The goal of this project was to create a compact, interactive device that helps young kids learn about space in a fun and engaging way.

The inspiration came from my 11-year-old nephew, who’s deeply fascinated by stars, planets, and everything beyond. I recently got him a telescope, and that sparked the idea—why not build something that could serve as a simple educational tool for him and his space-loving friends?

Powered by the ESP32-S3-LCD-1.69, it delivers fast-paced questions with crisp visuals and tactile controls. We modeled and 3D printed a custom enclosure with four tactile buttons, each mapped to an answer choice.

By pressing and holding Button A for three seconds, the device enters deep sleep mode. To wake it up, simply press any button again. This feature allowed us to skip using a physical ON/OFF switch that would cut power entirely. Instead, we implemented a software-controlled sleep system, making the device more compact and efficient while still giving users full control over power management.

This article covers the full build process of the project. so let's get started with the build.

Device Design

We began the design by importing a model of the ESP32-S3 display board into Fusion360. From there, we created a basic box-style enclosure around the screen. In the lower section, we modeled a switchboardand added four custom switch actuators labeled A, B, C, and D to match the quiz interface. To secure the switch PCB, we included two screw bosses with 1.8 mm diameter holes—ideal for M2 screws.

The enclosure was sized to comfortably fit in a child’s hand, making it easy to hold and interact with. It’s split into two parts: a front section and a rear lid. All components were printed in white PLA, except for the switch actuators, which were printed in grey PLA to give the device a clean, duotone look.

Circuit Design

Circuit Design of this project was actually pretty simple; we just needed to make a Switch OCB that consists of four 4x4 tacktile Push Buttons so we started the schematic by adding four push buttons in the schematic and connecting each of their four Pins together; this will be connected to GND. we added a CON5 Pin on which we connected all push button pin 1 along with the GND pin of the push button.

For the PCB design, we used the outline from the CAD model and prepared a basic outline, then placed switches in their designated positions, connecting traces from switches to the CON5 port, and completed the board. For aesthetics, we added some graphics on the silkscreen layer of the PCB, which increases the aesthetic appeal of the board.

NextPCB PCB Service

After completing the PCB design, Gerber data was sent to HQ NextPCB, and an order was placed for a White solder mask with Black silkscreen.

After placing the order, the PCBs were received within a week, and the PCB quality was pretty great.

In addition, I have to bring in HQDFM to you, which helped me a lot through many projects. Huaqiu’s in-house engineers developed the free Design for Manufacturing software, HQDFM, revolutionizing how PCB designers visualize and verify their designs.

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HQDFM: Free Online Gerber Viewer and DFM Analysis Tool

Also, NextPCB has its own Gerber Viewer and DFM analysis software.

Your designs are improved by their HQDFM software (DFM) services. Since I find it annoying to have to wait around for DFM reports from manufacturers, HQDFM is the most...