Re:Ask HN: How to get started with practical hardware?
by smrq on Sunday December 17, 2023 @01:02AM
(#38670692)
Seconding this. It's how I got into electronics myself. I'll add that you can complicate the software in much the same way-- the basics are pretty trivial, but you can go nuts with customization. For one of my keyboards, I implemented my own USB handling using the hardware USB registers just for "fun" (and education, and to be able to say I wrote every line of code running on it).
Re:Ask HN: How to get started with practical hardware?
by opan on Sunday December 17, 2023 @01:45AM
(#38670890)
Agreed that keyboards are a good early project. To add to that, if you play video games, leverless arcade controllers can be a fun build also. Pretty similar overall as far as parts and shape, but the firmware they run (stuff like GP2040-CE or HayBox) make them act as controllers instead of keyboards, and they can even work on game consoles. Specifically I'd recommend the Flatbox rev 5[0] and the Open-Frame1[1].
It is good because the basics are simple, and you can "complicate" it in any dimension:
- Weird shape? Check - Add a trackball? Check - Crazy layout? Check - Add a mini-lcd screen? Check - Get nuts with actuation points? Check
It has a large and healthy community, and people are receptive to nuts ideas.