Arduino Mouse Wiggler

It is kind of annoying every time when the computer goes into sleep, especially when you are in the middle of a PowerPoint presentation, or working from home but supposed to appear available online all the time. This simple device will wiggle (jiggle) your mouse for you every 30 seconds or so and keep your computer always awake. This device simply simulates the physical mouse movement, there's no App or driver to be installed, so it is 'stealth' and won't violate the company IT policy or expose yourself to dangerous software.

Step 1: Make the Device

The entire mouse wiggler is 3D printed. The files are attached. Print the parts with your favorite color.

Step 2: Hardware and Assembly

The mouse wiggler uses parts that are available from many retailers. Following hardware are needed:

• Arduino Nano (or clone，don't solder the pins to the Nano)
• SG90 Servo and hardware pack
• Mini USB cable
• Some wires

Following are the steps to wire the servo to the Arduino Nano and installation of the servo and wheel.

The servo has a connector with 3 female pins. The orange one is the PMW pin that needs to be connected to the D9 pin on the Arduino Nano. The center Red wire is Vcc that goes to the +5V on the Nano and the Brown is ground that is connected to the GND on the nano. I used 3 male pins and soldered it to the wires from the Nano to make the wiring easier.

Use one of the servo horn and the screws to secure the SG90 servo to the mouse wiggler body, and install the wheel on the servo output. Make sure the wheel is level and does not interfere with the mouse. Optionally you can print the pattern and place it on top of the wheel to improve aesthetics and make the mouse move more consistent. I used white address labels for this.

Step 3: Code

The Arduino sketch is attached. Make sure you have the Servo.h and SimpleTimer.h libraries installed before uploading the sketch to your nano. You may change the angle in which the servo will travel, and the time interval that the servo will move. The default setting is the servo will move the wheel 30 degrees to the left then 30 degrees to the right every 30 seconds. This will make your mouse move for about 10 mm which is enough for keeping the computer from sleep, yet not too much to lost track of the mouse cursor. You may adjust these values as you desire.

Step 4: Let the Mouse Move

Place your mouse on top of the Mouse Wiggler and make sure the optical sensor on top of the wheel. Power the device up use a USB power adapter and you're good to go.