Show HN: I wrote a small lib to turn a USB gamepad into a Bluetooth one(github.com)
github.com
Show HN: I wrote a small lib to turn a USB gamepad into a Bluetooth one
https://github.com/skorokithakis/bluetooth-gamepad
42 comments
I had a quick thought to do something like this a while back, but never got around to the experimental phase. I ended up buying a new controller instead (whilst grumbling about making an adapter). Thanks for making it happen, and being kind enough to open source it. Looking forward to giving it a try later.
Yeah, I was between buying a new controller or making this too, but I figure it's a perfectly fine controller and I had the hardware lying around.
It doesn't work perfectly, as there are some HID intricacies that need to be remapped, and I don't have a second controller to see whether the intricacies are general or just specific to mine, but let me know if it works for you!
It doesn't work perfectly, as there are some HID intricacies that need to be remapped, and I don't have a second controller to see whether the intricacies are general or just specific to mine, but let me know if it works for you!
Awesome project. With the current price of DRAM, I've been looking at the possibility to do some side projects with ESP32 as opposed to RPi. As a complete newbie, could you help me by recommending where I could start from, i.e., Software, tools, docs? Thanks.
I use the Arduino framework and PlatformIO to make the flashing/dependency management part easier. Other than that, the Arduino docs are great, and LLMs can help you with learning anything specific, so it's really a great time to get started!
I like how readable the code is. I don't write anything in C++ nowadays, but it's clear enough for me to follow.
Ah, I can't really take credit for that, it was mostly multiple LLMs.
Ha, I was thinking while reading this "never in my life did I work with a C++ programmer who would put whitespace to visually organise the code".
Hmm, I'm not a C++ programmer, but I do that in the projects I write by hand as well. I haven't found many other ways to organise C++ code, so whitespace is the one thing I do do.
So did you really write this, as claimed in the title, or did you vibe code it? If the latter, how much of the code did you review? How much of it do you understand and could rewrite by hand if necessary? How much of it are you confident you can find and fix bugs and exploits in?
If you think that asking “how much of this thing you claim to have written did you actually write and understand” is comparable to the Spanish Inquisition, it seems fair to assume that you probably wrote and understand close to nothing of it. Thank you for clarifying.
Yes this makes sense.
Surely you’re doing nothing to dispel the notion. If it isn’t true, say it. My questions were genuine, I don’t understand your defensiveness. Either you understand the code or you don’t. There are people who will be fine with it and use it anyway, and people who won’t be and will use something else. But they all will benefit (and temper expectations) from an honest answer.
If _you_ can read the code, and it's of reasonable quality (I can and this code appears to be), then what exactly is the point of this argument?
Before the authors work, however you choose to define that word, this did not exist. Now it does, and it isn't slop. Why then does it matter how it came into existence?
This feels like a petty attempt to diminish the fact that someone just gave us a piece of useful open source software.
Before the authors work, however you choose to define that word, this did not exist. Now it does, and it isn't slop. Why then does it matter how it came into existence?
This feels like a petty attempt to diminish the fact that someone just gave us a piece of useful open source software.
> This feels like a petty attempt to diminish the fact
It feels that way to you because you misunderstood the point and are outright assuming bad faith (as evidenced by sibling comments).
> I can and this code appears to be
Yes, appears. To know for sure you’d have to read more of it. You’d have to spend time to understand it. If you know the author and know they have been writing code before LLMs and they tell you they have written it all themselves or at the very least reviewed it all, you’ll place a certain amount of trust in the code based on the author. If, however, they say they vibe coded all of it and verified nothing, you’re no longer trusting the abilities of the author but the random musings of LLMs.
Those two scenarios entail different levels of trust and verification and they affect how much time you yourself will decide to spend on doing your own review to go from appears good to “I’m confident it is good”.
This is not hard to understand. All you have to do is not assume that everyone who makes a question about LLM usage is immediately bashing the project. In other words, don’t engage in bad faith and don’t assume motivation from strangers.
It feels that way to you because you misunderstood the point and are outright assuming bad faith (as evidenced by sibling comments).
