Adafruit Slider Trinkey - USB NeoPixel Slide Potentiometer

It's half USB Key, half Adafruit Trinket, half mini slide pot—the Slider Trinkey combines a Trinket M0 heart, NeoPixel glow, and a 35mm long 10KΩ slide potentiometer into a compact USB A-shaped PCB. Designed to plug easily into any USB A port on a computer or laptop, this board features an ATSAMD21 microcontroller with minimal circuitry.

Key connections include an analog input from the slide potentiometer's middle pin, two NeoPixel LEDs controlled by another pin, and a third pin used as a capacitive touch input. A reset button allows entering bootloader mode when necessary.

The SAMD21 runs CircuitPython or Arduino with ease, supporting libraries for NeoPixel and capacitive touch. USB connection provides serial, MIDI, or HID functionality, making the Slider Trinkey ideal for projects requiring user inputs and colorful outputs—such as monitor brightness adjusters, volume controls, or color pickers.

Note: The board comes with a pre-soldered slide potentiometer. The USB A design means care should be taken not to forcefully push the potentiometer beyond its limits to avoid accidental damage.

• ATSAMD21E18 32-bit Cortex M0+ processor running at 48 MHz, with 256KB Flash and 32KB RAM
• Native USB support compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux; usable as USB serial console, MIDI, keyboard/mouse HID, or a small disk drive (for Python scripts)
• Compatible with Arduino IDE and CircuitPython
• Two reverse-mount RGB NeoPixel LEDs for colorful lighting effects
• One capacitive touchpad for additional user input
• 35mm slide potentiometer with nubbin for analog control
• Reset switch for restarting projects or entering bootloader mode
• Compact and keychain-friendly design

The Slider Trinkey is small, durable, and affordable enough for beginners or developers seeking simple, fun hardware for creative projects.