Hello I am working on a gyroscope controlled mouse attached to a hat for used by someone with disabilities. I’m using an Arduino micro with an MPU6050. It connects to the computer via Micro USB cable.
I also have a small button pad with three buttons that will allow the individual to calibrate/0 the mouse, and right and left click.
right now I have to use two separate USB cables, one from computer to Arduino and one from button pad to Arduino (attached to I/O pins)
Can anyone think of a more efficient way to do this perhaps using only one cable or at least two very thin cables?
It sounds like you're working on an interesting project to help someone with disabilities control a computer mouse using a gyroscope and button pad.
There are a few ways you could potentially reduce the number of cables required for your project:
USB HID: You could use the USB HID (Human Interface Device) protocol to communicate between the Arduino and the computer using a single USB cable. This would allow the Arduino to act as a USB mouse and keyboard, and the button pad could be connected directly to the Arduino's I/O pins. The Arduino firmware could then interpret the button presses as mouse clicks or keyboard commands and send them to the computer over the USB cable.
Bluetooth: Another option would be to use a Bluetooth module, such as the HC-05 or HC-06, to communicate wirelessly between the Arduino and the computer. You would still need a separate cable for the button pad, but this would allow you to avoid the need for a USB cable.
Wireless USB: Another way to achieve this would be to use wireless USB dongle like the "IOGEAR GWU637" it will allow you to connect to the arduino wirelessly and the button pad to the arduino, this way you can achieve a cable free solution.
Some other options are, you could use a USB hub to connect the button pad, arduino, and the computer all together, which would allow you to use only one USB cable between the computer and the hub.
I would suggest experimenting with the different options to see which one works best for your particular application and what works best for the user.
Also keep in mind that there will be a cost and power consumption trade-off while choosing the wireless options.
I don't get where this second USB cable is connected. Arduino micro has only one USB socket, I assume that is connected to the computer. Maybe you just meant that you cut the plugs off a USB cable and used the multi-core cable to connect the button pad to the Arduino pins?
Is the Arduino mounted on the hat? Only the gyro module needs to be on the hat, the Arduino could be with the button pad perhaps? I²c is not designed to go long distances, but 1 to 2 metres is often possible.
