• hackpad
  • Project Structure
  • Journal
  • PCB
    • Schematic
    • PCB Design
    • PCB Render
  • CAD
  • BOM
  • Software

Cover	Exploded View

A fully wireless macropad with 14 Choc v1 Ambient Nocturnal switches, 2 rotary encoders (with a push-button each), and a small screen! The case is in two sections - a top and bottom, and joins together via 8 magnets, half in each side of the case (you can see the magnet holes in the various views).

I made this project because when programming / doing CAD design there are so many different shortcuts I use to make sketches, change orbit types, etc, and these require a lot of clicks. These all could be streamlined a lot more with the use of a macropad - which is why I made this one. I decided to also add a screen so I could easily see which profile I'm on and switch (likely by rotating a rotary encoder while it is held down), and the two rotary encoders to easily control multiple audio streams (mainly YouTube vs. Spotify).

└── 📁hackpad
    └── 📁design
        └── 📁cad
            ├── case_bottom.step
            ├── case_top.step
        └── 📁pcb
            ├── ... # Contains the KiCad directory for the PCB
        └── 📁plate
            ├── ... # Contains the KiCad directory for the plate, which is made from an exported DXF from the Fusion 360 Sketch (plate.dxf)
    ├── JOURNAL.md # The journal of the design process
    └── README.md # This file
This file

The journal contains each day's work, logged, with the aid of images. Total time is at the top and each day has its time logged. There is also a Table of Contents for easy navigation :).

Case Top Side View (from the bottom)	Case Bottom Side View (from the top)

Case Plate	Case USB Port

The BOM can be found in /bom.csv. Since this is my first ever hardware project, I decided to go for some products that were easier to find footprints / symbols in KiCad for. With hindsight, spending the amount of money I now have to on a nice! nano v2 or nice!view (which I landed on because I chose the nice! nano v2) isn't really necessary. So, in future projects I'll choose other, cheaper components - but for this one I've already designed the PCB etc, and was very new to this whole world of design, and so decided to go with components that I was more confident with.

The Seeed Studio XIAO RP2040 didn't have enough GPIO anyway since I needed a 4x4 key matrix (so 8 pins), 4 other GPIO for the 2 rotary encoders, and the screen pins. Now, unfortunately this does mean the price is way over $150. This is in part because I also forgot Hackclub operates in USD and so was sure I would be in price range until 2 days ago, at which point I had a heart attack 😭. I'll try to cover the rest myself... not really sure how that'll go because I need to buy solder and other stuff since this is my first hardware project (which is already a lot of money), but we'll see... I'm not sure if Hackclub has a thing with JLCPCB for cheaper PCBs but if so that would reduce the total cost, although it might still be just over $150.

Will be mostly added once the physical components are received and assembled, as I don't want to start writing code and then find out it doesn't work because I accidentally used libraries for different components, or something similar to that.

I have added some stuff in the /software directory though.

_{Thanks to Hackclub for such an amazing opportunity - this project was made by @skifli with 🩷, under the MIT License.}