@leroyl6420
on
Morse Code Keyboard
58m 50s logged
I built the initial Morse Code Keyboard! Apparently I can’t code the CH32X035 using the USB-C cable, and I’ll have to do so using a WCH-LinkE. I’ll switch my project over to funding to afford that.
@leroyl6420
on
Morse Code Keyboard
18m 9s logged
I CADed a model of the Morse Code Keyboard! I couldn’t find a .step file of the devboard Hack Club gave out (and that I’m using) online so I left it out. I also intentionally left out a case because I don’t want a case to dim the beauty of my creation. I didn’t add the resistor because I’m too lazy. Here’s the CAD, time to solder!
50m 28s logged
Worked on the project some more! Making a math practice game now.
2h 14m 8s logged
I finished designing the Cracker Zero! I just made a case for the Pi and the screen and made assemblies of everything. I don’t want to make a case for the keyboard because I want to admire the custom Hack Club CH32X035 devboard :D
55m 8s logged
I started CADing the keyboard for the Cracker Zero! I’ll use a ch32x035 devboard as the MCU and I’ll add a joystick to act as a mouse. I’ll add a few push buttons to type and such… I’ll probably have to type in morse code lol (:
18m 59s logged
I’m making a few random Python games to maybe upload to an ESP32 one day and be able to play games on the go.
43m 44s logged
I made the initial BOM! I’ll get CADing next, but so far the pricing is looking pretty diabolical…
1h 48m 1s logged
I finished the design of the Flukebox V1.0! I added rivets to the inside of the lid to hold it in place, and I added holes for the buttons and switches and encoders well. I exported my gerber files and got a quote from PCBWay: it only costs $6.14 per PCB, which isn’t as bad as I thought. I got my repository in order and now I’m ready to ship for funding! Wish me luck!
1h 34m logged
I started CADing the Flukebox! I exported a 3D model of the PCB and imported a bunch of the parts. Unfortunately, I can’t find exact models for some of them, and I’ll have to model them myself. Additionally, it seems the pads I intended to solder the ESP-WROOM-32 onto aren’t rendered, and I’ll have to sort of eyeball its location.
1h 35m logged
I tried wiring the Flukebox together a few times, but none of them were satisfactory. I had to use too many Vias and lots of my routes ran unnecessarily long. I’ll try rearranging the parts to make wiring more efficient. I’ll try to move the OLED into the center while doing so, as I believe this will achieve a better look.
2h 39m logged
I finished the schematic of the PCB of the Flukebox! I finalized the parts I will be using, and I created footprints/symbols for them. I wired everything up, and I’m now ready to put it together in the PCB editor! Seeing all the wiring now, I may have to use three layers. I’ll try to keep it low, though!
1h 5m 1s logged
I drew all the symbols and started putting everthing together in the schematic editor! So far I’m done with the GND and VCC connections. I have to use a pinout sheet because I’m using a bare ESP32 module. I hope that I won’t have to make this a 3-layer PCB, even though I think that 2-layer is practically inevitable.
1h 13m 10s logged
I designed the rest of the components’ footprints! It was annoying to find the dimensions of the actual PCBs of the modules for most of them, but I got it done.
1h 22m 1s logged
I designed the footprint for a 128x64 OLED. Since I need components like these but don’t want to buy bare components on account of my poor soldering skills, I plan to attach them onto the PCB using only the long sides of pin headers. That means I need 1mm holes at 2.54mm pitch for these components, of which no footprints currently exist. I’ll be making more of them myself.
17m 1s logged
I researched parts to use in the Flukebox! It’s gonna be another open source music player. I couldn’t find lots of single-unit parts on Amazon, and LCSC’s shipping was too expensive, but I hope that the hardware grant I’m hoping to get will cover most of my expenditures.
1h 35m 26s logged
I finished the Radio Tuner’s PCB by sketching all the connections, and I coded all the firmware. It was confusing as this was my first time using QMK, but I got it all figured out eventually. I put all the firmware in the firmware folder in my repository, organized as they are in my files.
32m logged
I started my custom PCB! I am using an encoder, two buttons, and an OLED screen to made a radio frequency fidget device!
38m 1s logged
I made the tutorial HackPad! I didn’t yet customize it, I just wanted to see how to do things. It looks good, so I’m going to add encoders and stuff now.
I made a simple, standalone, and customizable gaming console that fits in your hand! It costs less than $20 to make, and goes for 20h before needing a new battery.
The hardest part of this project was the code. I didn’t have a lot of experience in coding before I started this project! I didn’t know C++ very well either. This project taught me a lot about software. I had to learn how to make clever workarounds, optimize, and debug. It was all really fun though! I ended up with a program that has a menu, three games, and quality-of-life features (like the option to turn the volume off). Still, there is room for a fourth add-on game for you to code! I get that this was a hardware project, but the code was really the biggest challenge.
The thing I am proudest about in this project is the case. I am a long-time 3D printing guy, but this case was one of the toughest “cases” I’ve seen (haha get it?) The walls had to be extremely thin in order to stay on the Arduino while avoiding the pin headers. I had to customize the slicer settings in order to get them to be solid. Though this wasn’t as hard as the code, it was the first time I had really went in-depth into the settings of my slicer to fix a problem like this. I am pretty proud of that :)
This project was started in Hack Club’s Horizons program, and moved after 15h were completed to capitalize on Stardance’s more hardware-friendly system. Though I planned to improve the Gameboy’s case here (and make the batteries replaceable), I realized that that was extremely impractical and ditched the idea. Instead, I stuck with my plan of improving the code. That is why I only have one devlog here on Stardance (oops)! The rest of my devlogs are in my journal.md file in my GitHub repo.
I hope you try making my take on the Gameboy yourself, for you will have as much fun as I did!
15h 42m 24s logged
Hi! This is my first devlog for my Gameboy project in Stardance! I started this project in Horizons and worked on it for 15h and 3min there, but I decided to move over to Stardance because it’s more hardware-friendly. I had a bit of trouble figuring out the recording system and I lost around 15min, but it’s still tracked on my Hackatime. This devlog really counts for 36min of work.
I am improving the Gameboy by adding a battery port (to make the batteries replaceable) and by improving the code. I want to improve the menu and make some quality-of-life changes (like a mute mode). I am excited about the future of the Gameboy in Stardance!
