Build This Yourself for Just $20! FreeTouchDeck. 

Thanks Adam! Thanks for the inspiration!

Hello, this is Allison from Beijing DWIN Technology from China. We are the manufacturer of Android screen, touch panel, Smart LCD display. And we specialize in this field for 17 years. We have rich experience in providing screens for car touch screen. We hope to get in touch with you. If you are interested, you can contact me through email:yangxi1@dwin.com.cn.

In the newest release, F13-F24 is supported! :)

Thanks Seon! It took some time to get it to this point. I've had a lot of cold coffees the past few months ;)

Hello, this is Allison from Beijing DWIN Technology from China. We are the manufacturer of Android screen, touch panel, Smart LCD display. And we specialize in this field for 17 years. We have rich experience in providing screens for car touch screen. We hope to get in touch with you. If you are interested, you can contact me through email:yangxi1@dwin.com.cn.

Wow! Thanks @Edward Fletcher!

Wow! Thank for that compliment!

I was thinking about that. The difficulty is that would mean some kind of integration with the application or operating system. I'm currently working on a host application that run on the computer that act's as go between.

@@DustinWatts I could easily write a Windows program that sends the currently in-focus program via telnet. This would also allow the touchdeck to send commands a keyboard can't handle, ie: open a program

Thanks Tablatronix! Let me know how it goes!

Hello, this is Allison from Beijing DWIN Technology from China. We are the manufacturer of Android screen, touch panel, Smart LCD display. And we specialize in this field for 17 years. We have rich experience in providing screens for car touch screen. We hope to get in touch with you. If you are interested, you can contact me through email:yangxi1@dwin.com.cn.

You are welcome @mad! I hope you enjoy it and if there is anything you need help with, just ask!

Thank you Andrew for your nice complement! Maybe a future version will include a feature you do need ;) Without other makers, I would probably not be a maker.

A couple? How many are you planning to make? :)

You are welcome BDscenes, glad you like it! :)

I wanted to build this but there are so many good Alternatives using old phones or Tablets Like Touch-Portal. But cool Project to build and i think its more about Creating than using.

Thanks! What a lovely comment! I try to respond to all comments, because the community helps me out a lot and I really appreciate it!

@BeardedTinker Thanks! I prefer adaptation, to not take away from the greatness of FreeDeck ;)

Hi Jim. you are absolutely right. There is no feedback between OBS (or the whole computer for that matter) and FreeTouchDeck. Although I never had OBS skip a keystroke, if the initial state of both is not the same or indeed if you use your regular keyboard this can happen.

If you are willing to wait, from AliExpress they are not that expensive.

Thanks John!

Thank you Mark, I appreciate the compliment!

Thanks James!

@@DustinWatts oh and if you want a wired USB version, then an STM32 module, like a blue pill, might be the answer.

Thank you pileofstuff! I appreciate it!

I do not agree, but thank you for your compliment! :D

Thanks! About insanity... opinions vary! :)

@@DustinWatts hehe you should be a guest on my podcast and we can let the audience decide!

Thanks! The are becoming more and more cheaply available. And I agree if you want a tactile feel, this might not be for you. Luckily, there are some tactile DIY projects out there. FreeDeck (which was a big inspiration for this project) is one of them!

@@DustinWatts i hoped that the "eltago streamdeck"© reference would have come through :)) ; i saw video; keep up the good work, cheers!

Truth be told, Elgato's Stream Deck works quite a bit different then a macro keypad. But for most tasks a simple keypad is more then sufficient! And regarding patents, I'm not a lawyer, but doing something in a similar way is not a patent violation. Using copyrighted designs/software is. The thing is, that to get a commercial product up to a level that is can compete with Stream Deck is very costly.

@@DustinWatts Actually it is the over way around. Patents avoid building other products in simular way. They should be granted only if they are something new beyond something being a normal developement any avarage engeneer can do. Sadly it's often granted for trivial developments, and it is hard and costly prozess to fight against trivial patents. On the other side patents only avoid commercial use. Anyone can make a copy themself for privat use, so patents practicly have very low effect on open source projects. Patents only aply to "technical solutions". Software is only a technical solution if part of a technical product. It is valid for 20 years. The patent has to be published (with some exeptions to military inventions). On the other side there is the protection for pieces of art, which is called copyright. "Art" ist keept very wide; even the one milionst photo of the sunset on a beach is copyrighted (but only forbids to copy or modify the picture, not to take your own at sunset on ther same beach). copyright is valid until 80 years after death of the person who made the piece of art. Copying a piece of art is forbidden, exeptions are different depending of the country you live (f.e. in germany you are allowed making a private copy for yourself and close friends unless working around a copy protection system). But you are not allowed to publish copyrighted material or any modification of it without the owners permission. Such copyrighted material can be icons, a special GUI design etc., depending on your country´s laws also software. So if you use only parts you developed yourself or used parts being open source, no problem with copyright. Also no problem with patents if you stay open source. But even a donation button can push you over the line of "commercial". One prominent example of open source wich would be illegal if sold commercialy: "lame" as an alternative for mp3 encoder. The Frauenhofer Institut had the patent (it is expired some years ago). "Lame" used same patented methods, but was not commercial. But many software using lame was (even a "donation" button makes a software commercial). So many software was prepeared to use lame, but the user independently had to download and install it, as the maker of the software with donation button would have to pay for the patend usage if he would have delivered his software with lame. After patent expired for mp3 now, independend programmed mp3 encoders can now be shipped with commercial software. The original mp3-codec of course can not, as in most countrys the software itself has still copyright. So for mp3 alternative commercial (!) encoders where illegal for 20 years (and a 1:1 copy from the original was illegal of course too) due to the patent, but now only a normal copyright apllys, so now alternative programs using the same principle are legal even commercially.

