[LightBurn] Android app for remote control of laser

I recently started playing around with the Print and Cut feature in LightBurn. My laser doesn't have any controls on it to jog the laser, or anything like that. So, I started to find it annoying and time-consuming to go back and forth from my computer to the laser to jog it. My laptop is about 6 feet from my laser, so it became a major annoyance. So, I decided I would figure out a way to create a LightBurn remote, so that I wouldn't have to go back and forth between the computer and laser as much when using the Print and Cut feature. I wrote out some very hard-to-read instructions and had a ghostwriter AI make it understandable lol # How to Control LightBurn Remotely Using an Android Device # Step 1: Download and Install Matric 1. **On your Android device**: * Go to the Google Play Store and download the Matric app from [this link](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tbm.matric.client). * Install the app on your Android device. 2. **On your Windows machine**: * Visit the Matric website at [https://matricapp.com](https://matricapp.com/). * Download the Windows client from [this link](https://matricapp.com/download/winclient/). * Install the software on your Windows machine. # Step 2: Launch Matric on Your Windows Machine * After installation, open the Matric app on your Windows machine. If it doesn’t open automatically, locate the app in your Start menu or desktop and launch it. # Step 3: Plan Your Remote Layout * Think about the buttons and graphics you’ll want to use for your remote. * Common buttons for LightBurn include: * **LightBurn App**: A button to bring the app to the forefront on your computer. * **Emergency Stop**: A button to stop the laser immediately. * **Jog Controls**: Buttons to jog the laser up, down, left, right, to the center of the bed, or to the upper-right corner of the bed. * **Home Button**: A button to home the laser. * **Framing Controls**: Buttons for rubberband framing and stopping framing (spacebar). * **Laser Fire**: A button to fire the laser. * For button graphics, visit [The Noun Project](https://thenounproject.com/) to find icons that match your desired actions. Download and save the graphics for later use. # Step 4: Create Buttons in Matric 1. Open the Matric app on your Windows machine. 2. Click **"New"** at the top left of the screen to start a new remote. 3. On the left side of the screen, you’ll see button templates of various sizes. Drag a **2x1 horizontal button** to the top middle of the remote editor (the middle screen). 4. Customize the button: * Remove the default text by clearing the **"Control Text"** field in the button properties on the right. * Under the **"Background"** section, select **"Background Image"** and upload the graphic you saved for this button. 5. Repeat this process for all the buttons you need, assigning appropriate graphics to each. # Step 5: Assign Hotkeys to Buttons 1. In Matric, go to the **"Events and Actions"** section of the button properties. 2. Under **"Button Press"**, select the action **"Hotkey"** and click **"Add"**. 3. Open LightBurn on your Windows machine and navigate to **File > Preferences > Edit Hotkeys** to view or assign hotkeys for various actions. * Use the search bar or browse categories to find the action you want. * If no hotkey is assigned, create one. If the hotkey is already in use, try a different combination. 4. Enter the correct hotkey into Matric for each button. # Handling Buttons Without Hotkeys # Step 6: Use AutoHotKey for Advanced Button Actions 1. **Download and Install AutoHotKey**: * Visit [https://www.autohotkey.com](https://www.autohotkey.com/) and download the program. * Install it on your Windows machine. 2. **Create a New Script**: * Open the AutoHotKey dashboard and select **"New Script"** \> **"Empty"**. * A blank Notepad document will open. 3. **Determine Mouse Coordinates**: * Open **Windows Spy** from the AutoHotKey dashboard. * With Windows Spy running, open LightBurn and hover your mouse over the **Fire** button. * Note the **Mouse Position** values (two numbers separated by a colon) displayed in Windows Spy. * Also, note the **ahk\_class** and **ahk\_exe** values for LightBurn. 4. **Write the Script**: * Use the following example code to create a hotkey for the **Fire** button: #Requires AutoHotkey v2.0 F7:: { WinActivate("ahk_class Qt51517QWindowIcon ahk_exe LightBurn.exe") WinWaitActive("ahk_class Qt51517QWindowIcon ahk_exe LightBurn.exe") CoordMode("Mouse", "Screen") Click 691, 1642 } ``` * Replace the **ahk\_class**, **ahk\_exe**, and **Click** coordinates with the values you recorded using Windows Spy. 1. **Save and Run the Script**: * Save the script with a `.ahk` extension and double-click it to run. * Test the hotkey (e.g., **F7**) to ensure it performs the desired action. 2. **Assign the Hotkey in Matric**: * In Matric, assign the hotkey (e.g., **F7**) to the corresponding button under **"Events and Actions"**. # Step 7: Adding More Custom Hotkeys with AutoHotKey 1. **Locate and Open Your Script**: * If you closed the script you were working on earlier, navigate to your **Documents** folder and find the AutoHotKey script file (it will have a `.ahk` extension). * Right-click on the file and select **"Edit in Notepad"** (or your preferred text editor). 2. **Add a New Action for Saved Positions**: * After the first block of code in your script, add the following code below the closing `}` of the previous block. This example demonstrates how to create a hotkey for clicking on the **Saved Positions** dropdown menu in the **Move** window of LightBurn: F8:: { WinActivate("ahk_class Qt51517QWindowIcon ahk_exe LightBurn.exe") WinWaitActive("ahk_class Qt51517QWindowIcon ahk_exe LightBurn.exe") CoordMode("Mouse", "Screen") Click 349, 1240 ; Click to open dropdown Sleep 500 ; Wait for dropdown to open Click 377, 1269 ; Click the desired option } ``` * Update the `Click` values with the coordinates you recorded using Windows Spy. 1. **Save and Test the Script**: * Save the script file in Notepad. * Double-click the script file to run it. * Press **F8** to test the new hotkey and ensure it performs the desired action in LightBurn. # Step 8: Create a Hotkey to Bring LightBurn to the Forefront F10:: { ; Activate the LightBurn window WinActivate("ahk_class Qt51517QWindowIcon ahk_exe LightBurn.exe") ; Optionally, you can also check if the window exists and show a message if it doesn't if !WinExist("ahk_class Qt51517QWindowIcon ahk_exe LightBurn.exe") { MsgBox "LightBurn is not currently running." } } * This code assigns the **F10** key to bring LightBurn to the forefront. * Save and test the script to ensure it works as expected. # Final Steps Once you’ve added all the desired hotkeys to your AutoHotKey script, assign them to buttons in Matric as described in **Step 5**. This will allow you to control LightBurn remotely from your Android device with a fully customized remote layout. # Safety Reminder **Always supervise your laser cutter/engraver while it is running.** Remote control is a convenience, but safety should always be your top priority.