AstraPad: Attempting a ship

DevLog 8: The End (hopefully)

After this long (10hr across 3 days) journey we have hopefully come to the end. I finished the macropad and set up the GitHub. Hopefully it gets accepted so i can build it irl. Also guys i dont know how to solder….

AstraPad:

DevLog 7: The Climb Down the Hill

After the chaos of redesigning the PCB and fixing the USB-C orientation, I finally got the main hardware side of AstraPad finished.

The PCB is designed, routed, and DRC checked, the case is modelled in FreeCAD, and I’ve uploaded the Gerbers, case files, and master assembly to the project repository.

I also set up the GitHub repo and README, so the project finally has a proper home.

Now it’s time to move on to the next part: firmware.

The climb up the hill was rough. Now we’re heading back down — hopefully with fewer unexpected problems. 💀

AstraPad: A Work in Progress

DevLog 6: Yet Another Hill in the Journey

I started working on the firmware, only to realise I had forgotten one tiny but very important detail: the USB-C port needs a hole in the case.

So I went back to the CAD to figure out exactly where the USB port would be.

And then I noticed something…

The USB-C port was facing inwards, towards the PCB. 💀

So now I had to go back into KiCad, rotate the XIAO, and reroute the entire PCB.

Another setback, but that’s kinda the point of building hardware for the first time. Every mistake teaches me something for the next revision.

Back to routing. 🫡

The End for now
im pausing this project for now. Ill be back

AstraPad

DevLog 5: The great larp syndrome

Ive finally finished the pcb and i set everything up for the case. I added mounting holes and added an astrapad emblem on the pcb itself.

stay tuned for more
biiiii

AstraPad

DevLog 3:

I finished designing the actual finished product on paint and laid everything out. Then i started with the actual pcb. Check out my new discord repo(i made the readme with gpt cause icba and it was 7am with no sleep sryy guys)

anyways make sure to go star my repo

biiiii

Dev Log: 3(i cant remember idk)

I restarted the PCB cause i utterly flopped before. This time i added 4 push keys 2 rotary encodes with push functions (i could use one of them cause of the xiao pin restrictions) and an LCD. I fixed all the warnings and errors quite quickly all of them basic trivial things. PCB personally is so much easier than modelling the case im surprised i finished it this quickly.

BIIII

Dev Log 2: The great blunder i fail. i spent 1hr and 29 mins on the casing for my PCB for the macro pad just to realize nothing lined up and everything was wrong. my fault for heavily relying on ai. Lesson learnt. Remember kids dont outsource your thoughts

DevLog 1: I just finished the v1 pcb(hopefully it works) i got all the planning for future versions down and i setted up freecad on my linux system so that i can start on the v1 housing