Finished routing my PCB and creating my case today! (Sort of)
I ran into a lot of trouble with the KiCAD components because I am just getting used to the software. While laying out the PCB, I noticed that many of the pads were appearing as “disconnected,” and my investigation into this issue definately set me back. I initially thought there was an issue with the footprint itself, only to find that
A. My switches were wayyy too close - I didn’t notice they were overlapping
B. KiCad was identifying pins that were not connected in the schematic. The footprint was functioning correctly-the software was simply indicating that certain GPIO pins had not been assigned to any net
Besides re-learning to read instructions carefully and actually reference the diagrams before jumping into any work, I fell victim to the finicky nature of CAD-based software once again - (didn’t know it could still haunt me in circuit design/firmware.
Beyond the electrical component, I was finally able to drift back into my domain - 3D design - as I worked on my case. I decided to be adventurous and neglect the warning on the macropad guide by using Onshape instead of Fusion since I’m more familiar with the software. Long story short, I had to scrap the first file completely and start over 😒. I literally had ONE job…
This is what I have after about an hour of drawing a box. I’m excited to delve into other macropad designs to see how I can make mine worse!
