The DMâs Grimoire
A fantasyâthemed macropad for Dungeon Masters to control sound, story, and combat at the table.
Total time spent: 8.5h - 9h
June 26: Planning the Macropad
I sketched out my vision for the DMâs Grimoire todayâ9 spellâlike keys RGB mood lights, and a Pi Zero 2 W brain. Brainstormed feature list and started rough layout sketches. Also watched a bunch of tutorials on how to do this.
Total time spent: 2h
June 28: CAD Top Plate Prototype
In Onshape, I built the top plate: a 3Ă3 switch grid with cutout. Figured out switch spacing and screw hole placement. Struggled with making the screw hole stuff.
Total time spent: 1.5h
June 29: Engraving + Size
Fixed sizing of CAD, Adjusted the mount to be perfectly flush with the case surface + engraved my name
Total time spent: 1h
June 30: PCB Schematic & Layout
Created schematic in KiCad: 9âswitch thing, data line for WS2812. Laid out PCB footprint and aligned header pins. Realized I messed up the routing completly. learned how to route thanks to youtube, exported properly
Total time spent: 2.5h
July 1: Repo Setup & Documentation Prep
Pushed to github, Exported front/back pad renders and schematic. Waiting on parts, in the meantime planning how to code the firmware to intergrate with my D&D elements. Did research on communication protocols over bluetooth to control various elements (sound effects, lighting change, etc). Future steps, add in dungeon elements to the case.