Devlog #6: The Final Design is Ready!

After hours of routing traces, tweaking tolerances, and reorganizing my Fusion 360 project tree, VoltStrip V2.0 has officially reached its final form!

The Finished Look

The latest design in the project gallery shows the absolute final version of the macropad. Everything is perfectly in place:

• 4 Mechanical Switch Sockets: Spaced out precisely for a clean and comfortable typing experience.
• ** 0.91” OLED Display:** The cutout is perfectly flushed with the top cover.
• ** EC11 Rotary Encoder:** Sits exactly where it needs to be for easy volume control and layer scrolling.
• ** Premium Branding:** Custom “VOLTSTRIP V2.0” branding and a sleek QR code are integrated directly onto the faceplate/PCB layer for that high-end, open-source aesthetic.

What’s Next?

The PCB layout is fully routed, and the 3D-printable enclosure parts (lid and BottomShellSolid) are perfectly aligned and ready for production.

Status Update: Since I cannot physically manufacture or assemble it without the Hack Club support and hardware shipment, the digital phase of the project is officially wrapped up!

All the files have been successfully pushed to GitHub, and the README.md is fully updated. Now, we wait for the hardware to arrive! 🚀

Got any thoughts on the final layout or the integrated faceplate branding? Drop a comment below or open an issue!

Devlog #5: Enclosure and Design are Ready! (Voltstrip V2.0)

A huge step forward — the 3D design and the complete enclosure for Voltstrip V2.0 are officially done! After playing around with dimensions, alignment, and fine details, everything has finally clicked into place.

What’s Been Done

• ** Main Enclosure Design:** All mechanical components (4 switches and a rotary encoder) are perfectly positioned on the top plate. The honeycomb details on the sides give the enclosure a great visual contrast and a premium look.
• ** QR Code & Branding:** After a fierce battle trying to import SVG files into Fusion 360 (which completely refused to cooperate), I shifted the workflow to Tinkercad and Bambu Studio. The QR code was successfully imported, scaled up for better scanability, and debossed deep enough for the printer to cleanly resolve it. Right above it, the striking text "VOLTSTRIP V2.0" has been added.
• ** Final Visualization:** All components have been assembled and verified in Fusion 360 — aesthetically and geometrically, the macropad looks exactly as I envisioned.

Current Status & Plan

• ** Fixing Minor Bugs:** All that’s left is to go through the model and fix a few small cosmetic and technical glitches, double-check the switch tolerances, and ensure the USB-C cutout is millimeter-accurate so the electronics don’t bind.
• Finishing the Project: I plan to fully finish the entire macropad starting tomorrow — locking in all files, generating the final STL/STEP versions, and prepping the repository for the Hack Club review.

Let’s push to the finish line!

What do you think about the honeycomb design and the QR code placement? Let me know in the comments or open an issue!

Devlog #4: Initial Programming, Enclosure Tweaks, and PCB Progress

Today was all about making a gradual transition into the software phase while continuing to refine the hardware components. The project is moving forward steadily, with focus split between early code setup and design optimization.

1. Firmware & Programming: Taking it Slow

Today marked the official start of the programming phase. I didn’t want to rush into the complex stuff right away, so I kept the pace deliberate and steady:

• ** Base Environment Setup:** Configured the initial workspace and initialized the core environment.
• Solid Foundation: Focused on laying down a rock-solid structural foundation for the code, ensuring the basic logic is clean before expanding into more advanced scripts.

2. CAD Design: Enclosure Tweaks (Work in Progress)

Spent some time back in the modeling software to iron out the physical design. It’s not completely wrapped up yet, but the main housing is getting closer to completion:

• ** Refined the Main Body:** Adjusted a few dimensions and fitments on the main enclosure to ensure a cleaner look and better structural integrity.
• ** Next Up for CAD:** The main body tweaks are done, leaving only the lid (cover) left to design and finalize.

3. Hardware: Polishing the PCB

The rest of the session was dedicated to cleaning up the electronics layout and fixing the remaining board elements:

• ** Trace Cleanup:** Ran a pass over the PCB design to clean up the remaining traces and check clearances.
• ** Layout Optimization:** Tweaked the overall layout to optimize the paths, making sure the board is solid and well-routed.

What’s Next?

• Designing the enclosure lid to finally close up the physical model.
• Diving deeper into the firmware functionality now that the environment is set up.

