A Vibe Coded One-Button Mechanical Keyboard - ESP32-S3 USB+BTLE

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Say goodbye to bulky keyboards with Vibit, the one-button mechanical keyboard that practically codes itself! In this epic build adventure, I've taken an ESP32-S3 Mini, a Cherry switch, and some eye-catching RGB LEDs to create a macro pad that beams out ⌘ + Enter via USB and Bluetooth LE. And yes, I let AI handle the firmware, proving that vibe coding is the future. Whether you're all about the wireless life or prefer staying plugged in, this tiny dynamo has you covered.

Minimalist Microcontroller: Building a Bare-Bones Dev Board - Dive into the fascinating process of building a minimal ESP32-based dev board, beginning with the ESP32-S3 Wroom module, and eliminating unnecessary components. Through soldering, wire connecting, and voltage testing, we reach a product that's compact, efficient and fully functional.

Magic LEDs: Self-Organizing with ESP32 CAM & Simple Image Processing! - Unleash your creativity and transform chaos into order using an ESP32 camera board, image processing, and a string of WS2811 RGB LEDs. Find out how wiring, level shifting, and a simple web interface bring this mesmerizing project to life.

ESP32-S3 ZX Spectrum - Full Color Silk Screen is really cool! - Super stoked to share this creation – an ESP32 ZX Spectrum emulator! Although it's still very much a proof-of-concept, it's looking pretty rad. I've got the classic games like Manic Miner, and yes, you can program in basic too! In perfect Sinclair fashion, I'm planning on selling this key piece of nostalgia for just £99. Work still needs to be done before the production phase, but rest assured, I'm meticulously working out the kinks, including tweaking the keyboard to ensure even better user experience. And on the technical side - a single ESP32S3 runs the show and we’ve multiplexed the keys exactly like the OG Spectrum. It's been great fun designing this piece of kit with the new full color silk screen printing from PCB way. Stay tuned for further updates!

Lovely High Res E-Paper Display - Just when we thought we'd done with our mailbag, some exciting new stuff tips up. This time, we've got a soldering kit, a fun-looking Dash, and extra bonus, an ink plate 10, which is a cool e-paper display from Soldered. We've unboxed it, pulling out a board with an esp32 module, an SD card, and a battery connector. One of the major selling points is its open-source nature, you can download all the schematics from GitHub, and for those inclined, learn about how to build pcbs. Also showcased a Simon Says game soldering kit, despite my modest soldering skills (we all need practice, eh?), it turned out to be good fun. Plus, we've got a Dev board fitted with an at Mega 328p and an ultra-bright ws2812 RGB LED. Let's see if I can turn this e-paper display into a weather display or maybe you have more exciting ideas, drop them down in the comments!

Just Vibe It - I crafted a whimsical single key keyboard ideal for vibe coding! It's powered by a TPS2117-equipped PCB, offering slick battery-to-USB switching. Tried out low profile Cherry switches, but faced some stabilizer challenges with bigger keycaps. Check out the final fun in my GitHub repo and video!

Vibing a PCB - surprisingly good - In my latest adventure, I challenged AI to design a working ESP32-S3 development board from scratch using Atopile and Claude. The idea was as simple as vibe-coding actual hardware without diving into the code. It was a chaotic yet fascinating journey, with some misses like unwired components and a forgotten capacitor. After a few prompts, the AI delivered a surprisingly functional board featuring USB-C, an AMS1117 regulator, and status LEDs. While not yet perfect, vibe-coding feels like a glimpse into the future of hardware design.

1 touch pin 8 touch pads - To make my ESP32 ZX Spectrum touch keyboard work even better, I needed to ensure every key was independent. The ESP32-S3 only has 14 touch pins, so I’ve been using a matrix approach. While this works well, it struggles with key combinations, critical for the ZX Spectrum. I explored touch detection and experimented with analog multiplexer ICs (4051 series) to expand the touch pins. Initial tests were promising. After prototyping with breadboard-friendly versions and ordering parts, the new keyboard was not only functional but exceeded my expectations. Scanning the keyboard now takes around 20ms, and the solution is ready for production. This was the last big challenge, and I’m thrilled with the results!

Look at my shiny crystal balls - Just upgraded my basic AliExpress crystal balls with some tech wizardry - I've thrown in an ESP32-S3-MINI, a mic, and made them battery powered. Thanks to WLED software, they're now smart and responsive! Shared the KiCAD project for fellow tinkerers. Check out my video to see these balls in action!

Minimalist Microcontroller: Building a Bare-Bones Dev Board - In a thrilling DIY endeavour, I attempted to build the most minimalist ESP32 dev board possible. Diving deep into the schematic of the ESP32 S3 WROOM module, I chopped out the non-essentials and whittled our needs down to bare bones. The experiment saw me juggling USB data lines and voltage regulators, waving goodbye to an array of capacitors and connectors and boldly embracing the simplicity of direct connections. Despite a few hitches, the miniature Frankenboard came alive, proving that sometimes less is more...at least in the world of microcontrollers.

Thanks to https://www.PCBWay.com/?from=atomic for the fantastic PCBs and SMT assembly.

Forget 104 keys—meet Vibit, the one-button mech keyboard that literally codes itself.

In this build-and-program adventure I take an ESP32-S3 Mini, bolt on a Cherry switch, Li-ion charger and RGB status LEDs, then let AI write all the firmware.

By the end we’ve got a palm-sized macro pad that fires ⌘ + Enter over USB and Bluetooth LE—perfect for your vibe coding sessions!

00:00 PCB Overview – ESP32-S3 Mini, USB-C & Li-ion Charger
01:00 Cherry MX Low-Profile vs Standard Switch Footprints
01:40 Fixing Wobble: Stabilizers & Custom “Vibit” Keycap
03:30 What Is “Vibe Coding”? AI-Generated Firmware Explained
03:53 Vibing up a hardware definition - what GPIOS are we using?
05:13 Let’s get it working over USB - our first bit of vibe code
06:52 The vibe code works - USB keyboard is working
07:30 Let’s add a bit of refinement to the behaviour
08:12 It’s even better - this vibe coding is brilliant!
08:40 Vibing up battery charge status
09:43 Let’s add BLE support - we’re going wireless!
11:20 So close… but not quite there
13:40 Let’s give it a hint - we’ll tell it which library to use
14:16 It works! Fully vibe coded USB and BLE keyboard

#mechanicalkeyboard #ESP32 #BluetoothLE #AIcoding #makers #electronics #firmware

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HELP SUPPORT MY WORK: If you're feeling flush then please stop by Patreon Or you can make a one off donation via ko-fi

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· · · · · Posts · Videos · Tags · Support

A Vibe Coded One-Button Mechanical Keyboard - ESP32-S3 USB+BTLE

#mechanicalkeyboard #ESP32 #BluetoothLE #AIcoding #makers #electronics #firmware

Written by

Chris Greening

Supported by

atomic14

A collection of slightly mad projects, instructive/educational videos, and generally interesting stuff. Building projects around the Arduino and ESP32 platforms - we'll be exploring AI, Computer Vision, Audio, 3D Printing - it may get a bit eclectic...

A Vibe Coded One-Button Mechanical Keyboard - ESP32-S3 USB+BTLE

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#mechanicalkeyboard #ESP32 #BluetoothLE #AIcoding #makers #electronics #firmware

Written by

Chris Greening

Supported by

atomic14

A collection of slightly mad projects, instructive/educational videos, and generally interesting stuff. Building projects around the Arduino and ESP32 platforms - we'll be exploring AI, Computer Vision, Audio, 3D Printing - it may get a bit eclectic...