The idea for Orbit Panels was sparked years ago. Like many other churches, ours had "janitor buttons" used to turn on basic light presets during the week. While these buttons served their purpose, they were limited. They could only control certain lights and couldn't do anything at all when our lighting computer was active. When one of our button stations started malfunctioning and needed to be restarted frequently, I began looking into other solutions. We were already using Stream Decks with Companion to control almost every piece of our AV gear, and I wished I could replace these janitor buttons with a Stream Deck in the wall.
Like many of my ideas, I assumed some nerd on the internet already had the idea and devised a solution. So, I searched for a way to mount a Stream Deck in a single-gang box, but I couldn’t find any. Back then, I didn't have the time and skills to design it myself, so I just sighed and reluctantly continued using our existing, faulty buttons. Every so often, I’d get frustrated with the buttons again and do another search, hoping that by now, some nerd on the internet had finally solved my problem. But still, there was no solution.
This year, I got a new 3D printer and decided to learn 3D modeling in Fusion 360. Because I always learn better working on a project than just following a tutorial, I thought to myself, "What could I design?" and my old idea of mounting a Stream Deck in a wall came to mind. After another search and finding that there still wasn't another solution out there, I finally realized that it was up to me to be that nerd on the internet.
My initial designs were more about learning Fusion than creating functional prototypes. When I finally tried fitting them into a wall box, I hit a roadblock. It didn't fit. I discovered why no one had done this before, so many dimensions were just a few millimeters too big to fit easily. It didn't make it impossible, but it did make it tricky. After numerous iterations, prototypes, and beta tests, I finally arrived at the Orbit Panel Mini as it is today.
Throughout this journey, whenever I shared my progress with people as just a "Hey, check out this fun project I'm working on." the conversation invariably turned to them asking, "Can I buy one?" Selling them wasn’t my original intent; I just wanted to make something that fit my need, but I realized this solution met the needs of others as well. And so, Orbit Panels was born.
To help as many people as possible, I decided to offer the Orbit Panel in three ways: free DIY instructions, enclosure kits, and fully assembled units. Free instructions are available for all, as I’ve benefited greatly from other nerds on the internet sharing their solutions online, and it’s my turn. Enclosure kits are for those who want to build their own but don’t have access to a 3D printer. And fully assembled Orbit Panels are for those who just want it ready to go.
I've already got some ideas for more versions of Orbit Panels in the future. I also welcome ideas from users—your feedback helps me innovate and improve. Thank you for joining me on this journey.
