5 ms·

Cheap BlueTooth Buttons and Linux

113 points by edent 11y ago

Palomides 11y ago
neat, but I was kinda hoping for a hardware hack, or looking at the contents of the eeprom. Maybe I'll have to grab one myself.
- edent 11y ago
  Do it! They're a couple of quid each, so well worth experimenting with.
  - Palomides 11y ago
    is there anything on the other side of the PCB? it's nice that there are all those labeled test points on top, wonder what the UART interface is like.
    - edent 11y ago
      Nothing on the other side, sadly.
bmsleight_ 11y ago
Wonder if not British reader will get "half-inched" :)
- BWStearns 11y ago
  I was wondering about that one. Any chance you can translate?
  - edent 11y ago
    http://www.cockneyrhymingslang.co.uk/slang/half_inch http://www.cockneyrhymingslang.co.uk/slang/half_inch
  - DanBC 11y ago
    Half inched - pinched - stolen.
bmsleight_ 11y ago
Wonder if not British reader will get "half-inched" :)
digi_owl 11y ago
> After a few minutes of idleness, the device goes to sleep. Pressing any button wakes it up and repairs the connection - but then another button press is required to send a key press. The pairing process only takes a couple of seconds, so it's not quite instant. That may be the biggest gripe people have with bluetooth input devices. That once asleep, it takes noticeable time before it wakes back up and during that time all inputs are /dev/null-ed.
- Qerub 11y ago
  The Flic button (https://flic.io/ https://flic.io/) does not have that problem.
  - edent 11y ago
    Flic uses BLE (Bluetooth 4). It also costs 10x as much as the regular BT buttons. Can't wait for BLE to drop to mass market prices.
    - jc4p 11y ago
      When the ESP8266 successor, the ESP32 comes out you'll be set: https://www.sparkfun.com/news/2017 https://www.sparkfun.com/news/2017 For now, you can always buy your own bluetooth LE modules and attach them to a small microcontroller, for buttons, you could make your own wall buttons with nice enclosures or go the ridiculous route: https://www.adafruit.com/products/1185 https://www.adafruit.com/products/1185
      - StavrosK 11y ago
        I made a WiFi button for pretty much the same purpose: https://www.stavros.io/posts/emergency-food-button/ https://www.stavros.io/posts/emergency-food-button/ A bit latent, but doesn't require a second press.
        edent 11y ago
        That's brilliant! I'd never have thought of designing my own hardware. Kudos
sounds 11y ago
Thanks for this! I think I'll grab one and play around with it. If you created a github repo with the python script, I could star it, or post anything I find in the eeprom etc.
swang 11y ago
> Selfie sticks - like most modern inventions - are utter tosh. Proceeds to hack a Bluetooth button so he can turn on his lights...
- manyxcxi 11y ago
  Yeah but one is an exercise in thought and engineering while the other is typically an exercise in vapidity and narcicissim. What the OP learns about this BT button could transfer to him building his own that works better, then coming up with an derivative that has market appeal and now they're employing people and engaging the market. It probably won't happen but that person with a selfie stick is NEVER doing anything for society with that selfie stick. It's not about the importance of the task, in my opinion, but the mindfulness of the task that makes something worth while. I too look down on selfie sticks, but primarily because they've become such a pain in the ass- go to a crowded tourist spot (especially an international tourist spot) and it's been made worse by now having to weave through a mass of humanity and trying not to get hit in the face by a long aluminum stick. I also think the self centered nature of them is annoying as well. Seeing them kind of reminds me of something out of Idiocracy.
  - StavrosK 11y ago
    How is taking photos of yourself vapid? For most people, that's the only kind of photographs worth taking. They're a documentary of your life.
    - manyxcxi 11y ago
      I say typically as I pictured the teenager taking 30 selfie snaps a day for their Snapchat timeline. Or the bro grabbing a quick gym shot for Instagram. To be fair, I should have said stereotypically. The selfies where you're capturing a moment or something interesting (like a tourist spot) aren't so vapid, but when that tourist destination is filled to the brim with people and a very large percentage have 3-5 foot aluminum poles swinging around it really sucks. There's still a sense of narcicissim to it when you're streaming your vacation to your Facbook/Snapchat/Instagram feeds real time. I get putting a couple shots up at the end of the night or trip, but I swear I could create an itinerary for some people's vacation down to the half hour. Whatever happened to gathering the group around and getting someone to snap the shot for you? I don't take a lot of photos on vacation because I like to really soak it all in- and all I take is my iPhone as my camera. So I'll get some goofy shots, some shots with the wife, and maybe some really interesting or beautiful things I just really want to be able to look at again. I might take only 20 photos in a week long trip.
teekert 11y ago
It's nice that it's BlueTooth and a small button but the same effect, but instant, can be achieved with a 434 MHz receiver [0] and any remote that can switch wireless powerplugs like [1]. The sending units (that can be addressed using GPIO pins) are very small [2] so no doubt there are small button varieties. [0] https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10532 https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10532 [1] https://www.google.nl/search?q=impul+electro&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=lfDIVsfrCsixaZzsiUg#q=impuls+electro+remote&tbm=shop https://www.google.nl/search?q=impul+electro&ie=utf-8&oe=utf... [2] http://www.watterott.com/de/RF-Link-Sender-434MHz http://www.watterott.com/de/RF-Link-Sender-434MHz
moron4hire 11y ago
I use one of these as an input device with my smartphone in a stereo viewer. I like it better than the Google Cardboard bumper or even a full gamepad.
IshKebab 11y ago
If you want a nice BLE button, I can recommend these: http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Bluetooth-key-finder-nRF51822-chipset-Android_60339669204.html?spm=a2700.7724857.29.55.FeHkKk http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Bluetooth-key-finder-n... Alibaba is confusing and shit as always, but they're manufactured by Shenzhen Minew Technologies Co., Ltd. - minewtech.com and the model number is "F1". Inside it is an nRF51822, a button, an LED and a buzzer (which isn't very loud sadly). The key thing is that the nRF51822 is fully documented (so you can make your own radio protocols if you want - it also supports BLE), and is supported by mBed so it is really easy to program.
Sidnicious 11y ago
Last night, I was playing with a little Bluetooth tag the host of a hackathon gave out to all the attendees. I threw some pictures up here: https://sidnicio.us/btle-tag.html https://sidnicio.us/btle-tag.html It supports BTLE, so you can talk to it without any pairing and leave it turned on without (supposedly) using much power. If your computer has the right hardware, it should be incredibly easy to write a program which listens for button presses. I used an iOS app called LightBlue to poke at it. The app lets you scan for BTLE devices and read/write/subscribe to properties. I love the idea of dedicated hardware controls for computers. I thought of making this a work-in-progress commit button, which quickly makes a “WIP” commit to your current project. Maybe other people have even cooler ideas?

