Post by: koalapear on Sat, 03 October 2015, 22:25:20
What is the Monarch?
- Alps Compatible
- Uses Apple Extended Keyboard II keycaps (dye sub PBT) and stabilizers or Alpine Winter keycaps with custom bent stabilizer wire
- 0.090” alumium for the top and bottom plates on the case (switch plate is recessed to allow the switches and stabilizer inserts to properly snap into place)
- 0.375” CNC milled Lexan for the center spacer
- 60%+left-hand numberpad layout to allow for close mouse placement while still providing the convenience of the numberpad
Prototype Pictures:
Completed prototype:
(http://i.imgur.com/vxxZnge.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/SJWvcSb.jpg)
Full Album: http://imgur.com/a/98VRS (http://imgur.com/a/98VRS)
Plate recesses:
(http://i.imgur.com/6zuKUYy.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ZgYlEJh.jpg)
Full Build Log: http://imgur.com/a/AeGHW (http://imgur.com/a/AeGHW)
Differences Between the Production Version and the Prototype Pictured above:
- Cerakoted finish on the aluminum plates.
- Plates will be laser cut and then the recesses with be milled to allow for completely square corners on all switch and stabilizer holes (the prototype was cut completely by CNC milling)
- PCB will be provided as part of the kit, so no hand wiring necessary! Designed my skullydazed. Will be running TMK, documentation can be found here: https://github.com/skullydazed/tmk_keyboard/tree/master/keyboard/monarch/doc
- Caps Lock and Number Lock LEDs
- Case design slightly modified to accommodate the PCB and the indicator LEDs.
- Additional mounting holes in the bottom plate compatible with GON's Aluminum Feet.
- Black and silver machine screws will be available.
Production Version Renders:
(http://puu.sh/kxFOo/d5cf0c3c0f.jpg)
(http://puu.sh/kxHdv/8c805dd3db.jpg)
(http://puu.sh/kKTn5/374bee792c.png)
(http://puu.sh/kKTnQ/8e2c6ad9d8.png)
Available Colors:
The aluminum plates used for the top and bottom of the case will be finished using Cerakote which is a very tough and durable ceramic coating often used on firearms.
84 different colors will be available for you to choose from including an option for just bare aluminum in case you want to finish the plates your own special way! I highly recommend looking up the color(s) you are interested in to see what the actually look like when applied, as the difference between the swatch and the actual applied look can be quite different!
Color Chart:
(http://www.armaindustries.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/CerakoteColorChart.png)
Final Price: $250 (shipping not included)
Order Form: http://goo.gl/forms/2KzgDqXNXY
Current Order Count: 22
The above price is for the case and the PCB, and is based on numbers for approximately 25 orders.
If the final order numbers are far below this target of 25 then I will most likely have to adjust pricing accordingly or cancel the buy.
Orders are set to close on November 7, 2015 at this time, however this date is not set in stone.
What is included in the kit:
- Top Plate
- Bottom Plate
- Center Spacer
- PCB
- 12 Machine Screws
- Rubber Feet (4 small and 4 large hemisphereical)
Alpine Winter Blank Numberpad:
njbair has been kind enough to reach out to me and offer to add a blank numberpad kit for Alpine Winter exclusive to the Monarch!
You can add one or more to your order for $16/set. Keep in mind that if you wish to order an Alpine Winter base set to go with it you will have to order direct from njbair here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1HJET5Vl006sj6VUkNGoecomV83H5f8qu8G4ZpjdER3g/viewform?c=0&w=1 (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1HJET5Vl006sj6VUkNGoecomV83H5f8qu8G4ZpjdER3g/viewform?c=0&w=1)
If you do order an Alpine Winter base set as well both the numberpad and the base set will be shipped along with your Monarch order so you don't have to pay shipping twice.
All orders for the numberpad will be invoiced by njbair.
(http://i.imgur.com/ZTKZTpt.png)
The buyer will be responsible for sourcing an AEKII to harvest the keycaps and stabilizers from (if they choose to use AEKII caps and stabs).
I am more than happy to answer any and all questions you might have!
Post by: koalapear on Sun, 04 October 2015, 01:32:04
Post by: romevi on Sun, 04 October 2015, 13:58:52
Post by: njbair on Sun, 04 October 2015, 14:20:21
Post by: Sed8op8 on Sun, 04 October 2015, 14:28:35
Post by: RoflCopter4 on Sun, 04 October 2015, 14:30:31
Post by: njbair on Sun, 04 October 2015, 14:37:57
So, if I understand correctly, this would just be the PCB and keycaps, but no actual keys? We'd have to solder our own keys on?No keycaps. Just the PCB and case components. Switches, stabilizers and caps are not included.
Post by: RoflCopter4 on Sun, 04 October 2015, 14:53:26
So, if I understand correctly, this would just be the PCB and keycaps, but no actual keys? We'd have to solder our own keys on?No keycaps. Just the PCB and case components. Switches, stabilizers and caps are not included.
Ah. Well, I'll have to pass then. I already have an Alps ASCII keyboard, and I stumbled across a set of what I'm 99% certain are PBT Alps keycaps at a Goodwill for $2, so I don't really need to hack a way to use Apple II keycaps.
Post by: Saimeidae on Sun, 04 October 2015, 16:28:12
Post by: zaarx on Sun, 04 October 2015, 17:21:31
Post by: inanis on Sun, 04 October 2015, 17:50:01
Post by: njbair on Sun, 04 October 2015, 20:18:48
I'm going to be losing some major sleep trying to decide whether to shell out for one of these, mainly because it's a lot of money, but it would be a truly unique piece for my collection.
Post by: Jersern on Sun, 04 October 2015, 20:44:58
Post by: romevi on Mon, 05 October 2015, 01:28:13
And Alpine Winter will fit this fine?
Post by: stoic-lemon on Mon, 05 October 2015, 03:48:07
Maybe a dumb question, but this will be fully compatible with Matias Alps switches right?
And Alpine Winter will fit this fine?
Alpine Winter has no numpad.
Post by: ika on Mon, 05 October 2015, 04:07:22
Maybe a dumb question, but this will be fully compatible with Matias Alps switches right?
And Alpine Winter will fit this fine?
You can probably find the numpad parts from someone buying into the Alps Party stuff but getting keycaps from Massdrop (like me). I won't have any use for anything that isn't 60%.
Post by: romevi on Mon, 05 October 2015, 08:24:51
I realize that, but I meant for the profile itself.Maybe a dumb question, but this will be fully compatible with Matias Alps switches right?
And Alpine Winter will fit this fine?
Alpine Winter has no numpad.
As for the numpad, I could use one of the Tai-Hao sets. Maybe Olivetti.
Post by: petrock on Mon, 05 October 2015, 10:35:42
Post by: koalapear on Mon, 05 October 2015, 10:58:43
Any chance of selling just the PCB? And a price for that?
That is a possibility, sure. I think the price for the PCB alone would be around $45.
Post by: livingspeedbump on Mon, 05 October 2015, 11:18:22
Post by: njbair on Mon, 05 October 2015, 11:25:04
Maybe a dumb question, but this will be fully compatible with Matias Alps switches right?Alpine Winter supports the AEKII layout for the main section, but no numpad support.
And Alpine Winter will fit this fine?
You could order blanks for everything but the 1x2 tall enter. If it were me, I would use a Tai Hao numpad set. The profiles are slightly different but it's not like you use those sections with the same hand.
Post by: romevi on Mon, 05 October 2015, 11:29:25
Maybe a dumb question, but this will be fully compatible with Matias Alps switches right?Alpine Winter supports the AEKII layout for the main section, but no numpad support.
And Alpine Winter will fit this fine?
You could order blanks for everything but the 1x2 tall enter. If it were me, I would use a Tai Hao numpad set. The profiles are slightly different but it's not like you use those sections with the same hand.
Yeah, this is what I plan on doing if I get the Monarch. I think the Olivette would match best with Alpine Winter. I don't mind them being different keycap sets; as the Olivette would be a different set and profile, that might make it easier for my hand to switch over to the numpad to find the keys.
Also, koalapear, is the 25 set in stone? If orders go over, do you plan on making more?
Post by: koalapear on Mon, 05 October 2015, 12:04:54
Maybe a dumb question, but this will be fully compatible with Matias Alps switches right?Alpine Winter supports the AEKII layout for the main section, but no numpad support.
And Alpine Winter will fit this fine?
You could order blanks for everything but the 1x2 tall enter. If it were me, I would use a Tai Hao numpad set. The profiles are slightly different but it's not like you use those sections with the same hand.
Yeah, this is what I plan on doing if I get the Monarch. I think the Olivette would match best with Alpine Winter. I don't mind them being different keycap sets; as the Olivette would be a different set and profile, that might make it easier for my hand to switch over to the numpad to find the keys.
Also, koalapear, is the 25 set in stone? If orders go over, do you plan on making more?
The 25 orders is what my goal is. If there ends up being more than that then great! I more worried about getting there first, as long as we can get over 20 orders then I think production is doable at the $250 price point. anything much less than that and I'll have to cancel or adjust pricing which is obviously not ideal.
Post by: theginginator on Mon, 05 October 2015, 12:23:10
Post by: koalapear on Mon, 05 October 2015, 12:29:01
I know that there are only three color choice options available but could we pay extra to have a different color done to the plates, just wondering. You would think, living in west Texas where everyone has a gun, that there would be more Cerakote dealers but the closest one to me is a 2 hour "scenic" drive :p.
According to the Cerakote shop a one-off color is possible but it would need to be put in with another batch of whatever color it is so it would take longer. I'm not sure if that would cost more or how much longer it would take. I'll call them and try to get back to you!
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Mon, 05 October 2015, 14:32:37
Placed an order for one :)I know that there are only three color choice options available but could we pay extra to have a different color done to the plates, just wondering. You would think, living in west Texas where everyone has a gun, that there would be more Cerakote dealers but the closest one to me is a 2 hour "scenic" drive :p.
According to the Cerakote shop a one-off color is possible but it would need to be put in with another batch of whatever color it is so it would take longer. I'm not sure if that would cost more or how much longer it would take. I'll call them and try to get back to you!
I'm also interested in some other colors, if possible. Particularly bright blues, greens or pinks!
Post by: koalapear on Mon, 05 October 2015, 14:43:19
Placed an order for one :)I know that there are only three color choice options available but could we pay extra to have a different color done to the plates, just wondering. You would think, living in west Texas where everyone has a gun, that there would be more Cerakote dealers but the closest one to me is a 2 hour "scenic" drive :p.
According to the Cerakote shop a one-off color is possible but it would need to be put in with another batch of whatever color it is so it would take longer. I'm not sure if that would cost more or how much longer it would take. I'll call them and try to get back to you!
I'm also interested in some other colors, if possible. Particularly bright blues, greens or pinks!
Awesome! ;D
Here are the colors Cerakote is available in:
(http://www.saltairfirearms.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cerakote-Basic.png)
No promises on the custom colors, but I'll see what I can do!
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Mon, 05 October 2015, 15:16:07
Post by: theginginator on Mon, 05 October 2015, 16:20:59
Post by: Pikly on Mon, 05 October 2015, 19:18:08
Post by: yangdaddy on Mon, 05 October 2015, 19:37:47
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Mon, 05 October 2015, 19:38:58
Please forgive the dumb question, but I have no experience with custom boards. If I harvest switches from an old apple keyboard, will they just pop in? or will I have to solder or even more to make this work?You'll have to solder them in and probably program the pcb.
I think you'll also need stabs and stuff...
Post by: yangdaddy on Mon, 05 October 2015, 20:05:02
Post by: Pikly on Mon, 05 October 2015, 20:35:55
Please forgive the dumb question, but I have no experience with custom boards. If I harvest switches from an old apple keyboard, will they just pop in? or will I have to solder or even more to make this work?You'll have to solder them in and probably program the pcb.
I think you'll also need stabs and stuff...
If he's got the Apple keyboard (the AEK II is what this kit is based on), than he should be able to harvest the stabilizers as well as the switches and keycaps.
Post by: stoic-lemon on Mon, 05 October 2015, 23:14:38
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Mon, 05 October 2015, 23:21:48
Are there really people walking around with lime green and pink guns? Hilarious. Putting up those fancy colours is going to make us all want to be special snowflakes. I guess I will join the purple love train.As you should! (although I would think that someone whose name is lemon would want a yellow one!)
Post by: wilarseny on Mon, 05 October 2015, 23:23:39
Also - sorry if noob, but does the PCB have LED/side-LED support? That acrylic piece would like miiighty nice with something shining through it :)
Post by: koalapear on Tue, 06 October 2015, 00:56:20
Howdy Koala - sorry if you've answered this before and I missed it. Would you be willing to offer assembly if we shipped you some switches ahead of time? While I'd love a DIY project I just don't trust myself with something this nice.
Also - sorry if noob, but does the PCB have LED/side-LED support? That acrylic piece would like miiighty nice with something shining through it :)
I might consider assembly. Keep in mind all you need to do soldering wise is the switches as the rest of the components are going to be installed on the PCB from the fabricator so it's pretty simple stuff. As far as the case lighting goes, I considered it but it meant that an additional chip would have to be added to the board and I personally thought lighting wasn't really needed.
For those of you considering the Bright Purple here's what is looks like on something:
(http://occustomcoating.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/P1020805.jpg)
If enough of you want it then I'll just add it as an option!
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Tue, 06 October 2015, 09:17:21
I really like that purple! For those of us that have already filled out the form, do we need to change anything?Howdy Koala - sorry if you've answered this before and I missed it. Would you be willing to offer assembly if we shipped you some switches ahead of time? While I'd love a DIY project I just don't trust myself with something this nice.
Also - sorry if noob, but does the PCB have LED/side-LED support? That acrylic piece would like miiighty nice with something shining through it :)
I might consider assembly. Keep in mind all you need to do soldering wise is the switches as the rest of the components are going to be installed on the PCB from the fabricator so it's pretty simple stuff. As far as the case lighting goes, I considered it but it meant that an additional chip would have to be added to the board and I personally thought lighting wasn't really needed.
For those of you considering the Bright Purple here's what is looks like on something:Show Image(http://occustomcoating.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/P1020805.jpg)
If enough of you want it then I'll just add it as an option!
Also, I just had a thought. Would it be possible to have the top plate in purple and the bottom one in Bronze? I think that would look really, really good...
Post by: trenzafeeds on Tue, 06 October 2015, 09:21:53
Post by: theginginator on Tue, 06 October 2015, 09:26:31
Post by: njbair on Tue, 06 October 2015, 10:02:04
Reason being, Massdrop is selling those Tai Hao caps for $20, and those would be perfect for this board if it supported ANSI.
Post by: wilarseny on Tue, 06 October 2015, 11:59:40
Howdy Koala - sorry if you've answered this before and I missed it. Would you be willing to offer assembly if we shipped you some switches ahead of time? While I'd love a DIY project I just don't trust myself with something this nice.
Also - sorry if noob, but does the PCB have LED/side-LED support? That acrylic piece would like miiighty nice with something shining through it :)
I might consider assembly. Keep in mind all you need to do soldering wise is the switches as the rest of the components are going to be installed on the PCB from the fabricator so it's pretty simple stuff. As far as the case lighting goes, I considered it but it meant that an additional chip would have to be added to the board and I personally thought lighting wasn't really needed.
Bummer - I do love the look of the board but unfortunately that takes it out of the running for me. Best of luck with the GB!
Post by: romevi on Tue, 06 October 2015, 12:13:14
Howdy Koala - sorry if you've answered this before and I missed it. Would you be willing to offer assembly if we shipped you some switches ahead of time? While I'd love a DIY project I just don't trust myself with something this nice.
Also - sorry if noob, but does the PCB have LED/side-LED support? That acrylic piece would like miiighty nice with something shining through it :)
I might consider assembly. Keep in mind all you need to do soldering wise is the switches as the rest of the components are going to be installed on the PCB from the fabricator so it's pretty simple stuff. As far as the case lighting goes, I considered it but it meant that an additional chip would have to be added to the board and I personally thought lighting wasn't really needed.
Bummer - I do love the look of the board but unfortunately that takes it out of the running for me. Best of luck with the GB!
With keyboard GBs I'm realizing it's pretty standard to have the keyboards unassembled. They're more DIY kits to cater to as many people's switch preferences as possible.
I know nothing about soldering, but with two of my hobbies being in keyboards and retro game consoles, where repairing and customizing systems also requires soldering, I'm just going to buy a machine and learn. It'll save me money and I won't have to rely on someone else's backed-up schedule to have my board assembled.
Post by: skullydazed on Tue, 06 October 2015, 13:11:24
Hey koalapear, have you considered offering this in an ANSI version as well? It would take some reworking on the PCB to support both layouts, but the plate should have the same cost and depending on the vendor, they will likely allow both layouts to count towards one MOQ (this was the case for the Alps Party GB).
Reason being, Massdrop is selling those Tai Hao caps for $20, and those would be perfect for this board if it supported ANSI.
The PCB supports it already, actually. The main barrier here is the plate. The way alps stabilizers work you can't make universal plates like you can for cherry pcb mount stabs. That means another plate design and doubling the setup fee at the machine shop.
Post by: wilarseny on Tue, 06 October 2015, 14:00:18
Howdy Koala - sorry if you've answered this before and I missed it. Would you be willing to offer assembly if we shipped you some switches ahead of time? While I'd love a DIY project I just don't trust myself with something this nice.
Also - sorry if noob, but does the PCB have LED/side-LED support? That acrylic piece would like miiighty nice with something shining through it :)
I might consider assembly. Keep in mind all you need to do soldering wise is the switches as the rest of the components are going to be installed on the PCB from the fabricator so it's pretty simple stuff. As far as the case lighting goes, I considered it but it meant that an additional chip would have to be added to the board and I personally thought lighting wasn't really needed.
Bummer - I do love the look of the board but unfortunately that takes it out of the running for me. Best of luck with the GB!
With keyboard GBs I'm realizing it's pretty standard to have the keyboards unassembled. They're more DIY kits to cater to as many people's switch preferences as possible.
I know nothing about soldering, but with two of my hobbies being in keyboards and retro game consoles, where repairing and customizing systems also requires soldering, I'm just going to buy a machine and learn. It'll save me money and I won't have to rely on someone else's backed-up schedule to have my board assembled.
Sorry, just to clarify I was talking about the LED thing. I totally get the rationale behind unassembled kits.
Post by: vivalarevolución on Tue, 06 October 2015, 17:23:52
Any chance have an option with the numpad on the right as well? Might do a lot to increase sales and reduce the price for everyone. Although I'm not sure how much time it would take to modify the design files.
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Tue, 06 October 2015, 17:30:29
Guns and keyboards. What a combo.He stated in the interest check that switching the numpad to the right is not feasible. It would require a complete redesign of the pcb, etc. So it would just be too much time and cost.
Any chance have an option with the numpad on the right as well? Might do a lot to increase sales and reduce the price for everyone. Although I'm not sure how much time it would take to modify the design files.
Post by: romevi on Tue, 06 October 2015, 17:35:17
Post by: njbair on Tue, 06 October 2015, 17:35:32
Again, BlueNalgene's vendor for Alps Party was cool about this. They said they would count all layouts towards the same lot, as long as the number of cuts was about the same. He's got 8 layouts going towards a single MOQ.Hey koalapear, have you considered offering this in an ANSI version as well? It would take some reworking on the PCB to support both layouts, but the plate should have the same cost and depending on the vendor, they will likely allow both layouts to count towards one MOQ (this was the case for the Alps Party GB).
Reason being, Massdrop is selling those Tai Hao caps for $20, and those would be perfect for this board if it supported ANSI.
The PCB supports it already, actually. The main barrier here is the plate. The way alps stabilizers work you can't make universal plates like you can for cherry pcb mount stabs. That means another plate design and doubling the setup fee at the machine shop.
Post by: vivalarevolución on Tue, 06 October 2015, 22:33:21
Guns and keyboards. What a combo.He stated in the interest check that switching the numpad to the right is not feasible. It would require a complete redesign of the pcb, etc. So it would just be too much time and cost.
Any chance have an option with the numpad on the right as well? Might do a lot to increase sales and reduce the price for everyone. Although I'm not sure how much time it would take to modify the design files.
Sorry, I never even saw the IC for this one.
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Tue, 06 October 2015, 23:00:13
No worries!Guns and keyboards. What a combo.He stated in the interest check that switching the numpad to the right is not feasible. It would require a complete redesign of the pcb, etc. So it would just be too much time and cost.
Any chance have an option with the numpad on the right as well? Might do a lot to increase sales and reduce the price for everyone. Although I'm not sure how much time it would take to modify the design files.
Sorry, I never even saw the IC for this one.
Post by: koalapear on Thu, 08 October 2015, 18:58:23
Good news everyone! I've verified with the Cerakote place that custom colors will be doable! That means that you will be able to choose from 84 different colors! ;D
Here is a chart showing what's available:
(http://www.armaindustries.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/CerakoteColorChart.png)
I highly recommend looking up the color(s) you are interested in to see what the actually look like when applied, as the difference between the swatch and the actual applied look can be quite different!
If you've already placed an order and wish to change your color choice just let me know! :thumb:
Post by: stoic-lemon on Thu, 08 October 2015, 19:02:09
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Thu, 08 October 2015, 19:02:36
UPDATEBright purple for me, please!
Good news everyone! I've verified with the Cerakote place that custom colors will be doable! That means that you will be able to choose from 84 different colors! ;D
Here is a chart showing what's available:Show Image(http://www.armaindustries.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/CerakoteColorChart.png)
If you've already placed an order and wish to change your color choice just let me know! :thumb:
Post by: romevi on Thu, 08 October 2015, 19:11:22
This announcement both pleases me and fills me with woe.This. Went from being easy to pick to too many.
Might just go with Titanium Blue.
Post by: Delirious on Thu, 08 October 2015, 20:41:53
Post by: koalapear on Thu, 08 October 2015, 20:46:27
Howdy Koala - sorry if you've answered this before and I missed it. Would you be willing to offer assembly if we shipped you some switches ahead of time? While I'd love a DIY project I just don't trust myself with something this nice.
Also - sorry if noob, but does the PCB have LED/side-LED support? That acrylic piece would like miiighty nice with something shining through it :)
I might consider assembly. Keep in mind all you need to do soldering wise is the switches as the rest of the components are going to be installed on the PCB from the fabricator so it's pretty simple stuff. As far as the case lighting goes, I considered it but it meant that an additional chip would have to be added to the board and I personally thought lighting wasn't really needed.
Bummer - I do love the look of the board but unfortunately that takes it out of the running for me. Best of luck with the GB!
With keyboard GBs I'm realizing it's pretty standard to have the keyboards unassembled. They're more DIY kits to cater to as many people's switch preferences as possible.
I know nothing about soldering, but with two of my hobbies being in keyboards and retro game consoles, where repairing and customizing systems also requires soldering, I'm just going to buy a machine and learn. It'll save me money and I won't have to rely on someone else's backed-up schedule to have my board assembled.
Sorry, just to clarify I was talking about the LED thing. I totally get the rationale behind unassembled kits.
I thought you'd want to know that skullydazed is working on adding LED case lighting support to the PCB! :thumb:
Post by: njbair on Thu, 08 October 2015, 21:16:55
Post by: koalapear on Thu, 08 October 2015, 21:33:36
Any thoughts on ANSI support?
Unfortunately I don't think ANSI is going to be viable since I would have to pay double for the setup on both laser and CNC. Also, seeing as it's looking like there's barely going to be enough interest to make it to production as it is it would just cost too much. :(
Post by: njbair on Thu, 08 October 2015, 21:35:40
Are you sure about the double setup fees? The two plates are nearly identical, I would think they could count as one setup.Any thoughts on ANSI support?