> I can and this code appears to be
Yes, appears. To know for sure you’d have to read more of it. You’d have to spend time to understand it. If you know the author and know they have been writing code before LLMs and they tell you they have written it all themselves or at the very least reviewed it all, you’ll place a certain amount of trust in the code based on the author. If, however, they say they vibe coded all of it and verified nothing, you’re no longer trusting the abilities of the author but the random musings of LLMs.
Those two scenarios entail different levels of trust and verification and they affect how much time you yourself will decide to spend on doing your own review to go from appears good to “I’m confident it is good”.
This is not hard to understand. All you have to do is not assume that everyone who makes a question about LLM usage is immediately bashing the project. In other words, don’t engage in bad faith and don’t assume motivation from strangers.
> Yes, appears. To know for sure you’d have to read more of it. You’d have to spend time to understand it. If you know the author and know they have been writing code before LLMs and they tell you they have written it all themselves or at the very least reviewed it all, you’ll place a certain amount of trust in the code based on the author. If, however, they say they vibe coded all of it and verified nothing, you’re no longer trusting the abilities of the author but the random musings of LLMs.
Dude you are taking this very simple piece of software way too seriously. Not everything requires this level of attention or effort. This is a Bluetooth controller adapter, not a an O2 regulator on the ISS. My criteria here are quite simple:
* Is the code readable, so that _if_ I ever have to actually modify it I can? Yes.
* Does it do what it says on the label? Yes.
It's not that deep man.
Dude you are taking this very simple piece of software way too seriously. Not everything requires this level of attention or effort. This is a Bluetooth controller adapter, not a an O2 regulator on the ISS. My criteria here are quite simple:
* Is the code readable, so that _if_ I ever have to actually modify it I can? Yes.
* Does it do what it says on the label? Yes.
It's not that deep man.
my favourite thing about the present is how entirely people have lost their minds with LLM-augmented work, to the point that they'll openly interrogate people who have obviously been writing software for three decades about how much of their personal project's boilerplate is TrUlY ThEiRs.
if someone chooses to use an LLM in 2025 and they're not fresh out of boot, it's simply good manners to assume that they're doing so responsibly and transparently.
i think the most annoying thing of all is when people openly volunteer that they have used an LLM to write something and it opens up a front of ideological warfare for people who are simply terrified of losing their livelihoods.
to quote garth: LIVE IN THE NOWWWW
if someone chooses to use an LLM in 2025 and they're not fresh out of boot, it's simply good manners to assume that they're doing so responsibly and transparently.
i think the most annoying thing of all is when people openly volunteer that they have used an LLM to write something and it opens up a front of ideological warfare for people who are simply terrified of losing their livelihoods.
to quote garth: LIVE IN THE NOWWWW
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Your HN account is from 2013. You have one comment, this one in this thread. You also have one submission, which is to the website of the author of this tool. What an amazing coincidence that in 12 years of HN, your only two interactions were promoting and defending this person.
rofl, what does any of that have to do with what i'm saying, detective columbo?
wait, i need to _use_ more _italics_, that's how we know we've made an _excellent point_
i only have one post on deviantart too, shall we get into that? come on lets have a fireside chat and settle your nerves as you tremble before the inexorable weight of technological change.
here you go: https://www.deviantart.com/moodyknifehurt/art/Crab-world-tra...
wait, i need to _use_ more _italics_, that's how we know we've made an _excellent point_
i only have one post on deviantart too, shall we get into that? come on lets have a fireside chat and settle your nerves as you tremble before the inexorable weight of technological change.
here you go: https://www.deviantart.com/moodyknifehurt/art/Crab-world-tra...
I mean, these are fair questions if you’re the library maintainer :)
Before LLMs, did you ask maintainers how much of the code they wrote themselves, vs how much of it did someone else write, and how well they reviewed the code? Because I haven't seen this ever, everyone just went by "does this library work for me? If not, I'll fix it or stop using it".
It's only now, with LLMs, and particularly on HN that we're so all up in arms about authorship all of a sudden.
It's only now, with LLMs, and particularly on HN that we're so all up in arms about authorship all of a sudden.
> and how well they reviewed the code?
