Can I Get a Mic Check?
This open source USB mute button powered by a PIC32 microcontroller could save you from making embarrassing slip-ups on video calls.
There are few things worse than making an offhanded remark on a video call, then having a moment of panic after realizing that the microphone might not have been on mute. We have all felt that way at one time or another, and some of us have even been unlucky enough to realize the microphone was, in fact, live. Sure, we could speak in private the same way we speak when others are around, but let's face it, sometimes our innermost thoughts get blurted out at the most inopportune times.
To make up for (or at least cover up) our shortcomings, a software engineering lab called blackdevice has developed an open source mute button for use during video calls. It has a big button you can smash to filter out your comments, and most importantly, a large, bright light to let you know if your mic is on or not. The hardware design files and software has all been made publicly available for anyone that wants to build their own physical mute button.
The hardware consists of a custom printed circuit board populated with a Microchip PIC32 microcontroller, a DFRobot EC11 Rotary Encoder Module, LEDs, a USB-C port, and all of the necessary supporting components. Firmware was developed for the PIC chip to handle encoder inputs and control the LEDs. The device is plugged into a host computer via USB, and a Python driver runs on that machine to handle interactions between the device and video call application. This makes it possible to mute/unmute the microphone and check its current status.
To put some polish on the mute button and make it look like a finished product that you won’t mind having on your desk, a 3D-printed case was also produced. Since all of the work is available for download, you can tailor the case, hardware, and software to suit your specific needs if you want to do things a little bit differently.
If it isn’t your mouth you are worried about, but rather your wardrobe choices, you might be interested in checking out Safe Meeting. It is a surefire way to avoid accidentally letting your coworkers know that the shirt and tie you are wearing are not accompanied by pants of the same caliber.