrolling. to control 2 programs at once. thanks a lot...:) Great keyboard emulator video.
The much easier Keyboard commands/library only work on an Arduino Leonardo/ATmega32u4 processor boards. Does changing the firmware and using digitalread bypass this limitation?
if you mean that the arduino uno is able to be seen as an HID device after following those steps much like those other boards are by default, then yes. if you're asking if the keyboard commands library will work on an uno by changing the firmware, then i'm not sure since i haven't tested but it would certainly be worth a try.
I try to reset pin ICSP, but nothing happen,,, my board cant go to DFU mode,,, still COM 7 detech in device manager,, not atmega16u2,,, may u help me???
Great Tutorial. But how can I make a shortcut with 3 pressed key? (CTRL+SHIFT+Z)
Hi, how can I do a 3-keyshortcut like Ctrl+Alt+t. I saw you did the SHIFT+F10 using buf[0] and buf[2], for my case should I also use buf[1] or whats the logic? How do I do this with more than 2 keys at the same time?.
Thank you
I haven't tried this, but I think the logic would be buf[0], buf[2], buf[2], since a single key press is buf[2]. I believe buf[0] is acting as an initializer to tell the script that more than one key is about to be pressed. I may be wrong, but I would give that a try first.
So you're thinking in something like:
buf[0] = shift
buf[2] = alt
buf[2}=t
wouldn't that just overwrite the buf[2]? Let me give it a try and I'll let you know what happened
If that doesn't work, my next thought would be buf[4] on the 3rd key. so buf[0] = shift; buf[2] = alt; buf[4] = t, since it's working with 8-bit logic
Hi, I have a problem, in the buf[0] = shift i'm using the 225 (as it says that in the pdf table) but it doesn't work. I've tried using the volume changing key, etc and those work but not the shift, ctrl, etc.
Something I realized when trying to use the ctrl is that 224 doesn't work but 0x01 does so I'm a little bit confused in what source could I use to get the id of the other keys
Just saw this and I think it works perfectly to know the
"codes" of each key. Still have to figure out how to use a 3-key-combination gist.github.com/MightyPork/6da26e382a7ad91b5496ee55fdc73db2
what does the buf[2] things mean ?
One of the problems I have is where do you then define pins 3-11? Do you define each one after the void setup() and add individual void setups for each? My code isn't compiling unfortunately
Also, I get releaseKey not defined???
hello, the hex files are not available anymore on that site :(
Hi, yes the domain seemed to expire unexpectedly in January. If you go to my Github link, you can get both .hex files there.
the links to the files are broken is any way to still get them?
BEST VIDEO EVER!!!!!!!!!!
ty you so much for this video after much pacing hair pulling teeth grinding and winding myself up ver a few days your vid turn a light bulb moment i have got further in the ast ten then i have in the last couple days ty
please reply asap! :( my arduino nano doesnt have the reset and ground pins, its different than yours, what should I do if I dont have those pins?
and also my reset button is on the top left corner, not like yours, but mine is UNO aswell :/
im not using an original arduino uno, but cloned UNO with big text saying 'UNO' on it. will it still work for me? It's using CH341SER chip for serial
i have the same question, but reading coment, i see sad news for us. "You've forgot to explain how this thing works.
So, when the original Uno was designed, the designers needed a good USB-serial converter between the PC and the Atmega8 chip (later it was replaced by 328P). FTDI's converter was way too expensive, and the cheap converters weren't around that time (CH340, CP2102), so they chose an Atmega16U2 for this role, because it has hardware USB support.
Now, after you programmed the main chip, you replaced 16U2's firmware to be a keyboard (or maybe a generic USB HID device).
Nowdays most clones use CH340G to save money, you can't replace the firmware on those, so you can't use a clone for this project. Leonardos and Micros have Atmega32U4 with USB support, so you can use those instead (even micro clones will work). Or you can use a micro as a converter, and use a mini the same way the video showed."
PD:sorry for my bad english
Okay, so you loaded the Arduino code then flashed the keyboard hex file, so the arduino code is still on the arduino correct?
I want to integrate this into an IoT project I am working on where I want to connect the arduino wirelessly to send macro commands to my computers. Could I integrate the NRF24L01 Library into this?
Yes exactly. I haven't experimented with that library but if it will be operating within the Arduino code then it should work.
i have a chinese uno, and i dont know how to reset it. It says "USB-SERIAL CH340 (COM6)" in my Devices and Printers. Pls help
I am not able to upload programs after flashing it
I never realized until now that I need a twitch emote macro keyboard in my life
can you explain the purpose and difference of buf[0] and buf[2] and why certain keys go here and there? Or does it matter? What about buf[4], buf[6] ....etc?
great question that i don't have a definite answer for because i based my code on example code, but i'm going to hazard the guess that it's a way to control serial communication. buf is declared as an 8 bit variable in the setup with the option to call a number from 0-7, which would fit into 8 bit data since that's a total of 8 bits. from what i could tell when i was writing my code, buf[0] seemed to allow for the initial key press and then buf[2] would allow for subsequent key presses. i'll experiment to see if other buf[num] calls have different effects or if you experiment and find something please let me know. i am going to be doing an additional video on this project to expand on it and i'll try to research this aspect because i definitely want to understand this better. i think i saw another comment from you about posting the code (can't seem to find the comment now) and i am going to be posting it on GitHub. when the link is live i'll reply to your comment with it and also post it in the video description.
Here is my code on github: github.com/BlitzCityDIY/arduinoMacroKeyboard
Can I turn this into a keystroke injector? Nice video :)
Can this work with MacBook
I am using arduino uno board, I was reset it but my computer not detect DFU it detected unknown device, please help me
after you reset, did you use atmel flip to load the firmware? after you reset, you should be able to use flip to load the firmware to the device via the usb port
I uploaded the script to the Arduino then I reset it and used the Flip. Nothing happened
Hey I'm making a shifter +pedals can u please make me a code with one letter for every number (excluding escape,backspace and enter) i keep Messi g up the code pleeeeease
Thank you!
works with atmega328p?
Hi, Good job!.
I have a problem with FLIP software, AtLibUsbDfu.dll not found > Could not load dynamic library. Please Help me. I have an ELEGOO MEGA2540 R3 & ELEGOO UNO R3. Win 10 OS x64. I can not load the .hex file,,, From Colombia South America. Greetings.
I had the same problem but on Win 10 x84. I also have ELEGOO UNO R3. It should be similar. It had to do with the drivers of the ATmega.
Try going to device manager and look for the chip listed (it probably has some kind of caution or warning icon next to it). Click on it and go to Driver. Click on Update Driver. You can try and have windows try and find one (lol) but it will probably fail. Go to "browse my computer" and navigate to "Flip x.x.x\usb" and hit OK. Let the drivers install and you should be good to go!
There is a vid on youtube somewhere that should help if you get lost.
Many thanks Carl. I tried that way, but I did not get results. In device manager appears to me as COM port and LTP, hardware id \ VID_2341 & PID_0010 & REV_0001. I need help. Thanks
Can i use an Arduino Nano???
I probably should have put the code in first right?
This can be don with arduino mega???
¡Great video! I tried to make a macro keyboard for Zoom meetings but somehow the LEFT ALT KEY doesn't seem to work for me. Anyone knows why it could be?
www.atmel.com/tools/FLIP.aspx isnt working
can you show us how to make this keyboard with bluetooth to use it wireless please :-)
awesome!!! thank you, ......you give me the idea for a million dollar project!!! (just kidding), seriously thank you!!
can not find the files