Unfortunately I don't think ANSI is going to be viable since I would have to pay double for the setup on both laser and CNC. Also, seeing as it's looking like there's barely going to be enough interest to make it to production as it is it would just cost too much. :(
Post by: stoic-lemon on Thu, 08 October 2015, 23:02:04
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 09 October 2015, 00:13:39
I'm confused about the question of ANSI support. What layout does this support and how does it differ from ANSI? I assume the issue is that the AEKII is not a standard layout on the bottom row. Thus anyone buying this board is locked into that exact layout?
Yeah the AEKII bottom row along with the non standard numpad limit you to AEKII caps.
As far as the setup costs go I think the only way two layouts would be viable price wise would be if I got 50+ orders.
Post by: stoic-lemon on Fri, 09 October 2015, 04:05:28
OK, well I'm set then since I got an AEKII a few weeks back. I think the Alpine Winter set will support this layout too right? So the only other thing people need to worry about is stabilisers, which there is a GB for and bending a wire for the spacebar.I'm confused about the question of ANSI support. What layout does this support and how does it differ from ANSI? I assume the issue is that the AEKII is not a standard layout on the bottom row. Thus anyone buying this board is locked into that exact layout?
Yeah the AEKII bottom row along with the non standard numpad limit you to AEKII caps.
As far as the setup costs go I think the only way two layouts would be viable price wise would be if I got 50+ orders.
50 orders might be a stretch considering this is likely to be a pricey keyboard all things considered. If you are new to the world of Alps like myself it will be particularly hard on your wallet.
Post by: Jersern on Fri, 09 October 2015, 04:14:12
Post by: stoic-lemon on Fri, 09 October 2015, 04:32:56
Alpine winter doesn't have a numpad tho.Lol and think I pointed that out to someone in this very thread. :) Yeah so this board has a pretty high bar for entry.
Post by: livingspeedbump on Fri, 09 October 2015, 10:18:07
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 09 October 2015, 10:31:53
OK, well I'm set then since I got an AEKII a few weeks back. I think the Alpine Winter set will support this layout too right? So the only other thing people need to worry about is stabilisers, which there is a GB for and bending a wire for the spacebar.I'm confused about the question of ANSI support. What layout does this support and how does it differ from ANSI? I assume the issue is that the AEKII is not a standard layout on the bottom row. Thus anyone buying this board is locked into that exact layout?
Yeah the AEKII bottom row along with the non standard numpad limit you to AEKII caps.
As far as the setup costs go I think the only way two layouts would be viable price wise would be if I got 50+ orders.
50 orders might be a stretch considering this is likely to be a pricey keyboard all things considered. If you are new to the world of Alps like myself it will be particularly hard on your wallet.
This is true. I've tried my best to be reasonable with the price. As it stands you can have a completed Monarch for a little over $300 if you can get a cheaper AEKII and use the dampened creams from it along with the caps and stabs. I realize that's expensive but it's around the price a lot of people pay for other customs (granted this one doesn't appeal to as many people as your standard MX custom).
Post by: tofgerl on Fri, 09 October 2015, 10:36:10
Post by: livingspeedbump on Fri, 09 October 2015, 10:36:44
OK, well I'm set then since I got an AEKII a few weeks back. I think the Alpine Winter set will support this layout too right? So the only other thing people need to worry about is stabilisers, which there is a GB for and bending a wire for the spacebar.I'm confused about the question of ANSI support. What layout does this support and how does it differ from ANSI? I assume the issue is that the AEKII is not a standard layout on the bottom row. Thus anyone buying this board is locked into that exact layout?
Yeah the AEKII bottom row along with the non standard numpad limit you to AEKII caps.
As far as the setup costs go I think the only way two layouts would be viable price wise would be if I got 50+ orders.
50 orders might be a stretch considering this is likely to be a pricey keyboard all things considered. If you are new to the world of Alps like myself it will be particularly hard on your wallet.
This is true. I've tried my best to be reasonable with the price. As it stands you can have a completed Monarch for a little over $300 if you can get a cheaper AEKII and use the dampened creams from it along with the caps and stabs. I realize that's expensive but it's around the price a lot of people pay for other customs (granted this one doesn't appeal to as many people as your standard MX custom).
$300 for a full custom isn't bad at all. Thats $5 less than an HHKB Type S haha. Alps switches are also quite cheap, so buying all new switches wouldnt be a very expensive option either.
Post by: stoic-lemon on Fri, 09 October 2015, 11:24:55
OK, well I'm set then since I got an AEKII a few weeks back. I think the Alpine Winter set will support this layout too right? So the only other thing people need to worry about is stabilisers, which there is a GB for and bending a wire for the spacebar.I'm confused about the question of ANSI support. What layout does this support and how does it differ from ANSI? I assume the issue is that the AEKII is not a standard layout on the bottom row. Thus anyone buying this board is locked into that exact layout?
Yeah the AEKII bottom row along with the non standard numpad limit you to AEKII caps.
As far as the setup costs go I think the only way two layouts would be viable price wise would be if I got 50+ orders.
50 orders might be a stretch considering this is likely to be a pricey keyboard all things considered. If you are new to the world of Alps like myself it will be particularly hard on your wallet.
This is true. I've tried my best to be reasonable with the price. As it stands you can have a completed Monarch for a little over $300 if you can get a cheaper AEKII and use the dampened creams from it along with the caps and stabs. I realize that's expensive but it's around the price a lot of people pay for other customs (granted this one doesn't appeal to as many people as your standard MX custom).
$300 for a full custom isn't bad at all. Thats $5 less than an HHKB Type S haha. Alps switches are also quite cheap, so buying all new switches wouldnt be a very expensive option either.
It's such a unique board, that I think it will be hard for many to pass up. We all love fancy colours too.
Post by: E3E on Fri, 09 October 2015, 11:48:20
Good luck with the buy!
Post by: petrock on Fri, 09 October 2015, 14:23:11
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Fri, 09 October 2015, 14:32:07
I don't know how many orders you've gotten, but if it does happen, I would be down for an ANSI layout.OK, well I'm set then since I got an AEKII a few weeks back. I think the Alpine Winter set will support this layout too right? So the only other thing people need to worry about is stabilisers, which there is a GB for and bending a wire for the spacebar.I'm confused about the question of ANSI support. What layout does this support and how does it differ from ANSI? I assume the issue is that the AEKII is not a standard layout on the bottom row. Thus anyone buying this board is locked into that exact layout?
Yeah the AEKII bottom row along with the non standard numpad limit you to AEKII caps.
As far as the setup costs go I think the only way two layouts would be viable price wise would be if I got 50+ orders.
50 orders might be a stretch considering this is likely to be a pricey keyboard all things considered. If you are new to the world of Alps like myself it will be particularly hard on your wallet.
This is true. I've tried my best to be reasonable with the price. As it stands you can have a completed Monarch for a little over $300 if you can get a cheaper AEKII and use the dampened creams from it along with the caps and stabs. I realize that's expensive but it's around the price a lot of people pay for other customs (granted this one doesn't appeal to as many people as your standard MX custom).
Also, I know I asked you to put me down for purple, but could I have the top plate in purple, and the bottom plate in burnt bronze for the time being?
I have a 60% build that I'm working on in that color scheme, and I'd like to have one of these in those colors as well...
Post by: tofgerl on Fri, 09 October 2015, 14:35:22
Post by: stoic-lemon on Fri, 09 October 2015, 18:20:19
I fear for koalapear's sanity if he allows people to have two different colours, though.
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 09 October 2015, 18:23:49
Isn't the color just for the top plate?
The top and bottom plates will both be finished in Cerakote.
Post by: romevi on Fri, 09 October 2015, 18:31:56
Do you realize what you've done? Preeeeetty sure you've just t quadrupled your order count.Isn't the color just for the top plate?
The top and bottom plates will both be finished in Cerakote.
Post by: skullydazed on Fri, 09 October 2015, 18:51:50
(http://i.imgur.com/FHJVtFA.png)
There are 6 LEDs across the top and bottom of the board, and 2 at each end, for a total of 16 SMD LEDs. Resistors should be 0805 footprint and 100-200ohm (depending on your LEDs) and the LEDs can be anything from 0805 up to 1210. The board will come from the fab house with a layer of soldier on each pad, so you can in theory tack your parts down without using any soldier. When I did this job on a different board I had fabbed I found that a tiny coat of flux and a dab of soldier paste makes the soldiering process damn near foolproof.
If you don't want LED's, but you do want to hack on your monarch, this section of the board should interest you:
(http://i.imgur.com/6286j79.png)
Those are the through hole resistors for the capslock and clear (numlock) LEDs. However, if you skip those LEDs you can use those pins for your own purpose, they connect to B6 and C6 on the atmega32u4. I have left you a set of VCC/GND header pins in that same area, so adding something to your monarch should be easy.
Post by: ika on Fri, 09 October 2015, 19:09:30
Also re led lighting, would it be possible to add a variable resistor (I. E. Potentiometer) to tune led resistance /brightness?
Post by: ideus on Fri, 09 October 2015, 19:16:48
Post by: skullydazed on Fri, 09 October 2015, 21:52:41
This board looks amazing, good job. I'd love to see a 60% version compatible with Pokers and GONs PCBs already available.
Thanks! Alps Party has you covered for a 60%. :)
Also re led lighting, would it be possible to add a variable resistor (I. E. Potentiometer) to tune led resistance /brightness?
Unfortunately LED's don't really work that way, they're an on or off sorta device. You can affect the brightness within a narrow range with a pot, but you would need one pot per LED, and this would shorten the life of the LED and run the risk of heating up the pot if you adjusted it too far out of range.
There are other possibilities we considered, but they all require adding more components and/or sacrificing one of the indicator LEDs. There are basically 4 possible outcomes, here's a straw poll to help me figure out what will make the most people happy:
http://strawpoll.me/5695960
Please vote in that poll so I can design this for the community.
Post by: skullydazed on Fri, 09 October 2015, 22:07:30
If you have controllable underlighting, you will have to soldier on a FET and another resistor. You will also lose one of the indicator LEDs (either capslock or numlock).
Post by: njbair on Sat, 10 October 2015, 11:09:10
Post by: koalapear on Sat, 10 October 2015, 16:04:26
Alpine Winter Blank Numberpad:
njbair has been kind enough to reach out to me and offer to add a blank numberpad kit for Alpine Winter exclusive to the Monarch!
You can add one or more to your order for $16/set. Keep in mind that if you wish to order an Alpine Winter base set to go with it you will have to order direct from njbair here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1HJET5Vl006sj6VUkNGoecomV83H5f8qu8G4ZpjdER3g/viewform?c=0&w=1 (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1HJET5Vl006sj6VUkNGoecomV83H5f8qu8G4ZpjdER3g/viewform?c=0&w=1)
If you do order an Alpine Winter base set as well both the numberpad and the base set will be shipped along with your Monarch order so you don't have to pay shipping twice.
All orders for the numberpad will be invoiced by njbair.
(http://i.imgur.com/ZTKZTpt.png)
Unfortunately seeing as Alpine Winter will have Cherry stab mounts I believe special wires will needed to be used so that the Cherry stab inserts can be used with the Alps style plate inserts. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this!
Case Lighting Support:
Also, skullydazed has updated the PCB design to support caselighting! He's still finalizing the design but your Monarch PCB will have pads to allow you to add a total of 16 SMD LEDs for case lighting if you so choose!
(http://i.imgur.com/FHJVtFA.png)
More info on this in his post above: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=75786.msg1891046#msg1891046
Post by: romevi on Sat, 10 October 2015, 17:21:29
UPDATE:Breh...
Apline Winter Blank Numberpad:
njbair has been kind enough to reach out to me and offer to add a blank numberpad kit for Alpine Winter exclusive to the Monarch!
You can add one or more to your order for $16/set. Keep in mind that if you wish to order an Alpine Winter base set to go with it you will have to order direct from njbair here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1HJET5Vl006sj6VUkNGoecomV83H5f8qu8G4ZpjdER3g/viewform?c=0&w=1 (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1HJET5Vl006sj6VUkNGoecomV83H5f8qu8G4ZpjdER3g/viewform?c=0&w=1)
If you do order an Alpine Winter base set as well both the numberpad and the base set will be shipped along with your Monarch order so you don't have to pay shipping twice.
All orders for the numberpad will be invoiced by njbair.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/ZTKZTpt.png)
Unfortunately seeing as Alpine Winter will have Cherry stab mounts I believe special wires will needed to be used so that the Cherry stab inserts can be used with the Alps style plate inserts. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this!
Case Lighting Support:
Also, skullydazed has updated the PCB design to support caselighting! He's still finalizing the design but your Monarch PCB will have pads to allow you to add a total of 16 SMD LEDs for case lighting if you so choose!Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/FHJVtFA.png)
More info on this in his post above: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=75786.msg1891046#msg1891046
Post by: njbair on Sat, 10 October 2015, 18:48:51
Yeah, the stabilizer situation is not as straightforward but all that has been discussed in the Alps Party GB thread.
My recommendation is to get in on BlueNalgene's Matias stabilizer GB. It includes a full set of Alps stabilizers, plus Cherry stab brackets for the caps. It's only like $10 so get in now before that buy closes.
Anyone who's not on mobile and wants to post a link to the stabilizer buy, that would be cool.
One more quick note, this was made possible at the last minute due to a separate circumstance that I can't really talk about right now. But suffice it to say that one of the conditions here is that the extra set has to be exclusive to Monarch buyers.
Post by: romevi on Sat, 10 October 2015, 19:10:01
Woot!I think the stab GB already closed. :(
Yeah, the stabilizer situation is not as straightforward but all that has been discussed in the Alps Party GB thread.
My recommendation is to get in on BlueNalgene's Matias stabilizer GB. It includes a full set of Alps stabilizers, plus Cherry stab brackets for the caps. It's only like $10 so get in now before that buy closes.
Anyone who's not on mobile and wants to post a link to the stabilizer buy, that would be cool.
One more quick note, this was made possible at the last minute due to a separate circumstance that I can't really talk about right now. But suffice it to say that one of the conditions here is that the extra set has to be exclusive to Monarch buyers.
Post by: njbair on Sat, 10 October 2015, 19:18:54
Well, the sets are only about $10 on www.matias.ca anyways.Woot!I think the stab GB already closed. :(
Yeah, the stabilizer situation is not as straightforward but all that has been discussed in the Alps Party GB thread.
My recommendation is to get in on BlueNalgene's Matias stabilizer GB. It includes a full set of Alps stabilizers, plus Cherry stab brackets for the caps. It's only like $10 so get in now before that buy closes.
Anyone who's not on mobile and wants to post a link to the stabilizer buy, that would be cool.
One more quick note, this was made possible at the last minute due to a separate circumstance that I can't really talk about right now. But suffice it to say that one of the conditions here is that the extra set has to be exclusive to Monarch buyers.
Post by: romevi on Sun, 11 October 2015, 01:11:34
Well, the sets are only about $10 on www.matias.ca anyways.Woot!I think the stab GB already closed. :(
Yeah, the stabilizer situation is not as straightforward but all that has been discussed in the Alps Party GB thread.
My recommendation is to get in on BlueNalgene's Matias stabilizer GB. It includes a full set of Alps stabilizers, plus Cherry stab brackets for the caps. It's only like $10 so get in now before that buy closes.
Anyone who's not on mobile and wants to post a link to the stabilizer buy, that would be cool.
One more quick note, this was made possible at the last minute due to a separate circumstance that I can't really talk about right now. But suffice it to say that one of the conditions here is that the extra set has to be exclusive to Monarch buyers.
Good to know! I'll have to buy a set eventually.
Also, in regards to Cerakote colors, will we have the option to pick two different colors, one for the top and one for the bottom, or is it going to be just one color?
And what's the difference between H- and C- legend colors? I knew right away I wanted a sort of silver-blue color for this, and settled on Blue Titanium, but almost every sample picture they have shows Blue Titanium differently!
If we can choose two colors, I may go with Shimmer Gold with either Tungsten or Blue Titanium.
Post by: koalapear on Sun, 11 October 2015, 01:41:20
Well, the sets are only about $10 on www.matias.ca anyways.Woot!I think the stab GB already closed. :(
Yeah, the stabilizer situation is not as straightforward but all that has been discussed in the Alps Party GB thread.
My recommendation is to get in on BlueNalgene's Matias stabilizer GB. It includes a full set of Alps stabilizers, plus Cherry stab brackets for the caps. It's only like $10 so get in now before that buy closes.
Anyone who's not on mobile and wants to post a link to the stabilizer buy, that would be cool.
One more quick note, this was made possible at the last minute due to a separate circumstance that I can't really talk about right now. But suffice it to say that one of the conditions here is that the extra set has to be exclusive to Monarch buyers.
Good to know! I'll have to buy a set eventually.
Also, in regards to Cerakote colors, will we have the option to pick two different colors, one for the top and one for the bottom, or is it going to be just one color?
And what's the difference between H- and C- legend colors? I knew right away I wanted a sort of silver-blue color for this, and settled on Blue Titanium, but almost every sample picture they have shows Blue Titanium differently!
If we can choose two colors, I may go with Shimmer Gold with either Tungsten or Blue Titanium.
There are two types of Cerakote, one that air dies (C), and one that is oven cured (H). The air dry formula is used for high temperature applications, such as gun suppressors, and for those in which the item being coated cannot withstand the oven curing process, such as polymer frames on some guns. The oven cured formula is much much more abrasion resistant but is not as temperature resistant. The over cured formula is the more popular of the two and is what will be used on the Monarch.
Different color top and bottom plates shouldn't be an issue, just specify it in the Other section of your order! :thumb:
As far as the colors looking different on some pictures keep in mind that some of what you may be seeing is Blue Titanium mixed with another color of Cerakote so make sure the picture is depicting pure Blue Titanium!
Post by: Delirious on Sun, 11 October 2015, 12:26:38
Post by: romevi on Sun, 11 October 2015, 12:31:31
Ah, I didn't even think about mixed colors. That makes more sense.Well, the sets are only about $10 on www.matias.ca anyways.Woot!I think the stab GB already closed. :(
Yeah, the stabilizer situation is not as straightforward but all that has been discussed in the Alps Party GB thread.
My recommendation is to get in on BlueNalgene's Matias stabilizer GB. It includes a full set of Alps stabilizers, plus Cherry stab brackets for the caps. It's only like $10 so get in now before that buy closes.
Anyone who's not on mobile and wants to post a link to the stabilizer buy, that would be cool.
One more quick note, this was made possible at the last minute due to a separate circumstance that I can't really talk about right now. But suffice it to say that one of the conditions here is that the extra set has to be exclusive to Monarch buyers.
Good to know! I'll have to buy a set eventually.
Also, in regards to Cerakote colors, will we have the option to pick two different colors, one for the top and one for the bottom, or is it going to be just one color?
And what's the difference between H- and C- legend colors? I knew right away I wanted a sort of silver-blue color for this, and settled on Blue Titanium, but almost every sample picture they have shows Blue Titanium differently!
If we can choose two colors, I may go with Shimmer Gold with either Tungsten or Blue Titanium.
There are two types of Cerakote, one that air dies (C), and one that is oven cured (H). The air dry formula is used for high temperature applications, such as gun suppressors, and for those in which the item being coated cannot withstand the oven curing process, such as polymer frames on some guns. The oven cured formula is much much more abrasion resistant but is not as temperature resistant. The over cured formula is the more popular of the two and is what will be used on the Monarch.
Different color top and bottom plates shouldn't be an issue, just specify it in the Other section of your order! :thumb:
As far as the colors looking different on some pictures keep in mind that some of what you may be seeing is Blue Titanium mixed with another color of Cerakote so make sure the picture is depicting pure Blue Titanium!
Blue Titanium and Shimmer Gold for me!
Post by: dutC4 on Mon, 12 October 2015, 02:29:49
Post by: calvinhousecat on Thu, 15 October 2015, 00:58:15
Post by: koalapear on Thu, 15 October 2015, 01:40:13
This may seem really far fetch, but do you offer assembly?
I don't think that should be an issue. However, keep in mind that all that needs to be done soldering-wise would be the switches (and case lighting if you so desire) so it's pretty easy stuff. You would need to send me the switches/LEDs and resistors necessary ahead of time though as well as pay an additional assembly fee.
Post by: Jersern on Sat, 17 October 2015, 03:24:15
Post by: njbair on Sat, 17 October 2015, 07:02:35
Post by: koalapear on Sat, 17 October 2015, 17:47:36
Koala, would it be possible to sell the SMD parts for the LEDs? They're a bit of a pain to find here in Australia. Also if soldering SMD parts is possible that would be even more amazing though I guess I could probably do it myself with a bit of practice.
I think I would prefer to let the LEDs be up to the buyer seeing as I'd imagine most would want to do their own color. The compatible LEDs and resistors can both be found on eBay for very cheap.
So just curious, what's the status on order numbers? I'm still really conflicted about joining. I want one really badly but I'm not sure it's financially wise for me right now. Sigh.
At the moment there are 9 orders. Overall not as much interest as I had hoped for but it's understandable seeing how niche and expensive this board is. I am hopeful that orders will pick up as the close date nears, but at the moment it appears that getting enough orders for production is going to be a stretch.
Post by: njbair on Sat, 17 October 2015, 18:08:59
I can speak for myself that if this board gets made and I don't get one, I'm going to regret that decision every time I see one.
Post by: inanis on Sat, 17 October 2015, 18:16:06
I am amazed that there aren't more orders for this thing. Maybe you're right, and the combination of LHTK and Alps is too obscure. But this is one of the most well-done sub-$300 customs I've seen.
I can speak for myself that if this board gets made and I don't get one, I'm going to regret that decision every time I see one.
I feel the same way. I'm constantly checking this thread. I want this so bad, but I'm just not sure if I can swing it right now. My heart will hurt evertime I see one of these. How are more people not in on this?!? The design and options are amazing.
Post by: njbair on Sat, 17 October 2015, 18:28:35
There are probably 16 of us out there, all keeping this buy from happening due to our inner struggles.I am amazed that there aren't more orders for this thing. Maybe you're right, and the combination of LHTK and Alps is too obscure. But this is one of the most well-done sub-$300 customs I've seen.
I can speak for myself that if this board gets made and I don't get one, I'm going to regret that decision every time I see one.
I feel the same way. I'm constantly checking this thread. I want this so bad, but I'm just not sure if I can swing it right now. My heart will hurt evertime I see one of these. How are more people not in on this?!? The design and options are amazing.
Maybe I'll try to sell some stuff so I can get in on this after all.
Post by: Muffinbottoms on Sat, 17 October 2015, 18:48:28
I'm absolutely tempted by this, but like everyone else, it's either this or rent haha and I don't think my landlord would approve of skipping rent for a keyboard :P
Post by: njbair on Sat, 17 October 2015, 18:52:08
Is this thing programmable :O? So for the LHTK could I set some keys as arrow keys kinda like on a regular 104 numpad?Yep, fully programmable. It will run TMK so you can do lots of cool things with it like function layers and macros.
I'm absolutely tempted by this, but like everyone else, it's either this or rent haha and I don't think my landlord would approve of skipping rent for a keyboard
I'm sure your landlord will understand once he tries the keyboard.
Post by: romevi on Sat, 17 October 2015, 20:19:48
Post by: stoic-lemon on Sat, 17 October 2015, 21:04:25
Post by: koalapear on Sat, 17 October 2015, 21:24:07
It's the loudest board I have :p
Post by: theginginator on Sat, 17 October 2015, 23:52:58
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Sat, 17 October 2015, 23:56:00
I'm definitely in, my only problem is choosing a color, I'm down to bright purple or safety orange, they both will look awesome just can't decide!!!Both! It could be a Halloween keyboard!
Post by: stoic-lemon on Sun, 18 October 2015, 02:51:42
I don't think I've shared this here yet...Glorious! What switches do you have on there? Salmon? Also, will sub to your channel for more Monarch goodness.
