Hey guys,
This'll be my first post on this board, hello all! I've been a fan of mechanical keyboards for quite sometime (though I've only owned two Quickfires, no enthusiast for my poor wallet) and have lurked /r/mechanicalkeyboards for a long time. I'm an aspiring Industrial Designer getting pieces together for my college portfolio.
This idea came to me when I was browsing the osu! store. I spotted a really cool mechanical pad that had two switches and two additional buttons (image attached). I'm currently using a MX Blues and have always enjoyed using tactile switches for both gaming and typing. With one exception. osu! is a VERY straining game on your left index and middle finger and the MX Blues, despite being light, are not helping. In this case, I would like to be able to use light linear switches for my osu! gaming, but the mechanical osu! pad in the store has been out of red switches for as long as I can remember. Then it hit me: I needed more portfolio pieces for college. Building an osu! mechanical pad could be potentially an amazing showcase of both technological knowhow and artistry.
So, this is why I've come to the forum. I have experience with CAD programs, so the keyboard case should be a non issue, at most, I'll need to ask around for some measurements. The main challenge I'm gonna have is designing the PCB. I've never really worked too much with circuitry, but would love to learn. I've currently downloaded KiCAD and am trying to go through the tutorials.
If you have any advice or tips, I'd be very grateful.
Cheers,
Shenpai