Good news, everyone! I’ve successfully completed a new design for the project. In this post, I’ll give a brief overview, with more details to follow in the next project log.

First of all, I updated the PCB design. I reduced the number of mounting points for the main face buttons—now the board can accommodate 5x5x2 = 50 tactile switches. I also added space for 6 corner buttons for the bumper keys, and I connected a thumbstick to the remaining two analog pins.

This time, Amber from Elecrow helped me with the PCB fabrication. A huge thanks to Elecrow for their support! Elecrow offers hobbyists 2 layer PCBs up to 10x10 cm for just $1!

The 3D-printed bumper keys turned out to be quite fragile—one even broke when I was removing the supports. No big deal though, since I only have five corner buttons! On the bright side, the bumpers feel pretty good to press.

I decided not to solder the tactile switches but simply inserted their legs into the mounting holes. The legs are springy enough to maintain electrical contact without the need for soldering.

Unfortunately, the PSP joystick cap didn’t fit the thumbstick I installed on the board. I’ll need to 3D-print a custom cap for it.

I tried my hand at Typing Racer on my custom keyboard. My current speed is 18-22 words per minute. How much do you think I can improve that?