Nice to see someone using a rightly-sized microcontroller for their project. Most hackers today throw an ESP32, or worse yet, a Raspberry Pi to handle the simplest of tasks. I suppose this is because the platforms are so readily available, but still there is something cool about using a teeny-tiny microcontroller.

I thought it is an overkill, though probably a convenient and practical one. But if one's aim is hacking with simpler technologies, a mechanical linkage (maybe something with a cam) should suffice for this task. Or an electrical circuit with simpler components, without digital logic in it.