Overview
What is it?
The Nexus Smart Remote is a Bluetooth device used to communicate with tablets, computers, iPhones, Androids, Smartwatches, or third-party hardware. User input is transmitted using the HID (Human Interface Device) protocol which emulates a standard keyboard, mouse, or media controller. The data consists of numbers, letters, mouse button status, and media controls. Applications running on these devices receive the user input and use it accordingly. Devices like smartwatches and third-party hardware do not use an operating system, so the data is transmitted through proprietary services.
Dimensions
- Height: 2.60 in (6.6 cm)
- Width: 1.26 in (3.2 cm)
- Depth: 0.40 in (1.02 cm)
- Weight: 0.78 oz (22.02 g)
Hardware
The remote was engineered using the latest wearable technology. Maximizing its capability, but also keeping it compact was the primary focus.
| Label | Component | Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Button 1 | BTN1 | Button 1 for user input. |
| 2 | Button 2 | BTN2 | Button 2 for user input. |
| 3 | Button 3 | BTN3 | Button 3 for user input. |
| 4 | Button 4 | BTN4 | Button 4 for user input. |
| 5 | Button 5 | BTN5 | Button 5 for user input. |
| 6 | Button 6 | BTN6 | Button 6 for user input. |
| 7 | Button 7 | BTN7 | Button 7 for user input. |
| 8 | Button 8 | BTN8 | Button 8 for user input. |
| 9 | Button 9 | BTN9 | Button 9 for user input. |
| 10 | Button 10 | BTN10 | Button 10 for user input. |
| 11 | Left Button | LFBTN | Left function button. |
| 12 | Right Button | RFBTN | Right function button. |
| 13 | Power Button | PWRBTN | Push button for powering on/off device. |
| 14 | Blue LED | BLED | Blue status LED. |
| 15 | Red LED | RLED | Red status LED. |
| 16 | Green LED | GLED | Green charge status LED. |
| 17 | Charge Port | CHGP | Micro-USB charge port. |
Feedback Types
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Haptic Feedback: The remote has a haptic feedback system similar to what you find in today’s smartphones. The linear resonant actuators (LRA) installed on the remote is the same one found in some of today’s popular Samsung smartphones. A dedicated integrated circuit drives the LRA and allows for playing proprietary effects. For more details, please review the haptic feedback documentation.
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LED Feedback: The remote has two LEDs for providing status feedback to the user. There is a red and blue LED. LED feedback is through blinking a certain number of times or being set to a certain state. Throughout the documentation, there will be information describing what the blinks mean.
Powering Device
Powering the core circuitry is managed by a push-button on/off controller. The controller is configured to enable power when holding the button down for 1 second. To turn off the remote, hold the button down for 3 seconds.
Notes
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When turning on the remote, you will recieve a double vibration and a single blink of the RLED.
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If there is a long pulsing vibration and a double blink of the RLED when turning on the remote, that signals the battery is below 15% capacity and may need to be charged.
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When you press the power button when it’s turned on, you will receive a single vibration along with the RLED turning on and remaining on until the button is released.
Battery Info
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Battery Charging: Battery charging is managed through a dedicated PMIC (Power Management IC). The PMIC is configured to work with a rechargeable 300 mAh lithium-ion battery. The battery has a dedicated power switch for isolating it from the rest of the circuitry. This isolation is important when shipping and storing the remote for a long time when not in use. The PMIC reports the charge status through a GLED. When the battery is charging, the GLED is on and off when complete.
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Battery SOC: Li-ion battery life depends on battery chemistry, depth of discharge, battery temperature, and battery capacity termination level. As a user, it’s important to know this information through the state of charge (SOC). A dedicated battery Fuel Gauge IC is monitoring the battery alongside the PMIC. Using advanced algorithms, the fuel gauge reports a percentage of capacity since the last full charge. This percentage is made available through the Bluetooth battery service.
Notes
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When you receive your remote, the first step is to engage the battery by switching on the main power. The switch can be found mounted under the LEDs.
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The battery charge rate is around 100 mAh an hour. Expect an empty battery to take around three hours to fully charge.
Button Info
Monitoring the button presses is managed by a dedicated integrated circuit (IC). This IC scans every eight milliseconds to see if a button is in a pressed state. If a button is in a pressed state, it reports that status back to the main CPU for processing.
User input is reported through a single button press, a combination of more than one button press, or button presses performed in a series. A button press is reported as either a short press (SP) or a long press (LP). Understanding this will help you navigate the remote configurations and during the performance.
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Single Press: To perform a single press, press the button and immediately release. You will feel the click of the button through the finger tips.
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Long Press: To perform a long press, hold the button down until you feel the single haptic vibration/tap and then release. A long press is registered around one second of holding the button down.
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Combination Press: A combination button press is when two or more buttons are pressed at the same time and reported as a single action.
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Series of Presses: A series of button presses is when a single button is pressed more than once and registered as a single action.
Remember these abbreviations for future documentation.
| Button Action | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Short Press | SP |
| Long Press | LP |
Example Input
| Input | Description |
|---|---|
| SP[BTN1][1] | One short press on button 1 |
| LP[BTN2] | Long press on button 2 |
| SP[BTN1][2] | Two short presses of button 1 in sequence |
| SP[BTN2][2]LP | Two short presses of button 2 in squence followed by long press |
| LP[PWRBTN] | Long press the power button |
| LP[LFBTN+RFBTN] | Long combination press on the left and right function buttons |
Button Instruction Video
Bluetooth Peripheral
By default, the remote presents itself as a Bluetooth peripheral and advertises as a human interface device. When the remote turns on, it begins to advertise itself for other devices to connect to it. When a smartphone scans for devices, it will see this advertisement and provide you the ability to connect and bond to the remote. When a smartphone connects and bonds to the remote, it identifies it as an external keyboard. For managing the peripheral state, please review the core settings.
Bluetooh Central
For connecting to other Bluetooth peripheral devices, the remote must present itself as a central device. When in this state, the remote becomes the master and is able to connect to other devices like smartwatches and third-party hardware. To connect to other devices, the remote performs a scan looking for devices with the configured name. To connect to a device when scanning, it’s important for it to not be connected to any other device. For example, when directly connecting to a smartwatch or PeekSmith, it’s important that it’s disconnected from any smartphone.