PC Macroboard Update: I Bought One! Epomaker EK21 VIA

Sometimes, somethings are just too good of a bargain you can't pass it up. And when I saw a macroboard available for sale, it took me several minutes to decide to take advantage of it. 

I am buying this: Epomaker EK21 VIA

Epomaker EK21 VIA, courtesy of Epomaker.com

You may be asking: so what? It's a numpad. 

Ah, but it's a triple mode numpad: wired, Bluetooth, and dongle-wireless. 

Okay, so? 

It's also VIA firmware customizable. No proprietary software needed. Use the nearly universal VIA website to map everything, from macros to layers. And it has a knob in the upper left corner. It's RGB, hot swappable switches, And it has 4 layers (0 through 3), and can be paired to up to 3 devices under Bluetooth. No more struggling with proprietary macro software. 

And the best thing is the price. It's on sale for $33.99, and there's a $5 off coupon you get if you do the spinner game on their website. Shipping from China is free. Final out the door price: $28.99. No tax either. 

I can easily program the RGB lights to indicate the layer mode, which means I have 20 keys and 1 knob to program * 4 layers to map. Even if we take away 1 key as layer switch, that's still 19 keys + 1 knob x 4 I can map actions to. 

The only thing that could be better would be it has a display, like Stream Dock or XenceLabs macropad. And those are $100. Maybe discounted to $80 if I find it REALLY on sale. And they don't have nearly as many keys as this. For saving $50+ dollars, I can live with the limitations, esp. if I find my "relegendable" keycaps I stashed away somewhere. 

Weirder PC Macroboards, but These are Virtual!

Previously we'd talked about the wonderful wacky world of PC macroboards, where "programmable" boards of every size a shape hopes via for your dollars with promise to help you be more productive. 

But there's one subcategory I did not mention... the virtual macropad! 

Got an old smartphone or tablet lying around gathering dust? You can probably turn it into a macropad. There are two software options: Touch Portal, and StreamDeck Mobile. 

Touch Portal, via Touch Portal

Touch Portal has been around a bit longer, and can be run on very old mobile hardware (as old as Android 4!)  It claims to be compatible with a TON of native PC, individual apps, even games and streaming utilities, with multiple layers of customization. If you can get the software working, you can enjoy some very powerful capabilities and automations for a low price. Download the PC host program free, and download the Touch Portal client to the mobile device (sideloading is fine) and let them see each other by joining the same wifi network. Done! Add a few buttons to see if it's working for you. There are a ton of options for each button and you can definitely customize the behavior to a very deep degree. 

However, you are limited in the number of buttons you can put on screen with the free version, as well as lack of any plug-in support. To get that, you need to fork over $13 for the pro version upgrade (that's lifetime, NOT a subscription!) An optional upgrades is the multi-device upgrade ($6.99 so you can use multiple tablets or phones, each with its own copy of Touch Portal sending commands to the PC), as well as some graphics upgrades. The payment is one-and-done, NOT a subscription. And that is pretty darn cheap, IMHO, but kinda complicated to setup. But they have a Discord channel if you need some help. 

Stream Deck Mobile tries to achieve the same thing as Touch Portal, but uses their own Stream Deck program on the PC as the host to receive those commands. Stream Deck Mobile offers a fully working demo for 30 days. Once demo time expires, your stream deck mobile will shrink to only have 6 keys (like Stream Deck mini), but it will keep working. The pro license, is $2.99 a month, $25 for a full year, or $49.95 for a lifetime license. That pro license gives you the full power, over 100 buttons per page and access to any premium content. Here's the link to the Android and iOS versions. 

And here comes G.skill that tries to have the cake and eat it too, by selling a dedicated... "tablet" with customized widgets/buttons on screen they are calling the Wigidash. 

Also keep in mind that due to StreamDeck's popularity, there are clones appearing on the market. Ajazz makes one that looks identical, except in white, There are some generic names, like "IYUT D15", that's also a virtually identical clone. Same device is on sale at Aliexpress for as low as $55 and known as Miratech 293S (or just 293S). This appears to be a legally reverse engineered device from a clean room and thus the basic functions will work fine. However, whether it enjoys third-party support is the real question there.  

All these lead Elgato to release the new "Neo" product line, which also has a new version of Stream Deck that has some twist knobs for analog adjustments, similar to their previous "Stream Deck Plus" version, as well as buttons with multiple layers of functions. 

If you got the money, setting up such devices to automate your setup has never been easier!