There are a great number of things one can do if they are able to interface their electronics to their desktop / laptop computer. This process used to be kinda hard but it isn't now, thanks to USB!

The USB specification has several ways to characterize devices. This includes telling the computer that the device you are plugging into the USB port is a keyboard or mouse. These peripherals are categorized as human interface devices (HID). 

Many Adafruit products can communicate with other computers using HID and emulating a keyboard.

What types of projects work well emulating a keyboard? Some examples:

• Macro keys - activating to send a predefined sequence of keystrokes
• Assistive Technology - the ability to trigger keyboard input using a multitude of interface devices connected to the microcontroller
• Device control - the ability to send multimedia commands for volume, etc.
• Sensor input - Turn a banana or some slime into a keyboard with the use of capacitive touch
• Fun - a simple prank would send some characters to someone's screen at random times

This guide will show you how to quickly and easily emulate a keyboard on an Adafruit Circuit Playground Express board in both Microsoft MakeCode and CircuitPython.

Parts List