Yes! It’s insane to not worry about how well a maintainer reviews submitted code. Every semi-competent open-source developer understands that merging code they do not understand is a recipe for disaster and maintenance burden. Furthermore, they understand that not doing so is how you get malicious vulnerabilities merged. Have you truly not seen any such cases in recent memory? The fact you don’t think good reviews are important is worrying and puts into question all your repos.
Yes! It’s insane to not worry about how well a maintainer reviews submitted code. Every semi-competent open-source developer understands that merging code they do not understand is a recipe for disaster and maintenance burden. Furthermore, they understand that not doing so is how you get malicious vulnerabilities merged. Have you truly not seen any such cases in recent memory? The fact you don’t think good reviews are important is worrying and puts into question all your repos.
I regret sharing this, that's for sure.
Don’t. It’s a cool idea and vibe coding it doesn’t make it less interesting. You don’t owe anyone anything and the mean behaviour you’re in receipt of says more about them than you.
I appreciate you taking the time to make this exist. Ignore the folks who just want to complain instead of bringing their own solution into existence.
Please stop assuming bad faith. I didn’t complain about anything, I asked a few questions to make an initial call on the level of engagement I’d want to have with the project. I even openly said I’d have just moved on without further reply if it was admitted to be entirely LLM generated with no review.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46364478
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46364478
If multiple people are assuming bad faith: perhaps you should adjust your communication in future rather than trying to change their mind. An apology wouldn’t hurt, either.
> If multiple people are assuming bad faith
It’s not “multiple people”, I asked that of one person multiple times.
And respectfully Mike, you’re not the person to be schooling others on respectful communication and requesting apologies. You are incredibly abrasive, often rude, and the reason many people avoid Homebrew altogether. You’re repeatedly criticised for “being a dick” or an “asshole” (I personally would use neither), including on HN submissions. You are very far from the paragon you are exalting.
I used to defend you when I contributed more regularly to Homebrew, but as time went on I now only ever find you in contexts of trading insults and never giving an inch or admitting wrongdoing. Even when it seems you are, you always find a way to end with some subtle jab at the other person.
For sure I could do better. I try and often fail, and that’s how we grow. But it is profoundly hypocritical of you to act like you are an example.
No shade on most other Homebrew maintainers, though, and thank you nonetheless for all the work you do.
It’s not “multiple people”, I asked that of one person multiple times.
And respectfully Mike, you’re not the person to be schooling others on respectful communication and requesting apologies. You are incredibly abrasive, often rude, and the reason many people avoid Homebrew altogether. You’re repeatedly criticised for “being a dick” or an “asshole” (I personally would use neither), including on HN submissions. You are very far from the paragon you are exalting.
I used to defend you when I contributed more regularly to Homebrew, but as time went on I now only ever find you in contexts of trading insults and never giving an inch or admitting wrongdoing. Even when it seems you are, you always find a way to end with some subtle jab at the other person.
For sure I could do better. I try and often fail, and that’s how we grow. But it is profoundly hypocritical of you to act like you are an example.
No shade on most other Homebrew maintainers, though, and thank you nonetheless for all the work you do.
Thank you!
Can you explain why it makes a difference what the answers are?
When using an open source library assumptions should be:
- The code does what it advertises.
- The owner is responsible for the functionality.
- The owner's reputation is based on the quality.
You're making it sound that you're more sure for the above when the code is "hand-written" than LLM-driven. Why exactly? Do you tend to deeply understand the strengths and limitations of every coder whose software you're using in your projects?
As long as the owner is responsible for the quality of a project why does it matter how it was executed?
When using an open source library assumptions should be:
- The code does what it advertises.
- The owner is responsible for the functionality.
- The owner's reputation is based on the quality.
You're making it sound that you're more sure for the above when the code is "hand-written" than LLM-driven. Why exactly? Do you tend to deeply understand the strengths and limitations of every coder whose software you're using in your projects?
As long as the owner is responsible for the quality of a project why does it matter how it was executed?
> Can you explain why it makes a difference what the answers are?
You answered it yourself:
> the owner is responsible for the quality of a project
If you didn’t write, review, or understand the code, then you cannot be responsible for its quality. If you don’t have the skills to write it by hand and understand it, you don’t have to skills to properly address bug reports or understand and prevent malicious submissions.
