A lightweight Windows console application to remap the buttons of common "AB Shutter 3" Bluetooth remotes (and similar clones) to standard keyboard key presses.
Cheap Bluetooth camera shutter remotes like the "AB Shutter 3" are widely available. However, on Windows, they typically only send basic commands like Volume Up, making them less useful as general-purpose input devices. This application allows you to intercept these inputs and translate them into any desired keyboard key press (e.g., Enter, Page Down, F5, letters, numbers, etc.), effectively turning the remote into a simple, customizable macro pad or presentation clicker.
- Remap Buttons: Translate the physical button presses on the AB Shutter 3 remote to different keyboard keys.
- Automatic Detection: Uses the modern Windows Runtime (WinRT) Bluetooth LE APIs to automatically detect when the paired remote connects or disconnects. Remapping is only active when the device is truly connected.
- Easy Configuration: Uses a simple
.inifile (keymap.ini) to store your desired mappings. - Interactive Training Mode: A built-in mode guides you through pressing buttons on the remote and the desired target keys on your keyboard to automatically generate the
keymap.inifile. No manual editing required! - Low-Level Hook: Uses a Windows low-level keyboard hook (
WH_KEYBOARD_LL) to intercept the original key presses globally and reliably. - Simulated Keystrokes: Sends standard keyboard events (
keybd_event) that work in most applications. - Minimalist: Runs as a simple console application with logging output.
- Operating System: Windows 10 or Windows 11 (Required for WinRT Bluetooth LE APIs).
- .NET Runtime: .NET 6.0 Runtime (or newer, depending on the build target). The release executable might be self-contained or require the runtime installation.
- Bluetooth: A working Bluetooth adapter supported by Windows.
- AB Shutter 3 Remote: The physical remote device, successfully paired with your Windows PC.
- Download: Go to the Releases page and download the latest
ABShutter3Remapper.exe(or similar) file. - Place: Put the downloaded executable file anywhere you like (e.g.,
C:\Tools\ABShutterRemapper\).
(Alternatively, if you want to build from source):
- Clone this repository.
- Open the solution in Visual Studio or use the .NET CLI.
- Build the project (e.g.,
dotnet build -c Release). The executable will be in a subfolder likebin\Release\net6.0\.
Before you can use the remapper, you need to tell it which remote button should trigger which keyboard key. You do this using the Training Mode.
- Find Device Name: Go to Windows Settings -> Bluetooth & devices -> Devices. Find your paired "AB Shutter 3" remote and note its exact name (e.g., "AB Shutter3", "Camera Remote", etc.). Case sensitivity might matter.
- Turn On Remote: Make sure your remote button ("AB Shutter 3") is turned on and connected (usually indicated by a blinking or solid LED stopping).
- Run Training:
- Open Command Prompt (
cmd) or PowerShell in the directory where you placed the executable. - Run the application with the device name as a command-line argument, enclosed in quotes if it contains spaces:
(Replace
.\ABShutter3.exe "AB Shutter3"
"AB Shutter3"with the exact name you found in step 1).
- Open Command Prompt (
- Follow Prompts: The console will guide you:
- It will ask you to press a button on the REMOTE.
- Then, it will ask you to press the desired TARGET key on your KEYBOARD. (Do NOT use modifier keys like Ctrl, Shift, Alt, Win as target keys).
- Repeat for any other buttons on the remote you want to map.
- Exit Training: Press the
ESCkey on your KEYBOARD to save the mappings and exit the training mode.
This process creates (or updates) a configuration file named keymap.ini located in %APPDATA%\ABShutter3\.
Example keymap.ini:
[AB Shutter3]
VolumeUp=Right ; Maps the remote's usual 'Volume Up' button to Next Page (PowerPoint)This application was created via an iterative process of design, bug fixing, and tuning, assisted extensively by Google's Gemini 2.5 Pro.