Controlling Android Using A MakeyMakey
By @edent
· android makeymakey Open Source USB · 3 comments · 200 words · read ~1,776 times.
I recently got a MakeyMakey. It's a sort of ersatz USB keyboard that can be plugged into anything electrically conductive. I blogged about using it to control my Raspberry Pi using fruit and veg.
I also blogged about controlling Android using a USB keyboard and mouse via a USB OTG cable.
Hang on... the MakeyMakey is USB... Android can be controlled via USB... CAN I CONTROL MY ANDROID WITH FRUIT?!?!?!?
Why yes! Yes I can. Watch and learn, young grasshopper.
I couldn't find any games which said they could be controlled by a USB keyboard. Luckily, the mouse click on Android is interpreted as a tap on the screen - so any single tap games work well. I used the delightful Whale Trail, but other endless running games like the popular Canabalt also work well.
If you know of any Android games which can be controlled with just the arrow keys and spacebar - please let me know in the comments. I'd love to build a banana joystick!
Stew says:
Hi Did you have any troubles with the makeup makeup being recognised by the tablet, or with it getting power? Trying to set up a galaxy tab + makey makey for turning pages on the kindle app but can't connect yet Cheers
@edent says:
Hi Stew, it worked straight away for me. If you have a USB OTG cable then the tablet should supply power to the Makey-Makey. Might be worth checking your tablet's settings to see if you need to explicitly tell it to recognise an external keybaord.
Jim Lewis says:
HI, I had a similar lightbulb moment when I realised the Makey Makey is essentially just a keyboard. As a result it works very well triggering button pushes in Lego Wedo 2 so programs on our Android tablet can be started with a hardware switch rather than tapping the screen.