Macro keypad - Should I buy one? I found an ad for it on 9to5mac

Learning and discussion
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Hi

I’m a classic Linux admin. I use Homebrew a lot on macOS. What could I use it for? Or rather, do you have one, and what do you use it for?

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I personally have a fair few macro pads, probably too many if I’m being honest. They’ve come in handy for various purposes, but the main use cases I’ve found are.

  • As a 10-key.
  • As a controller for media.
  • As a controller for Teams.

I try not to get too complicated because I have a tendency to not remember what I’ve got mapped where. If the use is something other than a 10-key, I generally like to have around 4 keys to program to do things.

I’ve seen some really cool ones that have displays to help you remember what the mappings are. I’ve often considered getting a duckyPad because it looks pretty cool.

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do you use mplayer on macOS? Does it work?

Can you recommend a macro keypad not in plastic and not DIY?

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No, I’m afraid I don’t. I’m on a PC and dabble a bit with Linux, so I’m not familiar with the steps to customize for macOS. I have to imagine it’s entirely possible though.

Off-the-shelf, the one I like and currently have in use as a Teams controller is the Keebmonkey Magalodon Macro Pad with Knob. You can get these in a lot of different places besides the site I linked, but they also have other macropads in the “Megalodon” line that might be interesting to you as well.

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Everyone’s workflow is different. I have tried multiple macro pads over the years and have found that I’m probably too old to integrate them. My last, best idea was to use one to program tmux shortcuts so I didn’t have to do the multipress window commands tmux defaults to.

Guess what, I never thought to use the macro pad since I’d been inputting tmux commands for 20 years. The point of the anecdote is simply that you might find the added mental debt of adding a macro pad to your workflow might be more work than just remembering the commands. I could be in the minority here.

One place I’ve thought macro pads could be great would be alongside a raspberry pi or arduino for some sort of interactive device or kiosk. I never have time to make those, though.

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