It's the loudest board I have :p
Post by: E3E on Sun, 18 October 2015, 03:01:43
I don't think I've shared this here yet...Glorious! What switches do you have on there? Salmon? Also, will sub to your channel for more Monarch goodness.
It's the loudest board I have :p
I'm thinking they are Matias Clicks since that what was on his prototype board and sound similar imo.
Post by: stoic-lemon on Sun, 18 October 2015, 05:16:36
I don't think I've shared this here yet...Glorious! What switches do you have on there? Salmon? Also, will sub to your channel for more Monarch goodness.
It's the loudest board I have :p
I'm thinking they are Matias Clicks since that what was on his prototype board and sound similar imo.
Ah, thanks. Well they certainly are clicky.
Post by: Muffinbottoms on Sun, 18 October 2015, 15:14:31
Is this thing programmable :O? So for the LHTK could I set some keys as arrow keys kinda like on a regular 104 numpad?Yep, fully programmable. It will run TMK so you can do lots of cool things with it like function layers and macros.
I'm absolutely tempted by this, but like everyone else, it's either this or rent haha and I don't think my landlord would approve of skipping rent for a keyboard
I'm sure your landlord will understand once he tries the keyboard.
Oh my god....that raises my wants for this beautiful custom even more!! :'(
HAHA I'll just loan it out to him as collateral until I could pay off my rent :P
Post by: sean on Mon, 19 October 2015, 00:06:16
Post by: koalapear on Thu, 22 October 2015, 14:03:27
Post by: njbair on Fri, 23 October 2015, 00:16:41
Everyone else, you know you want this board. Throw caution to the wind and join us!
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 23 October 2015, 01:23:02
I'm finally in. I decided I can't bear the thought of not getting in on this.
Everyone else, you know you want this board. Throw caution to the wind and join us!
:thumb:
Post by: tofgerl on Fri, 23 October 2015, 02:45:52
Post by: Muffinbottoms on Fri, 23 October 2015, 03:47:01
It's not caution, it's rent!
Tofgerl knows what's up :(
njbair, let us crash at your place and we'll totally hop on this buy :P
Post by: Pikly on Fri, 23 October 2015, 18:55:01
Post by: njbair on Fri, 23 October 2015, 19:01:51
Can we get an update on the order count near the end of the buy? I could swing a couple more orders if it means the buy goes through.That is simultaneously super generous of you and a good investment. No doubt you'll be able to sell them later at or above the purchase price if you decide.
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 23 October 2015, 21:18:50
Can we get an update on the order count near the end of the buy? I could swing a couple more orders if it means the buy goes through.
That's quite the generous offer and is very much appreciated! ;D
The order count is currently at 10. I'll update the OP with current order count to keep everyone up to date on how many orders to go.
Post by: Sockets on Sat, 24 October 2015, 07:22:51
I would have ordered a few days ago but I'm having so much trouble deciding on the colour. With so many options, how is everyone else deciding? Do you choose a colour that goes with a specific keyset or something more neutral that will go with a variety of different keysets?
Post by: njbair on Sat, 24 October 2015, 07:55:28
Post by: stoic-lemon on Sat, 24 October 2015, 08:38:37
Post by: njbair on Sat, 24 October 2015, 09:14:54
I have no doubt this is going to be one of the most impressive boards in my collection for a long time. And not just looks-wise, with the LHTK, custom colors and under-lighting options, but in terms of design and build quality. I have never seen another case with such a thick solid metal top plate made possible by recessed cutouts. This kind of attention to detail is unsurpassed. This will no doubt be the most solid sandwich-style custom I own.
And the best part of all is, it's Alps. There is nothing like this in the MX world. The name "Monarch" is apt because this board is king. This will become the flagship Alps custom. The "Post Your Alps" media threads will be filled with the lamentations of those who missed this buy for years to come.
Post by: sean on Sat, 24 October 2015, 23:30:54
Seeing everyone's color combinations is going to be awesome! I'm so glad I finally decided to join this buy.
I have no doubt this is going to be one of the most impressive boards in my collection for a long time. And not just looks-wise, with the LHTK, custom colors and under-lighting options, but in terms of design and build quality. I have never seen another case with such a thick solid metal top plate made possible by recessed cutouts. This kind of attention to detail is unsurpassed. This will no doubt be the most solid sandwich-style custom I own.
And the best part of all is, it's Alps. There is nothing like this in the MX world. The name "Monarch" is apt because this board is king. This will become the flagship Alps custom. The "Post Your Alps" media threads will be filled with the lamentations of those who missed this buy for years to come.
Why must you tempt me uuugh!
Post by: njbair on Sat, 24 October 2015, 23:34:52
Seeing everyone's color combinations is going to be awesome! I'm so glad I finally decided to join this buy.
I have no doubt this is going to be one of the most impressive boards in my collection for a long time. And not just looks-wise, with the LHTK, custom colors and under-lighting options, but in terms of design and build quality. I have never seen another case with such a thick solid metal top plate made possible by recessed cutouts. This kind of attention to detail is unsurpassed. This will no doubt be the most solid sandwich-style custom I own.
And the best part of all is, it's Alps. There is nothing like this in the MX world. The name "Monarch" is apt because this board is king. This will become the flagship Alps custom. The "Post Your Alps" media threads will be filled with the lamentations of those who missed this buy for years to come.
Why must you tempt me uuugh!
Because Alpine Winter already tipped and I need to spew hype somewhere.
Post by: E3E on Sat, 24 October 2015, 23:47:54
Post by: Saimeidae on Sun, 25 October 2015, 01:13:57
It's nice that AEK (II)s are so common and also provide some really solid caps too. It's hard to imagine anything else that could would fit better as the basis for this build than that. They aren't terribly expensive to source or hard to find, provide fantastic caps and all the stabs needed. It might not have everyone's favorite switch variety, but it works! This probably seems way out of context, but I just wanted to think out loud, haha.
You can even salvage switches if you want (or pick up Matias) and an Alpine Winter monarch spacebar fits in quite nicely for full-pbt (which may be over at this point, as it's 10/25 for me).
Post by: bjb39 on Sun, 25 October 2015, 20:27:40
Post by: braidn on Sun, 25 October 2015, 22:11:47
Post by: Kola93 on Sun, 25 October 2015, 22:16:47
Is it possible to use bigger aluminum feet with it for a steeper angle?
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Sun, 25 October 2015, 22:17:48
where are folks sourcing the AEKs so easily? I rarely find one without totally yellowed keycapsThe caps whiten right up if you soak them in hydrogen peroxide for a day or so :) (like, literally back to factory whiteness)
Post by: koalapear on Sun, 25 October 2015, 22:19:56
where are folks sourcing the AEKs so easily? I rarely find one without totally yellowed keycaps
I've found a couple really clean AEKIIs on eBay by looking for ones that have a rubber dust cover on them.
This is a very cool keyboard, but I'm not sure if I will be able to afford it.
Is it possible to use bigger aluminum feet with it for a steeper angle?
The case has mounting holes that support GON/Tex alu feet.
Post by: Kola93 on Sun, 25 October 2015, 22:23:54
The case has mounting holes that support GON/Tex alu feet.
This is good news to me. I will try my best to afford one! ^-^
Which Cerakote is the better black between Graphite Black and Armor Black? Not sure how the two differ.
I hope this would be a good choice to use with AEK2 caps.
Post by: koalapear on Sun, 25 October 2015, 22:31:07
The case has mounting holes that support GON/Tex alu feet.
This is good news to me. I will try my best to afford one! ^-^
Which Cerakote is the better black between Graphite Black and Armor Black? Not sure how the two differ.
I hope this would be a good choice to use with AEK2 caps.
It looks to me like Graphite Black is a "deeper" black but it's up to you which you like best looks-wise. I recommend looking up examples of colors your interested in as they can look quite different from the swatch on the color chart. :thumb:
Post by: njbair on Tue, 27 October 2015, 20:09:20
I went with Blue Titanium, which I think should go pretty well with Alpine Winter:
(http://i.imgur.com/YVZZoGu.jpg?1)
(http://i.imgur.com/9rVWyUe.jpg?1)
(http://i.imgur.com/Oj9Zhyx.jpg?1)
Post by: vivalarevolución on Tue, 27 October 2015, 21:44:55
Post by: Delirious on Tue, 27 October 2015, 21:59:03
The combination of Alps and left hand numberpad probably makes it too weird for most people. Two niches combined into one.
I beg to differ since I'm right handed. I don't have to let go of the mouse to use the numpad is a huge plus hence this is the keyboard I gotta have.
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Tue, 27 October 2015, 22:03:16
I'm a lefty, but I mouse with my right, which I would argue makes this board even better, since my left hand will naturally be better at numpad duties than my right.The combination of Alps and left hand numberpad probably makes it too weird for most people. Two niches combined into one.
I beg to differ since I'm right handed. I don't have to let go of the mouse to use the numpad is a huge plus hence this is the keyboard I gotta have.
Post by: vivalarevolución on Tue, 27 October 2015, 22:08:13
The combination of Alps and left hand numberpad probably makes it too weird for most people. Two niches combined into one.
I beg to differ since I'm right handed. I don't have to let go of the mouse to use the numpad is a huge plus hence this is the keyboard I gotta have.
That is a good point, but most consumers will not be attracted to doing something different than they are used to do, even among niche hobbies like this one. It's about what people will buy, not our personal preferences.
I'm ambidextrous with my computer usage, if that counts for anything.
Post by: E3E on Tue, 27 October 2015, 22:27:09
The combination of Alps and left hand numberpad probably makes it too weird for most people. Two niches combined into one.
I beg to differ since I'm right handed. I don't have to let go of the mouse to use the numpad is a huge plus hence this is the keyboard I gotta have.
While I really dig this custom and all the work done for it. Koala is way cool and so is his boss uncle, haha. I personally prefer standalone numberpads since they can be repositioned wherever and completely excluded if need be. This concept is nice though, plus the number pad allows for tons of extra keys to be mapped on a separate layer, so you could gain back the function layer, use it as a number pad, arrows, etc.
Post by: theginginator on Tue, 27 October 2015, 22:45:20
Has anybody that have ordered done any crazy color combos?
Post by: njbair on Tue, 27 October 2015, 22:52:53
Was down to bright purple or safety orange but i think im going to go with safety orange as i already have a zealios build with purple LeandreN plate in the works. Should i do both plates orange or top plate orange and bottom black? Both would have black screws either way. Decisions decisions...I've always valued subtlety so I just went with both the same.
Has anybody that have ordered done any crazy color combos?
Post by: sean on Tue, 27 October 2015, 23:01:10
If there ends up not being enough orders I think I would still be interested in a housing CNC'd by no other than the finest Uncle Koalapear (If you're down for that) so I can Teensy it up.
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Tue, 27 October 2015, 23:10:00
Was down to bright purple or safety orange but i think im going to go with safety orange as i already have a zealios build with purple LeandreN plate in the works. Should i do both plates orange or top plate orange and bottom black? Both would have black screws either way. Decisions decisions...I asked for purple and bronze. But that's what my 60% build was, so I'm thinking about asking to change it. (I used a purple Leandren plate for my zealio build too!)
Has anybody that have ordered done any crazy color combos?
Post by: E3E on Tue, 27 October 2015, 23:14:22
Was down to bright purple or safety orange but i think im going to go with safety orange as i already have a zealios build with purple LeandreN plate in the works. Should i do both plates orange or top plate orange and bottom black? Both would have black screws either way. Decisions decisions...
Has anybody that have ordered done any crazy color combos?
You could make it work, I think. But it could easily look terrible too. It's kind of how I feel with the red Octagon I have. Not many things look as good with it as more standard colors like black or silver and grey. An all black or black and orange key set could look nice. Considering the middle layer can be lit up, you can definitely coordinate LED colors with the dual tone choice.
Post by: romevi on Tue, 27 October 2015, 23:15:04
Was down to bright purple or safety orange but i think im going to go with safety orange as i already have a zealios build with purple LeandreN plate in the works. Should i do both plates orange or top plate orange and bottom black? Both would have black screws either way. Decisions decisions...
Has anybody that have ordered done any crazy color combos?
I don't have anything crazy. Just blue titanium on top and shimmer gold on the bottom. For some reason the colors "pale blue" and "light gold" scream Alps.
Here's hoping I'll have the funds by the GB deadline.
Post by: theginginator on Tue, 27 October 2015, 23:24:17
Was down to bright purple or safety orange but i think im going to go with safety orange as i already have a zealios build with purple LeandreN plate in the works. Should i do both plates orange or top plate orange and bottom black? Both would have black screws either way. Decisions decisions...
Has anybody that have ordered done any crazy color combos?
You could make it work, I think. But it could easily look terrible too. It's kind of how I feel with the red Octagon I have. Not many things look as good with it as more standard colors like black or silver and grey. An all black or black and orange key set could look nice. Considering the middle layer can be lit up, you can definitely coordinate LED colors with the dual tone choice.
Yeah im leaning more towards uniformity and going all orange for the plates with with orange LEDS that will light up the middle piece. I already have an AEKII in great condition for the caps.
Already ordered an Alps party 60% board with Alpine winter so i have the blue taken care of :thumb:
Post by: njbair on Thu, 29 October 2015, 20:08:37
Post by: koalapear on Thu, 29 October 2015, 22:22:54
I just wanted to tell you all that I love you and the Monarch, and if doing so bumps this thread back up to the top of the unread list, then so be it!
<3
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 30 October 2015, 21:12:15
Post by: E3E on Fri, 30 October 2015, 21:22:50
I feel like there will be someone who will save this when we get down to the wire.
Post by: Sockets on Sat, 31 October 2015, 00:25:06
Alright guys, there's a week left and we're still very short on orders. Unless something magical happens things aren't looking good for us hitting MOQ by next Saturday. My mother was talking to my uncle earlier in the week and says that he has talked to the laser cutting place and that the original quote was incorrect at that we may be able to shave some off of the final price, exactly how much I'm not sure yet. I will be in contact with him shorty. Although I don't think it will result in enough of a price drop to significantly effect order amounts. I wish there were a way for me to make this happen for you guys :'(
Oh no! I would be devastated if this doesn't happen.
I wonder if the one of the things keeping people from jumping on this is that they need to get an AEKII. I'm pretty new to all this so my first thought was to look on ebay but the current prices of AEKIIs on ebay are a little discouraging. eg. The only listing I found in Australia right now is for an unused AEKII for AUD$200. Looking internationally isn't much better. I saw one listing in the UK for GBP120 not including the lead or shipping. There are cheaper ones out there (still not cheap) but then shipping is completely ridiculous. I could only find one US listing for <US$50 but with shipping it was still around US$100.
Then I started to look locally. After a few phone calls I managed to find a couple of them at a computer recycler for AUD$35 each. Looking through the classified ads here, thats only a couple of dollars more than the last one I saw sell on there went for. Quite reasonable.
If you're on the fence about this because you can't find a reasonably priced AEKII, do a quick search (maybe not on ebay), make a few phone calls. I'm sure there are a lot more of these out there but they might require a tiny bit of work to find them.
tl;dr AEKII on ebay = $$$$, local computer recycler = $. Make a few phone calls and order The Monarch! :thumb:
Post by: koalapear on Sat, 31 October 2015, 00:57:56
Alright guys, there's a week left and we're still very short on orders. Unless something magical happens things aren't looking good for us hitting MOQ by next Saturday. My mother was talking to my uncle earlier in the week and says that he has talked to the laser cutting place and that the original quote was incorrect at that we may be able to shave some off of the final price, exactly how much I'm not sure yet. I will be in contact with him shorty. Although I don't think it will result in enough of a price drop to significantly effect order amounts. I wish there were a way for me to make this happen for you guys :'(
Oh no! I would be devastated if this doesn't happen.
I wonder if the one of the things keeping people from jumping on this is that they need to get an AEKII. I'm pretty new to all this so my first thought was to look on ebay but the current prices of AEKIIs on ebay are a little discouraging. eg. The only listing I found in Australia right now is for an unused AEKII for AUD$200. Looking internationally isn't much better. I saw one listing in the UK for GBP120 not including the lead or shipping. There are cheaper ones out there (still not cheap) but then shipping is completely ridiculous. I could only find one US listing for <US$50 but with shipping it was still around US$100.
Then I started to look locally. After a few phone calls I managed to find a couple of them at a computer recycler for AUD$35 each. Looking through the classified ads here, thats only a couple of dollars more than the last one I saw sell on there went for. Quite reasonable.
If you're on the fence about this because you can't find a reasonably priced AEKII, do a quick search (maybe not on ebay), make a few phone calls. I'm sure there are a lot more of these out there but they might require a tiny bit of work to find them.
tl;dr AEKII on ebay = $$$$, local computer recycler = $. Make a few phone calls and order The Monarch! :thumb:
Yeah, I think it's a combination of it being Alps, the left-hand numpad, the keycap requirements, and the cost. It's just overall too niche and expensive of a product :(
Post by: Jersern on Sat, 31 October 2015, 01:45:47
Post by: Delirious on Sat, 31 October 2015, 01:47:08
Post by: Sockets on Sat, 31 October 2015, 01:59:53
I already had an old aek that wasn't in too good shape for a restoration so I'm set on that front. I really hope this buy goes through! :)
Would the AEK (I, not II) also work for this project? I read on the DT wiki that they had two different types of stabalisers.
Post by: Jersern on Sat, 31 October 2015, 02:06:48
Post by: Muffinbottoms on Sat, 31 October 2015, 06:43:03
Post by: romevi on Sat, 31 October 2015, 08:01:11
Fuuuuuudge :'C I feel extremely bad that I can't hop in on this buy and get us that one more closer. Have you tried Reddit and DT? I don't know any other mechboard communities other than these three that you could try posting to. Maybe foreign communities? :/ I really hopes this goes through! This was a beautiful custom from the beginning and I figured with all the Alps hype it was gonna go swimmingly! If it doesn't go through this first time, would you consider regrouping and attempting this at another time?It's definitely on Reddit.
I'm sad I can't join. November is a heavy month, and I really tried to stretch my budget to fit this, but alas I can't.
Post by: koalapear on Sat, 31 October 2015, 15:17:01
Fuuuuuudge :'C I feel extremely bad that I can't hop in on this buy and get us that one more closer. Have you tried Reddit and DT? I don't know any other mechboard communities other than these three that you could try posting to. Maybe foreign communities? :/ I really hopes this goes through! This was a beautiful custom from the beginning and I figured with all the Alps hype it was gonna go swimmingly! If it doesn't go through this first time, would you consider regrouping and attempting this at another time?
I've posted on both Reddit and DT. I didn't get any replies at all on DT so I have not updated it in some time. On Reddit I've been posting regular updates but every time I do they get very little to no response and are downvoted pretty heavily which has been pretty discouraging. I'm not saying a possible regroup and rerun is out of the question but at this point the amount of interest overall has been so low I'm just not sure it's worth it.
Post by: romevi on Sat, 31 October 2015, 15:21:54
I can't believe it's been down voted. It's a beautiful board and should be snatched up.Fuuuuuudge :'C I feel extremely bad that I can't hop in on this buy and get us that one more closer. Have you tried Reddit and DT? I don't know any other mechboard communities other than these three that you could try posting to. Maybe foreign communities? :/ I really hopes this goes through! This was a beautiful custom from the beginning and I figured with all the Alps hype it was gonna go swimmingly! If it doesn't go through this first time, would you consider regrouping and attempting this at another time?
I've posted on both Reddit and DT. I didn't get any replies at all on DT so I have not updated it in some time. On Reddit I've been posting regular updates but every time I do they get very little to no response and are downvoted pretty heavily which has been pretty discouraging. I'm not saying a possible regroup and rerun is out of the question but at this point the amount of interest overall has been so low I'm just not sure it's worth it.
For me, I've got Troubled Minds, Skidata+, the rest of my Round 5a order, the Ellipse Model F, and my Christmas shopping. Maybe start it again early next year when people have caught up and the holidays are over?
Post by: Jersern on Sat, 31 October 2015, 16:20:34
Post by: koalapear on Sat, 31 October 2015, 16:29:59
I wonder if we can proceed with the current order count?
I don't think that will be possible at the current (and already high) price point unfortunately.
Post by: Delirious on Sat, 31 October 2015, 17:47:22
Post by: Jersern on Sat, 31 October 2015, 18:21:52
That's a real bummer if this thing didn't go through. Koalapear would your uncle be interested in making the plate and frame? I might just handwire this.
I wouldn't mind doing some hand wiring myself. Though obviously a pcb would be amazing.
Isn't there going to be a price reduction on the case? We could forgo the lower price to cover the lower order quantity.
Post by: koalapear on Sat, 31 October 2015, 18:35:46
That's a real bummer if this thing didn't go through. Koalapear would your uncle be interested in making the plate and frame? I might just handwire this.
I wouldn't mind doing some hand wiring myself. Though obviously a pcb would be amazing.
Isn't there going to be a price reduction on the case? We could forgo the lower price to cover the lower order quantity.
The majority of the issue with the lower order quantity is the PCB costs since that cost are very highly dependent on amount ordered. I would need to rework the quotes for everything else at this order quantity since most of the quotes I got were for around twice the current order number. I would expect a pretty significant price jump for each part of production as a result. The drop in price due to the quoting error would only be around $10-$15 I believe, maybe a bit more but nothing really major unfortunately. :(
As far as just getting cases done that would still be quite expensive. Due to the low order number I'd guesstimate that just a case done for handwiring would be $250-$275 at least which is just too much for a case.
Post by: Jersern on Sat, 31 October 2015, 18:42:45
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Sat, 31 October 2015, 18:44:25
Post by: koalapear on Sat, 31 October 2015, 18:58:17
Hmm, honestly 250 for a case isn't too bad, there are quite a few customs where the cases cost quite a hefty amount.
I suppose, but I think people are less inclined to pay that kind of premium when the case doesn't have a name like GON, LZ, Duck, or KMAC backing it. Granted this case is not on the same level as some of the cases those guys churn out either. That and this case isn't exactly versatile with it's keycap restrictions and Alps only compatibility. I also doubt that all those who currently have an order submitted are as willing to pay around the same amount as they originally planned to for a board that they then have to handwire.
There's a place near me where I can use their laser cutter for very, very cheap. I'm not sure if it is capable of cutting metals, but I cam ask when I go in next. That might make it a more feasible project.
I appreciate the offer! I'd be worried though that after shipping the amount saved would eat into any cost savings. As it stands for an order number of 25 the aluminum (supplied by the laser place) and the cutting is only around $25 per board. The majority of the cost lies in the CNC time, finishing, and PCB. Although, now that I think about it with the lower order number getting the plates lasered by you may result in a decent price drop.
Post by: njbair on Sat, 31 October 2015, 19:03:13
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Sat, 31 October 2015, 19:07:18
Yeah, also, I was looking into it, and it looks like steel is much easier to laser cut than aluminum, so that may be something to consider. If it were being lasered and we were doing hand wiring only, I could pretty easily make the plate with the cutouts that support cherry and alps (I think that's a thing, right?), and it wouldn't add significantly to the cost. I don't know how much people would want to do steel instead of alu though, if aluminum weren't possible. Steel can still be coated, as far as I'm aware, so that would just mean a more solid feeling keyboard...Hmm, honestly 250 for a case isn't too bad, there are quite a few customs where the cases cost quite a hefty amount.
I suppose, but I think people are less inclined to pay that kind of premium when the case doesn't have a name like GON, LZ, Duck, or KMAC backing it. Granted this case is not on the same level as some of the cases those guys churn out either. That and this case isn't exactly versatile with it's keycap restrictions and Alps only compatibility. I also doubt that all those who currently have an order submitted are as willing to pay around the same amount as they originally planned to for a board that they then have to handwire.There's a place near me where I can use their laser cutter for very, very cheap. I'm not sure if it is capable of cutting metals, but I cam ask when I go in next. That might make it a more feasible project.
