TinyBoard
USB keyboard proxy
Overview
TinyBoard is a keyboard proxy that lets you control another device with your Mac. The project is based on the Raytac MDBT50Q-RX and provides custom Arduino-based firmware and a corresponding macOS app. The MDBT50Q-RX plugs into the device you wish to control, and the Mac app forwards whatever you type on your Mac keyboard using Bluetooth.
The TinyBoard is perfect for controlling devices like the MiSTer or Raspberry Pi on-the-go
Getting One
Right now, you'll have to buy a Raytac MDBT50Q-RX from Adafruit, flash it, and build the macOS app yourself. It's best to buy from Adafruit as they sell versions pre-flashed with the TinyUF2 boot loader which makes it easy to flash with the Arduino IDE.
If there's enough demand for pre-flashed devices I'm open to selling some flashed ones at a small markup.
Development
TinyBoard follows the version numbering, build and signing conventions for InSeven Limited apps. Further details can be found here.
Commits
Commit messages conform to Conventional Commits and use the following scopes to distinguish between changes in different components:
- firmware – changes the Raytac MDBT50Q-RX firmware
- macOS – changes to the macOS app
For example, a change to the macOS app might the following description:
feat(macOS): Support for macOS Ventura
Firmware
- Install the latest Arduino IDE (2.0.0 at the time of writing).
- Add the Adafruit-specific board support index by adding
https://adafruit.github.io/arduino-board-index/package_adafruit_index.jsonto the additional boards manager URLs in the Arduino preferences. - Install the required board board support by opening the Boards Manager (Tools > Board > Boards Manager...) and searching for and installing 'Adafruit nRF52' (version 1.2.0 at the time of writing).
- Install 'Adafruit TinyUSB Library' from the Library Manager (version 1.14.4).
- Install 'bluemicro_hid' (version 0.0.6).
Debugging
xev is useful for debugging TinyBoard output.
Licensing
TinyBoard is licensed under the MIT License (see LICENSE).