Category: ANAVI Macro Pad 2

Compact Desktop Media Control with ANAVI Macro Pad 2

Do you remember the ANAVI Macro Pad 2, our tiny mechanical keyboard with just two keys? Built around the Microchip ATtiny85 microcontroller, it comes with QMK version 0.13.19 and is often used as a cool copy-paste keypad. However, its open-source firmware can be reprogrammed for various uses. Recently, Henrik shared a Crowd Supply “field report” about his impressive setup, using the ANAVI Macro Pad 2 to control audio streams with his favorite songs. Although the ANAVI Macro Pad 2 was successfully funded on Crowd Supply three years ago, in June 2021, we continue to update the documentation and share news with our backers. It’s fantastic to keep improving the product based on community feedback.

Henrik created a custom QMK keymap for the ANAVI Macro Pad 2 based on his needs: the left button is for “play/pause,” and the right button is for “next song.” He even configured the LEDs to light up when the buttons control media playback. Why hire a DJ when you can be the DJ with your homemade setup using the ANAVI Macro Pad 2?

After modifying the firmware, Henrik made a hardware customization. For fun, he changed the keycap on the right button to one featuring a sleeping unicorn. This new keycap, being heavier than the default translucent one, adds weight to the otherwise lightweight ANAVI Macro Pad 2. The keyboard comes with Gateron red mechanical switches, which are Cherry MX compatible, allowing for easy keycap changes. Henrik also shared his plans for future modifications, including a second custom keycap.

Nowadays, the ANAVI Macro Pad 2 is available for purchase from our distributors worldwide. If you need any help, feel free to get in touch. The user manual is available on GitHub. For more details about Henrik’s setup, check out his Crowd Supply field report.

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ANAVI Macro Pad 2 in a Home Automation Control Center

Do you remember our tiny keyboard with just 2 keys called ANAVI Macro Pad 2? Recently AE Chadwick used ANAVI Macro Pad 2 in his amazing home automation control center for his 1939 Minimalist Cottage.

ANAVI Macro Pad 2 in a Home Automation Control Center
ANAVI Macro Pad 2 mounted below a Stream Deck

AE Chadwick ran new wiring straight up into the ceiling and through one wall to connect to his home media server. Stream Deck is the primary interface and ANAVI Macro Pad 2 fits below it. Our open source hardware 2-key keyboard has a simple but important task in this complex setup to perform the feature ” “tap any key to wake the computer.”

3D printed parts to hold ANAVI Macro Pad 2

AE Chadwick also designed a panel cut with CNC and 3D printed parts to hold the electronic gadgets. He was kind enough to share his experience in a Crowd Supply Field Report.

AE Chadwick, thank you for using ANAVI Macro Pad 2 and for sharing details about your project with us! It looks amazing!

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ANAVI Macro Pad 2 Developer Kit Assembly Guide

ANAVI Macro Pad is an open source, programmable two-key mechanical keyboard with backlighting. It was funded through a crowdfunding campaign at Crowd Supply.

ANAVI Macro Pad 2 Developer Kit does not require soldering. The assembly is easy, please take a look at the assembly video above for details. Although you can complete assembly with your bare hands, you might find a screwdriver and tweezers helpful.

ANAVI Macro Pad 2 Developer Kit includes a fully-soldered gold-plated green printed circuit board with two Gateron red mechanical switches, red 3 mm LEDs, an acrylic enclosure in two parts, two translucent keycaps, M2.5 screws, washers, and nuts, and awesome stickers!

To assemble ANAVI Macro Pad 2 follow these steps as shown in the video:

  • Peel off the protective films from both sides of the acrylic enclosure parts.
  • Assemble the top acrylic enclosure using two longer screws. It is not symmetric, so please pay attention to the position of capacitor C1.
  • Assemble the bottom acrylic enclosure using six nuts, three washers, and the shorter screw which is for the mounting hole between the two mechanical switches.
  • Stick the eight silicon protective pads onto the bottom: add two of them on top of each other to all four corners of the bottom acrylic plate.
  • Optionally, add stickers to the translucent keycaps.
  • Press the translucent keycaps onto the mechanical switches.

Finally, gently plug in a USB to microUSB cable and connect the ANAVI Macro Pad 2 to a personal computer. Please be careful with the microUSB connector, because harsh bending of the USB cable may damage it.

More details are available in chapter 2 of the user’s manual. As an open source project, we always welcome contributions and, if you like, you can help up improve the documentation by submitting a GitHub pull request or providing us with feedback over email. Thanks again for supporting this entirely open source project!

