pespad

PESPad allows you to use any device that can run a web browser to be used as a control pad for a Linux based operating systems. For example, you can use your mobile phone and tablet as separate controllers!!

Installation

Install the python-pip package for your distribution first (if you don't have it already).

Then install the python-uinput module (if you don't have it already):

sudo pip install python-uinput

Download PESPad:

git clone git://github.com/neilmunday/pespad

Install PESPad (for operating systems using systemd):

sudo mkdir /opt/pespad
cd pespad
sudo cp -r pespad.py web /opt/pespad
sudo cp systemd/pespad.service /etc/systemd/system/pespad.service

Enabling PESPad Service

To start PESPad:

sudo systemctl start pespad.service

To stop PESPad:

sudo systemctl stop pespad.service

To start PESPad at boot time:

sudo systemctl enable pespad.service

To disable PESPad at boot time:

sudo systemctl disable pespad.service

Changing the port that PESPad listens on

By default, the PESPad service will lisent on port 80 of your Linux system. To change the port, please edit /etc/systemd/system/pespad.service and change the port number specified by the "-p" option to pespad.py in the ExecStart line.

Debugging

To enable debug messages, please edit /etc/systemd/system/pespad.service and add "-v" to the Exec start line. Then restart the pespad service:

sudo systemctl restart pespad.service

The log file can be found at: /var/log/pespad.log

Using PESPad

Now that you have the PESPad service running, on your mobile/tablet point your web browser to http://YOUR_SERVER_IP and you should be presented with the PESPad GUI. Note: if you have instructed PESPad to use a port other than port 80, use the URL: http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:PORT

At the top left of the GUI, press the "Connect" button. All being well, you should now have a working joystick device!

To confirm, on your Linux system examine the contents of /dev/input and you should see a "js" device for each modbile/table that you have connected.

Enjoy!

Notes:

After 30 minutes of inactivity a joystick will be automatically disconnected.

Acknowledgements:

• HTTP server code based on code from: http://blog.wachowicz.eu/?p=256
• Daemon class based on code from: http://www.jejik.com/articles/2007/02/a_simple_unix_linux_daemon_in_python/
• Sencha for their SenchaTouch 1.1 JavaScript framework