Case is getting there!

I got a lot done today! aka, case is 95% done! I made the top plate, added where the heat-set inserts will go to mount the PCB, added the “carabiner loop” to the top left corner (I changed my mind, it’s now a part of the main case), and have a good idea of how I’m gonna mount the OLED. I also added some small details, like a fillet around the edge of the plate and put my logo on the back. But, what about the other 5%? Just some teeny tiny things like

1. No screw holes to put it all together
2. Still haven’t figured out how you’re going to connect to the USB-C port
3. The mounting solution I came up with for the OLED is SEVERELY flimsy (probably, I’d have to print it tbs) and doesn’t provide a third point of contact.

I have some ideas to fix some of these. I might add more holes to the PCB as pass throughs. USB-C is tough, either it’ll be a “permanent” cable glued in (like its a real keyboard? except crappier) or I’ll figure out an extender. For the OLED, I think some sort of tab that the OLED mount plate could go into might work, but its hard to construct, and still not very supportive.
Overall, project should be almost done! A few more days, maybe less!

Just some cleanup work

Today I decided to do some cleanup work on the PCB, as well as remodel the case to match the new PCB. I added the mounting holes for future mounting in the case. I also added some rounded corners, so it’ll fit a little easier in the case.

I also figured out how I wanted my case to look. I’m going to take some inspiration from this pocket watch. I intend to have the little loop in the top left corner, connecting what will be the protruding lcd to the rest of the case. This will be a part of the top plate. I’ll start the plate next, but to jump start it I added what the cutout for the keys will be, as shown in the model.

Speaking of the protrusion, I need to figure out how I’m going to do that. I have some usb-c boards that can mount to the outside of the case, and then run wires to the xiao. BUT, none of the data pads on the xiao are exposed, and I’m not that experienced with soldering to solder to the tiny pins on the usb-c port. I also don’t want to sacrifice a cable for such a small distance. I’ll figure that out later, though. I do know how I’m gonna attach the screen, I’m going to wire it instead of it being attached to the PCB, because it exceeds the PCB size requirement. I just have the pins exposed on the front side, and will wire it with the screen attached to the front plate, hopefully with screws, but idk how that’ll mount either… More work for future me!

PCB MIGHT BE DONE!

After reading through the guide/documentation, I realized a few things:

1. I had too many inputs (17 buttons, 16 input max) so I decided to drop the period button. I thought about replacing the numlock with an encoder, because it would allow traversing the menu to be easier, but ultimately couldn’t figure out the wiring.
2. I forgot in a matrix you needed diodes, so I added those.
3. My PCB was over the size limit (it was originally ~188 mm, 100mm max) so I rearranged the top row.

Because of all these additions, I had to reroute everything. After all of this, I think my PCB is about done! As a token of it probably being complete, I used a variation of my logo on the front as a silk screen. I might add more silkscreen later on. Now, I have to redo the case! (how fun…😒)

Started Design! This is the first part of my Macropad, the Calc-O-Pad. For now, I have a “good enough” PCB designed and traced, and have the start of the case, with the bottom done currently. Hopefully I can get around to the next parts of the case tomorrow.