Excellent! The more people built it, with their help I can make it better!

Thanks XPVM!

Thank you Andrea, for your great compliment! Have fun building it :)

It is used a lot for OBS :)

Indeed! Regardless of this project ;) Just kidding, thanks for the sub and I'm looking forward to your build!

Hello, this is Allison from Beijing DWIN Technology from China. We are the manufacturer of Android screen, touch panel, Smart LCD display. And we specialize in this field for 17 years. We have rich experience in providing screens for car touch screen. We hope to get in touch with you. If you are interested, you can contact me through email:yangxi1@dwin.com.cn.

Hi Bharath! I'm working on some features that allow some form of MQTT communication or even API calls!

@@DustinWatts thanks. Awaiting for the integration

Thanks from The Netherlands! ;)

Thanks Mat! Appreciate it!

Graag gedaan! :D

Thanks! Glad you like it :D

@@DustinWatts would love to see more like this o_o

@@DanelonNicolas There are some more videos on my channel and I am also working on an update video

Thanks! Glad you like it!

That is a good idea! There are plenty of GPIOs unused, so plenty of room for expansion!

Thanks! With this... almost no skill required ;)

Hello, this is Allison from Beijing DWIN Technology from China. We are the manufacturer of Android screen, touch panel, Smart LCD display. And we specialize in this field for 17 years. We have rich experience in providing screens for car touch screen. We hope to get in touch with you. If you are interested, you can contact me through email:yangxi1@dwin.com.cn.

Yes, I have looked in to that option the issue atm is that the screen, BLE and WiFi take up a lot of resources. So it is not really an option to use them all at he same time without running in to issues.

@@DustinWatts I only mention it since I've done something similar in the past using it and it'll work from virtually any device with a webbrowser, so raspberry pi, phone, ipad, or pc of any OS link to screenshot as example -> cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/551840398016774193/813676399357460490/unknown.png

Thanks! Let me know how it works for you!

Thanks

Well I mentioned that it is optional. Absolutely not necessary.

That is absolutely an option. You can, if you want, not display the buttons but just the logos so that you can have the physical boundaries as buttons. Colin Hickey I believe is taking that approach.

Dankjewel Maico! :)

That would a be a great addition!

Zack Freedman did a built like that.

You mean two people watching? Let me know when you are streaming and you have 3 people watching :)

You can power it via the ESP32. Via a USB cable straight in to the micro USB socket.

@@DustinWatts lol thats it? i didnt think it would provide enough for the screen and the bord together. thank you!

Thanks Aaron! A wearable version would be nice ;)

No worries Dustin. Aaron will use one of those cheap Chinese Bluetooth thermometers and hack that functionality into it 😅

@@Hasitier I'm keeping my fingers crossed! :)

There is some information on the Wiki on Github, And on Instructables there is a step by step guide.

Hi Matty! 1) You do not need to know any coding. Although you will need to know how to upload code using the Arduino IDE. 2) You can use as many of these as your computer supports keyboards. 3) There is a design for a 3D printed case freely available. If you need some help, you can join my Discord server!

@@DustinWatts Thank you. Unfortunately I just asked my daughter if she wants one and she is determined to get the 15 button Elgato one. I'm sure I could have at least 5 of these for the cost of one of them, I'll put this on the todo list. :)

Well I think you'll be alright! And if not, just let me know and we'll try to figure it out!

Thanks Drew! Subs are always appreciated. I just hope I can keep up with the expectations. But there is more to come on this project!

I ran into some memory issues when using the TFT library, BLE, WiFi and MQTT. But I was able to get it working. And if you drop BLE, it worked fine!

Hello, this is Allison from Beijing DWIN Technology from China. We are the manufacturer of Android screen, touch panel, Smart LCD display. And we specialize in this field for 17 years. We have rich experience in providing screens for car touch screen. We hope to get in touch with you. If you are interested, you can contact me through email:yangxi1@dwin.com.cn.

