Cheap USB Host Microcontroller [CH559, ESP32, HID]

This video shows an affordable way to add USB support to maker projects.
$2 for 10 PCBs (Any Color): jlcpcb.com (sponsor)
The CH559 is a 8051 architecture based microcontroller that has built in dual USB Hosts. This allows to interface generic Keyboards, Mice, MIDI devices and in my case gamepads. I added this chip as an add on to my ESP32 based game console to replace the SNES controllers by cheap generic ones. The communications is handled over UART which can be done by both ends in hardware. There still is some work to do but you can try it out already. Have fun!
CH559 firmware sources & compiler:
github.com/atc...
Aarons video:
• Usb mouse and keyboard...
Links to my game using the USB:
github.com/bit...
CH559:
link.bitluni.n...
Links to the parts (affiliate links):
USB SNES Gamepad ($2.70 shipped):
USB Fake PS3 Controller ($3.30 shipped):
aliexpress.bit...
aliexpress.bit...
Set of Tweezers ($3):
aliexpress.bit...
Flux ($3 for two):
aliexpress.bit...
Ultrasonic Cleaner(~$50):
aliexpress.bit...
Soldering Mat ($9):
aliexpress.bit...
My camera and lens (4k 60fps):
amazon.bitluni...
plz share :-)
Check out my Tindie store to get some of my creations:
www.tindie.com...
Consider supporting my lab for some extras and frequent updates:
github.com/spo...
/ bitluni
paypal.me/bitluni
Twitter: @bitluni
reddit: u/bitluni
#electronics #diy #maker

[@vojtadeges720]

3:45 Plugging USB correctly for the first try is illegal!

[@soejrd24978]

Insert with the open tabs up, 60% of the time it works every time.

[@amyshaw893]

insert with the usb logo on top, works 90% of the time, every time

[@hpekristiansen]

As written by others, you have between 60%-90% chance of selecting the correct orientation the first time(dependent on how much time you are willing to spend). This means that you can insert it correctly the third time(fifth if unlucky). -not too bad.

[@nyeleskettes]

video was obviously edited.

[@EgonSorensen]

If you can SEE the NO-SEE, you got it right UP (or in front) the first time. What I mean is that there is an indentation in the center of the metallic end you insert into the socket, looking a bit like a nose on a LEGO figure head. The back is a cracked hairline :ø)

[@killervirus57]

How you soldered everything on that board by hand was great. I love tech and diy projects (even though I can't do 90% of them). You got a new sub.

[@graealex]

One of the great shortcomings of the ESP32 is it not having a USB interface.

[@graealex]

@@BlackTigerHD I wasn't talking about a programming interface which is usually a only a cheap USB-to-UART chip, but about a real, native USB interface, like it's common with Atmel chips, like the 32U4 or SAM D21.

[@graealex]

@@beardmaker Sadly, ESP32-S2 will sacrifice a lot of other functions, like no BLE, no Ethernet, no SDMMC.

[@graealex]

@Z80 None of them have the massive feature set of the ESP32, though. At least not at that price point.

[@vasiliynkudryavtsev]

Let's wait for a ESP64 to rule them all. Amen.

[@DoctorWhom]

@Z80 I can name one STM32F411 project on youtube: betaflight ;)

Wish I have such friends who are so enthusiastic about electronics projects. :) Incredible again. Belated happy new year guys!

[@Drxxx]

Happy new year

[@TheTinkerDad]

Who knows, you might meet someone @ Function '20 :-)

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

Join a hackerspace?

[@andrewkieran8942]

This was a brilliant hack, a fun project, had great editing, and was quite funny! Well done on all counts!

[@666aron]

I'm always amazed by the hidden gems in the Chinese ICs.

[@SebastianScholle]

Well done for breaking through the documentation for that IC! USB hosts are such a useful tool to advanced makers.

[@eformance]

FTDI makes a number of these types of chips, and they are better documented and supported. The FT120 looks like similar style, using a parallel interface instead of uart.

[@z1ph0n3]

nothing from ftdi costs $1 and it's funnier to get something like this to work than a ready-made meal.

[@Corgitronics]

Congratulations! That's going to be useful in so many projects.

[@OMNI_INFINITY]

That ultrasonic cleaner is nice! Wow. Have a board that needs that here.

[@pastudan]

Me finding this 2 years later :p Now the Pico W was just released and has a USB host + another USB via PIO. I am going to try and use that for my project, but this is an incredible backup resource. Thanks!

[@DrakeTain]

Makers like you are the solid backbone of this community.

[@therob39]

It was very nice to watch the time laps part. btw props for those soldering skills 👍

[@Davedarko]

And there it is, the pre-stream video release to announce the makercast stream!

