Mini Projects & Hardware Log

A collection of rapid hardware prototypes, custom controllers, and experimental mechanical assemblies built across personal projects and robotics experiments.

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1. µController — Custom Unrailed Game Controller

A dedicated handheld controller built specifically for grid-precision tile placement in Unrailed. Engineered a custom 2-layer PCB in KiCad with USB-C, an onboard LiPo charging and boost regulator circuit for portable power, and analog Hall effect sensors for zero-drift magnetic key actuation.

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2. The 100-Key Macro Pad

An oversized 100-mechanical-switch macro board built for extensive hotkey profiles and hardware shortcuts. Features a custom KiCad matrix PCB, per-key addressable RGB backlighting, an OLED status display for active profile readouts, and reverse-polarity input protection.

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3. Friend Tracker — Meshtastic GPS & Digital Compass

A handheld, off-grid LoRa tracking node designed for sharing GPS coordinates without cellular service. Built around an ESP32-S3 and Seeed Wio-E5 LoRa module, paired with a u-blox MAX-M10S GNSS receiver and QMC5883P electronic compass. Laid out in KiCad with curved RF trace routing and housed in a parametric 3D-printed Onshape enclosure.

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4. Differential Swerve — Concentric Bevel Drive Pod

An ultra-compact 3D-printed differential swerve drive module for robotics. Uses two coaxial input shafts and concentric bevel gears to blend drive velocity and steering rotation. Iterated through 4 generations of wrap-around gearboxes, integrated AS5600 magnetic encoders for azimuth feedback, and performed FEA topology optimization on bearing blocks to handle wheel shock loads.