Super Interesting Macro Pad

I have decided to redesign my macropad because I feel that the original design was becoming too complicated. Looking back, I think I fell into the issue of scope creep, where I kept adding more features without considering how this would affect the overall complexity of the product.

The redesigned macropad will be powered by an ESP32-S3-WROOM-1, which I have chosen because it is easy to design around and provides enough capability for the features I want to include. The new design will have 9 buttons instead of 16, as I found that the 4×4 button layout was too large in the hand and required more thought about where to press. I believe that a 3×3 arrangement provides a better balance between the number of controls, size and usability, making the product more comfortable and intuitive to use.

The macropad will also include an OLED display, which will be used to display useful information such as the current system volume, selected macro page or available system resources. A rotary encoder will allow the user to scroll through different pages of macros, allowing access to more functions without needing additional physical buttons. The slider will mainly be used to control system volume, providing a quick and intuitive way of adjusting it.

I have also considered the manufacturing of the product. The new design has a smaller BOM, meaning there are fewer components to purchase, assemble and potentially replace. This should make the product easier to manufacture and update, as well as making it more suitable for mass production in the future.

One of the main things I have learnt from developing the original design is that designing for manufacture is extremely important. A product can have lots of features, but if it is unnecessarily complicated to build, update or manufacture, the design is not as effective. This is something I will consider much more carefully throughout the development of this version.

Overall, I am more confident in this new design and hope that I will be happier with the final product. I believe it is a more realistic and achievable design while still providing the functionality I want. My next step is to spend some time reviewing, completing and finalizing the schematics. Once I am happy with these, I will order the PCB and build the electronics. After testing the PCB and making sure everything works correctly, I will begin the CAD design for the case and continue developing the product through the design process.

PCB design should be about done now. I am quite proud of how compact it all is relatively speaking. (super clever led placement if it works)