This was my very first hand-built board (mini board, in this case) ever, and it's finally in a state I'm ready to share with the world!
I love the AEK II, but I also love having dedicated media keys, and I wanted a mic mute/unmute macro key. So I made my own add-on that sits over the (otherwise mostly useless) "power key" on my AEKII.
The "chassis" (frame, more like) is the metal switch tester from the "Ultimate Sampler Tester Kit" from maxkeyboard:
https://www.maxkeyboard.com/max-keycap-cherry-mx-switch-gateron-switch-o-ring-ultimate-sampler-tester-kit.html. It even has a hole that's the perfect size for a USB C connector!
Microcontroller is a SparkFun Qwiic Pro Micro with USB C.
Switches are Cherry MX Greens.
Media keys are from WASD keyboards:
https://www.wasdkeyboards.com/media-shortcuts-cherry-mx-keycap-set.htmlThe big scary red button is mapped to a mic mute/unmute script I wrote (it's for macOS). VERY handy on meetings.
I even did something clever with cable management; a right-angle USB cable that is lightly taped under my beloved AEK II, and then I threaded it through the centre of the coiled AEK II ADB cord! There's enough slack that it can handle the extensions and retractions of said coil cord.
I'm pretty pleased with how this came out. I may iterate on it a bit, making a beige version to match the AEKII itself.
If anyone wants the mic mute/unmute script, it is available.
