Accessibility Gaming Mouse

thingiverse

I posted a DIY game controller from scratch using Arduino on YouTube about a year ago, and it surprisingly took off. The response has been tremendous, opening up exciting opportunities such as partnering with my local library to build custom controllers with kids, teaching them about electronics and coding. Recently, I received an email from a viewer who explained that due to a stroke, he is unable to use his right hand. He expressed interest in developing a one-handed mouse system that could control WASD buttons and other functions alongside normal mouse actions. I jumped into action during quarantine to create this controller. It uses a simple setup of an Arduino Pro Micro board, a joystick, and some buttons to function as a USB game controller. The JoyToKey software allows for the mapping of control inputs to specific keys. To get started with this project, you need to download the Arduino Joystick Library from Matthew Heironimus at https://github.com/MHeironimus/ArduinoJoystickLibrary. Initially, I designed the base of the controller with a thin platform supporting the mouse. However, I discovered that some mice require full contact with the table surface to work properly. Therefore, I modified the design to remove this thin raised platform. If your mouse only functions when making full contact with your mouse pad or desk, use this revised bottomless version. If you are interested in learning more about this project, watch my tutorial video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSD-KqGbn0&t=10s&ab_channel=Benjijart