One step at a time! 🏁

Have you ever worked on integrating a custom PCB with a 3D-printed enclosure? Share your tips or feedback in the comments below!

🚀 STARDANCE DEVLOG: DAY 4The Base is Perfect, but the Lid is Destroying Me…Day 4 has been a total emotional rollercoaster. It started off amazing, but ended with me closing Fusion 360 because my brain completely melted. 🤯🛠️ What’s Done (The Good Part)I managed to fully finish the case base! Since there’s no room inside the case for the PCB and component screws, I decided to go with external mounting ears in the corners.External Mounting Ears: Sketched them out in the corners, extruded them downwards by about 6mm, and joined them to the base.Solid Build: It looks incredibly clean and ready for 3D printing.Cutouts: The USB cutout and the PCB standoffs are also perfectly in place.🛑 Where I Got Stuck (The Bad Part)And then I started working on the top lid… and everything went downhill. I’m trying to achieve that awesome high-profile look where the lid is raised and the plastic precisely surrounds the switches, OLED display, and encoder.Here is what drove me crazy today:DXF Hell: I generated the plate layout using an online plate generator and imported the DXF into Fusion. Of course, it imported 10 times larger than it should be (classic scaling/units issue). 📉Lost in Options: I tried to shrink it down using Sketch Scale, but the program started messing with me with some weird Precision 0.123 settings. The units got messed up, and whenever I activate the lid component, everything else turns translucent so I can’t even see what I’m alignment-checking against.“Kinda-Sorta” 3D Body: In the end, I managed to extrude some random body, but it looks terrible. The switch cutouts are misaligned, the encoder isn’t even showing up, and I have no idea how to precisely cut the opening for the OLED screen since I don’t have its 3D model on the PCB layout.Current Mood: Had to close the program for today because my head hurts and I got sick of constantly hitting Ctrl + Z. 🛑🙋‍♂️ SOS! Need Some Help (Question for the Comments)Guys, I honestly have no idea what I’m doing with this lid right now. If anyone has experience designing keyboard/macropad cases in Fusion 360, please help me out!What’s the easiest and most accurate way to “drill” the cutouts for 4 Cherry switches, an EC11 encoder, and an OLED screen so that they actually fit perfectly after 3D printing?Do you have a foolproof trick for importing DXF files without ruining the scale, or is it better to just draw everything manually over the PCB layout?Any advice, tutorial, or step-by-step guidance would literally save my life for Day 5. Let me know below! 👇

Devlog #3: PCB Done! ✅ Design: Complete.
PCB: Verified.
Image: Attached below. I’m officially closing the chapter on the PCB design today. It’s my first one, so it’s not fancy, but I couldn’t be happier with the result. Next up: 3D modeling the enclosure. Let’s get to work! 💻🖨️

Devlog #2: Finally making moves! 🚀 Yesterday was a bit of a struggle, but today felt like a win. I powered through the PCB schematic, finished the layout, and managed to hunt down and fix all the errors!I’m left with a few lingering warnings (check the second image). Are these actually important, or just “noise”? Would love some advice from the pros here!On top of the board work, I’ve officially started drafting the enclosure. It’s looking solid, and I’m aiming to have the design finished by tomorrow. Let’s keep this momentum going!

This is my first devlog.​Working on the OrpheusPad or Macropad project has been a real challenge that turned into a pretty frustrating experience. I started with a lot of enthusiasm, following the instructions from Hackpad, and spent hours in KiCad trying to put together the PCB design. Every step was a struggle—from resolving those annoying DRC errors to dealing with library configurations that were giving me a headache. ​Just when I thought I was close to the finish line and tried to finally link those libraries, the system failed me. The Windows manager glitched and KiCad crashed. Since I hadn’t manually saved my progress, and all my attempts to pull something from those .bak and .lck files failed, I’m back to square one. Now I have to start everything from scratch. It was a painful but useful lesson about how important it is to constantly hit “Save” and have a well-organized workspace. ​Besides losing my nerves over the technical issues, I’m now struggling with whether this is even worth it. I tried to open the submission form to order parts, but I keep getting an error. I don’t even know if the project is still active or if it’s already finished. I really don’t want to waste time drawing the board if the form doesn’t work or if the program has long since closed, so that’s my main dilemma before I decide to dive back into the work. So yeah for now i dont have any images for work but I will try again tomorrow.