113 points by edent 11y ago

neat, but I was kinda hoping for a hardware hack, or looking at the contents of the eeprom. Maybe I'll have to grab one myself.

edent 11y ago
Do it! They're a couple of quid each, so well worth experimenting with.
- Palomides 11y ago
  is there anything on the other side of the PCB? it's nice that there are all those labeled test points on top, wonder what the UART interface is like.
  - edent 11y ago
    Nothing on the other side, sadly.

bmsleight_ 11y ago

Wonder if not British reader will get "half-inched" :)

BWStearns 11y ago
I was wondering about that one. Any chance you can translate?
- edent 11y ago
  http://www.cockneyrhymingslang.co.uk/slang/half_inch http://www.cockneyrhymingslang.co.uk/slang/half_inch
- DanBC 11y ago
  Half inched - pinched - stolen.

bmsleight_ 11y ago

Wonder if not British reader will get "half-inched" :)

digi_owl 11y ago

> After a few minutes of idleness, the device goes to sleep. Pressing any button wakes it up and repairs the connection - but then another button press is required to send a key press. The pairing process only takes a couple of seconds, so it's not quite instant. That may be the biggest gripe people have with bluetooth input devices. That once asleep, it takes noticeable time before it wakes back up and during that time all inputs are /dev/null-ed.

Qerub 11y ago
The Flic button (https://flic.io/ https://flic.io/) does not have that problem.
- edent 11y ago
  Flic uses BLE (Bluetooth 4). It also costs 10x as much as the regular BT buttons. Can't wait for BLE to drop to mass market prices.
  - jc4p 11y ago
    When the ESP8266 successor, the ESP32 comes out you'll be set: https://www.sparkfun.com/news/2017 https://www.sparkfun.com/news/2017 For now, you can always buy your own bluetooth LE modules and attach them to a small microcontroller, for buttons, you could make your own wall buttons with nice enclosures or go the ridiculous route: https://www.adafruit.com/products/1185 https://www.adafruit.com/products/1185
    - StavrosK 11y ago
      I made a WiFi button for pretty much the same purpose: https://www.stavros.io/posts/emergency-food-button/ https://www.stavros.io/posts/emergency-food-button/ A bit latent, but doesn't require a second press.
      - edent 11y ago
        That's brilliant! I'd never have thought of designing my own hardware. Kudos

sounds 11y ago

Thanks for this! I think I'll grab one and play around with it. If you created a github repo with the python script, I could star it, or post anything I find in the eeprom etc.