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ANAVI Macro Pad 2 Fasteners

Good news: recently we received all required screws, nuts and washers for ANAVI Macro Pad 2. Each kit will include:

  • M2.5 8mm screw
  • 2 x M2.5 12mm screws
  • 8 x M2.5 nuts
  • 3 washers

All of these fasteners are required for the assembly of the printed circuit board to the acrylic enclosure.

In the meantime, the Crowd Supply team has arranged all the paperwork for ANAVI Macro Pad 2 shipment following the crowdfunding campaign. We have already flashed the firmware and tested the majority of the boards. The plan is to package all units and ship them to Crowd Supply’s warehouse in 2-3 weeks. We will keep you updated. Thank you again for supporting ANAVI Macro Pad 2!

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How OpenSCAD Helped ANAVI Macro Pad 2?

A week ago we received the acrylic enclosures for ANAVI Macro Pad 2. We contracted a trusted local company in a near-by town in Bulgaria to make them using laser cutting of 2 mm transparent clear acrylic sheets. There are blue protective films on both sides of each acrylic enclosure which you will need to remove when you receive your ANAVI Macro Pad 2 kit.

ANAVI Macro Pad 2 acrylic enclosures with blue protective films on both sides

The design of the acrylic enclosures has been done with the popular open source software OpenSCAD. It is a simple and lightweight application that runs on MS Windows, MacOS and Linux. I am using it on Ubuntu. OpenSCAD is a script-only based modeller that uses its own description language to create solid 3D CAD objects. The .scad files for ANAVI Macro Pad 2 are available in GitHub. OpenSCAD supports exporting to various different file formats, including svg and pdf.

The acrylic enclosures were designed using a script in OpenSCAD

Before the launch of the crowdfunding campaign at Crowd Supply we experimented with several different designs but finally settled on a very simple design with is easy to manufacture. Furthermore, if in future you need a spare part and have a 3D printed, you can also export stl file from OpenSCAD and print it. By the way, there is a line in the source code that you need to uncomment to covert the enclosure parts from 2D to 3D for 3D printing. The OpenSCAD files and schematics for the acrylic enclosures of ANAVI Macro Pad 2 are available in GitHub.

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ANAVI Macro Pad 2 Successful Crowdfunding

ANAVI Macro Pad 2 was successfully crowdfunded at Crowd Supply! Furthermore more all stretch goals were met! Thank you!

ANAVI Macro Pad 2 with all stickers which are part of the crowdfunding campaign stretch goals.

Having met the stretch goals means all kits will include 32 awesome transparent Emoji stickers. You can put them on any side of the translucent keycaps. It is entirely up to you to decide whether to use the stickers and on which keys to put them. This way you can customize your ANAVI Macro Pad 2 with its own unique look!

These transparent Emoji stickers feature icons from Font Awesome, available under CC BY 4.0 License in GitHub. Thank to our trusted local supplier in Plovdiv, Bulgaria they are printed on a glossy transparent foil and laser-cut in rectangular or square shapes, depending on the icon dimensions and proportions. We already have experience with the same stickers because they are also part of the ANAVI Macro Pad 8 kits.

In addition, ANAVI Macro Pad 2 includes logo stickers for ANAVI Technology and KiCad, the free and open source CAD software we used to design the printed circuit board for ANAVI Macro Pad 2.

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ANAVI Macro Pad 2 – a Tiny 2% Mechanical Keyboard

ANAVI Macro Pad 2

Meet ANAVI Macro Pad 2! It is an open source, programmable two-key mechanical keypad with backlighting. Each of the keys on ANAVI Macro Pad 2 can be reprogrammed for use as a macro or even as a dedicated shortcut key, making it perfect for a number of applications across various industries.

ANAVI Macro Pad 2

ANAVI Macro Pad 2 runs on a Microchip ATtiny85, which is a reliable, low-cost, 8-bit AVR RISC-based microcontroller. It has a gold-plated printed circuit board, Gateron red mechanical switches, 3mm red LEDs and translucent keycaps.

Gateron red mechanical switches with 3mm LEDs on ANAVI Macro Pad 2

Only free and open source software tools like KiCad, OpenSCAD, and Inkscape were used to design ANAVI Macro Pad 2. Quantum Mechanical Keyboard (QMK) with V-USB is the default open source firmware. Source code and schematics are available on GitHub.

ANAVI Macro Pad 2 with stickers on the translucent keycaps of the mechanical switches

We kicked off a crowdfunding campaign for ANAVI Macro Pad 2 at Crowd Supply. We have a stable product and we are ready to proceed with low-volume manufacturing. We hope you help us bring this entirely open source project to life by ordering a developer or a maker kit!

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