3/22/2026 5 PM - Started brainstorming 🧠

I started imaging the project I want to submit to Blueprint; what should I make, that would be of use for me later on, while educating me on aspects of Hardware creation I didn't know?
Then, I thought that, while I am a learner already putting my IT Support skills to the practice, I've been lacking a tool for wireless networks, and have been using my phone to make up for it.
I started searching the internet for parts, starting to envision my project, and the technicalities of how it will work.
I am using a trusty Waveshare ESP32-S3 Pico for the "brains" of the entire tool, but it lacks one important detail; its antenna does not support 5GHz networks. That's why, alongside the ESP32, I landed on the BW16 module using Realtek's chip, solely for wireless scanning (because the ESP has better libraries than the BW16), that will communicate with the ESP via UART.
Additionally, I decided to use a W5500 Ethernet module, for the ESP to read details about the connected network out of (e.g., ICMP Echo to 8.8.8.8, LLDP, Reverse DNS lookup of the Gateway IP, etc.), a 1.8' LCD screen, a 5-direction navigation joystick (like the ones under TVs), an MH-CD42 powerbank module, with two 18650 batteries on a battery pack.

3/22/2026 7 PM - Made the PCB 🔌

I had never made a PCB before, so this was the most hassling challenge I've overcome in a while, in my tinkering journey.
I went on KiCad's PCB Editor (!), added the pin sockets, laid them out, added silkscreen text, and all was going great, until... the time came for me to wire the PCB.
In my excited, overconfident rush, I had made the altering mistake of not making the schematic first.
But thankfully, the way to solve it was simple, albeit a bit of a chore. I went on KiCad's Schematic Editor, added the pin sockets, labeled the pins, wired all pins together (!), updated the PCB, and then, I hit a second wall; there were short-circuits everywhere there shouldn't be. Apparently, I shouldn't have wired the pins to their respective places, but leave the schematic as-is, with matching labels on every pin that needs to be connected together, since KiCad detected crossing traces, as junctions, despite the dots missing.
After I removed the wires, and correctly labeled every pin, I went on KiCad's PCB Editor, made Netclasses for the power rails to be thicker and have more clearance between them, and used the FreeRouting plugin, to automatically wire the PCB for me.
After a manual, thorough check on the traces and their clearances, with plenty of trial and error involved, I added cosmetic and functional details to the PCB (name, mounting holes, etc), Passing the Design Rules Check (DRC) was the final boss to today's battle, ensuring no traces were too close to the mounting holes or each other, and, after many hours of work, I was redeemed with a PCB, exactly the way I wanted it to be, that fit and wired all my parts beautifully. (see photos)

3/25/2026 4 PM - Touched up the PCB 🔧

While documenting the project, I found some mistakes on the PCB that, albeit small and for the most part aesthetic, could turn out crucial. They ranged from misaligned or incorrect silkprint, to shorted pins and a misaligned board outline. So, the updated PCB, now looks like this:

3/25/2026 9 PM - Made the case's 3D model 🔩

This was, definitely, the most challenging part yet, and the part I feared most, in making the NetPuck.
I have a 3D printer (Bambu Lab A1 Mini), yet I've never used any 3D modelling software other than TinkerCAD, which, objectively, while easy to use, isn't fit for this advanced projects. However, it did help in the creation of the final product, since I used it to export the PCB with all components onto it, into a single STL, with less effort, compared to Fusion, in order to tailor the learning curve for me to climb.
After the 5 hours I spent fiddling with Autodesk Fusion, I now have solid foundational knowledge of how to use it, in combination with physical objects, and I am confident this skill will be useful later on in my tinkering journey.
I worked around the aforementioned populated PCB throughout the process; I put it inside a Rectangle, cropped out cutouts for the screen, cables and antennae, added holes for the PCB to be screwed into, then separated the lid from the body, and made screw holes on it, to create a "sandwich" of PETG and fiberglass, that takes 3hrs to print, and uses ~75g of filament (about 1.50€ or 1.95US$)
Yet this part of the project is still considered pending, since I haven't tested it against the actual parts. Assuming all goes well, I won't need to spend another 5 hours in Fusion ;)
See the photos below!

3/25/2026 10 PM - Documented everything on GitHub 🐈

I spent the last 4 hours documenting everything on GitHub; the parts and their pinouts, the PCB, the 3D printed case. I also formulated and uploaded a Bill Of Materials for the project. Check it out!

https://github.com/leonampa/netpuck