I appreciate the offer! I'd be worried though that after shipping the amount saved would eat into any cost savings. As it stands for an order number of 25 the aluminum (supplied by the laser place) and the cutting is only around $25 per board. The majority of the cost lies in the CNC time, finishing, and PCB. Although, now that I think about it with the lower order number getting the plates lasered by you may result in a decent price drop.
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Sat, 31 October 2015, 19:10:38
Post by: koalapear on Sat, 31 October 2015, 19:52:18
Also, as far as cherry+alps compatibility goes the real issue there is stabilizer cutouts in the the plate to support both.
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Sat, 31 October 2015, 19:58:20
While both different metals and different cutting methods are available I'm not sure that they really help lower the price a significant amount. Keep in mind that the cases still need to be CNC'd after laser/waterjet cutting.Ah. Why would they need to be cnc cut after water jet? I would have thought that it would be accurate enough to allow for immediate use. (same thing with laser, if I'm completely honest.)
Also, as far as cherry+alps compatibility goes the real issue there is stabilizer cutouts in the the plate to support both.
Post by: koalapear on Sat, 31 October 2015, 20:01:48
While both different metals and different cutting methods are available I'm not sure that they really help lower the price a significant amount. Keep in mind that the cases still need to be CNC'd after laser/waterjet cutting.Ah. Why would they need to be cnc cut after water jet? I would have thought that it would be accurate enough to allow for immediate use. (same thing with laser, if I'm completely honest.)
Also, as far as cherry+alps compatibility goes the real issue there is stabilizer cutouts in the the plate to support both.
The CNC cuts the recesses in the plate to allow the switches and the stabilizers to snap in properly, along with the outer edge of both plates to give them a really smooth finish, and the center polycarb piece is fully CNC cut.
Post by: Jersern on Sat, 31 October 2015, 20:05:13
Just chiming in. You all know I really want this board to happen. But if you start talking about no PCB or anything like that I'm a lot less interested. I'd rather consider paying more to make up for the low order quantity.
I agree with njbair, though hand wiring isn't a big deal for me but a pcb will be nice but I wouldn't mind paying a bit extra.
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Sat, 31 October 2015, 20:05:59
Ah. That makes sense. Too bad too... :/ if I could afford to snatch em all up to meet MOQ I totally would.While both different metals and different cutting methods are available I'm not sure that they really help lower the price a significant amount. Keep in mind that the cases still need to be CNC'd after laser/waterjet cutting.Ah. Why would they need to be cnc cut after water jet? I would have thought that it would be accurate enough to allow for immediate use. (same thing with laser, if I'm completely honest.)
Also, as far as cherry+alps compatibility goes the real issue there is stabilizer cutouts in the the plate to support both.
The CNC cuts the recesses in the plate to allow the switches and the stabilizers to snap in properly, along with the outer edge of both plates to give them a really smooth finish, and the center polycarb piece is fully CNC cut.
Post by: njbair on Sat, 31 October 2015, 20:11:15
Post by: Jersern on Sat, 31 October 2015, 20:17:05
Post by: stoic-lemon on Sat, 31 October 2015, 20:18:16
Post by: Delirious on Sat, 31 October 2015, 20:21:31
Assuming an Alps angel doesn't swoop in at the last minute and clear MOQ, I like the idea of trying again in the new year. I have a few ideas that might help this meet MOQ without substantially changing the design. I'll PM koala about that.
Whatever the redesign might be please keep the left hand numpad, it might be niche but it's very unique in design and useful for mouse-on-right-hand users
Post by: koalapear on Sat, 31 October 2015, 20:55:14
Btw koala, didn't you have a few prototypes? I personally wouldn't mind having one of those and doing hand wiring.
I only really have one complete proto case left which I'm thinking about building with SKCM blues, cobalt cerakote, and Alpine Winter. If people get to see that built maybe it will get more interested in it if I rerun it.
Post by: Jersern on Sat, 31 October 2015, 21:28:10
Post by: deductivemonkee on Sat, 31 October 2015, 21:36:16
Sadly, I'm toasted for the $$ bills so I can't get in. Maybe if it gets re-run in the new year I'll get in.
Gl with this.
Post by: Muffinbottoms on Sun, 01 November 2015, 00:09:22
Fuuuuuudge :'C I feel extremely bad that I can't hop in on this buy and get us that one more closer. Have you tried Reddit and DT? I don't know any other mechboard communities other than these three that you could try posting to. Maybe foreign communities? :/ I really hopes this goes through! This was a beautiful custom from the beginning and I figured with all the Alps hype it was gonna go swimmingly! If it doesn't go through this first time, would you consider regrouping and attempting this at another time?
I've posted on both Reddit and DT. I didn't get any replies at all on DT so I have not updated it in some time. On Reddit I've been posting regular updates but every time I do they get very little to no response and are downvoted pretty heavily which has been pretty discouraging. I'm not saying a possible regroup and rerun is out of the question but at this point the amount of interest overall has been so low I'm just not sure it's worth it.
Wow I can't believe you didn't get any replies on DT :O I personally don't use it that much, let alone have an account, but I've always pegged it as more of the "modder-ish"/"custom" community out of all three. That's pretty damn rude >:l I can understand if you're not interested not commenting or passing it by, but the only time a post should ever be downvoted in my opinion is when it doesn't offer anything remotely keyboard related. Well if the 13 (if I remember right) are still committed by the New Year and the other five or so who are strapped with cash (me included) throw in that's only about 5 short! Especially with minimum wage going to $10 :D. I'm sure we could find ~5 more buyers!
Edit: I can't math
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Sun, 01 November 2015, 00:18:57
I'll definitely still be in if this comes back. QFuuuuuudge :'C I feel extremely bad that I can't hop in on this buy and get us that one more closer. Have you tried Reddit and DT? I don't know any other mechboard communities other than these three that you could try posting to. Maybe foreign communities? :/ I really hopes this goes through! This was a beautiful custom from the beginning and I figured with all the Alps hype it was gonna go swimmingly! If it doesn't go through this first time, would you consider regrouping and attempting this at another time?
I've posted on both Reddit and DT. I didn't get any replies at all on DT so I have not updated it in some time. On Reddit I've been posting regular updates but every time I do they get very little to no response and are downvoted pretty heavily which has been pretty discouraging. I'm not saying a possible regroup and rerun is out of the question but at this point the amount of interest overall has been so low I'm just not sure it's worth it.
Wow I can't believe you didn't get any replies on DT :O I personally don't use it that much, let alone have an account, but I've always pegged it as more of the "modder-ish"/"custom" community out of all three. That's pretty damn rude >:l I can understand if you're not interested not commenting or passing it by, but the only time a post should ever be downvoted in my opinion is when it doesn't offer anything remotely keyboard related. Well if the 13 (if I remember right) are still committed by the New Year and the other five or so who are strapped with cash (me included) throw in that's only about 5 short! Especially with minimum wage going to $10 :D. I'm sure we could find ~5 more buyers!
Edit: I can't math
Post by: romevi on Sun, 01 November 2015, 00:20:03
DT is more for vintage and European keyboards. They scoff at modding, unless it's for making old keyboards compatible with modern hardware.Fuuuuuudge :'C I feel extremely bad that I can't hop in on this buy and get us that one more closer. Have you tried Reddit and DT? I don't know any other mechboard communities other than these three that you could try posting to. Maybe foreign communities? :/ I really hopes this goes through! This was a beautiful custom from the beginning and I figured with all the Alps hype it was gonna go swimmingly! If it doesn't go through this first time, would you consider regrouping and attempting this at another time?
I've posted on both Reddit and DT. I didn't get any replies at all on DT so I have not updated it in some time. On Reddit I've been posting regular updates but every time I do they get very little to no response and are downvoted pretty heavily which has been pretty discouraging. I'm not saying a possible regroup and rerun is out of the question but at this point the amount of interest overall has been so low I'm just not sure it's worth it.
Wow I can't believe you didn't get any replies on DT :O I personally don't use it that much, let alone have an account, but I've always pegged it as more of the "modder-ish"/"custom" community out of all three. That's pretty damn rude >:l I can understand if you're not interested not commenting or passing it by, but the only time a post should ever be downvoted in my opinion is when it doesn't offer anything remotely keyboard related. Well if the 13 (if I remember right) are still committed by the New Year and the other five or so who are strapped with cash (me included) throw in that's only about 5 short! Especially with minimum wage going to $10 :D. I'm sure we could find ~5 more buyers!
Edit: I can't math
I'm actually not surprised it didn't get much attention there. The only custom keyboards I've seen them excited by is one or two Korean ones (which surprised me, too, as I thought they weren't big on them), and Ellipse's Model F.
The only custom caps they seem to go crazy after is 7bit's, which are basically replicas of old caps anyway.
I love their wealth of info on older boards, and their wiki site is fantastic.
Post by: Muffinbottoms on Sun, 01 November 2015, 01:06:32
DT is more for vintage and European keyboards. They scoff at modding, unless it's for making old keyboards compatible with modern hardware.Fuuuuuudge :'C I feel extremely bad that I can't hop in on this buy and get us that one more closer. Have you tried Reddit and DT? I don't know any other mechboard communities other than these three that you could try posting to. Maybe foreign communities? :/ I really hopes this goes through! This was a beautiful custom from the beginning and I figured with all the Alps hype it was gonna go swimmingly! If it doesn't go through this first time, would you consider regrouping and attempting this at another time?
I've posted on both Reddit and DT. I didn't get any replies at all on DT so I have not updated it in some time. On Reddit I've been posting regular updates but every time I do they get very little to no response and are downvoted pretty heavily which has been pretty discouraging. I'm not saying a possible regroup and rerun is out of the question but at this point the amount of interest overall has been so low I'm just not sure it's worth it.
Wow I can't believe you didn't get any replies on DT :O I personally don't use it that much, let alone have an account, but I've always pegged it as more of the "modder-ish"/"custom" community out of all three. That's pretty damn rude >:l I can understand if you're not interested not commenting or passing it by, but the only time a post should ever be downvoted in my opinion is when it doesn't offer anything remotely keyboard related. Well if the 13 (if I remember right) are still committed by the New Year and the other five or so who are strapped with cash (me included) throw in that's only about 5 short! Especially with minimum wage going to $10 :D. I'm sure we could find ~5 more buyers!
Edit: I can't math
I'm actually not surprised it didn't get much attention there. The only custom keyboards I've seen them excited by is one or two Korean ones (which surprised me, too, as I thought they weren't big on them), and Ellipse's Model F.
The only custom caps they seem to go crazy after is 7bit's, which are basically replicas of old caps anyway.
I love their wealth of info on older boards, and their wiki site is fantastic.
Ahhh that's where I pegged them wrong. With their wealth of knowledge on older boards and how to fix them up to work with modern computers I assumed they were into modding and the like, so a custom Alps board using old Alps switches and caps would've been right up their alley :/
Man it's really interesting to see the quirks in each community haha.
Post by: theginginator on Sun, 01 November 2015, 23:12:31
Post by: Muffinbottoms on Mon, 02 November 2015, 07:27:05
Really hope this goes through as I have already received an aekII for the caps and ordered switches and stabs for this :-X
If anything you got a sweet new AEK II that you can dust off and use :D
Post by: tofgerl on Mon, 02 November 2015, 08:42:10
Post by: theginginator on Mon, 02 November 2015, 12:24:01
Really hope this goes through as I have already received an aekII for the caps and ordered switches and stabs for this :-X
If anything you got a sweet new AEK II that you can dust off and use :D
Or strip. The caps and switches will probably sell for more than you gave.
But... But... MONARCH keyboard?!?
Post by: theanyday on Mon, 02 November 2015, 12:46:29
Post by: NoblesseOblige on Tue, 03 November 2015, 09:51:21
Post by: Delirious on Tue, 03 November 2015, 09:57:46
I plan to join this GB but I'm unsure which color plate I want - well I want them all, but sadly I'm not Bill Gates, so I have to choose one. Sometimes having so many choices sucks! I recently joined the Alpine Winters so I want one to go with those caps. What color do others feel match it the best?
The Alpine Winters has surrounding blue modifiers so I think an off-white color plate would really make the whole thing pops, white plate -> blue modifiers -> white inner caps.
Regardless of what you choose I really hope you join to make this project a reality. Every order counts :-[
Post by: NoblesseOblige on Tue, 03 November 2015, 10:03:11
I plan to join this GB but I'm unsure which color plate I want - well I want them all, but sadly I'm not Bill Gates, so I have to choose one. Sometimes having so many choices sucks! I recently joined the Alpine Winters so I want one to go with those caps. What color do others feel match it the best?
The Alpine Winters has surrounding blue modifiers so I think an off-white color plate would really make the whole thing pops, white plate -> blue modifiers -> white inner caps.
Regardless of what you choose I really hope you join to make this project a reality. Every order counts :-[
I plan on joining by Friday, just as soon as I decide which color I like best. Bit of an embarrassment of riches with all these great choices. I was considering a white option as well, so thanks for your input.
Post by: petrock on Tue, 03 November 2015, 14:58:32
Post by: sean on Tue, 03 November 2015, 18:09:51
Post by: skullydazed on Wed, 04 November 2015, 10:04:54
I've been busy with the TK78-R PCB lately and hadn't had a chance to wrap this up yet. Last night and this morning I wrapped up the last of the underlighting support. Now when you build your board you can decide which of the LED lighting options you want. Here's the perfect section of the board to demonstrate this:
(http://i.imgur.com/8bcyg45.png)
In the center there are 2 headers, a 4 pin and a 3 pin. The 4 pin header on the left comes from the MCU, and provides VCC, GND, and the two PWM pins that we had left over after routing the matrix. If you don't want any lighting at all but you want to add some other hardware (maybe bluetooth?) you can do that there. The 3 pin header on the right goes to Underlighting, CapsLock and Clear. You can connect these in any of several ways:
- Always on Underlighting with both status LED's: VCC->UNDERLIGHT, C6->RLCAPSLOCK, B6->RLCLEAR
- Controllable Underlighting with 1 capslock LED: B6->UNDERLIGHT, C6->RLCAPSLOCK
- Controllable Underlighting only: C6->UNDERLIGHT
- Status LED's only: C6->RLCAPSLOCK, B6->RLCLEAR
(There are more possibilities, but those seem like the most common use cases.)
If you want to use underlighting you will have to add the components yourself:
- 16 SMD LED's (Pads support anything from 0805 to 1210)
- 16 0805 SMD Resistors matched to your LEDs
- 1 SOT23 SMD N-Channel MOSFET (example (http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/NXP-Semiconductors/2N7002215/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMshyDBzk1%2fWi9tVkC2LaBCdrmSOCH8Pkm0%3d))
- 1 0805 SMD 10k Resistor
You can omit the MOSFET and jumper the two header pins instead if you will be connecting directly to VCC. Do not populate the MOSFET if you bridge the header pins there!
Next on my list is to spend time trying to reduce costs for the PCB. I've been talking to koalapear about how we can make this happen at a lower MOQ, and I hope to have good news on that front soon!
Post by: Jersern on Wed, 04 November 2015, 14:37:11
Post by: Delirious on Wed, 04 November 2015, 14:48:55
PCB Update!
I've been busy with the TK78-R PCB lately and hadn't had a chance to wrap this up yet. Last night and this morning I wrapped up the last of the underlighting support. Now when you build your board you can decide which of the LED lighting options you want. Here's the perfect section of the board to demonstrate this:Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/8bcyg45.png)
In the center there are 2 headers, a 4 pin and a 3 pin. The 4 pin header on the left comes from the MCU, and provides VCC, GND, and the two PWM pins that we had left over after routing the matrix. If you don't want any lighting at all but you want to add some other hardware (maybe bluetooth?) you can do that there. The 3 pin header on the right goes to Underlighting, CapsLock and Clear. You can connect these in any of several ways:
- Always on Underlighting with both status LED's: VCC->UNDERLIGHT, C6->RLCAPSLOCK, B6->RLCLEAR
- Controllable Underlighting with 1 capslock LED: B6->UNDERLIGHT, C6->RLCAPSLOCK
- Controllable Underlighting only: C6->UNDERLIGHT
- Status LED's only: C6->RLCAPSLOCK, B6->RLCLEAR
(There are more possibilities, but those seem like the most common use cases.)
If you want to use underlighting you will have to add the components yourself:
- 16 SMD LED's (Pads support anything from 0805 to 1210)
- 16 0805 SMD Resistors matched to your LEDs
- 1 SOT23 SMD N-Channel MOSFET (example (http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/NXP-Semiconductors/2N7002215/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMshyDBzk1%2fWi9tVkC2LaBCdrmSOCH8Pkm0%3d))
- 1 0805 SMD 10k Resistor
You can omit the MOSFET and jumper the two header pins instead if you will be connecting directly to VCC. Do not populate the MOSFET if you bridge the header pins there!
Next on my list is to spend time trying to reduce costs for the PCB. I've been talking to koalapear about how we can make this happen at a lower MOQ, and I hope to have good news on that front soon!
Much kudo to you and koalapear for doing this. Since there are only 3 days left for this groupbuy, would you be considering extending the deadline date to have more time perfecting it?
Post by: skullydazed on Wed, 04 November 2015, 21:31:32
Much kudo to you and koalapear for doing this. Since there are only 3 days left for this groupbuy, would you be considering extending the deadline date to have more time perfecting it?
I think I just finished perfecting it. ;)
In all seriousness, is there anything else you think needs to be done? I've published the design files for the monarch:
https://github.com/skullydazed/tmk_keyboard/tree/master/keyboard/monarch/doc
If you don't have EAGLE you can look at the PNG files to see the schematic and each layer. I hope someone will be able to look it over for mistakes, I don't think there are any but that's usually when a really bad one is found. :p
Post by: koalapear on Thu, 05 November 2015, 20:56:01
Post by: njbair on Thu, 05 November 2015, 20:58:36
Post by: theginginator on Thu, 05 November 2015, 21:06:55
Post by: Butter on Thu, 05 November 2015, 21:31:03
MY BODY IS READY AND MY WALLET... well we don't need to talk about that... :))
The wallet is never ready when you get suck into the mechanical keyboard hobby :'(
Post by: Pikly on Thu, 05 November 2015, 22:29:21
Thanks koalapear for all the work you put into this!
Post by: stoic-lemon on Fri, 06 November 2015, 06:37:34
Post by: sean on Fri, 06 November 2015, 23:24:51
Alright alright alright....
I can't say no anymore
I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing I won't ever have my very own Monarch.
There's no stopping this hype train.
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 06 November 2015, 23:36:52
Post by: E3E on Sat, 07 November 2015, 01:08:23
This is great news. I am still willing to order a few extra kits if it is necessary. And judging by the number of posts from people not able to participate due to current circumstances, I just might anyway. For anyone in that boat, let me know your color preferences so I can choose finishes; there are way too many combinations for me to pick (I stuck with Cobalt from the original 3 choices).
Thanks koalapear for all the work you put into this!
This has to be one of the most stand-up things you could do, man! Seriously, to go out of your way to buy extras for people like that, down to even getting the exact scheme they want is really really nice of you! Really, I'm floored by the generosity. I only worry about people rushing to you for an order and then dropping or flaking out later on when the time comes to pay for it. I mean, it can always be sold off, but to go to the trouble of picking specific colors just to walk out on it would be TERRIBLY lame.
Post by: Delirious on Sat, 07 November 2015, 01:21:10
Post by: Jersern on Sat, 07 November 2015, 04:57:02
I need to order some matias switches now that the under-lighting has been perfected. Light bleed FTW
I wonder how Matias clicks feel in comparison to salmons.
Post by: njbair on Sat, 07 November 2015, 05:53:53
ALRIGHTChoo choo!!!
Alright alright alright....
I can't say no anymore
I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing I won't ever have my very own Monarch.
There's no stopping this hype train.
Post by: Pikly on Sat, 07 November 2015, 11:53:28
This has to be one of the most stand-up things you could do, man! Seriously, to go out of your way to buy extras for people like that, down to even getting the exact scheme they want is really really nice of you! Really, I'm floored by the generosity. I only worry about people rushing to you for an order and then dropping or flaking out later on when the time comes to pay for it. I mean, it can always be sold off, but to go to the trouble of picking specific colors just to walk out on it would be TERRIBLY lame.
Thanks! I figure I have the funds, and it means more orders for koalapear, why not help some people out at the same time?
I went ahead and ordered another one, Mil Spec Green; will be using parts from this beauty: http://imgur.com/a/uaRMm (http://imgur.com/a/uaRMm). Current plan is to have one at home and one at work, or possibly sell the Cobalt one built from my AEKII. I'm still down for ordering another one if I get a color request, but I believe the buy should go through now given koalapear's update.
Post by: Zealousy on Sat, 07 November 2015, 13:13:37
Post by: Delirious on Sat, 07 November 2015, 15:28:52
I need to order some matias switches now that the under-lighting has been perfected. Light bleed FTW
I wonder how Matias clicks feel in comparison to salmons.
I can only speak for Matias quiet click because I own the mini quiet pro. Comparing between Mini quiet pro and AEK II, the Quiet Pro's tactility is snappier and shorter compare to AEK II. I feel that the AEK II has softer downstroke and less pronounced upstroke, this is probably due to the fact that the tactility is shorter on Quiet Pro.
Post by: Jersern on Sat, 07 November 2015, 17:26:47
I can only speak for Matias quiet click because I own the mini quiet pro. Comparing between Mini quiet pro and AEK II, the Quiet Pro's tactility is snappier and shorter compare to AEK II. I feel that the AEK II has softer downstroke and less pronounced upstroke, this is probably due to the fact that the tactility is shorter on Quiet Pro.
Maybe I should order some Matias clicks then....
Post by: koalapear on Sat, 07 November 2015, 18:26:43
This has to be one of the most stand-up things you could do, man! Seriously, to go out of your way to buy extras for people like that, down to even getting the exact scheme they want is really really nice of you! Really, I'm floored by the generosity. I only worry about people rushing to you for an order and then dropping or flaking out later on when the time comes to pay for it. I mean, it can always be sold off, but to go to the trouble of picking specific colors just to walk out on it would be TERRIBLY lame.
Thanks! I figure I have the funds, and it means more orders for koalapear, why not help some people out at the same time?
I went ahead and ordered another one, Mil Spec Green; will be using parts from this beauty: http://imgur.com/a/uaRMm (http://imgur.com/a/uaRMm). Current plan is to have one at home and one at work, or possibly sell the Cobalt one built from my AEKII. I'm still down for ordering another one if I get a color request, but I believe the buy should go through now given koalapear's update.
I really very much appreciate the support! :thumb:
That's a very interesting board that I did not know existed! Great to know that there are other cap options out there for the Monarch! Might pick one up myself! ;D
Post by: koalapear on Sun, 08 November 2015, 01:44:12
Alright, that's all folks! Well actually it's just the beginning, but orders are now closed! We ended up at 18 orders in total which means only 20 Monarchs will be produced (once you count my personal board and skullydazed's board he's getting for all his hard work on the PCB design). So all of you that ordered will be super special! :p
I will begin invoicing shortly and will try to have all of them sent out before the end of the week, most likely will be in the next couple days.
I've decided to just invoice normally. Worst case is I pay out of pocket.
I've also worked out the shipping prices:
CONUS: $22
INT'L: $37
Post by: Muffinbottoms on Sun, 08 November 2015, 02:14:20
Now I'm excited to see all 20 boards and what colors they got! :eek:
Post by: Jersern on Sun, 08 November 2015, 04:32:03
ask that you all pay your invoice as a SERVICE rather than goods
Does Paypal have that option? I'm pretty sure last time I used itto pay someone (which was a while back), the option is Goods and Services. Not goods or services as separate options. Though happy to pay whatever way makes our lives easiest.