[@ovi_4]

Is a fantastic project. It really is. You are a very likable guy and your work is done with such a joy and you can tell. Your jokes are also very nicely done. Two thumbs up and you just earned yourself a subscriber. Well done.

[@Rtcmanga_YouTube_Channel]

Awesome what can be done with today's technology!! :)

[@TheTinkerDad]

Awesome stuff as usual! This chip looks like an awesome find, opens up quite some possibilities.

[@ChunkySteveo]

Brilliant video Bitluni, amazing work!!

[@devdylan6152]

oh this looks like a big promising update that could also(expanding on this) make usb to bluetooth DIY overall better.

[@AppliedCryogenics]

Since even broken Amiga 2000 keyboards are going for $240+ on fleabay, this little chip might be just what the doctor ordered to adapt modern keyboards and mice to work on amigas!

[@DD-jk3nf]

This is the first video on YT I've watched that hasn't made me shake my head when seeing someone using soldering tools :)) But why for the love of jeebus, would you want to replace the SNES pads? They are gamepad perfection! And for a crappy USB clone SNES pad. Are you crazy?! :P

[@spotlight-kyd]

Please implement a USB-MIDI Host to serial driver! Pretty pleeeze!

[@TheMusicalKnokcers]

yesss i need that

[@DarylIp]

Exactly what I was looking for

[@turutzi]

Every day whit a bitluni video is a good day.

[@JoelEnVrac]

Now, you can also take a C3/C6/S2/S3 series ESP32 witch all have USB support integrated ! :)

[@youliantroyanov2941]

Some serious soldering skills. I would never be able to do that...

[@zvpunry1971]

I'm sure that you would be able to do that! He used additional flux on pre-tinned pads, this makes it very easy. Most bad soldering experiences come from bad circuit boards with corroded pads and components with corroded leads and not enough flux to clean it up.

[@whc2001]

Also if you don't need USB Host and a large program memory, you can try CH552/CH554 which only comes with USB Device mode. They are really cheap and I have already tried to make a small USB keyboard by modifying the provided example code on WCH's website.

[@bitluni]

I had to go with the ch559 since I want to have keyboard and mouse in future and a usb hub ic costs more than using the 559 in the first place

[@whc2001]

​@@bitluni Yeah, for any use cases that ultilizes USB Host mode and multiple ports, CH559 is a solid choice as it provides double port root hub, while still cost effective. Thanks for sharing!

[@burtratti9003]

bitluni, you the man, bro. Awsome update!

[@mandelbro777]

maximum effort chan great work

[@Marc_Wolfe]

The SAMD21 is an ARM unit that supports USB host mode, according to it's datasheet.

[@sheepleslayer586]

Great video and well done. Bet that was frustratingly fun 🥺😫😅🤔😁🤑

[@tonysfun]

You are just one of the kind! I wish I know 10% of what you know! I can'r even come close to your ankles, but I do enjoy your videos!!! Thank you very much and keep up the good work! Wishing you, your family and friends a great happy and prosperous 2020! What do you put into your water to sonic-clean your boards? Thanks.

[@triplexSch]

Just awesome! I wish I had your skills too :).

[@DDBAA24]

You should make one with vga so you can just stick it on the back on an old monitor , very small and tucked out of the way. This would allow for a smaller enclosure and it would be cool to see a esp based gaming platform on a dongle . Most CRT were VGA or DVI .. I like this tiny TV you show at the end of the video I have so many things I could use it for.

[@weithiamneo1442]

The hardest part of this project is to find a VGA display nowadays.

[@t0biascze644]

Thats component/composite VGA Is different

[@KuraIthys]

Is it? Any time I go on a website that sells monitors something like 70% of them still have VGA input. CRT displays are another matter entirely of course. But the VGA signal standard? That's easy.

[@webosm6494]

Look for used GPS navigtion screens used in cars. Or display that are used for car backup cameras. Those very often have a composite input.

[@augurelite]

i love this man so much. fantastic videos

[@avejst]

Great job you have done :-) Thanks for sharing this new way to communicate :-)

[@Fifury161]

Great work - thanks for sharing!

[@nevyn38]

Soooo close to what I'm looking for. I REALLY want to be able to build a USB Host bridge so that I can turn a keyboard into a wireless keyboard (without "stealing" the firmware from a more expensive USB Host). So I need a USB host and some sort of wireless communication to some other unit that can be a USB slave (teensy or arduino should do).

[@sevensolutions77]

FTDI also have USB Host chips like these called "Vinculum". They also have a ready to use UART firmware. 😁

[@SzDavidHUN]

Will we see USB slave mode too? :D

[@c1nema1]

I hope so too.

[@bitluni]

Sure.. I want to get rid of the extra serial chip to program the esp

[@TheTurmanDreams]

Incredible !!!

