Drawing tablet macro pad

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browncow

25 Sep 2022, 14:11

I've got myself a huion camvas 22 which is a great drawing tablet, except i really miss the side keys i had on my older smaller XP-Pen. This is such a hassle not having a wheel with which i can zoom, rotate and change the brush size with my left hand while drawing with my right hand, that i decided to do something about it. So i've come up with this very simple and maybe a bit underwhelming mounting design for a simple macro pad that would be attached to the tablet. So far it seems to work
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the thing put together and clamped on the tablet (don't worry about the screen scratching, there is some squishy tape and foam seal under the "clamp" part
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this is how the "clamp" works, you just manually adjust it and then torque down those three nuts. Of course the great rounded design of the tablet makes it much harder to make it work...
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A single pro micro is more than enough for 8 keys + a rotary encoder with a pushbutton. so technically that would be 9 keys. Each switch is wired to an individual pin, there is no matrix whatsoever to make things simple. Keys are from a broken NTC board (i got 4 other working ones) and switches are some cheap chinese "alps" clones (they are more like APC clones) i bought out of curiosity on aliexpress some time ago, they are clicky
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Of course it's not finished yet as it's missing a cover for the case. As the rest of the chassis this will be 2mm thick aluminium with a place for a USB type B because i like the shape of that plug and i have a nice printer cable for it. I don't really trust the pro micro connector for a longer use.. :roll:
If anybody is curious how the keyboard is made it is a punched aluminium sheet, bent and laser welded (the switch plate to the rest of the "clamp" body.) the nuts are placed on bolt inserts, which are pressed into the sheet so you don't need a screwdriver and a nut driver to bolt the clamp up, like you would have to with normal screws.

Meowmaritus

25 Sep 2022, 16:29

this is so overkill i love it

User avatar
browncow

25 Sep 2022, 16:58

So i bought one of those cheap connectors on a PCB which makes mounting them way easier for me, i will just use some press-in standoffs and two screws. this is about where the connector will sit
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User avatar
browncow

25 Sep 2022, 16:59

Meowmaritus wrote:
25 Sep 2022, 16:29
this is so overkill i love it
Thanks :D i wouldn't consider it overkill as this is pretty much a remake of how my XP pen tablet was, 8 buttons and an encoder. But you could say it's a bit more "robust" :lol:

User avatar
browncow

25 Sep 2022, 17:02

Also if anybody has some tips on how to mount a pro micro properly, instead of double sided tape because this thing has no holes whatsoever, i was thinking maybe soldering it onto one of those proto boards that do have mounting holes, but this is just gonna make it a lot thicker and i would have to ditch the detachable cables because they would hit the top of the case. :/

User avatar
browncow

02 Oct 2022, 22:21

the case is pretty much finished
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unfortunetely i wasn't quick enough with adding the usb port here, because i've
ALREADY managed to break off the micro usb connector from my pro micro :(
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User avatar
browncow

03 Oct 2022, 20:29

So, i have managed to fix the pro micro while waiting for another to arrive in mail :lol:
I HATE THOSE USB CONNECTORS
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a friend gave me some coil wound wire which is perfect for that. First time doing a repair like this, beer definitely helps with shaky hands :lol:

User avatar
Muirium
µ

03 Oct 2022, 22:53

Micro USB is Satan’s own favourite flavour. Never have so many billions of seconds been so ideally wasted, let alone the damaged wires and ports. Diabolical joy!

I’d keep your bodged USB “cables” in mind if and when strange errors show up on the host computer. Especially random device disconnections. I’ve done similarly hairy stuff and got away with it, but the spec is quite tight assed about avoiding stuff like yours and mine. Could get weird, and good. ;)

User avatar
browncow

04 Oct 2022, 00:11

Muirium wrote:
03 Oct 2022, 22:53
Micro USB is Satan’s own favourite flavour. Never have so many billions of seconds been so ideally wasted, let alone the damaged wires and ports. Diabolical joy!

I’d keep your bodged USB “cables” in mind if and when strange errors show up on the host computer. Especially random device disconnections. I’ve done similarly hairy stuff and got away with it, but the spec is quite tight assed about avoiding stuff like yours and mine. Could get weird, and good. ;)
I don't think i've ever had a device with a micro usb port that didn't have some kind of issues with it, maybe it's a curse!
I've put it back in it's case and it's working so i don't plan on touching the interior until it stops! :lol: however those wires are lacquered quite well, i had to scratch the ends of these pieces i cut fairly much with a sharp knife to solder to those, so i'm not too worried about shorts. if anything i feel like those "wires" are MORE solid than the stock usb port on that pro micro :roll: well, time will tell because this tablet is so much more useful now i'm gonna use the hell out of it. :lol: And the second pro micro i ordered as replacement will go in something else i haven't thought up yet.

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