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@nokira on Nokira's Hackpad

1h 5m logged

Devlog #2

LEDs ??

Hello again everyone!!
I spent some time looking around the internet and other macropads, and this gave me the need to add LEDs to my project, and so I tried.

I hopefully connected them in the right way in the schematic but still don’t know how to place them on the PCB. If anyone knows, PLEASE PLEASE, leave a comment <3, I will try to search online tomorrow to find how to make it.

Also I basically removed all the connections in the schematic and used even more labels, since it looks way cleaner this way.

I really hope I am able to finish the PCB soon with a layout I like so I can move to designing, which will be another new world for me :D

Thanks for reading!! Have a great day :miku:

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Comments 8

@bhanu_404

Hey! For macropads, it usually depends on what kind of LEDs you’re using. If you want per-key lighting, the LEDs generally go right in the center of your switch footprints (often on the back of the board shining up through a hole, or sitting right under the switch(like I did for my macropad)). If you’re going for underglow, just flip your view to the bottom layer and place them around the edges or evenly spaced across the back. The schematic looks super clean by the way! and Good Luck with the project :D

@nokira

Hi @bhanu_404 thank you so much for explaining! So I am using the SK6812 MINI-E LEDs, so I need to place them right into the big hole of each switch? Also, do i need to flip them since the Switches have a big piece going through it?

@nokira

because I actually put the LEDs a bit lower, not right in the middle of it. And when going in the 3D view (idk if the sizes are 1:1) the LEDs clip inside the switches. Maybe I did something wrong?

@nokira

@bhanu_404 My switch’s footprints dont have any rectangular hole. In my 3D view the hole is being made by the LED itself.

@bhanu_404

Hey @nokira! Yes, since you are in KiCad using the SK6812 MINI-E, here is exactly what is happening and how to fix it:

Flipping: You are totally right to flip them. The MINI-E goes on the bottom layer of the PCB (press ‘F’ to flip it), gets soldered to the back, and shines up through the board.

The Center Hole: Definitely do not place them in that big center hole! That hole is strictly for the switch’s thick plastic mounting peg. If the LED is there, your switch won’t be able to snap into the board.

Why it’s clipping in 3D: Mechanical switches have a specific, small slot inside them to let light through (usually near the top or bottom edge). If your LED footprint is cutting its own hole but clipping the switch in the 3D viewer, it means you placed the LED under a solid part of the switch’s plastic housing instead of aligning it with that empty slot.

The easiest way to fix this in KiCad:
Instead of trying to manually guess where the switch’s LED cavity is, look in your KiCad footprint library for a switch footprint that already includes the reverse-mount cutout (they are usually labeled something like “MINI-E”, “Reverse Mount”, or “with cutout”).

If you swap to that switch footprint, the hole will automatically be perfectly aligned with the switch’s empty cavity. Then, you just snap your LED footprint perfectly over that hole on the bottom layer, and it won’t clip anymore!

Let me know if you need help finding those specific footprints in your library!

@bhanu_404

i am not 100 percent sure

@bhanu_404

but good luck :D

@nokira

Thanks @bhanu_404 !