swang 11y ago

> Selfie sticks - like most modern inventions - are utter tosh. Proceeds to hack a Bluetooth button so he can turn on his lights...

manyxcxi 11y ago
Yeah but one is an exercise in thought and engineering while the other is typically an exercise in vapidity and narcicissim. What the OP learns about this BT button could transfer to him building his own that works better, then coming up with an derivative that has market appeal and now they're employing people and engaging the market. It probably won't happen but that person with a selfie stick is NEVER doing anything for society with that selfie stick. It's not about the importance of the task, in my opinion, but the mindfulness of the task that makes something worth while. I too look down on selfie sticks, but primarily because they've become such a pain in the ass- go to a crowded tourist spot (especially an international tourist spot) and it's been made worse by now having to weave through a mass of humanity and trying not to get hit in the face by a long aluminum stick. I also think the self centered nature of them is annoying as well. Seeing them kind of reminds me of something out of Idiocracy.
- StavrosK 11y ago
  How is taking photos of yourself vapid? For most people, that's the only kind of photographs worth taking. They're a documentary of your life.
  - manyxcxi 11y ago
    I say typically as I pictured the teenager taking 30 selfie snaps a day for their Snapchat timeline. Or the bro grabbing a quick gym shot for Instagram. To be fair, I should have said stereotypically. The selfies where you're capturing a moment or something interesting (like a tourist spot) aren't so vapid, but when that tourist destination is filled to the brim with people and a very large percentage have 3-5 foot aluminum poles swinging around it really sucks. There's still a sense of narcicissim to it when you're streaming your vacation to your Facbook/Snapchat/Instagram feeds real time. I get putting a couple shots up at the end of the night or trip, but I swear I could create an itinerary for some people's vacation down to the half hour. Whatever happened to gathering the group around and getting someone to snap the shot for you? I don't take a lot of photos on vacation because I like to really soak it all in- and all I take is my iPhone as my camera. So I'll get some goofy shots, some shots with the wife, and maybe some really interesting or beautiful things I just really want to be able to look at again. I might take only 20 photos in a week long trip.

teekert 11y ago

It's nice that it's BlueTooth and a small button but the same effect, but instant, can be achieved with a 434 MHz receiver [0] and any remote that can switch wireless powerplugs like [1]. The sending units (that can be addressed using GPIO pins) are very small [2] so no doubt there are small button varieties. [0] https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10532 https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10532 [1] https://www.google.nl/search?q=impul+electro&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=lfDIVsfrCsixaZzsiUg#q=impuls+electro+remote&tbm=shop https://www.google.nl/search?q=impul+electro&ie=utf-8&oe=utf... [2] http://www.watterott.com/de/RF-Link-Sender-434MHz http://www.watterott.com/de/RF-Link-Sender-434MHz

moron4hire 11y ago

I use one of these as an input device with my smartphone in a stereo viewer. I like it better than the Google Cardboard bumper or even a full gamepad.

IshKebab 11y ago

If you want a nice BLE button, I can recommend these: http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Bluetooth-key-finder-nRF51822-chipset-Android_60339669204.html?spm=a2700.7724857.29.55.FeHkKk http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Bluetooth-key-finder-n... Alibaba is confusing and shit as always, but they're manufactured by Shenzhen Minew Technologies Co., Ltd. - minewtech.com and the model number is "F1". Inside it is an nRF51822, a button, an LED and a buzzer (which isn't very loud sadly). The key thing is that the nRF51822 is fully documented (so you can make your own radio protocols if you want - it also supports BLE), and is supported by mBed so it is really easy to program.

Sidnicious 11y ago

Last night, I was playing with a little Bluetooth tag the host of a hackathon gave out to all the attendees. I threw some pictures up here: https://sidnicio.us/btle-tag.html https://sidnicio.us/btle-tag.html It supports BTLE, so you can talk to it without any pairing and leave it turned on without (supposedly) using much power. If your computer has the right hardware, it should be incredibly easy to write a program which listens for button presses. I used an iOS app called LightBlue to poke at it. The app lets you scan for BTLE devices and read/write/subscribe to properties. I love the idea of dedicated hardware controls for computers. I thought of making this a work-in-progress commit button, which quickly makes a “WIP” commit to your current project. Maybe other people have even cooler ideas?