Post by: njbair on Sun, 08 November 2015, 05:40:23
Post by: stoic-lemon on Sun, 08 November 2015, 06:02:04
Post by: koalapear on Sun, 08 November 2015, 16:49:04
ask that you all pay your invoice as a SERVICE rather than goods
Does Paypal have that option? I'm pretty sure last time I used itto pay someone (which was a while back), the option is Goods and Services. Not goods or services as separate options. Though happy to pay whatever way makes our lives easiest.
I think you have to create the invoice as a service instead of goods.
I'm basing this off of this post: http://deskthority.net/off-topic-f10/how-to-collect-money-with-paypal-and-avoid-problems-t7312.html
Based on that the person receiving the invoice has to pay it as a service, whatever that means. I looked at the PayPal invoice and I don't see a way of creating a "service" invoice.
If this ends up being too much trouble then I'll just forget about it and try to transfer the money out of PayPal before they can freeze it.
Post by: koalapear on Sun, 08 November 2015, 17:06:02
Post by: njbair on Sun, 08 November 2015, 17:44:34
Post by: koalapear on Sun, 08 November 2015, 17:50:31
$250 x 18 = $4,500. That probably won't raise any flags.
Hopefully not! You never know with PayPal though. :p
Post by: atectatifern on Sun, 08 November 2015, 17:54:39
I just paid for Round 5a and had trouble paying as a service--it turns out that I had to switch to the "classic" site (as opposed to the mobile/tablet-friendly site they serve up by default) to be able to select that option. Once I did, I was able to specify that it was a service and that shipping was not required. HTH. (edit, 5*a*)ask that you all pay your invoice as a SERVICE rather than goods
Does Paypal have that option? I'm pretty sure last time I used itto pay someone (which was a while back), the option is Goods and Services. Not goods or services as separate options. Though happy to pay whatever way makes our lives easiest.I think you have to create the invoice as a service instead of goods.
I'm basing this off of this post: http://deskthority.net/off-topic-f10/how-to-collect-money-with-paypal-and-avoid-problems-t7312.html
Based on that the person receiving the invoice has to pay it as a service, whatever that means. I looked at the PayPal invoice and I don't see a way of creating a "service" invoice.
If this ends up being too much trouble then I'll just forget about it and try to transfer the money out of PayPal before they can freeze it
Post by: Jersern on Sun, 08 November 2015, 18:38:37
Post by: koalapear on Tue, 10 November 2015, 12:33:02
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Tue, 10 November 2015, 12:59:54
All invoices have been sent out! Please let me know if I screwed anything up (which would not be surprising)! :pInvoice paid! Hopefully I didn't screw anything up on that, I'm still somewhat new to the whole PayPal thing... Now I need to go find a board with Blue SKCM switches... I've been looking on and off for the last couple of months... I may have to settle for matias quiet clicks, or something like that.
Post by: petrock on Tue, 10 November 2015, 13:24:09
I know its early but any idea what the ship date would be? I am going to be out of the country in December and want to make sure it will arrive while I am around.
Post by: koalapear on Tue, 10 November 2015, 13:33:47
I'll pay my invoice for the PCB later tonight. I'm pretty excited now that I am going to have to design the case for this! I am just hoping I don't **** it up too much!
I know its early but any idea what the ship date would be? I am going to be out of the country in December and want to make sure it will arrive while I am around.
The production PCBs probably won't be done until mid-late December.
Post by: petrock on Tue, 10 November 2015, 13:58:54
The production PCBs probably won't be done until mid-late December.
Perfect! I can't wait!
Post by: sean on Tue, 10 November 2015, 20:32:29
I kid I kid
...maybe...
Post by: stoic-lemon on Tue, 10 November 2015, 22:08:46
Post by: njbair on Tue, 10 November 2015, 22:13:08
Post by: stoic-lemon on Tue, 10 November 2015, 22:17:25
Seriously. By the time I add keycaps and switches, this will probably be my most expensive board. Especially if I pick up a blue Alps board like I'm hoping to do.
Yeah it is already my most costly keyboard. I don't exactly have a bunch of boards, but it's not for lack of trying; I'm looking at you GH60 and TX1800. I feel bad even mentioning those two in this thread.
On a more positive note, I just got a donor board for switches today and will check it out once I get home.
Post by: Delirious on Wed, 11 November 2015, 11:22:47
Post by: koalapear on Wed, 11 November 2015, 12:51:17
koalapear what is the weight of your current Monarch? I like my board heavy.
The completed proto weighs 1lb 13.8oz which isn't the heaviest but it feels plenty sturdy! :thumb:
Post by: Jersern on Thu, 12 November 2015, 00:12:51
Post by: NoblesseOblige on Thu, 12 November 2015, 09:22:55
Post by: koalapear on Sun, 15 November 2015, 17:45:13
Post by: Jersern on Sun, 15 November 2015, 17:56:20
Post by: njbair on Sun, 15 November 2015, 18:11:36
What is everyone planning as far as LEDs? The PCB has a lot of options. I'm planning on full under-lighting (probably white), not sure yet what I'm going to do about indicators.
Post by: theginginator on Sun, 15 November 2015, 19:04:20
Post by: sean on Sun, 15 November 2015, 20:40:39
I'm so psyched this is happening.
What is everyone planning as far as LEDs? The PCB has a lot of options. I'm planning on full under-lighting (probably white), not sure yet what I'm going to do about indicators.
So... I heard instead of LED's you could hook up other stuff like bluetooth. If that's possible I would like to look into it (assuming I could fit a battery in the thin case)
Post by: skullydazed on Sun, 15 November 2015, 23:41:36
So... I heard instead of LED's you could hook up other stuff like bluetooth. If that's possible I would like to look into it (assuming I could fit a battery in the thin case)
I haven't looked into how feasible it is, but it's theoretically possible. The two pins that are exposed do PWM and standard GPIO, so you'd probably need to bitbang a serial interface. Then it's just a matter of sending keyboard events over that serial bus to your bluetooth module. Hopefully all of that can be fit into the available space on the atmega32u4.
Post by: theanyday on Wed, 18 November 2015, 22:43:30
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 20 November 2015, 11:49:58
(http://i.imgur.com/EVKnzRl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/s1k29Sh.jpg)
The fabricator is still waiting on some of the components to show up to assemble everything, but hopefully we'll have some protos on hand soon to make sure everything works and fits like it should! :thumb:
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Fri, 20 November 2015, 11:57:47
Post by: Delirious on Fri, 20 November 2015, 12:07:30
Also very nice LED spacing
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 20 November 2015, 13:08:17
Do the diodes come pre-soldered or we have to sort that ourselves?
Also very nice LED spacing
The diodes will indeed come presoldered! You will only have to solder the switches and underlighting (if you choose to use it).
Post by: Sockets on Wed, 25 November 2015, 10:28:00
Post by: koalapear on Wed, 25 November 2015, 11:29:57
I'd like to get a sleeve and wrist rest made for my monarch. Could you please post the dimensions? Could you please include the height and width of the front face where the wrist rest would meet the keyboard?
Here you go:
15.375"x4.656x0.523"
The front face is 15.375" wide and around 0.625" from the desktop with the feet I currently have on it (large hemisphereicals in the back and small in the front). That height may be slightly different in the final product though as the Lexan being used for the center spacer might differ in width from the acrylic of the prototype. The feet that I will be providing with the kits might also be of slightly different dimension from the ones I'm using on the proto. I'd say it'll be somewhere quite close to the above figure though (within about an eight of an inch) depending on the feet you end up using (all small, large in back, or GON alu feet). Sorry I couldn't give a more definite answer :-X
Post by: koalapear on Wed, 25 November 2015, 20:53:19
(http://i.imgur.com/VNlRRj6.jpg)
Post by: njbair on Wed, 25 November 2015, 21:36:22
The proto PCBs have been assembled and should be here shortly! In the meantime I'm going to try to get one of the prototype cases back onto the mill so it can be modified to emulate a production case so we can make sure everything fits as it should! :thumb:Looks great. It's rare to see an Alps-only PCB, so clean and simple.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/VNlRRj6.jpg)
I'm still trying to decide what color LEDs to use. I'm leaning towards white unless I can find some shade of blue that will look good with the plate colors I chose.
Post by: sean on Wed, 25 November 2015, 22:02:28
The proto PCBs have been assembled and should be here shortly! In the meantime I'm going to try to get one of the prototype cases back onto the mill so it can be modified to emulate a production case so we can make sure everything fits as it should! :thumb:Looks great. It's rare to see an Alps-only PCB, so clean and simple.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/VNlRRj6.jpg)
I think the small diodes definitely keep the board looking clean and uniform looking. Looking good koalapear n' skullydazed!
Post by: stoic-lemon on Thu, 26 November 2015, 01:00:32
Exactly. It really does look so clean.The proto PCBs have been assembled and should be here shortly! In the meantime I'm going to try to get one of the prototype cases back onto the mill so it can be modified to emulate a production case so we can make sure everything fits as it should! :thumb:Looks great. It's rare to see an Alps-only PCB, so clean and simple.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/VNlRRj6.jpg)
I'm still trying to decide what color LEDs to use. I'm leaning towards white unless I can find some shade of blue that will look good with the plate colors I chose.
As for LEDs, I wasn't going to put any on mine, but now I think I ought to push the boat out and make this my first flashy board. Maybe koalapear can remind me what colours I went with? Blue or grey something?
Post by: njbair on Thu, 26 November 2015, 14:49:42
Can't go wrong with white LEDs.Exactly. It really does look so clean.The proto PCBs have been assembled and should be here shortly! In the meantime I'm going to try to get one of the prototype cases back onto the mill so it can be modified to emulate a production case so we can make sure everything fits as it should! :thumb:Looks great. It's rare to see an Alps-only PCB, so clean and simple.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/VNlRRj6.jpg)
I'm still trying to decide what color LEDs to use. I'm leaning towards white unless I can find some shade of blue that will look good with the plate colors I chose.
As for LEDs, I wasn't going to put any on mine, but now I think I ought to push the boat out and make this my first flashy board. Maybe koalapear can remind me what colours I went with? Blue or grey something?
Post by: koalapear on Thu, 26 November 2015, 15:50:18
Exactly. It really does look so clean.The proto PCBs have been assembled and should be here shortly! In the meantime I'm going to try to get one of the prototype cases back onto the mill so it can be modified to emulate a production case so we can make sure everything fits as it should! :thumb:Looks great. It's rare to see an Alps-only PCB, so clean and simple.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/VNlRRj6.jpg)
I'm still trying to decide what color LEDs to use. I'm leaning towards white unless I can find some shade of blue that will look good with the plate colors I chose.
As for LEDs, I wasn't going to put any on mine, but now I think I ought to push the boat out and make this my first flashy board. Maybe koalapear can remind me what colours I went with? Blue or grey something?
Looks like you got Socom Blue top and Satin Aluminum bottom.
Speaking of how the PCB Iooks the production boards will have white soldermask instead of the green so they should look even better! ;D
Post by: stoic-lemon on Thu, 26 November 2015, 20:44:07
Exactly. It really does look so clean.The proto PCBs have been assembled and should be here shortly! In the meantime I'm going to try to get one of the prototype cases back onto the mill so it can be modified to emulate a production case so we can make sure everything fits as it should! :thumb:Looks great. It's rare to see an Alps-only PCB, so clean and simple.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/VNlRRj6.jpg)
I'm still trying to decide what color LEDs to use. I'm leaning towards white unless I can find some shade of blue that will look good with the plate colors I chose.
As for LEDs, I wasn't going to put any on mine, but now I think I ought to push the boat out and make this my first flashy board. Maybe koalapear can remind me what colours I went with? Blue or grey something?
Looks like you got Socom Blue top and Satin Aluminum bottom.
Speaking of how the PCB Iooks the production boards will have white soldermask instead of the green so they should look even better! ;D
Thanks! White LED's for me then.
Post by: njbair on Thu, 26 November 2015, 20:45:57
Definitely the way to go. White LEDs can become any color with a dab of translucent paint of nail polish.Exactly. It really does look so clean.The proto PCBs have been assembled and should be here shortly! In the meantime I'm going to try to get one of the prototype cases back onto the mill so it can be modified to emulate a production case so we can make sure everything fits as it should! :thumb:Looks great. It's rare to see an Alps-only PCB, so clean and simple.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/VNlRRj6.jpg)
I'm still trying to decide what color LEDs to use. I'm leaning towards white unless I can find some shade of blue that will look good with the plate colors I chose.
As for LEDs, I wasn't going to put any on mine, but now I think I ought to push the boat out and make this my first flashy board. Maybe koalapear can remind me what colours I went with? Blue or grey something?
Looks like you got Socom Blue top and Satin Aluminum bottom.
Speaking of how the PCB Iooks the production boards will have white soldermask instead of the green so they should look even better! ;D
Thanks! White LED's for me then.
Post by: stoic-lemon on Thu, 26 November 2015, 21:37:29
Post by: skullydazed on Thu, 26 November 2015, 22:32:49
I'm sorry to say that I am completely lost when it comes to choosing LED's and resistors for this board. From reading about the PCB in this thread, it seems I need 16 of each for underlighting. I see I also need a 10Kohm resistor. I have had a look on mouser and come up with this LED (http://www.mouser.jp/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=VAOL-S8WR4virtualkey59300000virtualkey593-VAOL-S8WR4). How would I work out the resistor required for that. I found an online calculator, but I want to be sure I am entering the correct values. Any hints?
That LED has a forward voltage of 2.7v-3.15v, so you usually calculate somewhere in the middle. (2.7+3.15)/2=2.9, so that's a good voltage to pick. Plug those numbers into an led calculator (http://led.linear1.org/1led.wiz) and you get a resistor value of 120ohm. Plug 3.15v into that calculator and you get 100ohm. That means you want a resistor that is between 100ohm and 120ohm.
I'm not sure if this will come across OK, but here are some good candidates for resistors to match your LED: http://www.mouser.jp/Passive-Components/Resistors/_/N-5g9n?P=1z0x6xbZ1yzmou0Z1z0vpm5Z1z0we4uZ1z0wljoZ1z0wpn9&Keyword=120ohm+resistor&FS=True
Post by: stoic-lemon on Fri, 27 November 2015, 00:47:59
I'm sorry to say that I am completely lost when it comes to choosing LED's and resistors for this board. From reading about the PCB in this thread, it seems I need 16 of each for underlighting. I see I also need a 10Kohm resistor. I have had a look on mouser and come up with this LED (http://www.mouser.jp/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=VAOL-S8WR4virtualkey59300000virtualkey593-VAOL-S8WR4). How would I work out the resistor required for that. I found an online calculator, but I want to be sure I am entering the correct values. Any hints?
That LED has a forward voltage of 2.7v-3.15v, so you usually calculate somewhere in the middle. (2.7+3.15)/2=2.9, so that's a good voltage to pick. Plug those numbers into an led calculator (http://led.linear1.org/1led.wiz) and you get a resistor value of 120ohm. Plug 3.15v into that calculator and you get 100ohm. That means you want a resistor that is between 100ohm and 120ohm.
I'm not sure if this will come across OK, but here are some good candidates for resistors to match your LED: http://www.mouser.jp/Passive-Components/Resistors/_/N-5g9n?P=1z0x6xbZ1yzmou0Z1z0vpm5Z1z0we4uZ1z0wljoZ1z0wpn9&Keyword=120ohm+resistor&FS=True
Thanks. That makes sense. So I suppose there is a certain amount of personal preference as to how bright people want their LED's. So, you need to know how bright a certain LED is in real life before you buy it. Since these will be on all the time, I don't want very bright ones.
Thanks again for taking time to school me on this stuff.
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 27 November 2015, 09:48:43
I'm sorry to say that I am completely lost when it comes to choosing LED's and resistors for this board. From reading about the PCB in this thread, it seems I need 16 of each for underlighting. I see I also need a 10Kohm resistor. I have had a look on mouser and come up with this LED (http://www.mouser.jp/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=VAOL-S8WR4virtualkey59300000virtualkey593-VAOL-S8WR4). How would I work out the resistor required for that. I found an online calculator, but I want to be sure I am entering the correct values. Any hints?
That LED has a forward voltage of 2.7v-3.15v, so you usually calculate somewhere in the middle. (2.7+3.15)/2=2.9, so that's a good voltage to pick. Plug those numbers into an led calculator (http://led.linear1.org/1led.wiz) and you get a resistor value of 120ohm. Plug 3.15v into that calculator and you get 100ohm. That means you want a resistor that is between 100ohm and 120ohm.
I'm not sure if this will come across OK, but here are some good candidates for resistors to match your LED: http://www.mouser.jp/Passive-Components/Resistors/_/N-5g9n?P=1z0x6xbZ1yzmou0Z1z0vpm5Z1z0we4uZ1z0wljoZ1z0wpn9&Keyword=120ohm+resistor&FS=True
Thanks. That makes sense. So I suppose there is a certain amount of personal preference as to how bright people want their LED's. So, you need to know how bright a certain LED is in real life before you buy it. Since these will be on all the time, I don't want very bright ones.
Thanks again for taking time to school me on this stuff.
You have the option to have to the underlighting be firmware controllable if you only have the caps lock indicator.
Post by: skullydazed on Fri, 27 November 2015, 11:57:33
https://github.com/skullydazed/tmk_keyboard/tree/master/keyboard/monarch
I've put together a default keymap that looks like this:
Code: [Select]
/* 0: qwerty
*/
KEYMAP(
NLCK,PEQL,PSLS,PAST,GRV, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, MINS,EQL, BSPC, \
P7, P8, P9, PMNS,TAB, Q, W, E, R, T, Y, U, I, O, P, LBRC,RBRC,BSLS, \
P4, P5, P6, PPLS,CAPS,A, S, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, SCLN,QUOT,ENT, \
P1, P2, P3, PENT,LSFT,Z, X, C, V, B, N, M, COMM,DOT, SLSH, RSFT, \
P0, PDOT, LCTL,LALT,LGUI, SPC, RGUI, FN0, RALT,RCTL),
/* 1: Fn
*/
KEYMAP(
TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,ESC, F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6, F7, F8, F9, F10, F11, F12, DEL, \
HOME,UP, PGUP,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS, \
LEFT,NO, RGHT,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS, \
END, DOWN,PGDN,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS,TRNS, TRNS, \
INS, DEL, TRNS,TRNS,TRNS, TRNS, TRNS, FN0, TRNS,TRNS),
Inside the doc directory you'll find all the design files for the monarch. There are PNG exports of the schematic and board layout so you don't have to install EAGLE. Here are convenient links to each PNG:
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/skullydazed/tmk_keyboard/master/keyboard/monarch/doc/schematic-matrix.png
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/skullydazed/tmk_keyboard/master/keyboard/monarch/doc/schematic-controller.png
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/skullydazed/tmk_keyboard/master/keyboard/monarch/doc/board-full.png
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/skullydazed/tmk_keyboard/master/keyboard/monarch/doc/board-top.png
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/skullydazed/tmk_keyboard/master/keyboard/monarch/doc/board-bottom.png
If you do have EAGLE installed you'll find the monarch.sch and monarch.brd files ready to load up. You'll also need the clueboard EAGLE library if you want to make changes:
https://github.com/skullydazed/clueboard_eagle
Please look everything over and let me know if you spot any problems, mistakes, or ways to improve this. Ultimately this is your keyboard, and I want to make sure it does what everyone wants.
Post by: skullydazed on Sat, 28 November 2015, 01:50:06
Today I received the prototype run from smart-prototyping. To start, here's a nausea inducing unboxing video where I attempt to open a box with one hand:
Of course the first thing I tried to do was to plug one into my computer. Once I plugged it in I expected to see at Atmel device on my USB bus. So I plugged it in, navigated to the thing that shows what's plugged into my USB bus... and it wasn't there! :eek:
(Warning, long description of my troubleshooting process ahead.)
After I stopped panicking I started to work on figuring out what was wrong. First up, get my meter out and check everything over. All the resistors measured what I expected. No short between VCC and GND. The RESET line was not connected to GND. I had +5v everywhere I expected to. My UCAP capacitor didn't have any voltage. So I know that everything measures out the way I expect, but my MCU isn't initializing USB. What could be wrong?
My gut tells me it's probably the crystal, so I started debugging there. I first popped off the crystal and the caps, assuming that maybe the connection was bad:
(http://i.imgur.com/DnP9nYg.jpg)
However, those looked fine, and while resoldering I made sure that it had a good connection. OK, it's gotta be something else right? So I started looking at all my caps, wondering if I could tell them apart. Here's a picture of a 1uf cap sitting next to C1:
(http://i.imgur.com/1P0jofV.jpg)
Well, that isn't going to work. Every 0805 cap on this board look exactly the same! So I started measuring out board capacitance. Between VCC and GND I had a total of 2.8uf, well within tolerances. That's enough capacitance for the MCU to run stable without exceeding the 20uf limit. While I had the crystal's caps off I checked those and they were each 10uf, exactly what my schematic says they should be. Even UCAP has the right amount of capacitance.
At this point I was stumped. This was the same controller designed I used successfully in the my 1% board, the Clueboard, and the ADB converter. What could be wrong? It was time to compare it with a working circuit part by part. I went through every part on the Clueboard, comparing it against the Monarch, and all seemed to be in order. As I went down the list I found only matches, no discrepancies. Finally, I came to the last 3 parts on the Clueboard, the crystal and corresponding caps. It was here, when I was sure there wasn't even a single difference, that I found the problem.
The monarch has 10uf caps connected to the crystal, while the Clueboard had 10pf caps.
(http://i.imgur.com/2mbe2Z8.gif)
Luckily I had some 10pf caps on hand, and I was able to swap those in:
(http://i.imgur.com/XUlmR5o.jpg)
Once I did that I plugged the board in and it showed up! Success! I celebrated by loading the firmware:
Code: [Select]
Creating load file for Flash: monarch.hex
avr-objcopy -O ihex -R .eeprom -R .fuse -R .lock -R .signature monarch.elf monarch.hex
dfu-programmer atmega32u4 erase --force
Erasing flash... Success
Checking memory from 0x0 to 0x6FFF... Empty.
dfu-programmer atmega32u4 erase
Checking memory from 0x0 to 0x6FFF... Empty.
Chip already blank, to force erase use --force.
dfu-programmer atmega32u4 flash monarch.hex
Checking memory from 0x0 to 0x54FF... Empty.
0% 100% Programming 0x5500 bytes...
[>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>] Success
0% 100% Reading 0x7000 bytes...
[>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>] Success
Validating... Success
0x5500 bytes written into 0x7000 bytes memory (75.89%).
dfu-programmer atmega32u4 reset
I'd love to say I'm typing this on a monarch, but sadly not yet. I was, however, able to bridge some switch pins and make characters appear. The Monarch is alive and nearly ready for its production run! Tomorrow I will swap out the crystal caps on the remaining PCB's and then send 4 of them to koalapear. We are very close!
Post by: joey on Sat, 28 November 2015, 02:50:56
Glad you figured it out!
Post by: sean on Sat, 28 November 2015, 11:39:27
Post by: Delirious on Mon, 30 November 2015, 15:06:49
Post by: joey on Mon, 30 November 2015, 15:11:00
Forgot to ask, does this PCB support locking mechanic for cap locks?If TMK supports that, it should!
Post by: skullydazed on Mon, 30 November 2015, 15:15:47
Forgot to ask, does this PCB support locking mechanic for cap locks?
TMK supports that: https://github.com/tmk/tmk_keyboard#mechanical-locking-support
I have never used it so I can't attest to how well it works.
Post by: skullydazed on Tue, 01 December 2015, 02:08:00
(http://i.imgur.com/1etgTWR.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Bou0Ly9.jpg)
This should allow me to iterate on the firmware a bit and get all the LED configurations working.
Post by: joey on Tue, 01 December 2015, 02:23:39
Post by: stoic-lemon on Tue, 01 December 2015, 09:21:56
Post by: skullydazed on Tue, 01 December 2015, 09:58:22
I'm now convinced skullydazed works at the PCB factory.. those pictures of the prototype and the ones from the PCB fab are too similar!
