Centipede | Amplified Labs

Your many-footed little helper for Chromebook enrollment.

Multiply your staff’s efficiency at your next Chrome device unboxing party

Centipede is an ultra-cheap (~$9/unit) high-value solution involving an Arduino micro-controller and some open-source code maintained by Amplified Labs that can dramatically increase your team’s efficiency during large Chromebook deployments. Plug the Arduino into a Chromebook and let it do the keystrokes through the enrollment screens, setting SSID, network passwords, and clicking “Next” for you — allowing you to enroll many more devices per hour. Buy an Arduino Pro Micro from your favorite retailer, or get the same device we have tested from Amazon.

Get up and running quickly

Choose the Centipede script for ChromeOS version 57 (and lower), or ChromeOS version 58 (and higher). Make a copy of the script you’d like to use, and modify it to include your local network settings, then program the device. The images on the left show the welcome screens for versions 57 or 58. Be sure to pick the script that matches, as the enrollment process has changed.

Find answers to your questions

Centipede is offered for free by Amplified Labs. If you have any questions, take a look at the support and FAQ pages, or head over to the Centipede Google Plus community to find answers. There, you can submit a bug report, request a feature, or share some of the amazing things Centipede can do! For existing Amplified IT customers with support hours, you can get one-on-one live help to modify the code to suit your needs. Just reach out to your account manager directly, or send a request to info@amplifiedit.com.

See it in action

Next time you’re enrolling a large number of Chrome devices, arm your staff with five or six Centipede units each and watch the work disappear.

Big thanks to technology coordinator Kimberly Hauser for producing this video!

<script type="text/javascript"> var _dcq = _dcq || []; var _dcs = _dcs || {}; _dcs.account = '9648499'; (function() { var dc = document.createElement('script'); dc.type = 'text/javascript'; dc.async = true; dc.src = '//tag.getdrip.com/9648499.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(dc, s); })(); </script>

How Centipede works

Purchase the Arduino Pro Micro at Amazon or click on the image on the right. If this model is out of stock, we’ve also tested this slightly more expensive model at Adafruit.
Make an account on Arduino Create.
Determine if you are enrolling a Chromebook with version 57 (or lower), or version 58 (or higher).
Make a copy of the Centipede sketch file that matches your version (57- or 58+).
Fire up a factory-fresh Chromebook and plug in Centipede via a micro-USB cable
Watch and weep tears of joy as Centipede does the dirty work for you

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Cheap as dirt

At roughly $9 per unit, these little guys will pay for themselves in about fifteen minutes.

Fun to watch

So mesmerizing to watch keystrokes happening programmatically… but get back to work!

Put it to work in your makerspace

Done enrolling Chromebooks? Arduinos are a widely-adopted open computing platform that is perfect for use in computer science, arts, and fungineering courses.

Asimov behold

At long last, your own private robot army.

Take it easy

Who says you have to tell your supervisor about Centipede?

Save those lovely wrists

Your opposable thumbs and manual dexterity are a gift too precious for repetitive keystrokes.

Note: Amplified Labs does not sell the device. We offer Centipede as a DIY solution that involves the purchase of 3rd party hardware we have tested, but cannot directly guarantee.

DIY

~$9/unit

Amplified Labs makes the code available free of charge. We do not sell the Arduino hardware, but we suggest purchasing the one at this Amazon Link, because we’ve tested this model. We recommend getting 5 or more units per staff member that will be involved in unboxing /enrollment. If your team requires assistance beyond our help community, please purchase or utilize your existing Amplified IT support hours as necessary.

Get started