Devlog #1

Add a lot of things

What I have done

So this is a huge update. I made a lot of fixes, new things, and this is some of them:

PC app

• Better CLI So because I don’t really like GUI, I am still working in CLI :). The design is kinda better, but the main features are the new functions and also new settings for the device.

• Quicker and more secure connection Now the app is waiting for the device to connect, so you don’t need to run it if the device is running. But if you do it like this, it can find it and immediately get you into the main menu.

• Export and import of the modes So I added a new feature, and with this you can export your new mode and then you can share it with a friend or something like this, and he can import it and use it.

LoL, I wasn’t working much on the app.

Hackpad firmware

• Added support for rotary encoder So because for now on my Hackpad there is one rotary encoder and I want to use it, I added support for it, and now you can do: setting volume, scrolling, zooming. I know it’s not a lot, but I am gonna make it more.

• Mode setting So now, because I added the rotary encoder, you don’t need to press a button to change the mode. Now you can just rotate the encoder to easily set the mode.

• Added new functions I added more customizable functions like macros, even whole sequences.

• Repaired bugs So I repaired some bugs so the system is most likely to not fail, but if it does, it can go into error mode, and then you open Notepad or something like this and press the rotary encoder button, and it’s gonna type what failed.

So I think this is all of the main things. I actually don’t remember every new thing, but I think these are the most important things.

If you have any ideas or questions, feel free to type them down into the comments.

And I hope we’re gonna see each other in the next devlog.

Love u

Devlog #1

The First Prototype Is Done

What is PadeXa?

PadeXa is easy to use software for your Hackpad.

It is mainly based on two parts:

• Hackpad firmware — The firmware is based on CircuitPython. Its
  main purpose is to act as a HID keyboard, handle configuration from the
  PC app, and communicate over serial. Everything works directly on the
  Hackpad without depending on external software.
• PC app — This is the main reason why I made this project. It is
  basically a configurator for your Hackpad. It communicates with the
  Hackpad over serial, and all configuration is saved directly on the
  Hackpad itself, so the Hackpad can work completely without the PC app.

This project was originally inspired by my HackPad
project.

What does this prototype have?

For this first prototype, I mainly focused on testing the key features —
and they actually work!

Here are the features it currently has:

• HID — One of the main purposes of a Hackpad is being recognized by
  the PC as a keyboard, and this works! For now, it can send simple text
  without special symbols, as well as macros.
• Mode selection — I want to support different modes for different
  sessions. You can switch between modes using a button, and the current
  mode is displayed on the OLED display.
• Serial communication — This is another important part of the
  system. The PC app communicates with the Hackpad using serial
  communication.
• CLI — The prototype currently only has a terminal-based interface,
  but it already works!

I built the Hackpad prototype on a breadboard, which makes testing and
changing things really easy. :3

What do I want to do next?

I think this is pretty cool for a prototype, but it still has a long way
to go before it becomes something actually polished.

Here are some things I want to work on next:

• Fix some issues — The current system still has quite a few bugs
  and problems, so I need to fix those first.
• GUI — Yeah, the CLI is cool, and it will still be available, but a
  GUI should make configuring the Hackpad much easier and more elegant.
• Hardware configuration — Right now, this prototype is designed
  specifically for my Hackpad. If I want to make PadeXa properly
  open-source and usable by other people, I need to make the hardware
  configuration system more flexible so that it can support different
  Hackpad designs.

So yeah, I think that’s all for this Devlog!

If you have any ideas, suggestions, or questions, feel free to leave a
comment. I’d love to hear what you think!

And hopefully, I’ll see you in the next Devlog.

Love u :3

Below you can see some previews of the app