With a white background everything looks the same. :))
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Thu, 03 December 2015, 00:25:52
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 04 December 2015, 14:52:24
Is there any chance that koalapear could be kind enough to give us a day or two warning before he submits colors for the cerakote? I'd like to know so that I can change colors if I so choose.
I'll definitely give you guys advance notice!
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Fri, 04 December 2015, 14:57:14
Awesome! I think I'll probably be changing colors to something less shouty...Is there any chance that koalapear could be kind enough to give us a day or two warning before he submits colors for the cerakote? I'd like to know so that I can change colors if I so choose.
I'll definitely give you guys advance notice!
Post by: skullydazed on Sun, 06 December 2015, 01:40:51
(http://i.imgur.com/1HMUDmj.jpg)
Unfortunately I didn't have quite enough QC's to fill out the board, but luckily I receive my shipment of switches from matias any day now.
I also put LED's on all the underglow pads:
(http://i.imgur.com/Gbak6sR.jpg)
Dat underglow:
(http://i.imgur.com/CkyxHxP.jpg)
I need to place an order for some FET's and 10k resistors next so I can work on controllable underlighting. I'll have a few extras I can toss koalapear's way for inclusion with a pcb if anyone wants. Just let me know here in this thread or via PM so I can make sure I grab enough.
Post by: koalapear on Sun, 06 December 2015, 01:47:33
I put a little work in on the Monarch today. The pcb matches the plate perfectly:Amazing work as always skully! :DShow Image(http://i.imgur.com/1HMUDmj.jpg)
Unfortunately I didn't have quite enough QC's to fill out the board, but luckily I receive my shipment of switches from matias any day now.
I also put LED's on all the underglow pads:Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/Gbak6sR.jpg)
Dat underglow:Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/CkyxHxP.jpg)
I need to place an order for some FET's and 10k resistors next so I can work on controllable underlighting. I'll have a few extras I can toss koalapear's way for inclusion with a pcb if anyone wants. Just let me know here in this thread or via PM so I can make sure I grab enough.
Can't wait to get one if these protos up and running in a case with some underlighting.
Seeing that acrylic plate makes me think an acrylic or polycarb Monarch might be interesting...
Post by: E3E on Sun, 06 December 2015, 02:26:26
Post by: trenzafeeds on Sun, 06 December 2015, 09:51:29
I'm not part of this buy:eek:
Post by: E3E on Sun, 06 December 2015, 10:14:59
I'm not part of this buy:eek:
Haha, I have to prioritize for now. When I get a little closer to being rich, maybe I'll be able get the Monarch II :P It's a fantastic board nonetheless (I looove the cerakote options). If a board needs a numb pad, then the left hand side is where it's at. :)
Post by: skullydazed on Sun, 06 December 2015, 12:49:48
I need to place an order for some FET's and 10k resistors next so I can work on controllable underlighting. I'll have a few extras I can toss koalapear's way for inclusion with a pcb if anyone wants. Just let me know here in this thread or via PM so I can make sure I grab enough.
One more thing to add, I can grab LED's and resistors as well. It will probably have to be all the same color for anyone who wants these, but we'll work that out once everyone has registered interest. I think the total cost of the parts would be around $13-15. $2-3 if you want only the FET and resistor and will source the LED's/resistors yourself. That includes fees and shipping and a little padding jic, the final cost should be lower.
Post by: njbair on Sun, 06 December 2015, 12:50:56
Post by: sean on Sun, 06 December 2015, 23:58:56
Post by: Delirious on Mon, 07 December 2015, 08:43:49
And I'm glad koalapear will double check color coating with us because I don't think I can tolerate Prison Pink for many years.
Post by: E3E on Mon, 07 December 2015, 09:27:22
Post by: skullydazed on Thu, 10 December 2015, 03:22:11
(http://i.imgur.com/rYXteUe.jpg)
I spent a bit of time with it tonight and got capslock/numlock LED's working: https://github.com/skullydazed/tmk_keyboard/commit/517fd6b064d5b5a1efce0f0a12a3fdc085d42370
Next up will be the controllable underlighting.
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Thu, 10 December 2015, 03:28:30
I am typing this message on my prototype monarch!Nice! This just keeps getting me more and more excited! I want one now XDShow Image(http://i.imgur.com/rYXteUe.jpg)
I spent a bit of time with it tonight and got capslock/numlock LED's working: https://github.com/skullydazed/tmk_keyboard/commit/517fd6b064d5b5a1efce0f0a12a3fdc085d42370
Next up will be the controllable underlighting.
Post by: Spaceman1200 on Fri, 11 December 2015, 10:09:17
Post by: romevi on Fri, 11 December 2015, 10:15:26
Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available
Me too. :'(
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 11 December 2015, 14:15:13
Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available
Me too. :'(
Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available, great to see it coming together
If you guys want there's still time to squeeze you in since orders for production parts haven't been made yet. ;)
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Fri, 11 December 2015, 16:33:52
I thought something like this might happen ;) koalapear being an absolute bro!!! (too bad I don't have the money, or I would possibly see about adding another one or two of these...)Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available
Me too. :'(Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available, great to see it coming together
If you guys want there's still time to squeeze you in since orders for production parts haven't been made yet. ;)
Post by: Spaceman1200 on Fri, 11 December 2015, 17:34:58
Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available
Me too. :'(Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available, great to see it coming together
If you guys want there's still time to squeeze you in since orders for production parts haven't been made yet. ;)
Temptation is real........
Post by: sean on Fri, 11 December 2015, 21:31:24
Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available
Me too. :'(Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available, great to see it coming together
If you guys want there's still time to squeeze you in since orders for production parts haven't been made yet. ;)
Temptation is real........
You know you want it.
Post by: Spaceman1200 on Sat, 12 December 2015, 19:58:10
Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available
Me too. :'(Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available, great to see it coming together
If you guys want there's still time to squeeze you in since orders for production parts haven't been made yet. ;)
Temptation is real........
You know you want it.
Joined :D
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Sat, 12 December 2015, 20:13:33
Nice!Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available
Me too. :'(Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available, great to see it coming together
If you guys want there's still time to squeeze you in since orders for production parts haven't been made yet. ;)
Temptation is real........
You know you want it.
Joined :D
Post by: sean on Sat, 12 December 2015, 23:43:11
Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available
Me too. :'(Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available, great to see it coming together
If you guys want there's still time to squeeze you in since orders for production parts haven't been made yet. ;)
Temptation is real........
You know you want it.
Joined :D
:D
Post by: koalapear on Sun, 13 December 2015, 13:05:28
(http://i.imgur.com/e2IBA2I.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Vem3BAB.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/PGTNUoW.jpg)
My solder job isn't the best and I was too lazy to clean off the flux but it works flawlessly! :p
I'm going to be getting together with my uncle on Wednesday to do the modifications to one of the proto cases for the fitment check. If that all looks good then we should be ready to start placing orders for everything.
I thought you guys should know that we are most likely going to be getting the plates done with waterjet instead of laser since the laser guy my uncle works with has been super flaky. It shouldn't change anything as far as the final product goes but I originally said they were going to be laser cut so I wanted to keep you all in the loop!
I'll update you guys again once we get the fitment test done! :thumb:
Post by: E3E on Mon, 14 December 2015, 13:39:48
Alright, I finally got one of the proto PCBs soldered up with some gloriously terrible complicated blacks (didn't want to waste good switches on a test mule):Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/e2IBA2I.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/Vem3BAB.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/PGTNUoW.jpg)
My solder job isn't the best and I was too lazy to clean off the flux but it works flawlessly! :p
I'm going to be getting together with my uncle on Wednesday to do the modifications to one of the proto cases for the fitment check. If that all looks good then we should be ready to start placing orders for everything.
I thought you guys should know that we are most likely going to be getting the plates done with waterjet instead of laser since the laser guy my uncle works with has been super flaky. It shouldn't change anything as far as the final product goes but I originally said they were going to be laser cut so I wanted to keep you all in the loop!
I'll update you guys again once we get the fitment test done! :thumb:
Mule *****es get what they deserve! >:D
Looks good though, man! It's so crazy looking back to the original you posted on reddit and seeing how it's actually come this far. Never did I think you'd turn it into a group buy like this.
I'm excited to see how this progresses, especially to see how people deck out and customize their boards. I expect AT LEAST a few sick dye jobs on the caps. :P
Post by: romevi on Mon, 14 December 2015, 14:10:44
Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available
Me too. :'(Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available, great to see it coming together
If you guys want there's still time to squeeze you in since orders for production parts haven't been made yet. ;)
Ugh. Man, you are so awesome, but I still don't have the monies. :'(
I had hoped--dreamt, this would happen, but that I'd have the funds. Alas, it was not meant to be. :-[
Post by: E3E on Mon, 14 December 2015, 14:16:21
Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available
Me too. :'(Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available, great to see it coming together
If you guys want there's still time to squeeze you in since orders for production parts haven't been made yet. ;)
Ugh. Man, you are so awesome, but I still don't have the monies. :'(
I had hoped--dreamt, this would happen, but that I'd have the funds. Alas, it was not meant to be. :-[
Find the weakest link in your collection and sell it! Then buy in! Hahaha.
Nah, I know that'd be hard. D:
Post by: romevi on Mon, 14 December 2015, 14:24:00
Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available
Me too. :'(Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available, great to see it coming together
If you guys want there's still time to squeeze you in since orders for production parts haven't been made yet. ;)
Ugh. Man, you are so awesome, but I still don't have the monies. :'(
I had hoped--dreamt, this would happen, but that I'd have the funds. Alas, it was not meant to be. :-[
Find the weakest link in your collection and sell it! Then buy in! Hahaha.
Nah, I know that'd be hard. D:
That's the tricky part. I have a couple of Bros that I have dupes of, and I've been mulling over the past week whether I should sell them. Part of me says I should since I have dupes of them already (mind you, they're different colors, but the same cap), but part of me says that I should never part with a Bro I won in a raffle...
Post by: E3E on Mon, 14 December 2015, 14:30:07
Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available
Me too. :'(Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available, great to see it coming together
If you guys want there's still time to squeeze you in since orders for production parts haven't been made yet. ;)
Ugh. Man, you are so awesome, but I still don't have the monies. :'(
I had hoped--dreamt, this would happen, but that I'd have the funds. Alas, it was not meant to be. :-[
Find the weakest link in your collection and sell it! Then buy in! Hahaha.
Nah, I know that'd be hard. D:
That's the tricky part. I have a couple of Bros that I have dupes of, and I've been mulling over the past week whether I should sell them. Part of me says I should since I have dupes of them already (mind you, they're different colors, but the same cap), but part of me says that I should never part with a Bro I won in a raffle...
The artisan game is real! It would definitely give you the cash needed, but you'd just have to figure out what you place more value in, rare and select artisan caps that are pretty exclusive, or a complete custom keyboard like this, that in itself is pretty exclusive. Now, if koala decides to run this again, then I'd suggest just waiting over selling the bros, if you have the patience for it!
Post by: koalapear on Mon, 14 December 2015, 20:50:18
Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available
Me too. :'(Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available, great to see it coming together
If you guys want there's still time to squeeze you in since orders for production parts haven't been made yet. ;)
Ugh. Man, you are so awesome, but I still don't have the monies. :'(
I had hoped--dreamt, this would happen, but that I'd have the funds. Alas, it was not meant to be. :-[
Find the weakest link in your collection and sell it! Then buy in! Hahaha.
Nah, I know that'd be hard. D:
That's the tricky part. I have a couple of Bros that I have dupes of, and I've been mulling over the past week whether I should sell them. Part of me says I should since I have dupes of them already (mind you, they're different colors, but the same cap), but part of me says that I should never part with a Bro I won in a raffle...
The artisan game is real! It would definitely give you the cash needed, but you'd just have to figure out what you place more value in, rare and select artisan caps that are pretty exclusive, or a complete custom keyboard like this, that in itself is pretty exclusive. Now, if koala decides to run this again, then I'd suggest just waiting over selling the bros, if you have the patience for it!
I don't really see me doing another run since this run hardly happened as it is. :-X
Post by: Pikly on Mon, 14 December 2015, 21:23:23
Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available
Me too. :'(Man, i really wished i had the $$ for this when it was available, great to see it coming together
If you guys want there's still time to squeeze you in since orders for production parts haven't been made yet. ;)
Ugh. Man, you are so awesome, but I still don't have the monies. :'(
I had hoped--dreamt, this would happen, but that I'd have the funds. Alas, it was not meant to be. :-[
I have an extra kit ordered that I will be selling at some point, perhaps you will have the funds then. :)
Post by: stoic-lemon on Tue, 15 December 2015, 20:44:35
I'd like to have the required parts for underlighting too. White LEDs of course.I need to place an order for some FET's and 10k resistors next so I can work on controllable underlighting. I'll have a few extras I can toss koalapear's way for inclusion with a pcb if anyone wants. Just let me know here in this thread or via PM so I can make sure I grab enough.One more thing to add, I can grab LED's and resistors as well. It will probably have to be all the same color for anyone who wants these, but we'll work that out once everyone has registered interest. I think the total cost of the parts would be around $13-15. $2-3 if you want only the FET and resistor and will source the LED's/resistors yourself. That includes fees and shipping and a little padding jic, the final cost should be lower.
Post by: skullydazed on Sat, 19 December 2015, 21:30:00
I spent a bit of time today to familiarize myself with TMK's backlighting code and got that whipped up. By default the boards will assume that B6 is connected to CAPSLOCK and C6 is connected to UNDERLIGHT. Pressing Fn+Numlock will cycle through 3 brightness levels plus off. It's not too hard to add more brightness levels, but these seemed like a good start.
As far as the bulk purchase of LED's and FET's goes, I've only gotten a couple responses. Unless a bunch more people speak up the LEDs will be white. I will place the order for the LEDs at the same time we place the production PCB order (which can happen as soon as koalapear is done with his fitment tests.)
Post by: njbair on Sat, 19 December 2015, 21:44:33
Post by: sean on Sat, 19 December 2015, 22:19:40
Post by: njbair on Sat, 19 December 2015, 22:31:34
Out of curiosity, would RGB be technically possible?No. Each LED on this board only has one lead. RGB requires three.
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Sat, 19 December 2015, 22:40:34
Would the controller have enough pins if we sent the other wires to the led by hand?Out of curiosity, would RGB be technically possible?No. Each LED on this board only has one lead. RGB requires three.
Post by: skullydazed on Sat, 19 December 2015, 22:46:32
Would the controller have enough pins if we sent the other wires to the led by hand?Out of curiosity, would RGB be technically possible?No. Each LED on this board only has one lead. RGB requires three.
Unfortunately I'd have to rework the board pretty significantly to do this. You could design a small daughterboard to do it maybe.
Post by: sean on Sat, 19 December 2015, 22:56:15
Ah, I didn't know that, but I suppose it makes sense.Out of curiosity, would RGB be technically possible?No. Each LED on this board only has one lead. RGB requires three.
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Sat, 19 December 2015, 23:08:14
No worries! (I don't want to anyway, I was just curious...)Would the controller have enough pins if we sent the other wires to the led by hand?Out of curiosity, would RGB be technically possible?No. Each LED on this board only has one lead. RGB requires three.
Unfortunately I'd have to rework the board pretty significantly to do this. You could design a small daughterboard to do it maybe.
Post by: stoic-lemon on Sun, 20 December 2015, 01:30:38
Post by: Sockets on Sun, 20 December 2015, 02:17:40
I'd like to have the required parts for underlighting too. White LEDs of course.I need to place an order for some FET's and 10k resistors next so I can work on controllable underlighting. I'll have a few extras I can toss koalapear's way for inclusion with a pcb if anyone wants. Just let me know here in this thread or via PM so I can make sure I grab enough.One more thing to add, I can grab LED's and resistors as well. It will probably have to be all the same color for anyone who wants these, but we'll work that out once everyone has registered interest. I think the total cost of the parts would be around $13-15. $2-3 if you want only the FET and resistor and will source the LED's/resistors yourself. That includes fees and shipping and a little padding jic, the final cost should be lower.
Me too!
Post by: Jersern on Mon, 21 December 2015, 17:29:59
Post by: Spaceman1200 on Tue, 22 December 2015, 11:59:26
TFW you get an AEK in the mail only to realize you have the caps from another one you salvaged earlier in the year
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Tue, 22 December 2015, 15:02:34
I'd be in for some white led's as wellOh man! Then you should just get a second monarch ;)
TFW you get an AEK in the mail only to realize you have the caps from another one you salvaged earlier in the year
I managed to snag an AEKII in fantastic condition for all of $45 shipped. I'm really happy about that :D
Also, I just put some white LEDs in my main board right now, and they look so much better than the pink ones I had before, so I suppose I'm going to order more of these. They were all of ~$5.00 shipped for 100 to me from China, since I live near a main port, which was awesome. Looks like I'll be ordering a ton more!!!
Post by: skullydazed on Tue, 22 December 2015, 20:20:19
- LED's: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Lite-On/LTW-C230DS/
- Matched Resistors: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Yageo/RC0805FR-0782RL/
- MOSFET: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/NXP-Semiconductors/BSH103215/
- MOSFET Resistor: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Vishay-Dale/CRCW080510K0FKEA/
The LED's are not the brightest ones I could have chosen, but they're brighter than average. With 16 of them your board will be plenty bright. :cool: None of this is set in stone, so if you would like a different component instead of what I have chosen please speak up.
Here's the pricing breakdown:
| Qty Per | Price Per | Total | |
| LED | 18 | $0.359 | $6.462 |
| 82R Res | 18 | $0.016 | $0.288 |
| MOSFET | 1 | $0.266 | $0.266 |
| 10K Res | 1 | $0.049 | $0.049 |
| Shipping (Estimated) | $2 |
Here's how this will work:
- You PM with your paypal address and how many underlighting kits you want
- Just before New Year's I will figure out final pricing and send out paypal invoices
- You will have until 1/7 to pay
- I'll place the order with Mouser
- I receive monarch PCB's, load them with firmware
- Your underlighting components will be included with the monarch PCB
As always, I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.
Post by: njbair on Tue, 22 December 2015, 20:25:19
OK, I've figured out the tentative underlighting purchase. I have selected these components:PM'd. Thanks as always for your awesome work on this!
- LED's: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Lite-On/LTW-C230DS/
- Matched Resistors: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Yageo/RC0805FR-0782RL/
- MOSFET: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/NXP-Semiconductors/BSH103215/
- MOSFET Resistor: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Vishay-Dale/CRCW080510K0FKEA/
The LED's are not the brightest ones I could have chosen, but they're brighter than average. With 16 of them your board will be plenty bright. :cool: None of this is set in stone, so if you would like a different component instead of what I have chosen please speak up.
Here's the pricing breakdown:
Qty Per Price Per Total LED 18 $0.359 $6.462 82R Res 18 $0.016 $0.288 MOSFET 1 $0.266 $0.266 10K Res 1 $0.049 $0.049 Shipping (Estimated) $2
Here's how this will work:
- You PM with your paypal address and how many underlighting kits you want
- Just before New Year's I will figure out final pricing and send out paypal invoices
- You will have until 1/7 to pay
- I'll place the order with Mouser
- I receive monarch PCB's, load them with firmware
- Your underlighting components will be included with the monarch PCB
As always, I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.
Post by: skullydazed on Fri, 01 January 2016, 13:45:25
I'll be putting together invoices today, please pay them as soon as you're able. I will place the order next Thursday, so if you haven't paid by then you may not get a set.
The good news is that these kits will be cheaper than planned. We had enough people sign up that I was able to get a better price break on LED's and resistors, and shipping will be only $5 for economy meaning each person will be responsible for ~$0.56. The new breakdown looks like this:
| Qty Per | Price Per | Total | |
| LED | 18 | $0.198 | $3.564 |
| 82R Res | 18 | $0.006 | $0.108 |
| MOSFET | 1 | $0.266 | $0.266 |
| 10K Res | 1 | $0.049 | $0.049 |
| Shipping | $0.56 | ||
| Paypal Fees | $0.18 | ||
| Total | $4.73 |
I plan to round everyone's total up to an even $5, so that I can buy a few extra LED's and a MOSFET. There's only 7 people in the buy which amounts to a total of $1.89. Those extra components will go to koalapear in case anyone gets a dud and needs a replacement or two.
One last annoying detail, if anyone is a California resident I will be required to collect sales tax from you. I am making this purchase under my business so that people outside California don't have to pay sales tax, but I can't do anything about it for people who live here. It's the price we pay for such nice weather. :cool:
Post by: Spaceman1200 on Fri, 01 January 2016, 14:20:30
Happy new year everyone! I know I said shortly before new year's in my original post, but holidays have a way of throwing time estimates way off. ;)
I'll be putting together invoices today, please pay them as soon as you're able. I will place the order next Thursday, so if you haven't paid by then you may not get a set.
The good news is that these kits will be cheaper than planned. We had enough people sign up that I was able to get a better price break on LED's and resistors, and shipping will be only $5 for economy meaning each person will be responsible for ~$0.56. The new breakdown looks like this:
Qty Per Price Per Total LED 18 $0.198 $3.564 82R Res 18 $0.006 $0.108 MOSFET 1 $0.266 $0.266 10K Res 1 $0.049 $0.049 Shipping $0.56 Paypal Fees $0.18 Total $4.73
I plan to round everyone's total up to an even $5, so that I can buy a few extra LED's and a MOSFET. There's only 7 people in the buy which amounts to a total of $1.89. Those extra components will go to koalapear in case anyone gets a dud and needs a replacement or two.
One last annoying detail, if anyone is a California resident I will be required to collect sales tax from you. I am making this purchase under my business so that people outside California don't have to pay sales tax, but I can't do anything about it for people who live here. It's the price we pay for such nice weather. :cool:
Good stuff man! Invoice received and paid!
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 01 January 2016, 14:36:02
I've been working on finalizing the CAD files after correcting some fitment issues with the bottom plate cutouts lining up with the PCB. Once we make sure everything is good with them then we'll be sending them off to the waterjet!
Also we've gotten an update from the PCB fabricator (just assembly left):
(http://i.imgur.com/l684hKJ.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Sg9Cd5v.jpg)
We're getting there! :thumb:
Post by: Spaceman1200 on Sun, 03 January 2016, 09:22:55
Sorry it's been so long since my last update.
I've been working on finalizing the CAD files after correcting some fitment issues with the bottom plate cutouts lining up with the PCB. Once we make sure everything is good with them then we'll be sending them off to the waterjet!
Also we've gotten an update from the PCB fabricator (just assembly left):Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/l684hKJ.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/Sg9Cd5v.jpg)
We're getting there! :thumb:
Looking good!
Post by: nickheller on Mon, 04 January 2016, 16:54:14
GON's aluminum feet (http://www.gonskeyboardworks.com/housings-and-related-parts/19-aluminium-legs.html)
The price for Shiny Silver (non anodized) is US$ 11.00, and the cost for an anodized set is US$ 16.50.
Post by: SJHL on Mon, 04 January 2016, 17:15:34
Hey guys, I am going to be ordering some of GON's aluminum feet to use with this sometime this week, would anyone here want to add some to my order (so only one person has to pay the high shipping). I would just receive them and re ship to you.
GON's aluminum feet (http://www.gonskeyboardworks.com/housings-and-related-parts/19-aluminium-legs.html)
The price for Shiny Silver (non anodized) is US$ 11.00, and the cost for an anodized set is US$ 16.50.
Sent you a PM.
Post by: skullydazed on Thu, 07 January 2016, 23:29:59
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Thu, 07 January 2016, 23:35:15
I've just placed the order for underlighting components. Thanks everyone for paying so quickly. You're the best group buy participants ever!:D I think that also has to do with the fact that there are what, 20 of us?
Post by: skullydazed on Thu, 07 January 2016, 23:48:26
:D I think that also has to do with the fact that there are what, 20 of us?
Quality over quantity. :D
Post by: Spaceman1200 on Fri, 08 January 2016, 03:14:46
I've just placed the order for :thumb: components. Thanks everyone for paying so quickly. You're the best group buy participants ever!
