Jank Is 'Just Another Keypad' That Can Be Easily Connected to Your Laptop
Clewsy has designed an open source USB numeric keypad with four programmable macros.
On some of the laptops we do not have a separate numerical keypad, which can reduce the efficiency when you have to type a lot of numbers in quick succession throughout long periods. You always have an option to purchase one, which can be easily carried across all the devices, but Australian-based enthusiast 'clewsy' decided to design one for themself. The open source project can help you to build one by modifying the firmware to suit your needs.
Jank, short for ‘just another keypad,' sports 17 standard keys of the numerical keypad along with an additional four programmable macros. These 21 keys are arranged in four columns and six rows, the same as the regular numpad. When we speak of the four programmable macros, the other 17 are also programmable, however clewsy has customized them to behave as the numerical keypad. If you are interested in configuring all 21 of them, you can play with the firmware provided in the GitHub repository.
Some of the key highlights of the hardware include USB HID-compliant peripherals that use an ATmega32U4 microcontroller. This can be connected via a USB Type-C interface from where it draws all the power for the keypad to work. Beyond that, the macros feature brightness-adjustable white LED backlight.
Using minimalistic hardware design and ready-to-use firmware makes Jank an interesting option for future modifications. The schematic and PCB layout are available on GitHub.