Hackpad

cvboard

my cvboard for hackclub

why did i build it

the general description for this project:

a simple keyboard that has 2 keys, used for copying and pasting. one key will copy (control c equivalent) and the other will paste (control v equivalent) i have chosen this project because it is relatively simple and i am new to hardware and would like something manageable to start off with! id like to build this because i find myself copying and pasting a lot for several different things and i think it would be cool to have my own copy paste keyboord, i know i can reprogram the f keys to do the same thing, but i think it would be better to have my own dedicated one haha. im exited to start building!! i had seen a similiar thing to this being done on dragons den/shark tank and i thought it would be cool to see if i could recreate it im thinking of also adding a little twisting nob that can flip what each button maps to, so can switch round which is copy and which one is paste - however i am not too sure how feasable this is.

so in short: i saw this cool thing on shark tank (however didnt get any investors) and i thought i wanted to make it similiar, as i find the cntrl v and cntrl c keys a bit annoying and it would be good to have a little keyboard that i could use just to do it for me!

how does it work

basically there is a case for it, and the pcb itself:

• then there are 2 keys, one for control c and one for control c
• this is then connected to the computer via a usb (that goes throught the case and goes into the pcb), which sends the signals from the button press.

to set up the project:

• get the case: insert the pcb
• then put the lid on (and screw in)
• then add usb and can use! (just type the buttons on the keyboard and they will work as intended!)

design considerations

• as this was my first pcb project there were several design considerations that had to be made due to failures on my part:
• i chose to not use any key pads as in the design of the pcb i had put the seeeduino-xiao on the other side of the pcb, however i didnt put the buttons in the correct place in order to use a dxf file creator for a macropad (ai03)
• as a reuslt of this, i had to make my own lid, which just had a cut out for where the buttons where, this means it has a more "hardware" kind of look, and actually kind of fits with a look i want.
• i was planning originally to add a turning nob to switch the mappings of the keys around - however i later decided against that idea.
• i was also originally going to use raspberry pi as the MCU, however i chose to switch to using the arduino mirco, as i found programming it with the arduino ide actually easier than using QMK (as for the scale of my project for only 2 keys, i thought this was a better choice)
• also i changed from the arduino micro to the xiao-rp2040 as the mcu

how to use it

• i havent actually built it yet, however to use it the process should go something like this:
• first flash the firmware from your computer onto the board (e.g. using the arduino ide and install the appropriate library for the mcu)
• add the Cherry keys onto the PCB, and then add the keycaps
• assemble the case (and put on the lid)
• screw in using the bolts going through the pcb.
• then use the left key for control c (copy) and use the right key for control v (paste).
• make sure you keep the project plugged into the computer - as the usb connection is the source of power.

some screenshots of the project:

the pcb:

3d model: (.step file)

the case:

The Zine

(a pdf can also be found in this repository)

firmware:

BOM

total cost: $31.99 (more details in BOM.csv in this repository)