Introduction: ParaMouse the Mouse for Paralyzed People

Howdy, in this tutorial I will name how to build a computer mouse for disabled, paralyzed or quadriplegic people.

This particular device is easy to build and very low cost, solely a small screwdriver and cutting knife will be more than enough for this project.

Estimated edifice time (if every last supplies are available): ~2 Hours

Estimated project be (components and materials): ~30 USD

Supplies

Tools:

Small screwdriver

Cutting tool or utility tongue

Components:

Arduino Leonardo (1pc)

Antheral A plug to male Micro-B plug USB 2.0 cable for Arduino Leonardo to PC connection (1pc)

Push mental faculty (2pc)

Joystick module (1pc)

Small breadboard for connection cables (1pc)

Connecting cables compatible with Arduino (~2pc Male-Male, ~11pc Male-Female)

Flexible table lamp (1pc)

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) plate (1pc)

Swollen polystyrene glue Screws for wood (~18pc)

Plastic wind

Step 1: Polystyrene Plate Cutting

The first step is to produce the Support Home base and Button Holder Plate. Take 1 polystyrene shell which should be round 15mm stupid and trim back information technology on the red lines conferred connected the picture above. The larger plate (Support Scale) will carry all the electronics and will be glued to the felxible lamp. The size of the Support Plate should be 80mm x 140mm if you did the unkind right. You can cut the corners of this home base for a better look, but it is not necessary. The Button Holder plate (the littler) should comprise 40mm x 70mm. This plate will be affixed to the Support Plate. Get into't cut the corners of this plate!

Step 2: Assembling the Twist (not-electronic Parts)

When the knifelike is through, you should sustain a larger plate (Support Plate) and a smaller one (Clit Bearer Home). In this step, take the polystyrene glue and unite the Support Plate with the straits of the flexible lamp and with the Button Holder Plate. You can see a Joystick module above the Button Holder Denture which is around 25mm tall, so you should put across the Button Holder Plate ~30mm get down than the top edge of the Support Home base. The lamp's head should be placed at the top of the Support Plate in a concentrated stead. Optionally, you can glue the joystick push to the jostick module, to avoid the unplanned dislocation of the joystick.

Notes: IT will take a few hours for the glue to become toughened enough to custody the pieces together. The Push button Holder Plateful on the picture is smaller, because the twist connected the motion picture is an older version.

Pace 3: Mounting the Electronic Parts and Wiring

In this whole tone, we wish mount the electronic components to the Support Plate and the Clitoris Bearer Plate. Position the Push Buttons near the corners of the Button Holder Plate (or where is commodious for the user). The plate is intentionally larger than some of the push buttons, because different users may ask different positioning. The Control stick should be positioned in a central position, slightly over the Button Bearer Shell. You can see this connected the 2. and 3. pictures. The 4. picture shows the rear end of device (mounted with screws and wired). Atomic number 3 you can see the Arduino Leonardo is positioned right under the flexible lamp's head. Under the Arduino you tail see a Breadboard with connections. This constituent is necessary because the Arduino has only a single +5V index pin, but we need trey for the buttons and the control stick. We allot the electric potential and the ground through this breadboard. You can go through the wiring diagram on the first picture. I used taxonomic category 20 cm aware conjunctive cables for Arduino to connect the components. You will need 11 pieces of male parent-mother connectors for the buttons and joystick and 2 pieces of father-founder for the breadboard. The mounting is finished M2.5 x 16mm pole-handled C steel screws. These are merely generic screws for wood (screws for metal are not expert) and you bequeath need ~18 pieces for 1 device.

Measure 4: Uploading the Software

If you are familiar with Arduino, this step will be very leisurely. Just download the attached file (ParaMouse.ino) and put it in a folder named the same way (Paramouse) and upload it to the Arduino Leonardo using the micro usb cable mentioned in the components section.

If you are not familiar with Arduino, then follow the steps below:
1. Download and Install the Arduino software package. 2. Staring the pledged data file. 3. Go to => Tools => Board => Select "Arduino Leonardo" 4. Go to => Tools => Ports => Quality the Port where you inserted the usb cable's length (ex.: for me is "COM7") Notes: If you can't find the Port and you are using Windows, break down to => Go Menu => Device Manager => Ports (COM & LPT) => you should see the Arduino Leonardo near an assigned port value (ex.: "COM7"). This finical twist leave use the 5V USB port at your Microcomputer as a power supply, therefore no outside power supply is needed.

Tone 5: Last Preparations Earlier Use

If you have reached this phase, the device is ready for testing. Rotate the Joystick button sprouted&A;down feather and right&left

to see if the pussyfoot cursor is moving along. Force out the right and left buttons to see if you tin click along the screen. If everything is working fine, then you should do the final preparations earlier use.

1. Make sure the clamp of the flexible lamp is attached to the edge in of the desk in a stable way!

2. The material on the Control stick button is unknown to me and IT probably wasn't designed to stay hours in individual's mouth. The saliva might unfreeze the dishonorable plastic material which probably isn't too healthy for the user. To address this problem hack some nutrient gradation plastic wrap and natural covering the Joystick button look-alike it is covered on the picture above. You can equal habit some rope or holdfast to prevent the wrap in place. This practice is also important to uphold basic hygienics, therefore replacing the custodial envelop every day is recommended.

USING THE Gimmick:
Using the device is really simple. The Joystick is placed inside the mouse like a baby comforter. The Crowd Button can comprise pushed with the lour lip which is pushed aside the tongue. This configuration is convenient because the the tongue never touches the buttons, it indirectly transfers the get-up-and-go through the skin.

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