my hackpad
Hardware
By
@Trananhh
- 3 Devlogs
- 17 Total hours
I designed and built a 9-key mini keyboard, inspired by Cinnamoroll.
Ship #1
Pending review
I made a mini keyboard. I was inspired by the character Cinnamoroll because it’s cute. This was my first time building hardware, so everything was new and challenging for me, especially building the casing. Cinnamoroll has soft curves, especially in the head, mouth, and ears, so I spent a lot of time on those parts. I was quite stressed at the time; I built, deleted, and rebuilt many times because I wasn’t familiar with the tools on OnShape. But after all that, I created the product I’m most satisfied with, and I’m proud of it, proud that I built the product I wanted, exactly as I imagined it.
To test the project, flash CircuitPython onto the XIAO RP2040, install the KMK library, and load the main.py file located in the /firmware directory. The 3x3 matrix maps directly to Numpad keys 1-9. IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING INTEGRITY:
I want to clarify that my project was flagged or mistakenly perceived as using AI, which is completely false and unfair to my hard work. I designed the schematic, routed the PCB, created the 3D enclosure in Onshape, and wrote the firmware entirely BY HAND from scratch. I logged over 18 hours of continuous work via Lapse time-tracking, and I have full screen-recording timelapses available to demonstrate every step of my manual design process.
12h 10m 14s logged
Hi, I’m back to give an update on my hackpad project. I’ve finished building the case; it took quite a bit of time, and now I’m moving on to the firmware.
3h 55m 13s logged
Hi! I’m back with an update on my project. I’ve built the casing for the PCB. I drew inspiration from the character Cinnamoroll for the design. I put a lot of effort into modeling Cinnamoroll’s head and ears; it was really challenging for me since it was my first time using Onshape. I found modeling the ears quite stressful, but I’m determined to finish it. Does it look like Cinnamoroll to you guys?😭 😭 😭
50m 58s logged
This is actually my very first time diving into hardware, and honestly, I used to think PCB design was super intimidating and complicated. But after messing around for a bit and reading through the Hack Club guides, I actually managed to make it work, so I’m super grateful for that! Getting my hands dirty with hardware for the first time felt surprisingly fun and exciting.I’ve pretty much wrapped up the main design process! I started by setting up the schematic in KiCad, picking out the components, and organizing a 3x3 switch layout alongside the XIAO. After that, I assigned all the footprints, imported everything into the PCB editor, and tackled the routing—which was a bit tricky when tracks got blocked, but using vias to layer jumps saved the day. Lastly, I drew the Edge.Cuts frame to get a clean board outline and checked out the final 3D render.Right now, I’m just planning to polish and tweak a few small details to make sure everything looks super clean and ready for production. I’ll definitely keep pushing this project forward and update my progress on Devpost soon!