[@Stabby666]

I use the ATMega8U2 MCU as a USB host/client on projects. It's under £2, and has a lot of good documentation and examples for all types of usage. It would be good to find a chip that justs passes the USB peripheral data across to UART without needing to be programmed though - to save a step in manufacturing! A bit like the CH340 does for USBSerial

[@userou-ig1ze]

now: just use the BLE Hid library to make a wireless controller O.o crazy world

[@Mtaalas]

When you threw those midi controllers on the table, my heart sank.... :D

[@LittleRainGames]

Avr maybe be expensive, but you get awesome documentation. Thats why i stick with pic or atmel.

[@glide360x]

This will be awesome if was portable version, maybe a PCB that can have even the controller on. The low power required by the ESP 32 to run and the low resolution that will be just fine for a screen with 800x480 resolution.

[@inxomnyaa]

Using that razor blade on the 3D printer gave me a shock.

[@olafschermann1592]

Awesome!

[@MrFaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

Just a general piece of advice, take precautions when using software from foreign manufacturers

[@scottwilliams895]

This is the first video of yours I've watched. Loved it! [ Subscribed ]

[@patriksretrotech]

Aswome project!

[@KuraIthys]

Huh. I've been trying to work out the logistics of adding USB host support to devices for a while now. I have about a half dozen projects that could really benefit from this... Many of which have to do with retro computers. (for instance - I wanted to add 3.5 inch floppy support to an 8 bit atari. There's many ways to go about this, but one of the most accessible that doesn't rely on obsolete parts, is to use a USB floppy drive... Which... Means being able to build a USB host controller and interface it to the IO connectors the atari has available.) Then there was a SNES cartridge designed for homebrew development work and software testing where it would be useful to be able to do remote debugging with a PC, but where it would also be useful to have a way of attaching a USB keyboard... (I'm also currently looking at something equivalent for SATA; mainly so I can interface a modern DVD drive to a very old computer. But my guess is that's even more complicated than a USB host...)

[@iceberg789]

i like the cute little crt you have.

[@SPAbyShorey]

great skills man !

[@363691amol]

This guy deserve a medal

[@uiopuiop3472]

This is really useful

[@ergindemir7366]

You have a nice computer desk. Did you build it yourself?

[@szabolcsmate5254]

1:44 - oh how many times I have seen that before! :D

[@khellafsamy]

Verry good work. Thank u

[@bassome3000ify]

crazy good shit as usual

[@SeanChYT]

Is it true you just use isopropyl alcohol in the ultrasonic bath, or is it some other fancy electronics cleaner?

[@Mr.Leeroy]

I bet you could use alcohol + mineral spirits/isopropanol (50/50). Works a treat for manual cleaning, do not see why it wouldn't with ultrasonic.

[@SeanChYT]

@@Mr.Leeroy What worries me is the heating element in the ultrasonic cleaner, combined with a flammable liquid like isopropyl alcohol. Most people warn about this, but I read in some other comment some weeks ago that Bitluni uses only IPA in the ultrasonic so I wanted to check.

[@ddcddc_]

@@SeanChYT he uses beer? Germans... (jk)

[@Stabby666]

I have the same cleaner. There is a solution specifically made for this - mine is called "Flux Remover Ultrasonic Cleaning Solution". Part number is US-SO-FLU-1L if you're interested. It lasts for ages, as it is diluted with water, and you can reuse it several times.

[@Mr.Leeroy]

@@SeanChYT selfignition point of IPA is 400 deg C. At 80 it is only boiling. Moreover ultrasonic cleaner bath is usually isolated pretty well from any electronics that reside in a separate compartment. So I think you should be fine unless catch a spark from shorting something. I'd not bother with heating IPA at all because it works very well on it's own and with ultrasonic treatment it should make wonders even at room temps..

[@davidbradley3074]

Great Job!

[@jonesjjj100]

Very nice. As usual, you videos are quite informative. Now a quick question. Can the device function as a USB host for MIDI? Can I plug my music keyboard with the modern USB midi and can I channel it to somewhere else(say a 5 pin midi) Also would these boards support USB hubs(powered/unpowered)? Thank you for building great content

[@viktorsansara9381]

Это реально круто! У русских блогеров на подобную тематику почти что ничего нет...

[@nicolaedumitrache9246]

Nice work. Anyway, instead CH559 a good choice would be the PIC32MM0256 (a little over 1Eur) which have USB OTG and an excellent and free software (MPLAB X) with plenty of samples.

[@Wingnut353]

MPLABX isn't free if you want optimizations... you can compile with chipkit also but it doesn't have the linker scripts or bootloaders ready to go yet.

[@geraldowcar]

u got my subs

[@yashasranjan8497]

Awesome Video👍

[@PabloGarcia-uz3fk]

Are there any chances you could share the schematics? It would be very helpful :)

[@beforth]

The CH559 has an 8051 core + 6k SRAM + bootloader + USB capabilities + very cheap... that makes a one IC, all in one MCU development platform...

