Xinao "dekuNukem" Wang Unveils the Bigger, Better, But Still-Open duckyPad Pro Macropad
20 keys, two rotary knobs, 32-key expansion, room for 3,712 macros of near-arbitrary length — oh, and Bluetooth.
Embedded systems engineer Xinao "dekuNukem" Wang is preparing to launch a follow-up to the popular duckyPad macropad, featuring a custom scripting engine with support for longer and more complex macros: the sensibly-named duckyPad Pro.
"[The] duckyPad Pro is a 20-key mechanical macropad for power users who demand advanced macro scripting and customization beyond the shackles of QMK/VIA," Wang explains, referring to two of the most popular open source firmware projects for keyboards and macropads. "With 4 years worth of feedback from the original duckyPad, duckyPad Pro combines long-requested upgrades with a no-nonsense design, aiming simply to be the most capable macropad available today."
Wang unveiled the original duckyPad four years ago, delivering a design that combined 15 mechanical keyboard switches with a compact on-board display. The display, driven by the pad's STMicroelectronics STM32F0 microcontroller, was used to select from 32 configurable profiles — meaning a total of 480 macros could be loaded an selected on a single duckyPad.
The duckyPad Pro is, effectively, the same thing again — but bigger, with an Espressif ESP32-S3 at its heart. An additional column expands the number of keys to 20, the display has been increased in size, and there are now two rotary encoders on board. The firmware, too, has been entirely overhauled, and is fully-custom — allowing for configuration of a total of 64 profiles, covering 3,712 total macros, in Wang's custom duckyScript language. These macros can also be longer and more complex, Wang claims, up to and including storing the entire script for Dreamworks' Bee Movie.
Other features of the duckyPad Pro include automatic profile switching based on the currently-active window, a microSD slot for local storage, Bluetooth connectivity, and support for expansion modules — adding, for example, up to 32 external switches or foot pedals to further expand the board. One thing that hasn't changed, though: it's still open source, with the board design files, firmware source code, and companion software readily available.
Wang is preparing to launch a crowdfunding campaign for the duckyPad Pro on Kickstarter this October; source code and design files are already available in the project's GitHub repository under the permissive MIT license.