I regularly grab the wrong mouse... either my laptop mouse or the one attached to my microscope :)

Thank you! Cheers!

Thank you Balthazar!

Thanks! Glad you like it!

Color: ESP32-WROOM-32D

Yes. It is in the repository for the combiner board.

Possible yes... easy no. But you are welcome to give it a shot. There a people in my Discord who also are working on this so feel free to join!

The more the merrier!

Thanks Sam! Currently it is not possible by the lack of an USB HID on the ESP32. You could connect the ESP32 to an USB HID IC that would make it possible. I have an CH559 to play with. I'll let you know if that is an option!

@@DustinWatts Ohhh that sounds like a good solution. Just looked up the CH559 and looks somewhat straight forwards to use

@@sameyebam797 Yes. @Aaron Christophel has done a lot of work on making these chips easy to use: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EMDJe7JQ76g.html

Well... you would be missing BLE. Full S3 version is coming and the current build should support it both BLE and ESP32's USB keyboard, but I have had no real time to see if it stays stable.

@@DustinWatts Is Bluetooth really necessary when it has proper host mode support and device emulation? It's your project ultimately, no criticism meant, just floating ideas.

@@KiraSlith Not taken as criticism, don't worry :D Not strictly needed, but it would be so much re-writing that I personally skip the S2 and go for the S3.

Thank you Martin!

@@DustinWatts You're very welcome. I am immediately replicating your result, and will be using it as my FreeTouchDeck for streaming and filming in The Makers Workshop studio! Should be fun.

For now it is a limitation. But not because it has to be. I'm constantly improving on the code, and more buttons per screen is high on my list!

Hello, this is Allison from Beijing DWIN Technology from China. We are the manufacturer of Android screen, touch panel, Smart LCD display. And we specialize in this field for 17 years. We have rich experience in providing screens for car touch screen. We hope to get in touch with you. If you are interested, you can contact me through email:yangxi1@dwin.com.cn.

This project is not for an Arduino. But if you have issues with your screen, it is usually a wiring issue. You can always search the issues on the TFT_eSPI library or open a new issue.

Hi Riesmoos! Thanks! I'm not there where I want to be, but getting there!

Running on a RaspberryPi? No. But it will work with a RaspberryPi.

Build it and the ideas will come! Just kidding... I have lot's of ideas if you need inspiration.

There are some unused pins broken out you can use for pushbuttons. Als you could connect a I2C GPIO expander if you need a lot :)

It is doing what it is supposed to do ;)

There is. But only with the ESP32-S3 which has native USB HID support. You also will need to compile the code (the Arduino Sketch) yourself because you will need to change some #defines in the code. With the original project it is not possible.

Absolutely. If you change the partition scheme you have more room for the sketch. In the Arduino IDE, under "Tools" -> "Partition Scheme", select: "NO OTA (2MB APP/2MB SPIFFS)". Now I don't believe the DOIT board has that option. But you could add that yourself. github.com/espressif/arduino-esp32/issues/1906 may be a starting point for you.

Yes it can... there is some special software for that!

Have a look at StreamPi ;)

Hi Tim, the screen I use has backlight control and is dimmable through FreeTouchDeck. On/off is not out of the box possible but is easy to implement by allowing dimming to 0%.

@@DustinWatts Interesting. Do you know if those screens are available in larger sizes? 3.5" is a bit small for me, but I can't find anything bigger, probably since I'm not quite sure what to look for.

@@timderks5960 No you are correct. The biggest screen If found as a module that you can directly use with a microcontroller is 3.5". I also can't find any bigger.

@@DustinWatts That's a shame, thanks for sharing the info though.

No... those configurators are not compatible. Text on a button is not an option in the current version. But there is a development version on Github with lots of different features including that one. The one that is missing is the configurator. So you manually need to edit the .json config files. Thanks for ordering and ESP32 TouchDown!

@@DustinWatts thank you for the response! I’ll have to look into it as I am not familiar with json. Fingers crossed it goes smooth. If you have any guidance on this please let me know!

@@DustinWatts I think I miss understood what you meant by the text part. I was asking if there is an option in the configurator to send plain text. I use pre written emails and would like the option to press a button to past the template. Hopefully that made more sense!

@@nerdtowncity5930 Both are not an option in the current version. But both of them are possible in de -development branch.

No physical buttons, maybe FreeDeck is something for you. Like I mention in the video, this was an inspiration for my project: github.com/FreeYourStream

I added one in the description for you: amzn.to/3Bd3WoM

@@DustinWatts omg u are the best :D

@@DustinWatts Thank you but can I also have a Amazon link for this please? 38-pin ESP32-WROOM-32 Development Board

Yes it will work. Just have to change the User_Setup.h of the TFT_eSPI library to the correct pins. But I am sure the documentation of the WT32-SC01 will tell you all that you need to know!

