A Wi-Fi remote control page turner for Kobo e-readers

[jospalau]

Originally Posted by sublipri

A hardware implementation like that would indeed remove the need for a smartphone to trigger the requests. Unfortunately I can't provide much information about how to build one - it's not something I've done myself. It would require soldering and experience with DIY electronics. Probably only an option if you're open to doing lots of tinkering. I couldn't find any good tutorials, but this project looks promising if anyone wants to try building something similar:



https://github.com/mcer12/Hugo-ESP8266/



This looks simpler but only has one button:



https://randomnerdtutorials.com/esp8...-button-clone/



For hardware control, an easier option could be to use a bluetooth remote with the Android app from KoboPageTurner. I tried it with a bluetooth gamepad and it seemed to work well. I couldn't find anything similar that would work with iOS, but there might be something out there.



There are also some pre-made smart buttons such as Flic, but I'm not sure how good the latency/battery life would be for something like page turning.

I made it work with a Python demon in my computer which listened for Bluetooth events from my Bose headset and sent http requests to the Kobo web server, but to be honest it was a hassle. I prefer this solution using the phone since I set the phone as hotspot and use it. Simple stuff. Just tap the screen to switch pages.

Sent from my 22081212UG using Tapatalk

[CyberPaul]

Hardware implementation is even easier: one small device doing all the job (including hot spot) and, most importantly, two physical buttons! I will try to build it.

[sublipri]

Originally Posted by jospalau

I made it work with a Python demon in my computer which listened for Bluetooth events from my Bose headset and sent http requests to the Kobo web server, but to be honest it was a hassle. I prefer this solution using the phone since I set the phone as hotspot and use it. Simple stuff. Just tap the screen to switch pages.

That's cool! It actually hadn't occured to me that you could use your phone as a hotspot to use it away from home. I'd thought about doing something similar with a Python daemon but like you found using a phone to be simplest.

Originally Posted by CyberPaul

Hardware implementation is even easier: one small device doing all the job (including hot spot) and, most importantly, two physical buttons! I will try to build it.

I'll be interested to hear how you go! I think the examples I linked require an existing Wi-Fi network rather than acting as an access point, so you'd have to modify the code if you wanted it to act as a hotspot. I found a similar project for a Kindle that has code (under step 8) for running an ESP8266 as an access point:

https://www.instructables.com/Kindle...te-Footswitch/

FWIW when using the phone as a page turner I find it works quite well to have the phone resting horizontally in your lap or to the side. Since it's just two big buttons on the screen it's fairly easy to tap the right area without ever having to look at the screen. Not as nice as the tactile sensation of a physical button but I imagine it would work well enough for most people's needs.

[CyberPaul]

Originally Posted by sublipri

I'll be interested to hear how you go! I think the examples I linked require an existing Wi-Fi network rather than acting as an access point, so you'd have to modify the code if you wanted it to act as a hotspot.

I was referring to this: https://github.com/tylpk1216/KoboPageTurner
Please see this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eDnytdLSRc&t=22s
You can easily recognize that the author is connecting to the device as an access point (KoboPageTurner)!
Please also check the Arduino source here:
https://github.com/tylpk1216/KoboPag...tAP_No_OTA.ino

[sublipri]

Originally Posted by CyberPaul

I was referring to this...

Ah right sorry I misunderstood. Thought you were looking for more general information about how to put the hardware together. I'd noticed the arduino source but hadn't looked at it enough to understand it.

[CyberPaul]

No worries
I think that if I build that device it should work with your server because you used same endpoints, right?
I have one request if I may: would it be possible to disable wifi after a configurable time period? If I read before sleep, I can fall asleep without disabling it and the battery will drain quickly.

[CyberPaul]

I think it's not a big deal after all... when the kobo goes to standby the wifi gets disconnected anyway.

[sublipri]

Yeah it should just work without modification since I've used the same /left and /right endpoints for page turning. The /exit endpoint won't do anything since I thought a NickelMenu integration was a better solution for stopping the server.

Like you say, battery drain shouldn't be a big deal if the Kobo is set to sleep automatically. I was having issues where my Sage would occasionally go flat overnight despite being asleep, but it hasn't happened since I upgraded the firmware recently. I'm not sure if it was related to the server running.

[CyberPaul]

wouldn't be a good idea to implement the /exit endpoint anyway? Stopping the server "remotely" is still a good option.

[sublipri]

I could add it as an option if there's enough demand. It'd be disabled by default though to minimize the potential for pranks by family members/roommates. Currently it's possible for a user to implement their own /exit endpoint by recording a custom action that navigates back to the home screen and selects the NickelMenu entry.

[CyberPaul]

I have tested the hardware solution based on ESP8266 (ESP-12S) with your code and it was not working. Thanks to your troubleshooting feature I understood why... your endpoints are not exactly the same as ylpk1216's implementation
Your server on kobo expects /left/ and /right/, while the original implementation is expecting /left and /right. I modified the "ino" code to generate the expected endpoints and it works! If you agree I would suggest to fix it in order to keep it compatible.

[sublipri]

Thanks for testing! That's a pity it didn't work like I thought but glad you got it working. The problem is due to the (very hacky) way I'm working around the limitations of the BusyBox HTTP server. It redirects /left to /left/ which works fine in a browser or modern app, but I guess the code for the ESP doesn't handle redirects. I agree it should be fixed, but unfortunately I don't think it's possible with how things work currently. I'm hoping to spend some time soon learning Rust so I can re-write the backend in a less hacky way. If I can do that then it'll be easy to make /left and /right work without redirects.

[CyberPaul]

I did it!

• Next/Previous top buttons
• Bookmark (simultaneous pressure)
• Side power button
• Status leds for battery level (red) and events (blue)
• Upgradable software (micro-usb)
• 1100mAH rechargeable battery (usb-c)
• Timed standby upon disconnect (1min)/idle (15min)
• Lanyard hole
• No smartphone required!
• 3d printed box with UV resin coating finish
• 39x56x17-23mm - 44g

[sublipri]

That's so cool! I'll be interested to know what the battery life is like.

[stupdude2]

I installed the Kobo Wifi Remote Control on my H2O, and it is a game-changer! I even managed to set it up with Tasker to work seamlessly with my Amazfit Bip – talk about convenience!

However, it seems the wifi tends to disconnect regularly, which is a bit frustrating. I was wondering if anyone has experienced a similar issue or has any tips on how to address this.

Specifically, I'm curious if there's a way to disable wifi timeout or make the wifi connection more consistent. I want to ensure that my reading experience remains uninterrupted.

Thank you.

Edit: I found this thread describing how to enable devmode and check Force Wifi On: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh....php?p=4239327. I'm going to try that and see.