3d-Printing

Opening an app to turn off a light is a failure of imagination. I wanted physical buttons — so I built a 3x3 macropad where each key toggles a different light in the house through Home Assistant. The build Same construction approach as the split keyboard: a 3D-printed “PCB” with the switches hand-soldered directly, mounted in a 3D-printed case — all printed on the Creality Ender-3 V3 KE. Nine keys, no hot-swap sockets this time — these switches aren’t going anywhere, so they got soldered straight in. It’s mains-powered over USB, so no battery to think about. ...

I’m building a split keyboard from scratch. It’s not finished — one side is soldered, the brain isn’t wired up yet, and the finish is still on the to-do list. But it’s far enough along to be worth writing about, including the trick I’m most pleased with. The design I started from the layout of a commercial split keyboard I liked, then modified it. Each half got an extra row of keys — six more per side — plus room for a battery, a small OLED display and a rotary knob, none of which the original had. The knob isn’t wired or programmed yet; the display is still a plan. But the space is there, which is the important part at this stage. ...