Automated mouse pressing device

[exoticdisease]

I'm doing something that requires pressing my computer's mouse button once every 15 minutes so I'm trying to find something that will automatically do it for me whether I'm there or not. If anyone has seen that Simpsons episode where Homer uses the drinking bird to press the "Y" button on his keyboard to speed up his work, that's kinda what I want, except for a mouse button.

Basically, I'm going to attach the mouse to my desk so it won't move when pressed and then I want something to press it every 15 minutes or more (as long as it's as often as 15 minutes, it doesn't matter how much more often it is). Any ideas/suggestions would be welcome. For example, does anyone have a drinking bird that they could test it out on a mouse for me?

Thank you very much for your help

Rob

 

[Danger]

Welcome to PF, Exoticdisease.
Wouldn't it be easier to plug a timing device into the mouse port of your computer? I don't know much about this stuff, but that's the first thought that comes to me.

 

[fleem]

There's a lot of free software out there that does this sort of thing.

here's one:
http://freewareapp.com/macro-recorder_download/

And here's another:
http://www.autohotkey.com/

 

[Danger]

Yuck!
Those things are for Windows-burners. I thought that Rob had a computer.

 

[exoticdisease]

I must admit that I am using Windows *shame shame*

Also, I must have something mechanical not software based...though I did have a look at the macro recorder and it's quite good tbh! Might use it for other things, but this must be hardware.

You mentioned a timer danger...could you give me some more details or a link for me to read up about it? It sounds quite reasonable...

Thanks

 

[Danger]

You mentioned a timer danger...could you give me some more details or a link for me to read up about it? It sounds quite reasonable...

I'm afraid that I can't. I really don't know much about anything, particularly electronics. It just seems to me that almost anything can be plugged into a USB port. Someone like Chroot can probably hook you up with a design or a commercial timing product.

 

[fleem]

I'm afraid that I can't. I really don't know much about anything, particularly electronics. It just seems to me that almost anything can be plugged into a USB port. Someone like Chroot can probably hook you up with a design or a commercial timing product.

You don't have to make a USB device. Just short the button leads of an existing mouse.

 

[Danger]

You don't have to make a USB device. Just short the button leads of an existing mouse.

Ahhhh... Obvious in retrospect, but it never crossed my mind. Good catch.

 

[Topher925]

You don't have to make a USB device. Just short the button leads of an existing mouse.

This is what I was thinking. Just solder to wires to the terminals on the PCB where the mouse button connects and run them to a transistor/relay on a basic stamp that shorts them every 15 minutes or whenever you want.

 

[exoticdisease]

That sounds very promising...sadly, I don't really have a clue what you're talking about, fleem and Topher925! If you could provide me with some instruction I would be most grateful. To start, what would I have to do to my mouse, what's PCB and where do I get a transistor relay to set on the basic stamp?

Thanks very much :D

 

[exoticdisease]

Oh and also...is there any way a third party could detect me using a macro ? I'm familiar with macros in Word and Excel, but I've never run one like this...if I run it on a webpage, would it be possible for the page owner to detect me doing it ?

Thanks again!