:thumb:
Post by: stoic-lemon on Fri, 08 January 2016, 09:57:30
Post by: sean on Fri, 08 January 2016, 13:05:41
heh we are a dedicated bunch.
You kinda have to be when you drop all of that money on a GB :P
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 08 January 2016, 18:28:49
(http://i.imgur.com/lobqyKd.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/S9YdNrr.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Qb3AiaI.jpg)
I also got the shipment of rubber feet in!
(http://i.imgur.com/NFhntts.jpg)
In other not-so-great news we're having some issues with the waterjet guy hiking up his pricing from his original quote. Currently waiting to hear back from another place to see if we can get a better price. I really wish things were moving along faster than they are, and I apologize for the lack of progress as far as the production of the cases goes. I'm going to try my best to get these to you guys before February is over (not sure how realistic of a goal that is though). Once we get the plates cut then it should be smooth sailing from there (famous last words).
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Fri, 08 January 2016, 18:32:37
The PCBs are done and on the way to skullydazed! ;DIt may be famous last words around here, but I think that this whole project (and everyone involved) have been exceedingly good about communication, and I really appreciate that.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/lobqyKd.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/S9YdNrr.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/Qb3AiaI.jpg)
I also got the shipment of rubber feet in!Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/NFhntts.jpg)
In other not-so-great news we're having some issues with the waterjet guy hiking up his pricing from his original quote. Currently waiting to hear back from another place to see if we can get a better price. I really wish things were moving along faster than they are, and I apologize for the lack of progress as far as the production of the cases goes. I'm going to try my best to get these to you guys before February is over (not sure how realistic of a goal that is though). Once we get the plates cut then it should be smooth sailing from there (famous last words).
Also, since there is such a low volume, if the need arises, I would be willing to help with any organizing or anything else that needs doing, since my job gives me a ton of free time.
Post by: sean on Fri, 08 January 2016, 19:02:04
Post by: koalapear on Wed, 13 January 2016, 15:30:18
That's very unprofessional of the guy to increase the price if one was already agreed upon. Regardless though, this GB has been moving very fast and as KaminKevCrew said your communication has been excellent.
The PCBs are done and on the way to skullydazed! ;DIt may be famous last words around here, but I think that this whole project (and everyone involved) have been exceedingly good about communication, and I really appreciate that.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/lobqyKd.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/S9YdNrr.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/Qb3AiaI.jpg)
I also got the shipment of rubber feet in!Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/NFhntts.jpg)
In other not-so-great news we're having some issues with the waterjet guy hiking up his pricing from his original quote. Currently waiting to hear back from another place to see if we can get a better price. I really wish things were moving along faster than they are, and I apologize for the lack of progress as far as the production of the cases goes. I'm going to try my best to get these to you guys before February is over (not sure how realistic of a goal that is though). Once we get the plates cut then it should be smooth sailing from there (famous last words).
Also, since there is such a low volume, if the need arises, I would be willing to help with any organizing or anything else that needs doing, since my job gives me a ton of free time.
Thanks for the support guys! ;D
Well I found another waterjet place that looks like they do really good work and are very professional. They say they should be done in about five days.
I also ordered the Lexan from my local supplier which should be ready for me to pickup in a day or two.
The shipping boxes are also in and are a perfect fit allowing for ample room for padding around your precious Monarchs.
Hopefully everything will be ready to take up to my uncle's next week and we can get started on some CNC work! :thumb:
Post by: Pikly on Wed, 13 January 2016, 20:23:36
Post by: stoic-lemon on Wed, 13 January 2016, 21:00:19
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Wed, 13 January 2016, 22:49:54
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 15 January 2016, 14:16:01
(http://i.imgur.com/PfAIhdp.jpg)
Water bottle for scale ;D
Post by: Spaceman1200 on Fri, 15 January 2016, 14:35:56
Just got back from picking up the polycarb!Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/PfAIhdp.jpg)
Water bottle for scale ;D
Thats a big ole piece of carb!!
Post by: skullydazed on Fri, 15 January 2016, 17:36:28
Water bottle for scale ;D
I'm having a hard time figuring out how big that is, do you have a banana? :)) ;D
I have PCB's and lighting on hand. Here are all the underlighting parts split up and ready to be distributed to everyone:
(http://i.imgur.com/eUDGYJV.jpg)
I got the PCB's on Monday, but unfortunately it has been a busy week for me and I haven't been able to get them all checked out yet. The assembly house didn't really pack them all that well unfortunately:
(http://i.imgur.com/bi64qzZ.jpg)
So far I've been able to check out 10 of them. All of them seem to be complete, and 8 of them so far have tested out completely fine. One had the USB connector come off but I should be able to reattach it without problem. Another one isn't working, I'll need to do more in depth troubleshooting. Unfortunately I had to take a trip unexpectedly earlier this week and have been trying to catch up ever since. Expect to hear more about the remaining boards soon!
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Fri, 15 January 2016, 17:38:18
I like seeing that label on my bag of lights ;)Water bottle for scale ;D
I'm having a hard time figuring out how big that is, do you have a banana? :)) ;D
I have PCB's and lighting on hand. Here are all the underlighting parts split up and ready to be distributed to everyone:Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/eUDGYJV.jpg)
I got the PCB's on Monday, but unfortunately it has been a busy week for me and I haven't been able to get them all checked out yet. The assembly house didn't really pack them all that well unfortunately:Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/bi64qzZ.jpg)
So far I've been able to check out 10 of them. All of them seem to be complete, and 8 of them so far have tested out completely fine. One had the USB connector come off but I should be able to reattach it without problem. Another one isn't working, I'll need to do more in depth troubleshooting. Unfortunately I had to take a trip unexpectedly earlier this week and have been trying to catch up ever since. Expect to hear more about the remaining boards soon!
Too bad about the pcbs! :( hopefully the rest of them will test out well!
Post by: skullydazed on Fri, 15 January 2016, 22:15:21
So far almost every board has worked. There are 4 boards that I need to investigate some more, they don't talk on USB and I've done zero troubleshooting. I'm pretty confident I can find and fix the problems. I also made this for you:
(Don't worry about the sound that's made when I put the PCB into the jig. The mic made it sound way louder/harder than it actually is.)
Post by: deductivemonkee on Fri, 15 January 2016, 22:16:50
Water bottle for scale ;D
You kidnapped Bluenalgene??!!?!?!?!??!!!!!??
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Fri, 15 January 2016, 22:31:03
Only 6 boards left to check out! I'm taking a break for dinner so I thought I'd post a little update.
So far almost every board has worked. There are 4 boards that I need to investigate some more, they don't talk on USB and I've done zero troubleshooting. I'm pretty confident I can find and fix the problems. I also made this for you:
(Don't worry about the sound that's made when I put the PCB into the jig. The mic made it sound way louder/harder than it actually is.)
That is very cool! I'm really excited to have one of these in hand! Out of curiosity, what is the language you used for the script described in the video? Also, does it basically just upload the firmware onto the board once an unprogrammed one has been plugged in? That's what it sounded like, and that's very cool!!!
Post by: pchatterjee on Fri, 15 January 2016, 22:39:18
Post by: skullydazed on Fri, 15 January 2016, 22:45:26
That is very cool! I'm really excited to have one of these in hand! Out of curiosity, what is the language you used for the script described in the video? Also, does it basically just upload the firmware onto the board once an unprogrammed one has been plugged in? That's what it sounded like, and that's very cool!!!
It's just a bash script I whipped up, for now it only supports OS X but I wrote it in a way that it'd be easy to add support for other OS's too:
Code: [Select]
#!/bin/sh
if ! [ -d $1 ]; then
echo "Usage: $1 <keyboard> [keymap]"
exit 1
fi
cd $1
if [ -z "$2" ]; then
dfu_cmd="make dfu"
else
dfu_cmd="make KEYMAP=$2 dfu"
fi
while true; do
# Wait until we see an atmel mcu ready to program
sleep 1
case $(uname) in
Darwin)
if ! ioreg -p IOUSB | grep -q ATm32U4DFU; then
continue
fi
;;
*)
# If you're looking at this because you can't use it on your OS why not submit a patch?
echo "Unsupported OS! Sorry. :("
exit
;;
esac
# Program it
$dfu_cmd
clear
done
Post by: sean on Fri, 15 January 2016, 23:29:25
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Sat, 16 January 2016, 00:02:23
Anyway to buy one of these still?
Sweet! I'll have to see about getting this over to Windows when I have some time. Would be nice in case I end up with a ton of pcbs for some reason...That is very cool! I'm really excited to have one of these in hand! Out of curiosity, what is the language you used for the script described in the video? Also, does it basically just upload the firmware onto the board once an unprogrammed one has been plugged in? That's what it sounded like, and that's very cool!!!
It's just a bash script I whipped up, for now it only supports OS X but I wrote it in a way that it'd be easy to add support for other OS's too:Code: [Select]#!/bin/sh
if ! [ -d $1 ]; then
echo "Usage: $1 <keyboard> [keymap]"
exit 1
fi
cd $1
if [ -z "$2" ]; then
dfu_cmd="make dfu"
else
dfu_cmd="make KEYMAP=$2 dfu"
fi
while true; do
# Wait until we see an atmel mcu ready to program
sleep 1
case $(uname) in
Darwin)
if ! ioreg -p IOUSB | grep -q ATm32U4DFU; then
continue
fi
;;
*)
# If you're looking at this because you can't use it on your OS why not submit a patch?
echo "Unsupported OS! Sorry. :("
exit
;;
esac
# Program it
$dfu_cmd
clear
done
Post by: stoic-lemon on Sun, 17 January 2016, 06:08:51
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 22 January 2016, 16:17:26
(http://i.imgur.com/aJz2vzj.jpg)
I had to get the stainless (silver) ones from a different place and they have yet to arrive.
In other news I got word from the waterjet place that they just got the aluminum stock today and that the plates should be done by Monday. I'll be taking everything up to my uncle's on Friday. His part will probably take a week or two, not sure exactly but we'll see.
I also called the Cerakote place to verify the quote I got back in October was still good, which it is. They did however say that they are completely swamped right now, so hopefully that clears up by the time we're ready to get that part done.
The PCB fab has also agreed to make us two more PCBs to replace the nonoperational ones.
If all goes to plan and the Cerakote doesn't take too long we should be ready to ship everything out at the very end of February, but plan on early March just in case! ;)
Post by: sean on Fri, 22 January 2016, 16:37:35
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Fri, 22 January 2016, 17:41:21
Post by: stoic-lemon on Sat, 23 January 2016, 19:58:05
Post by: koalapear on Mon, 25 January 2016, 15:40:05
Also the stainless steel/silver screws arrived today (again, not very exciting but it's something :thumb: ):
(http://i.imgur.com/yOe03zL.jpg)
Post by: Pikly on Tue, 26 January 2016, 17:38:24
The water jet order is ready for pickup! Unfortunately I won't be able to make it down there until Wednesday thanks to school. Hopefully everything looks good when I do! ;D
Also the stainless steel/silver screws arrived today (again, not very exciting but it's something :thumb: ):Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/yOe03zL.jpg)
Nice! Updates are good, even if it isn't much :)
Post by: koalapear on Wed, 27 January 2016, 15:58:16
(http://i.imgur.com/eer4375.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/c3AxYoq.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/GskNxn8.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Yex9yxU.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/lnjl8Yc.jpg)
I am very pleased with how these came out. Very clean edges and no big gouges in any of them or anything like that. They also line up perfectly with the PCBs. :thumb:
Unfortunately I also have so not so great news. My uncle won't be available this weekend for me to drop off the parts and go over the files with him. The CNC work will start next weekend rather than this weekend.
I'd like to sincerely appologize for this delay. I really wish we didn't have to push this back another week but I want to be there for at least the first few plates/center spacers to make sure we've got everything dialed in just right.
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Wed, 27 January 2016, 16:15:44
Picked up the plates! ;DNo worries! Just glad that you're keeping us updated! That's awesome :)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/eer4375.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/c3AxYoq.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/GskNxn8.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/Yex9yxU.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/lnjl8Yc.jpg)
I am very pleased with how these came out. Very clean edges and no big gouges in any of them or anything like that. They also line up perfectly with the PCBs. :thumb:
Unfortunately I also have so not so great news. My uncle won't be available this weekend for me to drop off the parts and go over the files with him. The CNC work will start next weekend rather than this weekend.
I'd like to sincerely appologize for this delay. I really wish we didn't have to push this back another week but I want to be there for at least the first few plates/center spacers to make sure we've got everything dialed in just right.
Post by: stoic-lemon on Wed, 27 January 2016, 16:56:08
Post by: koalapear on Sat, 06 February 2016, 15:31:06
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Sat, 06 February 2016, 15:51:24
Yesterday I went up to my uncle's and dropped off all of the stuff. While I was there we cut up the polycarb into individual blanks so that it's ready to be milled, and finalized a few details on how we want to mill the recesses. The recesses will most likely end up being a bit different than the ones pictured on the prototype. Instead of milling the whole side of the switch cutout we are only going to mill small recesses where each fin on the switch needs to clip in which will decrease overall milling time and keep more of the plate at the 2.5mm thickness. My uncle is still finalizing the milling jig (he's making a really slick one out of aluminum). Once that's done he's going to get started on everything. He says he wants to get these done as soon as he can, maybe as early as the end of the week. I'm going to be heading back up either Wednesday or next weekend to help out so we can get these babies to Cerakote as soon as possible! :thumb:Sweet!!!
Post by: njbair on Sat, 06 February 2016, 15:53:05
Yesterday I went up to my uncle's and dropped off all of the stuff. While I was there we cut up the polycarb into individual blanks so that it's ready to be milled, and finalized a few details on how we want to mill the recesses. The recesses will most likely end up being a bit different than the ones pictured on the prototype. Instead of milling the whole side of the switch cutout we are only going to mill small recesses where each fin on the switch needs to clip in which will decrease overall milling time and keep more of the plate at the 2.5mm thickness. My uncle is still finalizing the milling jig (he's making a really slick one out of aluminum). Once that's done he's going to get started on everything. He says he wants to get these done as soon as he can, maybe as early as the end of the week. I'm going to be heading back up either Wednesday or next weekend to help out so we can get these babies to Cerakote as soon as possible! :thumb:Sounds like a smart move. That should save a lot of cutting, especially for such a small end mill.
Tell your uncle we all love machining pics and videos!!!
Post by: sean on Sat, 06 February 2016, 22:22:09
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 19 February 2016, 15:42:50
Anyway, to make up for it, here's a bunch of (rushed) pictures of the milled plates!
(http://i.imgur.com/g6gl4Uc.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Doh0B1V.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/9LMdXn5.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/DHrK6qh.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/PRP9L7B.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/RKTW0Q1.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/PlJTB5L.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/H1eqHCQ.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/OtcVggo.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/z4PhZHP.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/nDNNtQk.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/2r2aF3g.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/cAPLoDK.jpg)
Overall I am quite pleased with how these turned out. There is some variation on the exact placement of the recesses from plate to plate but they all should work just the same. Each plate is its own unique little butterfly if you will ;)
This is mostly because getting things to line up just right with the existing cutouts was pretty damn difficult, especially since it turns out the waterjet tolerances aren't the tightest. Because of this the mounting holes around the outside of the plates are about 0.5mm off over the entire length of the plate (so really not much at all in the grand scheme of things). This shouldn't be an issues for you guys since half a millimeter is pretty small, but it meant that the jig my uncle made exactly to spec had to be modified. He's going to make the necessary changes to the mounting hole locations on the lexan, so again, it should all work out just fine.
I did a partial ghetto assembly with some spare switches I had laying around and a Matias stab kit to make sure everything snapped in okay and lined up with the pcb. All looks good on that front. Only thing I noticed is that the right shift stab wire for the AEKII is actually a couple millimeters longer than the standard one included with the Matias stab kit. Gave myself a bit of a heart attack when the Matias wire didn't fit but then I tried the AEKII wire and it fit perfectly. :thumb:
In the pictures some of the cutouts and recesses look a bit rough around the edges but that's just some burrs left over from the machining process that should get cleaned up easily when the plates are bead blasted before Cerakote.
He still has yet to do the Lexan parts since he wanted to get the plates out of the way first so we could get them to Cerakote ASAP. Hopefully the Lexan doesn't give him too much grief.
I am planning on taking these to Cerakote either tomorrow or Monday so IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE WHAT COLOR YOU ORDERED PLEASE LET ME KNOW NOW!!! :eek:
Also, I got my shipment of Alpine Winter in! It looks fantastic and njbair did a fantastic job with this buy but unfortunately it looks like SP didn't rotate the numpad enter key stem like they should have so it doesn't fit. njbair said he is going to talk to SP and try to get things worked out, so all should be good there!
(http://i.imgur.com/6iapA1g.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/FC7mV0y.jpg)
Post by: romevi on Fri, 19 February 2016, 15:46:43
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 19 February 2016, 15:49:06
Dang. That looks absolutely wonderful.
Thanks! There are a couple extras available if you still want to get in on this ;)
Post by: koalapear on Tue, 23 February 2016, 14:21:51
Only hitch is they don't stock all of the different greens people ordered unfortunately. Those effected have already recieved PMs from me to see if they'd be willing to change to a different shade. There's a possibility of special ordering the colors but it would make things a good bit more expensive since they buy the colors in bulk. :'(
Also, if you want to change your color let me know NOW!!! This is your absolute last chance to change. If you forgot which color you got here's the list of what everyone is getting:
(http://puu.sh/niQks/4edfa32067.png)
Post by: sean on Tue, 23 February 2016, 14:29:14
Post by: theginginator on Tue, 23 February 2016, 14:32:03
Post by: njbair on Tue, 23 February 2016, 17:36:05
Post by: Jersern on Wed, 24 February 2016, 04:00:10
Post by: koalapear on Mon, 29 February 2016, 13:15:15
My uncle has finished up the lexan parts. I should have my hands on those by Friday.
I also got the PCBs in from skullydazed!
It's all coming together :thumb:
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Mon, 29 February 2016, 13:19:16
Okay, I've gotten things worked out with the Cerakote place. They said it is most likely going to take a few weeks for them to finish things up.Sweet! Can't wait for this to be in my hands!!!
My uncle has finished up the lexan parts. I should have my hands on those by Friday.
I also got the PCBs in from skullydazed!
It's all coming together :thumb:
Post by: Saimeidae on Mon, 29 February 2016, 20:54:52
So.
****ing.
Excited.
Monarch bby, come to me. It'll definitely become my main board when it arrives. **** this K70, and plancks just aren't viable for most purposes besides standard typing (on the go).
Post by: stoic-lemon on Mon, 29 February 2016, 22:03:57
Post by: koalapear on Tue, 08 March 2016, 13:01:28
(http://i.imgur.com/vT4nlv9.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/dBXbfMy.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/0akupWU.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/JcrIIR1.jpg)
Sorry for the sub standard pictures, just snapped a few quick ones.
Still need to clean all of the machine oil/coolant off of them but I'm very pleased with how these turned out! ;D
Hopefully everything fits when we get the plates back from Cerakote! :eek:
Post by: romevi on Tue, 08 March 2016, 14:12:19
Lexan parts are done!Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/vT4nlv9.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/dBXbfMy.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/0akupWU.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/JcrIIR1.jpg)
Sorry for the sub standard pictures, just snapped a few quick ones.
Still need to clean all of the machine oil/coolant off of them but I'm very pleased with how these turned out! ;D
Hopefully everything fits when we get the plates back from Cerakote! :eek:
Those are beautiful! :p
Post by: njbair on Tue, 08 March 2016, 19:33:13
I'm thinking about using the LHTK cluster as a gaming keypad (WASD & other keys). This would save me from having to switch off of Dvorak every time I want to play a game. I don't game much, but having a dedicated gaming cluster on the left would be pretty cool.
Post by: Pikly on Fri, 18 March 2016, 19:39:23
So...how is everyone planning to program their board?
I'm thinking about using the LHTK cluster as a gaming keypad (WASD & other keys). This would save me from having to switch off of Dvorak every time I want to play a game. I don't game much, but having a dedicated gaming cluster on the left would be pretty cool.
I think I'll use the top row of buttons in the LHTK cluster to toggle between some layers, and the right most column as momentary layer switches. This way I can access the keys on the right side of the keyboard with one hand without letting go of the mouse.
The other keys in the LHTK cluster can be the arrow keys, function keys, and whatever else I can think up that I'll need (in different layers probably).
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Mon, 21 March 2016, 00:28:46
I've ordered four keyboards over the course of about 8 months, and it looks like three of them will be coming at about the same time XD (This, the Weaven, and the LZ-RV) Anyway, do we have an ETA for the Cerakote shop to finish?
(sorry, I'm just too excited for my first ALPS board!!! Only other alps board I've used was an AEKII with the caps rearranged for DVORAK, so it didn't feel too good, because of the mixed profiles...)
Post by: koalapear on Mon, 21 March 2016, 17:22:07
Any news on this bad boy?
I've ordered four keyboards over the course of about 8 months, and it looks like three of them will be coming at about the same time XD (This, the Weaven, and the LZ-RV) Anyway, do we have an ETA for the Cerakote shop to finish?
(sorry, I'm just too excited for my first ALPS board!!! Only other alps board I've used was an AEKII with the caps rearranged for DVORAK, so it didn't feel too good, because of the mixed profiles...)
Sorry for the radio silence! I haven't heard anything from the Cerakote place yet. Last I talked to them they said it would be about three weeks as of February 29th. They're closed today so i'll give them a call tomorrow and see how things are going. Once they get it done and it's all good then things are ready to ship.
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Mon, 21 March 2016, 17:54:14
Awesome! (as I said, I'm getting antsy about all these boards I have coming)Any news on this bad boy?
I've ordered four keyboards over the course of about 8 months, and it looks like three of them will be coming at about the same time XD (This, the Weaven, and the LZ-RV) Anyway, do we have an ETA for the Cerakote shop to finish?
(sorry, I'm just too excited for my first ALPS board!!! Only other alps board I've used was an AEKII with the caps rearranged for DVORAK, so it didn't feel too good, because of the mixed profiles...)
Sorry for the radio silence! I haven't heard anything from the Cerakote place yet. Last I talked to them they said it would be about three weeks as of February 29th. They're closed today so i'll give them a call tomorrow and see how things are going. Once they get it done and it's all good then things are ready to ship.
Also, I noticed that today/tomorrow would be just about three weeks, so I thought I'd ask. Koalapear, you have been totally awesome throughout this whole process! I would happily join a group buy run by you at any time! :)
Post by: koalapear on Wed, 23 March 2016, 20:56:52
(http://i.imgur.com/n7seMQU.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/OToK3jL.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/t8RFCgg.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/9NcMCOM.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/j6LSoxF.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/LZqBBTi.jpg)
Yes, the first production Monarch is alive and well! This is being typed on it in fact! Everything went together very nicely. The switches and stab clips are a snug fit but they do fit. The only other little issue is that the USB port and the reset button don't line up perfectly with their respective holes however both are still very much accessible with a lot of room to fit most types of USB cables. I'll get pictures of this part up at a later time. I still need some help from skullydazed on how to get the underlighting to turn on but it's all (sloppily) soldered up. I need to work on my SMD skills. :p
I went to the Cerakote plate today and picked up 35 out of the 54 plates. They all look fabulous so far. They have yet to do the wilder colors like the oranges, pinks, and purple. Sorry, I don't have any good pictures of the other plate colors at the moment, ran out of daylight. So far I am extremely happy with how these finishes look. The nonmetallic ones are smooth while the metallic ones have an anodized feel. :thumb:
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Thu, 24 March 2016, 00:07:55
Big day today! ;DDang! I was hoping they'd all be done with this post! XD doesn't sound like it'll be too terribly long before my ridgeway blue and sig pink plates are done. The board looks absolutely fantastic! (I'll grab some sweet photos once it's done, since one of my roommates has a bunch of pro photo equipment!)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/n7seMQU.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/OToK3jL.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/t8RFCgg.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/9NcMCOM.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/j6LSoxF.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/LZqBBTi.jpg)
Yes, the first production Monarch is alive and well! This is being typed on it in fact! Everything went together very nicely. The switches and stab clips are a snug fit but they do fit. The only other little issue is that the USB port and the reset button don't line up perfectly with their respective holes however both are still very much accessible with a lot of room to fit most types of USB cables. I'll get pictures of this part up at a later time. I still need some help from skullydazed on how to get the underlighting to turn on but it's all (sloppily) soldered up. I need to work on my SMD skills.
