Not everyone runs Zoom from a desktop or a mobile phone. Many people use dedicated hardware. Without an API from Zoom, making physical mute buttons, or ie. voice activated mute/unmute systems for disabled people, is hard.
I wanted a hardware mute button, and then I realised that I already have a remote button - my presentation remote. That has a button that sends a Tab. So I wrote a ten line app that converts Tab presses into system microphone mute toggles.
After a few months I used an Adafruit Trinket that I had lying around, a random momentary push button and a resistor to build a keyboard that just sends a ctrl-D press, which is the shortcut for muting the mic. I didn’t implement button debouncing so it’s a little unreliable but I’ve never gotten around to fixing it.
I wish the Zoom API would support external mute buttons, though.
Going the route of sending key presses feels like a hack, to me.
If you can set your own somewhat unique shortcut, it’s really not that hacky.
That’s just what you need to do when you make your custom things.
Not everyone runs Zoom from a desktop or a mobile phone. Many people use dedicated hardware. Without an API from Zoom, making physical mute buttons, or ie. voice activated mute/unmute systems for disabled people, is hard.
This is a great walkthrough and a fun hobby but I just use the hardware mute on my mic.
I wanted a hardware mute button, and then I realised that I already have a remote button - my presentation remote. That has a button that sends a Tab. So I wrote a ten line app that converts Tab presses into system microphone mute toggles.
Writing Makefiles must be a sonic adventure.
What do you do if you write text while being on a call and need to use Tab?
Normal people don’t type tab in a chat.
The colors are all wrong. Red is for dangerous, not for “safe, you are muted.”
Yeah. “Red means recording”
I think it’s just from “standard” table-top speakerphones where red lights indicate mute.
That reminds me: I still haven’t assembled a foot pedal for push-to-talk in games like Overwatch.
I have one of these that I lugged home on the city bus the last time I was in my office: https://meetingdevices.withgoogle.com/products/5504/acer-chromebase-for-google-meet
After a few months I used an Adafruit Trinket that I had lying around, a random momentary push button and a resistor to build a keyboard that just sends a ctrl-D press, which is the shortcut for muting the mic. I didn’t implement button debouncing so it’s a little unreliable but I’ve never gotten around to fixing it.
Man, you are sitting in the meeting. So what producitvity?
What, you don’t agree with the classification of Word, Excel and PowerPoint as “productivity applications”? What kind of raging socialist are you?! /s