By
@lix
MediaPad is a Hackpad project that helps you control playing media on your computer. PCB was designed in KiCad 10 and case was designed in Blender instead of Fusion 360.
What I made
MediaPad is a Hackpad project that helps you control playing media on your computer. PCB was designed in KiCad 10 and case was designed in Blender instead of Fusion 360.
What was challenging
The most challenging thing was assembly. From the beginning, my original PCB was broken. I accidentally used a wrong symbol in schematics which had flipped pins. I didn’t know this, so I soldered everything and found out it didn’t work. I tried to troubleshoot it with multimeter and I found out I was receiving 0.5v so I tried to destroy some traces to find the cause, but I didn’t. At the end I ended up looking at the PCB editor and found out that I used wrong symbol. All I had to do was to unsolder everything, put it on a new PCB and solder those LEDs flipped. And it really worked!
What I am proud of
That everything works as intended. I am especially very proud of that even though the PCB was designed wrong, I could still make it work.
How to try it
Open mediapad’s GitHub page, download it, and send gerbers.zip file to PCB manufacturer and print all of those .stl files with the count written in README.md file. When you’ll solder everything and it will be prepared to flash firmware, download firmware the the correct amount of LEDs (more info in README.md) and hold Boot button on XIAO and plug in the USB-C cable. Then just drag the correct firmware into it and you’re done! Just don’t forget to also run the companion app!
Yeah… Mediapad is finally done! Today I was putting the heat inserts into the bottom case and built it. I also drew some symbols onto the keycaps so I know which key is which.
I was again playing with firmware a lot with Claude. I am finally happy with it. Tomorrow, I will update the whole GitHub, right now, there are already commited changes such as PCB, Case, firmware so that all is already latest, but I still need to update documentation so README, source files of companion app, etc… So yeah, that should be done tomorrow.
I soldered MediaPad. Someone added a wrong LED symbol to KiCad so my PCB was absolutely wrong, I soldered it wrong, and I thought, all was lost.
But then I realized I just needed to flip the LEDs. But I had to put them on a new PCB, because I damaged the first one while troubleshooting why it isn’t working. I found it out after closer inspection of PCB plan.
Funny is also that, that on Hackpad page under Approved Parts they say 20 of the LEDs. But I got only 16. So encoder has no LEDs! I had to compile a second firmware that is made only for 16 LEDs but also the original one with 20 LEDs. So now you can also build a one that doesn’t have encoder LEDs! Like I do!!!
Everything now on GitHub page is correct! I even had to multiple time edit the CAD and .stl files, because in reality they weren’t really good and I used up all of my filament so I hope I won’t have to edit something again, otherwise I am cooked.
Firmware has now better interface, so user is happy. Yeah, that’s all. But it was also a mess to do it.
Well, check out the GitHub Repository. I will push changes tomorrow because it’s really late and this took 2days. I didn’t record a lot of things because they were happening in a small intervals and the troubleshooting and I just thought why to record it and I was also scared that staff could refuse that footage.
I have finally finished my Mediapad and sent a submission for it!
I’ve been also experimenting with a stand for the Mediapad via Claude MCP and tried to print it on my 3D printer, but it looks that for now we will not add a stand :D
I’ve also done few changes to the case and PCB.
Right now I am waiting until my submission passes through and it gets delivered to me so I can build it!
I had to completly redo the casing for my MediaPad because the old one wasn’t that good and also had issues with M3 screws where the dimensions were incorrect and it also wasn’t designed for heat inserts. This revision has correct dimensions for screws and heat inserts and also uses the latest layout of my PCB.
I have also redesigned the layout of my PCB as mentioned where I removed one mounting hole because I found out that it’d be better to use it for the case holding+PCB around the Hackpad than somewhere in center holding primary the PCB and making pressure at the 3D printed case at center (could lead to bends).
I have created a case & firmware for my Mediapad.
Becuase I am not really good at modeling, the case isn’t much but I think that it is my best work in Blender yet!
I just finished making PCB & Schematics. I am right now preparing to continue making Case and Firmware… Not really looking forward to making the case because modeling is the biggest pain for me that has ever existed.
I have just completed the basic tutorial for Hackpad but right after this I am going to begin to work on schematic for Spotify Board that will as the name may say… be for Spotify App control :)
