This web site collects together a few ideas, demos, and experiments.

I am interested in sailing, and electronics. I also have an interest in PIC micro controllers, after using one to turn on a cassette recorder to record the Radio 4 Shipping forecast while on a yacht away from the marina.

Please follow the links at the top of the page.

Wiki | gb |

lock

Hobbies

This web page is a hobby site.

Ideas

At some point, my site will be migrated here.

Doug's Wiki

I use my wiki to write up a few thoughts and scribbles. They contain random thoughts not fully thought out.

To explore a problem, I can use use webpages, and javascript to experiment and explore. I can make notes in the code or webpage text.

The webpages are intended for the writer. It could be that the only other readers are random AI tools and chat bots.

This is a scrap book of notes and links.

My Wiki: http://ccgi.dougrice.plus.com/cgi-bin/wiki.pl [index] | https://www.dougrice.co.uk/cgi-bin/wiki.pl [index]

websites

My Web Site: http://www.dougrice.plus.com/ | http://ccgi.dougrice.plus.com/ | http://www.dougrice.co.uk | http://patrickpi.local:8080/

My github: https://github.com/doug-h-rice

Auto Type -

I had a need to type a stream of characters at about the speed you could type them on a Laptop Keyboard or smart phone.

I set up a call and positioned the cursor where I wanted the typing and then enabled my devices to AutoType. It was the best I could do at the time.

More notes:- Auto Type Introduction

How does your simple automation tool read a smartphone screen or press buttons on the on screen keyboard?

How does the automation "hear" the GA?

What is available?

The Arduino Leonardo can be programmed as a USB Keyboard.

https://docs.arduino.cc/language-reference/en/functions/usb/Keyboard/

The Arduino Leonardo can also be programmed as a USB Keyboard and mouse, and it has digital inputs and outputs and serial ports.

A keyboard cannot see the screen, so use a wire to enable and co-ordinate blind typing

The USB keyboard cannot "hear" the other end or read what they are typing to wait for GA or a pause.

They have inputs and outputs which can be used to enable and co-ordinate when they are typing.

So the AutoType devices asserts an output low while it is typing and removes this assert when it stops typing and goes IDLE. It holds off starting to type until it sees IDLE.

Use one for the User and another one for the Advisor.

An Arduino Leonardo, Raspberry PICO, and DigiSpark can be programmed to press keys on a keyboard

You need to use the mouse to select the input box that you type into, then enable typing.

It is possible to use an external keyboard and OTG cable plugged into a smart phone.

Automating this is possible

Arduino sends keystrokes as if it was a USB keyboard.
Arduino sends keystrokes as if it was a USB keyboard to a smartphone using an OTG cable.
connecting two Arduino using a simple Wired-OR buss to assert whose turn it is to type.
Three Arduino can be used and connected to the Wired-OR buss,
Use a USB modem as a TextPhone in V.21 mode.

Automating these is near impossible

pressing the keys on a soft keybord on a smart phone.
moving the mouse to an absolute position based on what is on the LCD screen

reading the smart phone screen on many different devices
reading off an LCD screen
automating to support all the different models of smartphones and tablets

Automation could be simplified if an agreed sequence of keystrokes triggered test events.

Below is a collection of Atmel 32u4 bases Arduino Leonardo and DigiSparks.

A Raspberry Pico can also be used.

Below is a picture of various Atmel 32u4 based Arduino Leonardo variations AutoTyping into the App.

Possibly using this sketch: http://www.dougrice.plus.com/dev/DigiSpark/KeyboardRP2/KeyboardRP2.ino

An OTG cable can be used to plug an external keyboard into a smart phone.

Here are a collection of DigiSparks, Arduino Leonardo and other boards that use the Atmel 32u4 chips that support USB.

There was a need to soak test the App with what ever typing could be acheived, and the DigiSparks and example were available.

These pages write up some notes and ideas.

AutoType - Automating pressing keystrokes using DigiSparks , Arduino Leonardo and Raspberry Pico

DigiSparks - DigiSpark - https://www.instructables.com/Digispark-DIY-The-smallest-USB-Arduino/

The Arduino documentation had an example that sent keyboard keystrokes.

One example was:

https://github.com/arduino/ArduinoCore-mbed/blob/main/libraries/USBHID/examples/Keyboard/Keyboard.ino

The DigiSpark also came with a KeyBoard example.

https://github.com/digistump/DigisparkArduinoIntegration/blob/master/libraries/DigisparkKeyboard/examples/Keyboard/Keyboard.ino

I modified it, and here is a version just for the DigiSparks.

DigiSpark sketch ( 2025-09-04 ): http://www.dougrice.plus.com/dev/DigiSpark/digi3/digi3.ino

It types slowly, and a switch connected to input P2 can be used to enable / disable typing the next phrase. Shorting P0 to GND HALTS typing

After you position the cursor and select the input box where you normally type, plug the device in and it starts typing the list of phrases.

You can optionally use two or more DigiSparks connected together so they take turns typing.

They wait for P2 to go IDLE before typing their next phrase.

Getting the code to work on the different boards has made it a bit cluttered and over complicated.

Example text typed, It took about 100 seconds to type the text below

 ts: 00009761 ms GA
 This is BeeTea Engineer, DHR, making a test call.GA
 Please hang up the B-leg GA
 I am testing the new Relay UK app GA
 Hello Doug here GA
  Can you see my typing? GA
  The Quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog GA
  I am testing the new Relay UK app GA
   ts: 00113746 ms GA