[@TotallyHanzo]

Thats a great video, I think PIC18 or PIC24 have USB too but might be a bit more expensive they have better software though

[@QUIX2468]

Verry nice!

[@jurisembergs9245]

Perfect sound, what mic are you using?

[@4mb127]

You kick ass.

[@orojasp]

Impressive!

[@Jikdor]

Dude WTF, are you printing directly on the bed without a print sheet? :O

[@Rtek-zv5lr]

Nice job! I noticed that unlike the MAX3421E, the CH376S has no built-in ESD protection. Does the CH559 have internal ESD protection?

[@bitluni]

No clue.. maybe someone else can answer this. That's really built to the dollar so I can keep all the GOLD to myself 😂

[@Rtek-zv5lr]

@@bitluni 🤣

[@naasikhendricks1501]

EDS protection is cheap. I would look at both a viable solutions. ESD protection must always be a major consideration when designing to protect against silly failures.

[@poweredbysergey]

Useful!

[@perli216]

thank you

[@bonafide9085]

After 4 years, still, this is one good solution, because ESP32-S2 supports a single device only, so mouse and keyboard cannot be connected even using a USB hub.

[@Telectronics]

Hey great project bitluni ! Do you think an esp32 is good enough to connect a usb webcam through the CH559 and use a lcd screen to show a video from it ?

[@user-qz9gk7jk3f]

Hi there. I have a question here I have a duel usb hub that I want to use on a computer but it's just reading as a host to host bridge . any ideas?.

[@Rick-ck8ei]

Have you considered the ESP32-S2 chip? It is single core with usb otg (USB PHY 1.1) built-in. I would like to see you investigate it for using off-the-shelf usb hardware (webcam, game controller, keyboard, etc.) designed to work with generic drivers.

[@Rtek-zv5lr]

Hello, today there is the ESP32-S3, which has a USB Host (OTG) port. But they are still making the software to support USB HUB. So, if anyone has the knowledge and time to help with this, it would be very useful to see how HUB support is progressing in the ESP-IDF repository. (reference espressif/esp-idf/issues/12554).

[@CircsC]

Incredible work! I'm learning from 0 and have gotten a few sketches working. I'm a long ways off from writing drivers though! Is it possible to find these on breakouts? I'm biting off far too much in one go and making something very silly.

[@mirkougolini]

Hi, Bitluni, great work. Any chance that it can be used as pure USART to USB bridge for control a 3d Printer ? Mirko

[@najamiqbal5503]

Can you please show me a way How can i make esp32 look as an HID wired keyboard device? i have searched alot about it but no luck

[@lucibus6990]

At minute 3.35 you used a ultrasonic cleaner. Please may you give me info about time, temperature and liquid type used for cleaning? many thanks

[@youliantroyanov2941]

Bitluni, could you work with lilygo and make a variant of this for their wildely popular t-display?

[@MrZetor]

Nice job. But is there a specific reason for not using a MAX3421E-based USB host shield? I think the 3.6/4.6USD price for a complete mini/full-size board (incl. shipping) is reasonable, especially as there are ready-made and tested Arduino libraries for this that support HID devices, ADK, CDC ACM, PL2303, FT232, BT HID, SPP, mass storage, and also PS3/PS4/PS Buzz/Wii/Xbox controllers, among other stuff.

[@frightrisk7407]

What solution did you clean the boar in with your ultrasonic cleaner and for how long?

[@Kuba-0040]

Whats the name of the music you used at 4:52?

[@bitluni]

Jeremy Blake - Powerup

[@aldikiller]

Super, bin echt beeindruckt. Was würde denn deine Konsole kosten ? Wenn ein anderer(du) sie lötest ?

[@danielwilson2086]

Thanks for the video! really interesting... Do you have these USB wings for sale? I'm hoping to use the ESP32 to forward USB traffic to another host (wish me luck) this board would be a great starting point.

[@firazpeerjade]

How to make USB wireless, so i can access anywhere in the world?

[@phamtanduong4426]

Good

[@hkarthik97]

Can u add the link for buying the CH559L Programmer kit

[@fishemrock]

I was wondering if i could build such a usb host to capture webcam images on a ESP32 board.

[@midorishimiz]

do you think we can use this to get acoustical data from a USB microphone (such as ATR2500 usb mic)? Thanks!

[@VincentFischer]

Blender 2.79 is my favourite blender too. Only thing I miss from 2.8x is actually working boolean modifiers :/

[@bitluni]

I built a new editing pc and installed the latest blender.. I completely lost.. had to step down to get finished in time

[@VincentFischer]

@@bitluni I think it's not for us people who abuse it as poormans cad software ;) It's made for the CGI folks