Universe Remote

We build many Particle projects and often find ourselves in need of a remote. Whether it is a Halloween prop, a smart-home device, our TV, or anything else, having a simple remote can be a quick way to test and/or control the project.

So, we made the perfect remote for all our Particle projects!

This is a simple PCB design with a few buttons laid out in the classic NES controller style. It has a coin cell battery holder and a power switch, so it is a complete package. When any of the buttons are pressed, we publish a Particle event, so any of our projects can quickly and easily subscribe for simple control.

For example, here we are using the remote to test out our Particle Photon powered, pneumatic jumping rat Halloween prop:

You can use it to control anything really, from physical projects to games or websites. As long as you can access it from the Particle Cloud, a Webhook, or IFTTT, you can control it with this remote!

Code is provided in the GitHub repository, after assembly you simply need to program your bluz board and you are ready to control anything.

The remote can also turn itself off after a period of inactivity to save battery. Cool!

The PCB can be purchased from OSH Park, and the parts can be purchased for a few dollars. The PCB is big, same dimensions as an NES controller, so it is a little expensive on OSH Park, but you do get 3 so you can split the cost with someone if possible. Does require some manual soldering to assemble.