Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
theimmc
872
Nov 10, 2016
Very similar to my CM switch tester macro pad, for not a lot more money if you pick CNC Aluminum (switch tester: $20, Pro Micro controller and bit of wire: $4, switches and keycaps: $5 to $10 in small quantities if you don't have them lying around). The CM switch tester V2 has only 5 usable switch positions (you can't put a Cherry MX on the upper right corner).
search
Kennui
160
Nov 10, 2016
theimmcI'm interested in building my own macropads, can you recommend a place to source the micro controller or other parts? Thanks.
theimmc
872
Nov 10, 2016
KennuiYou can get Pro Micro clones from AliExpress. Probably a little more if you get it from eBay.
joshwt
91
Nov 13, 2016
KennuiRight now mechanicalkeyboards.com has the coolermaster tester, teensy (alt to the pro micro) and a generic version of the shooter (sixshooter = custom pcb designed for cm tester). It wil cost a bit more than the immc's hand wired version but it will grant you awesome things like, better microcontroler, GUI based keymap/macro/firmware tool, stability of PCB vs handwired, 6 pwm controller leds for each switch, etc.
There is nothing wrong with doing it like theimmc did his, hell my first coolermaster switch mod was handwired but for my newer one I bought a SixShooter PCB and it was much better than my handwired one. Just something you can check out,.
Daed
574
Nov 15, 2016
joshwtIs that why switch testers get so fancy? I could never figure out why someone would want to pay >$20 for a collection of switches most people would only need to use once to figure out what style they like.
joshwt
91
Dec 10, 2016
DaedI personally see all switch testers as macro devices for enthusiasts for pretty much the same reason you listed. I think switch testers are nice to have around your office and what not but yeah the prices are usually too expensive to make the purchase justified unless that is you turn it into a macropad or game pad. I have several handwired macropads and I use them all for some application or just to have some extra keys when needed for my 60 and 40% boards.
PRODUCTS YOU MAY LIKE
Trending Posts in Mechanical Keyboards