Macropads are a whole big thing in the mechanical keyboard community. You can get one that runs QMK, you can put encoders on them, have many layers, etc. https

Macropads are a whole big thing in the mechanical keyboard community. You can get one that runs QMK, you can put encoders on them, have many layers, etc. https://mechwild.com/product/murphpad/ https://mechwild.com/product/murphpad/ https://knob-goblin.com/ https://knob-goblin.com/ https://github.com/dekuNukem/duckyPad https://github.com/dekuNukem/duckyPad https://www.gboards.ca/product/faunchpad https://www.gboards.ca/product/faunchpad It's also worth looking into small ortholinear boards where you can do the same things, but the form factor is more horizontal or has more keys. https://mechwild.com/product/big-dill-extended-bde/ https://mechwild.com/product/big-dill-extended-bde/ https://www.gboards.ca/product/butter-stick-limited-edition https://www.gboards.ca/product/butter-stick-limited-edition https://github.com/nicinabox/lets-split-guide https://github.com/nicinabox/lets-split-guide