Stuff I used-
Box Cutter
Soldering Iron
Tape
Sugru
Heavy duty wire cutters for cutting the case
Files
1/4" Chisel
I have come to find I <3 detachable cables on my keyboards. I also wanted to try out Cherry MX Browns as my first Cherry switch, and I wanted a smaller board for my laptop. I settled on the Choc Mini, and absolutely love it.
You have all seen the cable that it comes with, so I won't post before pictures, or bore you with how it comes out of the box.
My dilemma was, and has been, what interface to use for the detachable cable to put on my keyboards. I want all the mods that I do to use the same keyboard, so that I don't have to have 4-5 different cables for my keyboards. I don't want a USB A/B for this keyboard, A/A, for another, Mini Pin.... the list goes on. So, which one do I use? As much as I like the availability of USB A/B cables (printers, modems, etc.), the USB B interface is much taller than the USB A, and inside new keyboards, height is a real issue. I think I have finally settled upon Female USB A. I chose this over Mini 5-Pin because I like the strength of the full size USB interface than the pretty flimsy connection of mini 5-pin.
The cable that I will now need for all of my detachable cable mods will be the following that is available from Amazon-
http://www.amazon.com/Type-Male-Cable-Version-Black/dp/B000I9B2AU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325172898&sr=8-2WARNING: THE ABOVE URL CONTAINS A CABLE THAT IS A STRAIGHT THROUGH!!!
IF YOU WIRE THE CONNECTION LIKE THE DIAGRAM BELOW,
AND USE THE CABLE FROM THE URL ABOVE, YOU WILL RUIN YOUR KEYBOARD.You can also make your own while you wait for the one you order to come in the mail, the pinout looks like this-
I received my Choc Mini in the mail, plugged it in and tested it. Tested fine. Then I opened it and started cutting. After opening up the original cable cut the width of my USB A port, I grabbed some Sugru and started putting it together. I cut the original cable, soldered it to my interface, and put the Sugru in place. I shaped it on the outside, and inside, while making sure I had clearance from the board. I did notice that there's a small gap between the outer case shell, and the bottom, so I molded the Sugru up so that no matter which direction you look in that crack you don't see the inside of the board. While I had it opened, I also saw that there was ample room to add some weight to it. I grabbed some heavy gauge wire I had in the garage , and hot glued it in place. I covered it up with some tape my wife put in my stocking for Christmas. I think that's about it, here are the pictures-
[EDIT]
BTW... I hate those blue caps... the original black POMs are in the mail from the original owner. Until then, I'm stuck with those.
[/EDIT]
