As a type designer, you have to spend a lot of time tweaking spaces in between glyphs in a design program. Why not try to make that process a lot more ergonomic and fun? Here’s a demo.
After having success with the above, I made an Eagle PCB board, 1.5 inch by 3inch that can simulate a little handheld controller.
Eagle Schematic
Eagle Board
As I’m designing the Eagle files I’m not sure why I can’t eliminate all the errors?
It seems like I don’t see anything in areas that Eagle deems to have ‘errors’, I’d love to hear any insight!
Last week, I posted a Kerning Controller prototype. After trying to make the Bluetooth work for a long time, and failing, I decided to make a USB–connected one instead. Now that the Bluetooth function is out of the picture, I decided to choose a different microcontroller that would make my life easier.
This prototype uses slightly different components than before.
Microcontroller Adafruit ItsyBitsy M4 Express
As a side-by-side comparison, you can see that the size of the components have reduced quite a bit. The first prototype is on the left, and the second is on the right.
Since the Mini-2Axis Analog Thumbstick didn’t have breadboard-sized through-hole components, I made a DIY ‘breakout board’ based on Adafruit’s. (original part here)
You can see that it works just like the first one, except that I needed to add two buttons to replace the ‘select’ function on the original joystick. (These only have 2 axis and no select buttons.)
The following is a list of items that I am planning to get via Digikey. Some points:
Mainly, these are parts from the ItsyBitsy Board (Taken from Adafruit’s schematic files here).
There’s a lot of breakout-board type items in addition to essential items, because I’m hoping to use these to help me with hand-soldering surface mount parts.
I already have the J-Link Edu ($20).
Trying to re-build the ItsyBitsy via the components and try to get the prototype working!
I’m super excited to see my prototype working. Its current functionality includes a mouse mode and a keyboard mode, which is triggered by the left joystick’s select button. Once you’re in the keyboard mode, you can kern, zoom in/out with the left joystick, and navigate with the right joystick just like up/down/left/right arrows.
2-axis joystick x 2
wires & breadboard
As for programming it, I’m using the Adafruit library for HID devices (specifically, the keyboard and mouse).
For setting it up, I really wanted to program it using Python, since that’s the programming language I’ve been focusing on this semester. This CircuitPython tutorials for HID input from Adafruit was immensely helpful.
Make a list of items I gotta buy and order from Digikey/Mouser (Thank you Andy for the suggestions for part types!)
I just got some parts in the mail! I haven’t been able to solder or wire them, but I’m attaching a photo of the new parts next to the existing prototype. I’m hoping to make a smaller controller.
Make a prototype out of the Adafruit ItsyBitsy M4 Board
Once the prototype works, try to solder the individual module(s) to reconstruct prototype of ItsyBitsy M4 board
Create a DIY ‘PCB board' with materials available (prototype board or cardboard with wires etc)
I’ve been thinking a lot about my final project idea. With all the commotion surrounding COVID-19, it seems that all the fabriation-heavy projects that I was hoping to do seems moot. That being said, that uncertainty is compelling me to try out a project that would be universally useful further down the line.
I’m inspired by Andy Clymer’s Kerntroller project.
Looking around, it seems that Adafruit has the perfect item — “Adafruit Feather M0 Bluefruit LE - our take on an 'all-in-one' Arduino-compatible + Bluetooth Low Energy with built in USB and battery charging”!
Furthermore, it has the datasheet online! I’m hoping that I can create my version of the Kerntroller, except bluetooth–capable, rechargeable, and able to work with Glyphs App.
My lack of experience with building anything related to microcontrollers
Not knowing the difficulties of using a controller within Glyphs App
Fabrication challenges involved with creating a comfortable controller (dependent on ITP shop availability)
For this week’s homework assignment, we made a marquee letter light up.
Here are original files:
First, we started making the PCB Eagle file in class. After each of us were assigned a letter to do, we set out on making our own PCB boards.
Using Illustrator, I created a template for the ‘K’, and imported the vector shape into Eagle, and placed components on the board. Then, the components were wired as efficiently as they could.
There are two airwires that are represented in blue.
After milling the board via Bantam Mill (stabbed my finger badly on the engraving bit by mistake and thus forgot to take pics of this process… ugh) I used solder paste to put the components on.
Then, I programmed the ATTiny using the Arudino as ISP. What took forever is trying to figure out the pin for the LEDs (later figured out that the pins for programming are numbered differently from the pins on the package itself!)
Had such an annoying time debugging the code!
BUT, at the end, it worked! And the washer is the capacitor :-)
Finished K marquee!
For next time, I need to try to stencil the solder paste — I completely failed on making that stencil!
Yay! Mini lamp prototype works!
For our week 2 homework for Andy Sigler’s class, Homemade Hardware, we created a jig for ATtiny85, a micro controller chip that’s (obviously) tiny!
With the jig, I was able to run a mini ‘strip lamp’, consisted of frosted acrylic rods and b2812 led strips. You can see the gif above of it working (the Arduino is only there for the 5V, just a fancy battery)
While following along with Andy’s tutorial for the jig, I found that I had a problem getting the bootloader to work although the breadboard version worked fine. After office hours we figured that that I had soldered on the header pins backwards (!) and that had created a connection that wasn’t stable since the pins weren’t long enough. After Andy helped me take off the plastic casing for the pins, it magically worked :-D!
Initially I even soldered on the resistor and ceramic capacitor — (it wasn’t necessary!)
