Arduino as a hotkey input device!

Arduino Nano

Push Button

Visual Studio 2022

SSD1306 OLED Display

<html><body>This requires the additional windows application to function but on itself can be a nice lesson in using the serial port to send and receive data.The Arduino has 4 push buttons (only one in the picture though) and an I2C OLED screen, it is used to send button presses to an application running on Windows by sending a string over the serial port, this data is then received by the Windows application which processes it and launches the assigned application or runs the specified macro file.I've assigned 4 buttons but you could easily modify the code to allow for more. On power-up, the Arduino sends a unique ID to serial every 100ms, the Windows application uses this string to identify the correct port and once received, it sends a command back to the Arduino so it knows it has been detected, the time is then initiated and it becomes ready for use. Everything is automatic, all you need to do is set the Arduino up, upload the code, connect to any available USB port and run the application! I have been generous with commenting so it should be quite easy to walk through, keep an eye on the GitHub repo if you want to keep up with updates.Wiring up the Arduino is simple:OLED (I2C):GND &gt; GNDVCC &gt; 5vSCL &gt; A5SDA &gt; A4Buttons:D8, D9, D10, D11, and all GND of course. No need for resistors.<figure><img src="https://projects.arduinocontent.cc/f74946c6-de77-4af2-8276-633da7985efe.png"/><figcaption>Not connected state</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://projects.arduinocontent.cc/238a3f35-cb30-42e9-adc5-10201e2f033e.png"/><figcaption>Connected state</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://projects.arduinocontent.cc/22459b98-0b41-413d-b06f-4979c1c230dc.png"/><figcaption>Application launch</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://projects.arduinocontent.cc/df7406ee-7894-4d95-afc4-169d359a5360.png"/><figcaption>Main application screen</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://projects.arduinocontent.cc/5319122f-ab59-4f4e-8e31-a4eb7451d995.png"/><figcaption>Macro creator</figcaption></figure></body></html>

Arduino as a hotkey input device!

Paired with a C# application, you can assign applications or macros to run on your computer with a single button press!