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RP2040 macro pad with hot-swap keys, rotary encoder and RGB lighting

A USB-C macro pad with an RP2040, 9 hot-swap mechanical keys, a rotary encoder and RGB lighting under every key, on a 2-layer board ready to manufacture and assemble.

3D render of the macro pad PCB, front side, with 9 key positions, a rotary encoder and four mounting holes
  • 3D render of the macro pad PCB, back side, with the RP2040, USB-C connector, hot-swap sockets and RGB LEDs
  • Full schematic of the macro pad, organized in blocks: power, MCU, flash, boot and debug, user input and RGB LEDs

The goal

A compact programmable keypad: 9 mechanical keys that can be changed without soldering, a rotary encoder with a push button, RGB lighting under every key and a USB-C connection. The board had to be cheap to make and easy to assemble.

What I did

  • Designed the full schematic around the RP2040, with external QSPI flash, a 12 MHz crystal and an SWD debug connector.
  • Designed the USB-C input with ESD protection, a fuse and a 3.3 V regulator.
  • Added a level shifter so the 3.3 V microcontroller drives the 5 V RGB LEDs reliably.
  • Used hot-swap sockets, so the keys plug in and can be changed at any time.
  • Added BOOT and RESET buttons to load firmware over USB, and test points on the main power rails.
  • Did the 2-layer layout in KiCad (87 × 68 mm), with every SMD part on one side so the board is assembled in a single pass, and decoupling capacitors close to each supply pin.
  • Prepared the Gerbers, the BOM with distributor part numbers and the assembly files.

The result

A complete design, ready to order with assembly. The manufacturer fits every SMD part, and only the key switches and the encoder go in by hand.

Need something similar?

Startup, scale-up, product company or entrepreneur? Tell me what you need. I reply within 1 business day, and you get a fixed quote once I see your files.

Start a Projectmiguel@copperpathpcb.com