2 layers45 × 45 mm
AirCube
StuckAtPrototype/AirCube
Works standalone out of the box. Pairs with Home Assistant in minutes. Other platforms are supported through community-contributed extensions.
61 parts379Apache-2.0
2 layers108 × 70 mm
A 5-pad capacitive touch board built around the ESP32-S3, featuring addressable RGB LEDs and piezo audio feedback.
- Size
- 108 × 70 mm
- Copper layers
- 2
- Thickness
- 1.6 mm
- Parts
- 42
- Nets
- 58
- Pads
- 170
- Tracks, vias
- 187, 40
- Pours
- 2
- Routed
- Yes
- KiCad
- KiCad 10.0 (file 20260206)
- Created
- 29 Aug 2026
- Updated
- 30 Aug 2026
Overview
Glowpad is an open-source printed circuit board by mjvarga, from the mjvarga/Interactive-Glowpad-PCB-Design repository on GitHub. It is a 2-layer board of 108 × 70 mm with 42 parts on 58 nets, routed with 187 tracks and 40 vias.
It is built around the ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8, AP2205-W5 and IN-PI15TAT5R5G5B, with the BSS138 and USB4105-GF-A among its other parts. Its parts include 10 capacitors, 10 resistors, 8 diodes, 2 ICs and 2 switches. It belongs with the ESP32 boards of this library.
Main components
5
ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8
SMD,25.5x18mm-40℃~+85℃ -98.2dBm 2.4GHz 20.5dBm 355mA 3V~3.6V 95mA Bluetooth5.0 ESP32-S3 Chip On-board PCB Antenna UART、SPI、I2C、I2S、USB SMD,25.5x18mm WiFi Modules ROHSEspressif SystemsWiFi Modules
AP2205-W5
SOT-25-40℃~+125℃@(Tj) 1 200mA 24V 30uVrms 500mV@(150mA) 500uA 60dB@(1kHz) Adjustable Over Current Protection、Thermal shutdown、Enable control、Reverse-polarity current protection Positive SOT-25 Voltage Regulators - Linear, Low Drop Out (LDO) Regulators ROHSDiodes IncorporatedVoltage Regulators - Linear, Low Drop Out (LDO) Regulators
IN-PI15TAT5R5G5B
SMD-4_1.5X1.5SMD-4_1.5X1.5 RGB LEDs(Built-in IC) ROHSInoluxUncategorised
BSS138
SOT-23-55℃~+150℃ 1 N-channel 1.1Ω@10V、1.2Ω@4.5V 1.2V 1.7nC@10V 17.5pF 340mA 350mW 50V 6.5pF N-Channel SOT-23 MOSFETs ROHShongjiachengMOSFETs
USB4105-GF-A
SMD-40℃~+85℃ 1 12P 48V 5A Black Female Surface Mount, Right Angle Type-C USB 2.0 SMD USB Connectors ROHSGlobal Connector Technology (GCT)USB Connectors
README
README.mdGlowPad — Capacitive Touch Interactive Device (PCB Design)
A 5-pad capacitive touch board built around the ESP32-S3, featuring addressable RGB LEDs and piezo audio feedback. This repository contains the complete KiCad schematic, PCB layout, and manufacturing files, independently designed and taken from schematic through manufactured, assembled hardware.
Features
- 5-channel capacitive touch sensing (bare copper pads)
- Addressable RGB LEDs, one per touch pad
- Piezo buzzer for audio feedback
- ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 (WiFi-capable) microcontroller
- USB-C powered
- 2-layer PCB, custom footprints for touch pads and connectors
Design Process & Lessons Learned
This was built as a hands-on learning project to go through a full hardware design cycle — schematic capture, PCB layout, component sourcing, and contract manufacturing — rather than just simulation.
Two design defects were identified and corrected before production:
- Switch reset defect: The reset switch's GND and microcontroller EN pin were wired to two pads that are internally shorted together inside the physical switch package (not just when pressed), which would have permanently held the microcontroller in reset. Caught via footprint/datasheet review and fixed by remapping which physical pad received which net.
- Voltage regulator mismatch: During a component substitution (the original regulator part number was unavailable), the auto-suggested replacement part was a 5V fixed-output regulator instead of the required 3.3V — verified against the manufacturer datasheet and corrected before manufacturing, avoiding a potential overvoltage condition on the microcontroller.
