IcePad - A Transparent Macropad

Description

The world of keyboards is vast and full of surprises. In the realm of transparent keyboards, two standout designs dominate the conversation: the Centerpiece from Finalmouse and the fluxkeyboard. Of course, there are other solutions to achieve a transparent effect.
The Centerpiece achieves its transparency through the use of Gateron's clear mechanical switches and keycaps, offering not just visual appeal but also a satisfying mechanical feel. Conversely, the fluxkeyboard employs magnetic levitation, resulting in an even more striking effect where the display is virtually unobstructed.
These two solutions are both stunning and impressive, and I am very thankful for their constant innovation and exploration in new domains. Owing to today's 3D printing technology, creating a transparent magnetic levitation keyboard has become significantly more convenient compared to the past.
This is a purely DIY project driven by curiosity, which has undergone multiple trials and tests.

Components

1 × MCU ESP32-S3

1 × Display 2.8 inch 320x240 RGB

Project Logs

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Demo1
MakerM0 • 11/23/2024 at 05:18 • 0 comments

Through CircuitPython, it's easy to achieve such effects. The transparent parts were made using 3D printing, and it looks very successful.
Prototype
MakerM0 • 08/20/2024 at 09:35 • 0 comments

A few days ago, I received the PCBA and 3D-printed transparent components produced by PCBWay. Their service quality remains excellent, and I'm very grateful to PCBWay.

Upon receiving the finished product, I eagerly flashed the firmware onto it and encountered no issues—it ran successfully right away. The hardware appears to be working perfectly.

This is a transparent macro keyboard based on CircuitPython, featuring six transparent keys and a rotary switch.

Users can modify the Python source code according to their own needs to add new features.

The device includes a 2.8-inch IPS color screen for good display quality.

After some effort, I have implemented some features, but there's still much more that can be added.

It supports development environments such as Arduino, MicroPython, and CircuitPython, making it an excellent tool for developing IoT applications.

If you'd also like to get one , you can place an order directly with PCBWay.

View all 2 project logs

Discussions

Gangwa Labs wrote 01/23/2025 at 04:44

Are you going to be releasing the build files for this project I'm very interested in the transparent switches. I can imagine a bunch of usecases with being able to re-map what each key displays.

Are you sure? yes | no

IcePad - A Transparent Macropad

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