The Keys to Success
Yang Shu built an 8-key macropad with a 3.5" LCD that is powered by an ESP32-S2 and can be hacked to work perfectly for any application.
Touchscreen displays may be infinitely configurable and adaptable to any digital task you can dream up, but they are still missing something important. On the one hand, they are completely lacking in tactile feedback, which makes anything more than a brief typing session unpleasant. And on the other hand, when something is really important, do you feel like you can trust a touchscreen? I don’t know about you, but if I was in the passenger’s seat of an experimental self-driving vehicle, I would want a physical kill switch!
For those that want more buttons in their life, a software engineer named Yang Shu has what may be the perfect solution. Shu’s 8-key macropad comes equipped with an LCD display so that it can show relevant information, and it is also completely customizable and ready to be hacked.
The device is powered by one of our favorite microcontrollers, the ESP32-S2. That means it has plenty of processing power available to it, and it can also connect to other devices via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The display is a 3.5-inch 480×320 LCD, and the keys are hot-swappable, so you can change the switches and caps to match your preferences (and applications) perfectly. The included RGB backlighting doesn’t add much in terms of functionality, but it is beautiful. With a 3D-printed case, this macropad is ready for display on your desk at home or work.
Design files and further build details have been provided in the project write-up. Go get ‘em and you can have your own macropad like Shu’s in a weekend.