Component sourcing: Several original components (buzzer, addressable LEDs, voltage regulator) went out of stock during ordering. Substitute parts were sourced and verified against manufacturer datasheets for pinout, package geometry, and electrical compatibility before being approved for production.
Repository Contents
/kicad— Full KiCad project (schematic, PCB layout, custom footprints)/gerbers— Manufacturing files (Gerbers, drill files, BOM, CPL) as submitted to the fabricator
(Firmware is not included in this repository — this project covers the hardware design and manufacturing only. The original firmware from StuckAtPrototype's GlowPad was used to validate the assembled hardware.)
Credits
This project is a hardware rebuild of StuckAtPrototype's open-source GlowPad, used as a schematic reference. All PCB layout, footprint design, component sourcing, and manufacturing were done independently in a separate project — no files were copied from the original repo.
- Original concept and schematic reference: StuckAtPrototype/GlowPad
Images
(Add photos of the assembled board here)
Parts
42| Qty | Value | Footprint | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 0.1uF | Capacitor_SMD:C_0603_1608Metric | C2, C16, C17, C18, C24, C25 |
| 5 | IN-PI15TAT5R5G5B | IN-PI15TAT5R5G5B:D0606_21X21_4 | LED1, LED2, LED3, LED4, LED5 |
| 5 | ~ | new_glowpad_library:CapButton_18_26 | TCH1, TCH2, TCH3, TCH4, TCH5 |
| 3 | 10K | Resistor_SMD:R_0603_1608Metric | R1, R2, R4 |
| 3 | 470 | Resistor_SMD:R_0603_1608Metric | R3, R5, R6 |
| 2 | 10uF | Capacitor_SMD:C_0603_1608Metric | C21, C22 |
| 2 | 1M | Resistor_SMD:R_0603_1608Metric | R16, R31 |
| 2 | 5K1 | Resistor_SMD:R_0603_1608Metric | R17, R18 |
| 2 | LED | LED_SMD:LED_0603_1608Metric | D1, D2 |
| 1 | 1uF | Capacitor_SMD:C_0603_1608Metric | C1 |
| 1 | 47uF | Capacitor_SMD:C_0603_1608Metric | C3 |
| 1 | AP2205 | AP2205-W5-7:SOT95P285X140-5N | U6 |
| 1 | BSS138 | Package_TO_SOT_SMD:SOT-23 | Q1 |
| 1 | ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 | RF_Module:ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 | U1 |
| 1 | LOGO | Kicad images:MapleLeaf | G*** |
| 1 | SMT1240SHT | SMT-1240-S-HT:XDCR_SMT-1240-S-HT | LS1 |
| 1 | SW_Enable | PTS815_SJM_250_SMTR_LFS:SW4_PTS815 SJM 250 SMTR LFS_CNK | SW2 |
| 1 | SW_Reset | PTS815_SJM_250_SMTR_LFS:SW4_PTS815 SJM 250 SMTR LFS_CNK | SW1 |
| 1 | TPD1E10B06 | TPD1E10B06DPYT:DIO_TPD1E05U06DPYR | D5 |
| 1 | TestPoint | TestPoint:TestPoint_Pad_2.0x2.0mm | TP1 |
| 1 | USB4105-GF-A | USB4105-GF-A:GCT_USB4105-GF-A | J1 |
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Questions
How big is the Glowpad PCB?
It measures 108 × 70 mm and has 2 copper layers, 1.6 mm thick.
What parts does the Glowpad use?
42 parts, built around the ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8, AP2205-W5, IN-PI15TAT5R5G5B and BSS138. The full list of its parts is on this page, with links to each part's symbol and footprint where PCBKit's library has them.
Where can I download the Glowpad KiCad files?
From the mjvarga/Interactive-Glowpad-PCB-Design repository on GitHub, at the commit this page was made from: the board is Glowpad.kicad_pcb and its schematic Glowpad.kicad_sch. PCBKit opens the board in the browser, with nothing to install.
Can I use the Glowpad design in my own project?
Its repository states no licence, so its author keeps all rights: ask mjvarga before reusing the design.