Genuino 101 to control keyboard? [Solved but Contentions]

So stuff like this https://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/MouseKeyboard I don't think works with the udoo board. I can't get it to compile. I need to fire off keystrokes based on inputs from the 101. Is this not possible with this board?

 

Only Arduino boards using an ATmega32u4 microcontroller (Leonardo and Micro), and to some extent the Due and Zero, support a mouse and keyboard. The Arduino 101 MC does not.

This is an article that describes how to use buttons to simulate keyboard-like functions with non-32u4 Arduinos that may help you: http://mitchtech.net/arduino-usb-hid-keyboard/ . This is a complex process, so proceed at your own risk.

 

Man. That seems like massive oversight. I can still do some serial port monitoring or something like that, but that's rough. I should have done my homework better, but you'd think an embedded controller, could, well... control.

 

To be clear, this limitation is the result of the Arduino (Genuion) microcontroller spec., and not UDOO's implementation of the 101.

 

Oh yea, I know. I wasn't trying to say nothing bad. I'm sure I can find a module or something too that I can connect. Now I just wish another one of those boards were integrated, but I imagine it's some sort of partnership.

 

You can use an arduino host shield to do that. This is the official one but many "cheaper Chinese" version exists.
https://store.arduino.cc/usa/arduino-usb-host-shield

 

@Ryan Lewkowicz - You need to be careful about Shield compatibility in general with the 101 since it operates at only 3.3v. This discussion may help: https://github.com/felis/USB_Host_Shield_2.0/issues/219

 

I think I'm just going to code up a serial interface to run key presses. I been looking for a simple golang project to start on. Just something to get my feet wet. I think this will be perfect. I have a capacitive touch shield hooked up and what I'll do is just have the serial port spit out a letter which I can assign to a pin. There's already go libraries out there for reading serial input so it will be real simple just to have it read and then press whatever key the serial output says. Then I can just put out a simple executable that runs anywhere and then anyone can use it no fuss.

 

[Solved but contentions]

So I made it work, but I'm fairly astounded at how non trivial this was. I tried going the golang route, and it's very possible I was just overloading the buffer (which I resolved later, but the bash solution works nicely so I didn't bother checking), but It wasn't working like I needed it to. I was going to upload the file, but the forum won't let me. Regardless, I just used bash.

First you need xdotool:

Code:

apt install xdotool

Then you run this in a script:

Code:

stty -F /dev/ttyACM0 raw
stty -F /dev/ttyACM0 -echo
while read -rs -n 1 c
do
  xdotool keydown key $c
done < /dev/ttyACM0

This is my sketch for the MPR121:

Code:

#include <Adafruit_MPR121.h>
#include <Wire.h>


// You can have up to 4 on one i2c bus but one is enough for testing!
Adafruit_MPR121 cap = Adafruit_MPR121();

// Keeps track of the last pins touched
// so we know when buttons are 'released'
uint16_t lasttouched = 0;
uint16_t currtouched = 0;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);

  while (!Serial) { // needed to keep leonardo/micro from starting too fast!
    delay(10);
  }
 
  Serial.println("Adafruit MPR121 Capacitive Touch sensor test");
 
  // Default address is 0x5A, if tied to 3.3V its 0x5B
  // If tied to SDA its 0x5C and if SCL then 0x5D
  if (!cap.begin(0x5A)) {
    Serial.println("MPR121 not found, check wiring?");
    while (1);
  }
  Serial.println("MPR121 found!");
}

void loop() {
  // Get the currently touched pads
  currtouched = cap.touched();

  char doot[13] = "abcdefghijkl";
 
  for (uint8_t i=0; i<12; i++) {
    // it if *is* touched and *wasnt* touched before, alert!
    if ((currtouched & _BV(i))) {
      Serial.println(doot[i]);
      delay(100);
    }
  }
}

I'm actually very frustrated that a simple library for this is not provided. There's this:
https://github.com/mo10/Curie-bluetooth-HID-library

But I guess I don't feel like I should have to dig around in an undocumented library to use features I would expect out of the box. Had I known there was no outbound HID support (I'm not certain the shield would provide that support going outbound, or at the least in a trivial manner), I would have just bought a nuc and a more appropriate micro controller (the internet says I'm far from the first to make this mistake). This isn't on udoo, but if they have a partnership, and any modicum of leverage they should lean on the native provider to add a well maintained functional library

 

@Ryan Lewkowicz - Nice work!