PUB! Programmable USB Button

Program a button to send keystrokes to your computer

PUB! is a Programmable USB Button on which you can program a sequence of keystrokes. When you press the button those keystrokes are "replayed" over a USB connection.

The button (really a rotary encoder with a built-in push button switch) is programmed using an innovative and slightly quirky interface that does not require any custom software to be installed on your computer. All you need is a text editor like Notepad or gedit.

Features

• One-button design (a rotary encoder with a built in switch).
• Programmed by using an ordinary text editor as a display (for example, gedit on Linux, or Notepad on Windows).
• Up to 127 keystrokes can be recorded and played back.
• Support for conditional logic. For example, Compare to value, Jump on zero, etc.
• Support for 256 x 8-bit "registers" to record state.
• Support for basic arithmetic. Add, subtract, etc.
• Can send USB System Control codes (Power off, sleep, wake) to your PC
• Can send USB Consumer Device functions (e.g. Mute, Play, Pause, Stop, etc.)
• Requires NO drivers (or custom software) for Windows/Linux etc

Futures

The possibilities are fairly broad including:
- Using a Bluetooth module to detect proximity of the button owner's mobile phone so that the USB button is only enabled when its owner is near.
- Addition of an external EEPROM for extra keystroke capacity.
- The one-button user interface could be improved to make it easier to use.

Construction

See http://www.instructables.com/id/PUB-Programmable-USB-Button/

How To Use

You want to program your password onto the PUB! button

• Open a text editing program (for example, gedit or Notepad) and make sure it has keyboard focus
• Plug PUB! into a host USB port

• By default it is in RUN mode, so press and hold the rotary encoder knob for more than 1 second to switch to PROGRAM mode. It will display in your text editor:

    PUB! Programmable USB Button v0.93
    Main:   Turn=Select, Press=OK, Press+Turn=Set At, Press+Hold=Exit
       0    Set Keystroke at 00
    At Code Action
  

• Press the rotary knob to set a keystroke. It will display:

    PUB! Programmable USB Button v0.93
    Key:    Turn=Select, Press+Turn=Modify, Press=OK, Press+Hold=Return
    00 0004 a
    At Code Action
  

• Turn the rotary knob to choose the first letter of your password (say c) and then press the knob to add it to the list of actions:

    PUB! Programmable USB Button v0.93
    Key:    Turn=Select, Press+Turn=Modify, Press=OK, Press+Hold=Return
    01 0006 c
    At Code Action
    00 0006 c
  

• Continue choosing and adding the remaining letters (say, a and t):

    PUB! Programmable USB Button v0.93
    Key:    Turn=Select, Press+Turn=Modify, Press=OK, Press+Hold=Return
    03 0017 t
    At Code Action
    00 0006 c
    01 0004 a
    02 0017 t
  

• Press and hold the rotary knob to Return to the main menu:

    PUB! Programmable USB Button v0.93
    Main:   Turn=Select, Press=OK, Press+Turn=Set At, Press+Hold=Exit
       0    Set Keystroke at 03
    At Code Action
    00 0006 c
    01 0004 a
    02 0017 t
  

• Rotate the knob until "Do Local Function" is displayed:

    PUB! Programmable USB Button v0.93
    Main:   Turn=Select, Press=OK, Press+Turn=Set At, Press+Hold=Exit
       0    Do Local Function at 03
    At Code Action
    00 0006 c
    01 0004 a
    02 0017 t
  

• Press the knob to enter the "Do" menu:

      PUB! Programmable USB Button v0.93
      Do:     Turn=Modify, Press=OK, Press+Turn=Set At, Press+Hold=Exit
         0    Delete action at 00
      At Code Action
      00 0006 c
      01 0004 a
      02 0017 t
  

• Press-and-rotate the knob anticlockwise until "Save to EEPROM" is displayed:

    PUB! Programmable USB Button v0.93
    Do:     Turn=Modify, Press+Turn=Select, Press=OK, Press+Hold=Return
            Save to EEPROM
    At Code Action
    00 0006 c
    01 0004 a
    02 0017 t
  

• Press the knob to save "cat" to the EEPROM

    Saved in EEPROM
  

• The device is now in RUN mode. Press the knob to "play" the recorded sequence:

    cat
  

An example of some conditional logic

• Enter the following program into the PUB! device:

    At Code Action
    00 E005 Let W = 05
    01 E200 Put W in R00
    02 0006 c
    03 0004 a
    04 0017 t
    05 002C Space
    06 E500 Say R00
    07 0028 Enter
    08 EF01 Wait 1 sec
    09 E801 Let W = W - 01
    0A F701 Jump if Not Zero to 01
  

• Now when you press the knob in run mode you should see the following displayed (1 second wait between lines):

    cat 05
    cat 04
    cat 03
    cat 02
    cat 01