Author Topic: How to modify Ergodox PCB / make flat Kinesis Adv. PCB?  (Read 5885 times)

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Offline impaktor

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How to modify Ergodox PCB / make flat Kinesis Adv. PCB?
« on: Sun, 05 December 2021, 05:09:05 »
TL;DR: Looking for simple (web?)tool (similar to keyboard-layout-editor) to make some layout edits to Ergodox PCB, to basically make it into a 2D/flat Kinesis Advantage layout.

Background:
- I have a Kinesis Advantage as my daily driver for many years
- I have previously (successfully) built a (3-row) Dactul Manuform 2 years ago, as experiment, but I don't use it since number of keys don't match my Kinesis programmed muscle memory.
- I have switches, diodes, arduino, and SA profile key-caps for another keyboard build
- I've never designed my own PCB

Ideally I'd like to build the "vanilla" Dactyl, but I realize I don't have energy for another 3D printing session, I'd just like to get some split PCBs and start soldering, something that's 1:1 when it comes to keys with the Kinesis Advantage, but split. However, since the key-caps I plan to use aren't Ergodox compatible (e.g. I'm missing some 1.5u keys), is there some online tool that lets me modify the Ergodox PCB layout, and generate a file that lets me print it with PCBWay or similar service?

Modifications I'd like to do to the Ergodox PCB:
- Add F-key row
- Remove inner "extra" (compared to Kinesis) vertical column
- Use 1.25u keys on outer column, rather than 1.5u

I note one can take the output for Kinesis Advantage preset from http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/ and feed it into http://builder.swillkb.com/ to get a plate, but it's not a PCB, just a mounting plate, and it's not split (and F-row doesn't transfer well from the keyboard-layout-editor).

Anny suggestions are welcome.