CubeTouch Is a Unique Hexahedron Macropad

We see lots of macropads pads around here, because they’re useful and relatively easy projects for makers to tackle. A macropad lets computer users activate various shortcuts and macros with a single key press. The purpose of a macropad makes a small keypad the natural form — a keypad is the easiest way to put a bunch of buttons in a small space, after all. But macropads can come in many other forms, whether to accommodate unique use cases or for aesthetics. Gustavo Gómez was aiming for the later when he created the CubeTouch hexahedron macropad.

CubeTouch is an HID (human interface device) with configurable buttons that users can setup for a variety of functions. In other words, it is a macropad. But unlike a conventional macropad with key switches, this cuboid device has six capacitive touch buttons (one on each face). A user could, for example, configure one face to send a Control + Plus key sequence to zoom in when using Photoshop. The possible functions are almost limitless, especially if one uses software like AutoHotkey to create more elaborate macro scripts. That’s typical for a macropad, but CubeTouch stands out because of its unique design.

Six individual PCBs come together to form CubeTouch. Gómez did a fantastic job with the space-themed PCB design and each side is a work of art. One side shows a simplified black hole, the opposite side shows a ringed planet combined with the open source hardware logo, and the other four sides show an Earth-like planet from different angles. Because these are standard PCBs, that artwork is made using just the solder mask, copper, and silk screen layers. Those PCBs are also functional. The copper acts as capacitive touch sensor pads and the control components mount to the inside faces of the PCBs.

CubeTouch’s brain is a CH552, which is a very affordable 8-bit microcontroller that can act as a USB HID. It monitors the capacitive touch pads and sends the corresponding key presses to the connected computer, and also controls the interior RGB LEDs that provide ambient lighting effects.

Most of the links are the CubeTouch website are non-functional right now, probably because Gómez is still in the process of setting everything up. But it looks he plans to sell CubeTouch kits on Tindie and to make the project open source so people can build their own from scratch. Be sure to check back there later if you want a CubeTouch.