Maker Steve DeGroof has designed a professional-looking 3D-printable macropad that eschews mechanical switches in favor of a low-profile membrane design — with laser-printed prime layer for added model factors, and a parametric design that scales all the best way as much as a 60-key compact keyboard.
“A configurable membrane keypad,” DeGroof explains of his creation, which was constructed to present fast entry to the his most commonly-used but comparatively inaccessible-on-a-standard-keyboard symbols together with en sprint, em sprint, diploma, superscript two, pi, and multiplication. “Low profile, low activation drive.”
Run out of mechanical switches, or want a decrease profile keypad? Strive a 3D-printed membrane as an alternative. (📷: Steve DeGroof)
Macropads are nothing new to makers, with all kinds of designs accessible from single-key upwards — however DeGroof’s stands out by means of using a customized membrane rather than the same old mechanical or tactile switches. The membrane is 3D-printed in two layers, and copper foil tape or conductive utilized to each layers. The 2 layers then click on collectively, with strain on the hand-made contacts finishing the circuit.
“For the graphics,” DeGroof explains of the ultimate higher layer, “you will want a printed (laser or inkjet) sheet caught to the highest. I used vinyl sticker paper for this one however any paper label ought to suffice. Join the wires to your favourite keypad matrix decoder or microcontroller. I am utilizing an Adafruit Trinket for this.”
The parametric design could be scaled to arbitrary dimensions — like this credit-card-sized 60-key keyboard. (📷: Steve DeGroof)
Whereas DeGroof designed the printable keypad for fast entry to uncommon keys, he is additionally prototyped a bigger but nonetheless solely credit score card-sized variant that provides a Sinclair ZX80-style 60-key design to behave as a compact various to a full-size keyboard. The housing of the ortholinear keyboard is sufficiently big to carry a Bluetooth-enabled mcirocontroller and a lithium-polymer battery, making it appropriate for cordless use.
Print-ready STL information for 10 completely different keypad sizes and parametric SCAD sources, which might ship membranes of arbitrary dimensions, can be found on Printables underneath the Artistic Commons Attribution 4.0 Worldwide license. Extra info is out there in DeGroof’s Mastodon submit.