Mechanical Key Calculator: (Work IN progress):
This is the homepage for my calculator project. The idea for this project came from my friend. He wanted to create a calculator with mechanical keyswitches. These switches are commonly found in high end desktop keyboards and create one of the best typing experiences. My design has several features including
A rechargeable battery with USB charging circuitry
A RGB illuminated backlight on each key that can display patterns and animations
A USB port to double as a number pad
A full color 320x240 LCD screen
Since it is completely open source, the firmware can be rewritten to completely change the functionality of the device. It could be programmed to solve complex equations, graph functions, and even play games since it is equipped with a 72 megahertz ARM Cortex M3.
This project is still a work in progress because the current board has some errors and the firmware is far from being complete. I have built two proof of concept prototypes but am shifting my focus to the drone swarm because it is more promising and interesting. There are several aspects of the current calculator design to be improved, such as a more compact board and functioning battery charging circuitry.
To the right is a log of the work I have done on the project, in chronological order.