“Thought it would be handy to use as a shortcut pad for my CAD package. Was on a special deal so I gave it a go.
Easy to assemble and get up and running. As only a beginner at python it took a bit of figuring out to get it working how I wanted. But plenty of examples to use and adapt and with a bit of tinkering got it how I wanted.
A few printed clear stickers on top of the keys and it is a time saving addition. I can swap the function of some of the keys so they do different things, depending on the CAD mode. The colour of the keys changes to indicate this.
Thinking maybe worth getting another one for general use on my other computer now!”
“I bought this to make a software macro keypad for my dad, as he struggles to remember keyboard shortcuts and thought that associating functions with grid positions and colours would make it easier to remember.
Positive points:
- The kit went together well and worked first time without issue
- It looks nice and doesn't slide around in use - not too light
- The CircuitPython examples provided on the device itself cover a good range of use cases
Things that could be improved:
- The provided screws are a little short, and don't engage much with the threaded standoffs
- The assembly instructions say to "gently" push the layer with the keys attached into the layer with the hot-swap sockets, but the sheer number of pins involved (32) means you have to gradually work back and forth across the keys with slightly more force than feels comfortable until they eventually all seat, despite triple-checking that all of the pins were straight and meeting the sockets before starting
- The reset and bootloader buttons next to the USB-C connector have labels printed next to them on the middle PCB, but these are completely hidden by the bottom plate once installed. It would be useful to repeat the labels on the bottom panel so you don't have to look up which button is which later on
- The keypad shipped with an old beta version of CircuitPython installed on it (I think it was 6.x, and 9.x is current at time of review), so needed to be upgraded to work with the modern library bundles
I wrote some code to parse the key combinations from a simple text config file and to read the LED colours from a 4x4 pixel bitmap file, both stored in the root of the CircuitPython USB drive. Dad was pleased at how easy this makes it to reconfigure - you can just open, modify and save one of the files or drag replacements onto the drive to switch between entirely different configurations, and it will immediately reboot and pick up the configuration changes. No messing around with the code itself. He's since asked if I can make one of the keys switch between configurations on the fly, and it's great to be able to say "yes" without having to work within the limitations of an off-the-shelf commerical keypad.”
“Easy to assemble and get started with coding macros and RGB lights. Comes with some excellent built-in example code, and you can find plenty more on GitHub too. I like the reset and boot mode buttons, but it would be better if you could still see the labels when the assembly is complete. Lights are good but don't expect them to show up very brightly in the day or a well-lit room.
FYI, you might have some issues with this if you are developing on an M1 Mac (Ventura OS has some issues copying firmware files to the USB). If you do have a problem, then use the "cp" command in the terminal to copy instead and it should work just fine.”
“This is a fantastic keypad! I'm using the UART pads on the PCB + MAX3232 level shifter to connect to my amateur radio transceiver. The transceiver can be managed using serial commands (CAT). I can use functions on the radio with the press of a button, that otherwise would be behind a function or menu knob.
I've uploaded the code here: https://github.com/git1k2/keybow2040-cat”
“Really cool and fun little device. I am using it as a button pad for a space flight sim and the ability to set up different layers for different functions.
A great little device.”
