Introduction

This guide will walk you through using your Macropad1x5! If you havn't assembled your macropad yet, follow the Assembly Guide first and then come back here.

Mounting

Mounting can be done with screws or the doubled sided tape. Align the Macropad to the underside of your desk or monitor and press firmly for 10 seconds or more if needed. The bond will grow stronger over time. Be careful not to cover up any monitor buttons. 

Note: It's good practice to secure the USB cable with a cable tie or similar so that if the cord gets pulled the macropad is not affected.

Programming and Usage

Since this macropad is a kit, the firmware you choose is ultimately up to you. However, we do have precompile VIAL firmware which we strongly recommend using. Follow the Firmware Update Guide if you haven't already flashed the firmware to your device. 

Follow the VIAL Programming Guide if you need help configuring your device.

Example Uses

This is a list I've generated of useful ways and programs to use the Macropad1x5 with. These are just examples. In reality, the possibilities are endless. Suggest more use cases on the discord channel

• Music control - I usually configure 3 buttons for Play/Pause, Next, and Previous songs. The knob is used to control volume. This works well with Spotify.
• Screenshots - Configure a macro to press Menu+Shift+s to open up the screenshot tool on Windows 10 or similar program.
• SoundSwitch - This is an amazing computer program that makes it very easy to switch audio devices with a macro or hotkey.
• In conjunction with AutoHotkey - AutoHotkey is a powerful scripting language that can do automated tasks. It can be triggered by a hotkey press so it's perfect to use with the macropad
• Streaming - Configure OBS or other streaming platforms to change scenes or camera angles. We like to have a button to blank the display.
• Video Editing - Program the knob to press the correct keys to move the timeline back and forth for any video editing program. 

QMK and VIA Programming

The Macropad1x5 is compatible with QMK and VIA and VIAL firmware

Pikatea QMK Fork - Use this fork to create your own firmware powered by QMK. The fork also contains a keymap and settings file to compile a firmware that is compatible with VIA.