Macro Keyboard
This small project is my own design for a mini macro keyboard, with the goal that it doesn't require any special software, can send regular keystrokes if needed, is cheap to build, and (possibly) looks nice.
This was my first hardware project, so it was also my first time designing a PCB. Due to this, I decided to keep this project as simple as possible and make a simple array of switches that are individually connected to pins on a Raspberry Pi Pico. I decided to just use keyswitches for my switches, as they could be made any colour with the right keycaps, and also because the device is meant to mimic a keyboard.
After getting to grips with KiCad and creating a design, I sent off for 5 test boards, and PCB-mountable keyswitches. I had to compromise on my original idea of a 4x4 array down to a 5x3, due to space constraints with the microcontroller. To my surprise, everything worked first time, and all I had to do was solder in the keyswitches to create the mini-keyboard I had envisioned.
If I were to remake this idea, I would design an outer case so you can't see the body of the keyswitches. I'd also bevel off the corners of the board because they're much more inconvenient than expected.