All of those are legitimate concerns and considerations when deciding if you want to invest your time in a project.
Honestly, if the author had responded “I vibe coded it and didn’t review any of it, but it’s been working for me for <however long>”, that would’ve been fine. It would have been a clear, honest answer that would let everyone decide how they want to proceed.
You answered it yourself:
> the owner is responsible for the quality of a project
If you didn’t write, review, or understand the code, then you cannot be responsible for its quality. If you don’t have the skills to write it by hand and understand it, you don’t have to skills to properly address bug reports or understand and prevent malicious submissions.
All of those are legitimate concerns and considerations when deciding if you want to invest your time in a project.
Honestly, if the author had responded “I vibe coded it and didn’t review any of it, but it’s been working for me for <however long>”, that would’ve been fine. It would have been a clear, honest answer that would let everyone decide how they want to proceed.
No, I disagree with the premise, that's why I don't want to answer. I am responsible for the quality of the project by virtue of publishing it, not because I wrote it in a way you agree or disagree with. Your questions are irrelevant. The only thing that's relevant is whether my name is on the repo or not.
If I didn't think it's good enough to release, I'd say something like "I vibe-coded this and didn't check it, use at your own peril". How much of the code I understand and how much an LLM wrote is entirely irrelevant.
If I didn't think it's good enough to release, I'd say something like "I vibe-coded this and didn't check it, use at your own peril". How much of the code I understand and how much an LLM wrote is entirely irrelevant.
> No, I disagree with the premise
What premise?! I made general questions that I want to know for myself. They were questions, not accusations. The fact you saw then as such says something about you, not me. You flipped out for no reason.
> that's why I don't want to answer.
Then you could’ve said that too, instead of dismissing it with a sketch and lamenting without any clarification.
> Your questions are irrelevant.
That’s not for you to decide. Silly example: Imagine you have a peanut allergy and go to a restaurant. You ask the waiter if some dessert has peanuts in it and they answer “that is irrelevant”. Questions are relevant to the asker. You didn’t even try to understand why I made the questions, you simply assumed bad faith.
> If I didn't think it's good enough to release, I'd say something like "I vibe-coded this and didn't check it, use at your own peril".
And how is anyone supposed to know you’d do or not do that? If you had been upfront about using LLMs from the start, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
> How much of the code I understand and how much an LLM wrote is entirely irrelevant.
No, no it is not. It may be irrelevant to you, but it’s not to everyone else. You don’t get to decide what other people think is relevant.
What premise?! I made general questions that I want to know for myself. They were questions, not accusations. The fact you saw then as such says something about you, not me. You flipped out for no reason.
> that's why I don't want to answer.
Then you could’ve said that too, instead of dismissing it with a sketch and lamenting without any clarification.
> Your questions are irrelevant.
That’s not for you to decide. Silly example: Imagine you have a peanut allergy and go to a restaurant. You ask the waiter if some dessert has peanuts in it and they answer “that is irrelevant”. Questions are relevant to the asker. You didn’t even try to understand why I made the questions, you simply assumed bad faith.
> If I didn't think it's good enough to release, I'd say something like "I vibe-coded this and didn't check it, use at your own peril".
And how is anyone supposed to know you’d do or not do that? If you had been upfront about using LLMs from the start, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
> How much of the code I understand and how much an LLM wrote is entirely irrelevant.
No, no it is not. It may be irrelevant to you, but it’s not to everyone else. You don’t get to decide what other people think is relevant.
... and the latency is?
I didn't notice any higher latency than with my Xbox one controller!
I guess the easiest way to measure this would be to run some gamepad test program on the target device, and then to record a video from your phone close to the gamepad but still with the screen visible. Then flick a button hard with your finger so that the gamepad button makes a click sound. Then load the video into a video editing software, zoom-in, and measure the number of video frames between the click sound and the reaction on the screen.
I agree this is the way to do it, but for an old cheapo gamepad, "it feels fine" was good enough for me at this stage.
You connect your gamepad to the ESP32-S3 with an OTG cable, power the ESP32 with either 5V somehow or a powered USB hub, and now you can pair the controller via Bluetooth to your PC!