Find Inspiration From David Zhang’s Automated Desktop Control Keypad

Home automation is becoming increasingly common, but that doesn’t mean it is easy to implement. There isn’t any widespread standard at this time, which can make it difficult to coordinate and control all of the smart devices in one’s home. David Zhang ran into this problem on a very localized scale: his automated desk setup. His desk contains computers, a large OLED TV used as a monitor, a motorized standing desk, lighting, a USB switch, and more. Controlling all of those was becoming quite the chore, so Zhang built this keypad that lets him streamline different tasks and configuration changes.

Like most of us, Zhang wanted an efficient and easy way to work. As someone who spends his day in front of his computer, Zhang’s productivity depended on his ability to tailor his desktop and computer workspace to the task at hand. For example, when editing a video he might want to dim the lights, increase screen brightness, lower the desk to the sitting position, switch to his MacBook, and arrange the windows on his screen. Then when he wants to do some gaming later, he might want to move to a standing position and switch to his desktop PC. His DIY keypad makes such changes quick and frictionless.

Zhang’s project began with an inexpensive Velocifire NK01 wireless mechanical number pad. It communicates with a computer via an RF (radio frequency) USB dongle. Zhang plugged that dongle into a Raspberry Pi Pico development board, which converts the numeric key presses into more unique key press combos. The Pico plugs into Zhang’s desktop computer, which runs AutoHotKey software. Several custom scripts respond to the unique key press combos. Some of those trigger macros on the computer itself, such as resizing and moving windows. But others go through Home Assistant to control the devices in Zhang’s home office.

Home Assistant can control some of those devices, like the LG OLED TV and an IKEA Tradfri smart light bulb, directly. However, some of the devices weren’t “smart” and required custom ESP32-based adapters. The USB switch and motorized standing desk, for example, needed ESP32 development boards to connect to Home Assistant through Zhang’s WiFi network.

Zhang covers all of the different functions in detail in his video, but the numerous keys (with custom-labeled key caps) allow for many home automation actions. Key press combos increase that number even further. If this project inspires you enough to create a control pad of your own, the possibilities are almost endless.