CCA Remote vs BlePad

Control your microcontroller directly from your smartphone – no hardwiring, no complicated software. With CCA Remote, you can build a custom dashboard with buttons, sliders, joysticks, and displays in minutes. Developed at HTL Anichstraße – for everyone who wants to get more out of their DIY projects. WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH IT - Easily build your own custom control interfaces via drag-and-drop - Connect to the controller via Bluetooth (BLE) or Wi-Fi - Automatically generate Arduino code – no manual programming required - Save, lock, and share profiles for different projects - View live readings as a bar, gauge, chart, or LED status - Remote profiles can be saved directly on the controller and are automatically transferred to the app upon connection - Multilingual user interface (German, English) - Element dependencies: Control elements can be enabled/disabled depending on other elements - System backup and restore of the entire app configuration CONTROL AND DISPLAY ELEMENTS - Control: Button, Slider, Switch, Joystick, Text Input, Color Picker, Selector Switch - Display: Display, Label, Bar, Gauge, Chart, Status LED, Icon - All elements fully scalable and customizable. SUPPORTED HARDWARE - ESP32 – Native BLE & Wi-Fi - ESP8266 – Wi-Fi - Arduino Uno / Nano – BLE via HM-10 module - Raspberry Pi Pico 2W and ESP32 – BLE & Wi-Fi (MicroPython) LIBRARY & GETTING STARTED The free CCARemote library is available on GitHub for Arduino and MicroPython. The integrated code generator automatically creates the complete sketch – including setup(), loop(), and all variable declarations. ORIGIN Originally developed as part of a diploma thesis by L. Eder and E. Duyar at HTL Anichstraße Innsbruck. This current version was further developed and published by A. Eckhart with the permission of the original authors.

BlePad turns your iPhone into a wireless remote controller for BLE UART devices — perfect for micro:bit, ESP32, and any Nordic UART Service (NUS) compatible hardware. Great for electronics projects, education, and robotics. ■ Four built-in remote screens Game Controller D-pad (up/down/left/right) and A/B buttons with full multi-touch support. Numpad Digits 0–9 plus arithmetic keys (+, −, ×, ÷). QWERTY Keyboard Full alphabetic layout, optimized for landscape orientation. Custom Remote Freely arrange widgets on a 12-column × 8-row grid in landscape mode. Choose from Buttons, ON/OFF Switches, and Sliders (horizontal or vertical). Set custom labels, command values, colors, and sizes for each widget. Long-press repeat sends the button command every 100 ms. Pro unlocks up to 20 saved layouts, and layout names can be up to 20 characters. ■ Share your layouts Share the custom remote layouts you've created with other phones. Export a layout as a JSON file and send it however you like — AirDrop, email, cloud storage, and more. Import a layout someone shared with you to start using the same setup right away. Exporting is available in the free version; importing requires Pro. ■ Receive Log Displays incoming BLE UART notifications in real time as a timestamped text log (up to 100 entries). ■ Free vs Pro Free (ad-supported) • Game Controller, Numpad, Keyboard: full access • Custom Remote: create, use, edit, and export 1 layout • Receive Log: full access Pro (one-time purchase) • Everything in Free • Custom Remote: up to 20 layouts, plus layout import • Ad-free ■ Technical specs • Protocol: Nordic UART Service (NUS) • Write / Write without response, max 20 bytes per packet (auto-detected from characteristic properties) • Command format: +ID\n on press, −ID\n on release • Requires iOS 17.0 or later ■ Compatible devices • BBC micro:bit (V1 / V2) • ESP32 (requires NUS-compatible BLE UART firmware) • Any Nordic UART Service (NUS) compatible BLE device Note: BLE stability depends on your environment. For robotics or safety-critical use, we recommend implementing emergency stop logic on the device side.