“I recently got into Mechanical Keyboards and thought it would be fun to build my own 8 key mechanical macropad. The process is pretty easy and made even easier with the addition of the Seeduino Xiao which is super cheap and has enough inputs to create a decent sized keypad without the complexities of figuring out how to code a matrix (which if you feel like doing you could create a pad of up to 25 keys with this tiny device!). Lets do this!
I’ll include the basics, but you can modify this project extensively, using your own switches (I used mechanical keyboard keys but you could use tactile switches, arcade buttons or even a foot pedal if you prefer).
This guide assumes a basic amount of knowledge of electronics. Nothing here is rocket science but you’ll need to know how to trim wires, do some basic soldering and edit text documents.
Equipment
- Seeduino Xiao. Official site / Netherlands Store
- Enclosure. I used this 3D printed one from Thingiverse but you can use anything from an icecream tub to a high-end, pre-made enclosure.
- Keyswitches and Keycaps. I got mine from Aliexpress but most countries have an online mechanical keyboard supply store that can get them to you faster (and if all else fails, theres always Amazon)
- Wire, I used a combination of solid core and silicon wire, you could use just silicon if you prefer.
Solder, solidering iron”