@@DustinWatts thanks for your answer. I already ordered that module. I want to contribute in that project. I wonder if ips module has compatible driver too

@@vavanbonus I depends on the driver, look at the TFT_eSPI library to see if it supports it. If not, open an issue because Bodmer does his best to support as much modules as possible!

Hi Paul! It is not that difficult. I'm currently working on a step-by-step tutorial on how to hook it up. You can use a prototype board or a PCB that I have designed where both the screen and ESP32 can be connected.

@@DustinWatts I am trying, but I cannot make the display work. I have installed all the esp32 things in arduino. I am able to upload the sketch with my config buuuut, no signal from screen :(

@@alexandre.bernalte That is annoying. Is the screen staying black? Or does touch not work? Maybe we can chat about it and try to solve it! Do you have Discord?

You are welcome! Hope you get something out of it!

Sadly toasted 2 ESP32 boards while trying to get a DRV8825 functioning with a stepper motor today. I hate wiring those up on a breadboard, but when tried a PCB designed for a single driver, it was so weak. Not a fan of questionable products in between known good products, but I'd like to find an easier solution than a driver on a breadboard. @@DustinWatts

​@@DustinWatts What capacitive touchscreen module is most recommendable right now? (touchscreen only, not entire kit including ESP32) Or is it more cost effective to simply buy some combo and desolder touchscreen later if I want to use it without the ESP32 board it ships with?

@@OMNI_INFINITY Unfortunately the latter won't work. This is different type of module that after desoldering you can't connect any where else then the same SMD footprint. The one linked in the description is one of the cheapest modules I can find. And I regularly update it. But, maybe if you search for and ILI9488with touch screen, you get a cheaper board with all the pins broken out. Make sure you get a TOUCH version! :D

@@DustinWatts I have one of those, but it’s not capacitive. Found a capacitive SPI on taobao today so may try that

Well the part about the configurator show a bit on how to do this. The button matrix is in this version fixed. But will be fully customisable in version 2. Which is now on the `-development` branch on Github.

It might be possible... but there would be some code re-writing to do!

I don't know if the word "port" will apply... but: absolutely yes! :)

Hi Wolf! Using an Arduino is going to be quite difficult, as the code is written for an ESP32 using Bluetooth and WiFi. Also the Arduino has 5V on it's IO's and the screen uses 3.3V logic. I would suggest picking up a ESP32 DevKitC, which is just a few dollars. If you like some help soldering, join my Discord server and I'm sure we will get it working!

The combiner PCB is made for the ESP32 38-pin one. If you are NOT using the combiner PCB you can use any ESP32. Good luck building!

@@DustinWatts thanks!

​@@DustinWatts After watching your 2nd video, you used the ESP32-WROOM-32D, not the one listed as "38 PIN" on AliExpress. If I'm right, the only difference is the mounting holes on the PCB board.

@@RobertCole1981 On the PCB I'm using the 38 pin version. If you are not using the PCB it doesn't matter which ESP32 you get. If you use the PCB, you will need the 38-pin version, because the pins are in different places on different boards.

@@DustinWatts Doesn't the 32D also have 38 pins? Its just the holes on the board for screw mounts?!

It is possible. But unfortunately, due to the large RAM footprint of this code. BLE and Wifi can not run at the same time. But I have some examples for my ESP32 TouchDown that show you how to do this: github.com/DustinWatts/esp32-touchdown/blob/main/Examples/ESP32_TouchDown_HA/ESP32_TouchDown_HA.ino

@@DustinWatts Thanks for your answer 😊

If you boot it up, go to the Wifi mode, it tells you the SSID (FreeTouchDeck) on the screen as well as the password. Which is "defaultpass".

Yes. Unless you PC has Bluetooth.

Unfortunately when I made it, I hard coded it al. So yes, you are "stuck" with 5 menus, with 5 buttons, and 3 actions. We are really far in unlimited menus, buttons, and actions in version 2. The only thing is that in the V2 there in no configurator yet. So you have manually edit the JSON. So, the answer is "no", with the addition '"not yet" :)

@@DustinWatts thank you for your reply Dustin, great video

Hard, not really. But a lot of work! Because when I starting coding, I didn't make it flexible enough for myself. But as this is requested a lot, I am writing an update. But it could take some time...

@@DustinWatts Awesome. Will follow to see how it comes out. Thank you. :)

I have written an helper app that runs on the host computer, where you can execute a command-line/terminal commands. For example run a script, but a telnet command should also work. The app is not public yet, but you can join my Discord server where I have shared the first version.

You could create a shortcut on ahk and run more advanced scripts from there