@Jon_Snow I might run some tests again with the coil and see how hot it gets.
I don’t think that the esp is powerful enough for a snappy interface. However I was just thinking about a cortex m4 or something like that. Some of these chips have a dedicated LCD driver, that could drive the display and offload the main processor. This could work, but it requires a PCB to be developed from scratch 
https://eu.mouser.com/ProductDetail/STMicroelectronics/STM32F469I-DISCO?qs=%2fha2pyFaduibp9HG9Mx8rx2BFam6is%2fMlWUHieNwbPA964Jnwkgscw==
yes, looks interesting.
This is cool, I’ve been looking at these things. Good that they have schematics as well, so it would be possible to create our own custom board that fits our needs
I might order one of these to test things out.
To be able to reuse your work maybe you should try this https://www.cnx-software.com/2019/02/21/stmicro-stm32mp1-cortex-a7-m4-mpu/
Thanks! Having linux running on this would definitely save time, not have to redevelop the whole thing
Hi,
I’ve managed to code the setup-flow part of the remote. Made a short video how it works. Sorry for the quality and the burnout areas 
First you set up your wifi, then connect to Home Assistant. Here you can leave the token part empty if you have set up trusted networks. Then the app pulls all the areas that you have set up and then all the entities you have. If it can match an entity with an area it will do that. Then you select all the entities you want to control. Here you have the option to change the area that the entity is in or add one if it couldn’t find where the entity is. When you’re done with the selection hit Done and it will save a json configuration file on the SD card’s boot partition. Of course you can manually edit this if you want
I think this should be enough for a first round setup. Please share your thoughts and ideas.
I’m in the process of setting up a github for this project. I’ll upload the buildroot config and the setup app source code in the coming days.
Cheers,
Marton
That looks great!
Hi guys,
@atomic I’ve published the code for the setup app and helper scripts. It is a Qt project. Please bear in mind that I am not a developer, so some coding solutions could be weird or not the most efficient However the app works and it does the job. As said all ideas and improvements are welcome.
You’ll also find a txt file describing how the software side is built. I’ll keep updating these files.
Hi @marton
Thanks for sharing this. It’s amazing in every way well done.
A small request is if you could please write a step by step method to build this I.e. both software and hardware if possible?
Many thanks.
Hi @bachoo786
Thank you! I’ll share everything as I progress with the project. I can only work on this in my free time after work, so I’m kind of slow with the progress. I’ll share everything here as I move forward as well as publish the files and code for the parts when I think it’s ready.
Will any kickstart?
Hi guys,
Just a small update on the process. I’ve got the 3D prints for the new redesigned case, that’s a bit taller to make room for 3 physical buttons. Everything fits really nice, even the bigger 2500 mAh battery.
There’s room for a wireless charging coil. I had some from Adafruit lying around. That fits perfectly above the Pi Zero. I think it should be fine there.
I am working on the button assembly, trying to get the right feel and button height. Some test prints are also on the way for that.
I got my hands on some haptic vibration motors and added them to the whole assembly. I did some tests and it works surprisingly good. You can feel the feedback on the whole screen. I think this will be a nice addition when using the software buttons to get some real world feedback if a command went through or not.
I want to do some test with another proximity/ambient light sensor and if that is done, I’ll finalise and route the PCB and send it off to production to get some samples to work with.
Meanwhile I am waiting for things, I am also working on the software part.
@lctang I haven’t thought about doing a kickstarter for this, but if there’s enough interest, I might consider.
Cheers,
Marton
Update: added quick renders from Fusion360
Hi,
I’ve been working on the design and trying to make it more compact. I talked to some and apparently buttons are important So I’ve managed to create some space for 6 buttons.
Changed the design a bit too. Under the display, there would be a black acrylic sheet, that would be the continuation of the bezel. The buttons would be embedded into this and this sheet would hide the proximity/ambient light sensor as well above the buttons.
I’ve made 2 variations for the button layout. I’d appreciate your feedback
Thanks,
Marton
0 voters
This looks incredible. If it was up to me, I would have a standard d-pad layout with volume buttons, back, and home buttons. Something similar to what the new Amazon voice remote with volume buttons looks like.
This looks amazing, I would absolutely be interested in a kickstarter if it’s something you’d consider!
Looks very polished, amazing work.
I would also be interested in a more detailed hardware guide, and the STL or other 3d files for the case if possible.
Thanks!
I second the d-pad idea. I would mostly use this with a Shield TV, so lots of scrolling around in different apps while browsing. My 4 year-old also likes to work the remote and a d-pad would be a lot easier for him to operate than the touchscreen or gestures. The only issue he has with the Shield remote is with the touchpad for the volume. The issue with the Harmony remote is just that there’s too many buttons. So having the d-pad along with back, home, and volume buttons would be perfect.
Another option would be to just make 3 rows of 3 buttons and make each button configurable. Then people can configure them however they want (d-pad, apps, volume, channels, whatever). If there’s an easy way to print some stickers to put on the buttons, that might be good enough to replace the textures (except maybe the center one for better positioning without looking).
Thanks guys!
More and more saying the d-pad, volume, channel, home and back buttons. That is 11 buttons Right now, there is not enough space on the PCB for that many, but I’ll look into creating maybe another PCB on top of the existing one and connect it with a board to board connector. Maybe that could work.
I wouldn’t lock anything down regarding the buttons, not even the power on. I’m thinking that people could reconfigure them if they want.
This might be possible to do, if there are 2 PCB layered on top of each other.
Have to do a bit more research about how to do the buttons. And I think we don’t have to sacrifice having a proximity/lux sensor to adjust the display brightness. There’s a little space left above the buttons. The only downside could be that the height of the buttons are just 25 mm. I’ve drawn it up real quick on a piece of paper to get a sense and it might be enough.
What do you guys think?
how do I make one myself?
