Macropad

Hackpad

My first real hardware project — a 5-key macropad with a rotary encoder and a tiny OLED screen, built for Hack Club Stardance. I designed the whole thing from scratch: schematic, PCB, and the 3D printed case.

What it actually is

A macropad is basically a mini keyboard just for shortcuts, so instead of digging through hotkey combos you tap one button and it's done. Mine has:

• 5 mechanical switches
• 1 rotary encoder with a click function, so it acts as a 6th button too
• A 0.91" I2C OLED screen
• A Seeed XIAO RP2040 running the whole thing
• A custom PCB with my dog on the silkscreen (non-negotiable)

Status

Hardware side is finished — schematic's done, PCB is routed, and the case is modeled and ready to print. Firmware is next, haven't started coding it yet.

Files

• PCB folders/ — KiCad schematic and PCB layout
• Macropad/ — KiCad project files
• 3d print folder/ — STL for the case

Why I made this

I've done robotics and competitive programming for a while, but I'd never actually designed a PCB before, so this was my first time going from a blank schematic to something I could actually order and solder. Lots of "wait, why is this net not connecting" moments along the way. Shipping this for Stardance.

IMAGES

PCB

3D DESIGN

Schematic

BOM