I went to the Cerakote plate today and picked up 35 out of the 54 plates. They all look fabulous so far. They have yet to do the wilder colors like the oranges, pinks, and purple. Sorry, I don't have any good pictures of the other plate colors at the moment, ran out of daylight. So far I am extremely happy with how these finishes look. The nonmetallic ones are smooth while the metallic ones have an anodized feel. :thumb:
I'm so excited for this to finally be at my door!
Post by: koalapear on Thu, 24 March 2016, 02:16:13
Big day today! ;DDang! I was hoping they'd all be done with this post! XD doesn't sound like it'll be too terribly long before my ridgeway blue and sig pink plates are done. The board looks absolutely fantastic! (I'll grab some sweet photos once it's done, since one of my roommates has a bunch of pro photo equipment!)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/n7seMQU.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/OToK3jL.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/t8RFCgg.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/9NcMCOM.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/j6LSoxF.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/LZqBBTi.jpg)
Yes, the first production Monarch is alive and well! This is being typed on it in fact! Everything went together very nicely. The switches and stab clips are a snug fit but they do fit. The only other little issue is that the USB port and the reset button don't line up perfectly with their respective holes however both are still very much accessible with a lot of room to fit most types of USB cables. I'll get pictures of this part up at a later time. I still need some help from skullydazed on how to get the underlighting to turn on but it's all (sloppily) soldered up. I need to work on my SMD skills.
I went to the Cerakote plate today and picked up 35 out of the 54 plates. They all look fabulous so far. They have yet to do the wilder colors like the oranges, pinks, and purple. Sorry, I don't have any good pictures of the other plate colors at the moment, ran out of daylight. So far I am extremely happy with how these finishes look. The nonmetallic ones are smooth while the metallic ones have an anodized feel. :thumb:
I'm so excited for this to finally be at my door!
Yeah, I'm hoping they pick up the pace for what's left since they're already over the quoted time. I guess I can't give them too much grief though since this is not the sort of work they normally do.
Anyway on a more positive note I was actually able to get some pictures of the different colors:
Satin Aluminum:
(http://i.imgur.com/d2ReeIO.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/gcMScoH.jpg)
Cobalt:
(http://i.imgur.com/LZTGlwG.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/77cVtXd.jpg)
OD Green:
(http://i.imgur.com/IWoTXZt.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/TyLoyjP.jpg)
Sniper Gray:
(http://i.imgur.com/VjFD4u5.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/UnB5SQl.jpg)
Blue Titanium:
(http://i.imgur.com/41JifSH.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/s3sgc7z.jpg)
Burnt Bronze:
(http://i.imgur.com/DcS3Uec.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Iju6RGT.jpg)
Mil Spec OD Green:
(http://i.imgur.com/mRpiHnK.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/WANH1Li.jpg)
Also, I talked to skullydazed and got the underlighting working! ;D
(http://i.imgur.com/2uze94D.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/NPGRKk2.jpg)
Dusty table :eek:
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Thu, 24 March 2016, 02:27:07
Post by: sean on Thu, 24 March 2016, 02:35:14
It looks amazing
Post by: njbair on Thu, 24 March 2016, 07:50:00
So what's left, for those of us with the more "normal" colors that are already finished?
Post by: koalapear on Thu, 24 March 2016, 12:43:20
This is gonna be so awesome.
So what's left, for those of us with the more "normal" colors that are already finished?
I'm going to start shipping out what I have in probably the next week or so :thumb:
Post by: Spaceman1200 on Thu, 24 March 2016, 13:52:51
Post by: stoic-lemon on Fri, 25 March 2016, 02:09:12
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 25 March 2016, 16:51:00
(http://i.imgur.com/l9udbBp.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/VcJvF1A.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/YHp1qRS.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/kmf7Lyh.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/wjWb4AR.jpg)
I had to do some trimming on the stem of the numpad enter to get it to fit for the picture :p
I also somehow ripped the stem off of the tab key when taking it off of the Monarch Proto so that's just on there with tape for the moment.
Also, no stabilizers on yet. I still need to get some wire and a bender and make some.
(http://i.imgur.com/Hr4Ep9u.jpg)
Here you can see how the USB sits in the opening. I'm not too happy about it but it still functions perfectly.
I think in the process of adjusting things to compensate for the inaccuracies of the waterjet things got a little skewed. Both the USB and the reset button are a little off but are both still fully accessible and usable.
I also cleaned all of the plastic parts today and it looks like some of them could use a little deburring so I'm going to get a deburring tool and see if I can fix them up a bit. You can see what I mean by looking at the bottom edge of the plastic on the USB connector picture above.
Post by: romevi on Fri, 25 March 2016, 17:01:17
Put together my second production unit:Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/l9udbBp.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/VcJvF1A.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/YHp1qRS.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/kmf7Lyh.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/wjWb4AR.jpg)
I had to do some trimming on the stem of the numpad enter to get it to fit for the picture
I also somehow ripped the stem off of the tab key when taking it off of the Monarch Proto so that's just on there with tape for the moment.
Also, no stabilizers on yet. I still need to get some wire and a bender and make some.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/Hr4Ep9u.jpg)
Here you can see how the USB sits in the opening. I'm not too happy about it but it still functions perfectly.
I think in the process of adjusting things to compensate for the inaccuracies of the waterjet things got a little skewed. Both the USB and the reset button are a little off but are both still fully accessible and usable.
I also cleaned all of the plastic parts today and it looks like some of them could use a little deburring so I'm going to get a deburring tool and see if I can fix them up a bit. You can see what I mean by looking at the bottom edge of the plastic on the USB connector picture above.
Is that titanium blue (or whatever color that was)?
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 25 March 2016, 17:34:04
Put together my second production unit:Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/l9udbBp.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/VcJvF1A.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/YHp1qRS.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/kmf7Lyh.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/wjWb4AR.jpg)
I had to do some trimming on the stem of the numpad enter to get it to fit for the picture
I also somehow ripped the stem off of the tab key when taking it off of the Monarch Proto so that's just on there with tape for the moment.
Also, no stabilizers on yet. I still need to get some wire and a bender and make some.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/Hr4Ep9u.jpg)
Here you can see how the USB sits in the opening. I'm not too happy about it but it still functions perfectly.
I think in the process of adjusting things to compensate for the inaccuracies of the waterjet things got a little skewed. Both the USB and the reset button are a little off but are both still fully accessible and usable.
I also cleaned all of the plastic parts today and it looks like some of them could use a little deburring so I'm going to get a deburring tool and see if I can fix them up a bit. You can see what I mean by looking at the bottom edge of the plastic on the USB connector picture above.
Is that titanium blue (or whatever color that was)?
It is indeed Blue Titanium ;D
Post by: koalapear on Tue, 29 March 2016, 23:50:35
SOCOM Blue
(http://i.imgur.com/Au3Oezp.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/i8os8jb.jpg)
Ridgeway Blue
(http://i.imgur.com/2mGhGXM.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/HY52QHP.jpg)
Forrest Green
(http://i.imgur.com/PFXOA3b.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/FHq4rOe.jpg)
Gunmetal Gray
(http://i.imgur.com/GQuVSgX.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/N2x7ONh.jpg)
Satin Mag
(http://i.imgur.com/fcLSlCt.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/MxauTUG.jpg)
Wild Purple
(http://i.imgur.com/KUVEsrY.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/MoP6ulf.jpg)
Safety Orange
(http://i.imgur.com/0XJpsPU.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ryPhSt8.jpg)
Sig Pink
(http://i.imgur.com/z4UzOJw.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/pLlj8ms.jpg)
I got a few orders shipped out yesterday and will be working hard to get the rest out before the end of the week. :thumb:
Post by: Delirious on Wed, 30 March 2016, 08:35:19
Post by: theginginator on Wed, 30 March 2016, 12:25:30
Post by: koalapear on Wed, 30 March 2016, 14:51:56
(http://i.imgur.com/VzZ0qfT.jpg)
Post by: romevi on Wed, 30 March 2016, 14:56:57
;DShow Image(http://i.imgur.com/VzZ0qfT.jpg)
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
How I wish I had the money for the board. Here's hoping these boards will spark enough interest for a round 2.
Post by: nathanrosspowell on Wed, 30 March 2016, 16:08:55
;DShow Image(http://i.imgur.com/VzZ0qfT.jpg)
Amazing! I have to say I wasn't too into this kit when I originally saw it but the high quality finish and aesthetics of the complete build (especially with the Alpine Winter)... well I tip my hat to you :thumb:
Post by: koalapear on Wed, 30 March 2016, 16:59:31
Dat sig pink, such flamingo, so much personality.
Yeah, it's way brighter than I was expecting. Also, according to tracking your Monarch should be delivered so let me know if it got there in one piece! :thumb:
Im glad i went with safety orange :cool: that pink looks killer as well
The orange is crazy! My camera had a hard time dealing with how bright it is. :))
Post by: Delirious on Wed, 30 March 2016, 18:32:28
Dat sig pink, such flamingo, so much personality.
Yeah, it's way brighter than I was expecting. Also, according to tracking your Monarch should be delivered so let me know if it got there in one piece! :thumb:
Yes the package arrived safely around Noon EDT. I was too excited that I opened the box right away without taking any pictures. It was very well packaged.
I am very pleased with the final product. The color came out perfect, it was also heavier than I anticipated. Yet I will add more weights to it still :))
As you mentioned the usb port is a little bit off but that doesnt bother me at all. I also would like to know the distance between the 2 holes in the back for screw-in aluminum feet. I'm about to put in an order from Winkeyless and I thought it might be good idea to see if Winkeyless' acrylic feet might match up with the holes. Winkeyless feet measures about 293.5mm between the centers of both holes.
(http://i.imgur.com/NhZOKLk.jpg)
Post by: koalapear on Wed, 30 March 2016, 18:47:00
Dat sig pink, such flamingo, so much personality.
Yeah, it's way brighter than I was expecting. Also, according to tracking your Monarch should be delivered so let me know if it got there in one piece! :thumb:
Yes the package arrived safely around Noon EDT. I was too excited that I opened the box right away without taking any pictures. It was very well packaged.
I am very pleased with the final product. The color came out perfect, it was also heavier than I anticipated. Yet I will add more weights to it still :))
As you mentioned the usb port is a little bit off but that doesnt bother me at all. I also would like to know the distance between the 2 holes in the back for screw-in aluminum feet. I'm about to put in an order from Winkeyless and I thought it might be good idea to see if Winkeyless' acrylic feet might match up with the holes. Winkeyless feet measures about 293.5mm between the centers of both holes.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/NhZOKLk.jpg)
That's great to hear! ;D
I'm glad you like the color even though it wasn't your first choice.
According to my CAD drawing that spacing is around 342.5mm so it doesn't look like the a B.87 foot will fit. Maybe a B.mini EX foot would be a better fit?
Be sure to post some pics one you get it built! :thumb:
Post by: njbair on Fri, 01 April 2016, 20:34:20
I went ahead and got a head start on firmware programming...I tracked down skullydazed's TMK repo (https://github.com/skullydazed/tmk_keyboard/tree/master/keyboard/monarch) and used that as a starting point to make my own Monarch keymap (https://github.com/njbair/keyboard_firmware/tree/master/keyboard/monarch).
I'm pretty psyched for this keyboard and some of the cool layout options it enables. I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on some of my layout design choices--what you like, and what you'd do differently.
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 01 April 2016, 21:30:00
(http://i.imgur.com/BCbvaXE.jpg)
You should all have received tracking info either via PM or USPS email. Please let me know if you haven't gotten your info, and also be sure to let me know when it arrives! :thumb:
Post by: njbair on Fri, 01 April 2016, 21:33:11
Okay here's the rest of the Monarchs ready for migration!Classical guitar? Wow, man. You and I have the same taste in trackballs and musical instruments.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/BCbvaXE.jpg)
You should all have received tracking info either via PM or USPS email. Please let me know if you haven't gotten your info, and also be sure to let me know when it arrives! :thumb:
Post by: mesteris on Fri, 01 April 2016, 22:10:37
Post by: stoic-lemon on Fri, 01 April 2016, 22:12:56
Post by: Pikly on Fri, 01 April 2016, 22:20:50
Woo! So excited that these are starting to ship.
I went ahead and got a head start on firmware programming...I tracked down skullydazed's TMK repo (https://github.com/skullydazed/tmk_keyboard/tree/master/keyboard/monarch) and used that as a starting point to make my own Monarch keymap (https://github.com/njbair/keyboard_firmware/tree/master/keyboard/monarch).
I'm pretty psyched for this keyboard and some of the cool layout options it enables. I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on some of my layout design choices--what you like, and what you'd do differently.
Looks pretty good! I like your use of the right apple key for momentary layer changes, works well for things you don't routinely access. For my purposes, I probably won't stray to far from the standard layout, except for a few changes here and there (I mostly play Starcraft 2, so there will likely be some layers to aid with control groups and camera hotkeys).
On a slightly related note about customizing the Monarch, I've been thinking about the backlighting. Originally I wasn't going to bother with it, and so didn't get any LEDs or resistors to implement it. But after rethinking it, having some undercase lighting might be cool. The only problem is I don't think I could settle on a single color, at least not initially. My case is dark green, so it's not immediately obvious what color would work best.
So I started researching RGB LED options. Obviously the PCB doesn't support it, but I did find an interesting alternative: addressable RGB LEDs (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12986). These LEDs have an LED controller built in that uses a single data line that sets the color, and are chainable. This means you can individually control the color of multiple LEDs in series with a single output from the MCU. What's more, there is a library written for AVRs (https://github.com/cpldcpu/light_ws2812) that handles the bit banging to control the LEDs.
My plan is to use one of the spare outputs to control the LEDs, and wire VCC and GND to each LED. I have two questions though on doing this. One, each LED can draw up to 60 mA (full bright white), how much current can be supplied through the VCC? If necessary, I might have to have a secondary power supply. Second, is where to put the LED control in the TMK firmware. I can think of two options: first, is to do it with the matrix scan. This will probably work, but the timing will be inconsistent for animation purposes (though I could compensate by using the global timer value to calculate lighting). The second option is to use a timer and an interrupt service routine. This will provide consistent timing, but I'm not sure on the availability of timer ISRs in the TMK firmware, or if this is an appropriate use of an ISR. Any comments on adding something like this to the TMK firmware would be appreciated.
Anyway, super excited to finally have this keyboard, can't wait to get started on it!
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 01 April 2016, 22:36:32
Okay here's the rest of the Monarchs ready for migration!Classical guitar? Wow, man. You and I have the same taste in trackballs and musical instruments.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/BCbvaXE.jpg)
You should all have received tracking info either via PM or USPS email. Please let me know if you haven't gotten your info, and also be sure to let me know when it arrives! :thumb:
If only I knew how to play! :p
Can't wait to see all the pics. No potatoes!
I'm super excited to see everyone's pictures too! Going to make it all worth it!
Wow the cerakote looks incredible. Please run more groupbuys with this!
I really love how the cerakote came out too. Although, I'm not sure I'm up for another group buy. They're a lot of work! :eek:
Woo! So excited that these are starting to ship.
I went ahead and got a head start on firmware programming...I tracked down skullydazed's TMK repo (https://github.com/skullydazed/tmk_keyboard/tree/master/keyboard/monarch) and used that as a starting point to make my own Monarch keymap (https://github.com/njbair/keyboard_firmware/tree/master/keyboard/monarch).
I'm pretty psyched for this keyboard and some of the cool layout options it enables. I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on some of my layout design choices--what you like, and what you'd do differently.
Looks pretty good! I like your use of the right apple key for momentary layer changes, works well for things you don't routinely access. For my purposes, I probably won't stray to far from the standard layout, except for a few changes here and there (I mostly play Starcraft 2, so there will likely be some layers to aid with control groups and camera hotkeys).
On a slightly related note about customizing the Monarch, I've been thinking about the backlighting. Originally I wasn't going to bother with it, and so didn't get any LEDs or resistors to implement it. But after rethinking it, having some undercase lighting might be cool. The only problem is I don't think I could settle on a single color, at least not initially. My case is dark green, so it's not immediately obvious what color would work best.
So I started researching RGB LED options. Obviously the PCB doesn't support it, but I did find an interesting alternative: addressable RGB LEDs (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12986). These LEDs have an LED controller built in that uses a single data line that sets the color, and are chainable. This means you can individually control the color of multiple LEDs in series with a single output from the MCU. What's more, there is a library written for AVRs (https://github.com/cpldcpu/light_ws2812) that handles the bit banging to control the LEDs.
My plan is to use one of the spare outputs to control the LEDs, and wire VCC and GND to each LED. I have two questions though on doing this. One, each LED can draw up to 60 mA (full bright white), how much current can be supplied through the VCC? If necessary, I might have to have a secondary power supply. Second, is where to put the LED control in the TMK firmware. I can think of two options: first, is to do it with the matrix scan. This will probably work, but the timing will be inconsistent for animation purposes (though I could compensate by using the global timer value to calculate lighting). The second option is to use a timer and an interrupt service routine. This will provide consistent timing, but I'm not sure on the availability of timer ISRs in the TMK firmware, or if this is an appropriate use of an ISR. Any comments on adding something like this to the TMK firmware would be appreciated.
Anyway, super excited to finally have this keyboard, can't wait to get started on it!
I'm terrible with firmware and the like so I'll leave this one to skullydazed, but I am very excited to see what you can do with this! :thumb:
Post by: koalapear on Fri, 01 April 2016, 22:44:46
:thumb:
Post by: skullydazed on Fri, 01 April 2016, 23:06:55
Woo! So excited that these are starting to ship.
I went ahead and got a head start on firmware programming...I tracked down skullydazed's TMK repo (https://github.com/skullydazed/tmk_keyboard/tree/master/keyboard/monarch) and used that as a starting point to make my own Monarch keymap (https://github.com/njbair/keyboard_firmware/tree/master/keyboard/monarch).
I'm pretty psyched for this keyboard and some of the cool layout options it enables. I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on some of my layout design choices--what you like, and what you'd do differently.
Looks pretty good! I like your use of the right apple key for momentary layer changes, works well for things you don't routinely access. For my purposes, I probably won't stray to far from the standard layout, except for a few changes here and there (I mostly play Starcraft 2, so there will likely be some layers to aid with control groups and camera hotkeys).
On a slightly related note about customizing the Monarch, I've been thinking about the backlighting. Originally I wasn't going to bother with it, and so didn't get any LEDs or resistors to implement it. But after rethinking it, having some undercase lighting might be cool. The only problem is I don't think I could settle on a single color, at least not initially. My case is dark green, so it's not immediately obvious what color would work best.
So I started researching RGB LED options. Obviously the PCB doesn't support it, but I did find an interesting alternative: addressable RGB LEDs (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12986). These LEDs have an LED controller built in that uses a single data line that sets the color, and are chainable. This means you can individually control the color of multiple LEDs in series with a single output from the MCU. What's more, there is a library written for AVRs (https://github.com/cpldcpu/light_ws2812) that handles the bit banging to control the LEDs.
My plan is to use one of the spare outputs to control the LEDs, and wire VCC and GND to each LED. I have two questions though on doing this. One, each LED can draw up to 60 mA (full bright white), how much current can be supplied through the VCC? If necessary, I might have to have a secondary power supply. Second, is where to put the LED control in the TMK firmware. I can think of two options: first, is to do it with the matrix scan. This will probably work, but the timing will be inconsistent for animation purposes (though I could compensate by using the global timer value to calculate lighting). The second option is to use a timer and an interrupt service routine. This will provide consistent timing, but I'm not sure on the availability of timer ISRs in the TMK firmware, or if this is an appropriate use of an ISR. Any comments on adding something like this to the TMK firmware would be appreciated.
Anyway, super excited to finally have this keyboard, can't wait to get started on it!
This is a great option for adding RGB under lighting. And actually, that's basically what the clueboard 2.0 uses for its RGB under lighting.
The best option if you want to do that is to setup QMK. It has support for those RGB strips built-in. I have my own QMK fork but I haven't added monarch support yet. It's on my todo list. :)
Post by: njbair on Sat, 02 April 2016, 01:14:57
Hasu has a branch of tmk_core with user hooks... Eventually that should make it into master. I'll bet there's a hook that would work well for this.Woo! So excited that these are starting to ship.
I went ahead and got a head start on firmware programming...I tracked down skullydazed's TMK repo (https://github.com/skullydazed/tmk_keyboard/tree/master/keyboard/monarch) and used that as a starting point to make my own Monarch keymap (https://github.com/njbair/keyboard_firmware/tree/master/keyboard/monarch).
I'm pretty psyched for this keyboard and some of the cool layout options it enables. I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on some of my layout design choices--what you like, and what you'd do differently.
Looks pretty good! I like your use of the right apple key for momentary layer changes, works well for things you don't routinely access. For my purposes, I probably won't stray to far from the standard layout, except for a few changes here and there (I mostly play Starcraft 2, so there will likely be some layers to aid with control groups and camera hotkeys).
On a slightly related note about customizing the Monarch, I've been thinking about the backlighting. Originally I wasn't going to bother with it, and so didn't get any LEDs or resistors to implement it. But after rethinking it, having some undercase lighting might be cool. The only problem is I don't think I could settle on a single color, at least not initially. My case is dark green, so it's not immediately obvious what color would work best.
So I started researching RGB LED options. Obviously the PCB doesn't support it, but I did find an interesting alternative: addressable RGB LEDs (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12986). These LEDs have an LED controller built in that uses a single data line that sets the color, and are chainable. This means you can individually control the color of multiple LEDs in series with a single output from the MCU. What's more, there is a library written for AVRs (https://github.com/cpldcpu/light_ws2812) that handles the bit banging to control the LEDs.
My plan is to use one of the spare outputs to control the LEDs, and wire VCC and GND to each LED. I have two questions though on doing this. One, each LED can draw up to 60 mA (full bright white), how much current can be supplied through the VCC? If necessary, I might have to have a secondary power supply. Second, is where to put the LED control in the TMK firmware. I can think of two options: first, is to do it with the matrix scan. This will probably work, but the timing will be inconsistent for animation purposes (though I could compensate by using the global timer value to calculate lighting). The second option is to use a timer and an interrupt service routine. This will provide consistent timing, but I'm not sure on the availability of timer ISRs in the TMK firmware, or if this is an appropriate use of an ISR. Any comments on adding something like this to the TMK firmware would be appreciated.
Anyway, super excited to finally have this keyboard, can't wait to get started on it!
This is a great option for adding RGB under lighting. And actually, that's basically what the clueboard 2.0 uses for its RGB under lighting.
The best option if you want to do that is to setup QMK. It has support for those RGB strips built-in. I have my own QMK fork but I haven't added monarch support yet. It's on my todo list. :)
Post by: Pikly on Sat, 02 April 2016, 09:43:25
This is a great option for adding RGB under lighting. And actually, that's basically what the clueboard 2.0 uses for its RGB under lighting.
The best option if you want to do that is to setup QMK. It has support for those RGB strips built-in. I have my own QMK fork but I haven't added monarch support yet. It's on my todo list. :)
Thanks, I'll take a look at that! I might try to use it for inspiration and port it into the official Monarch fork, but we'll see.
In other news, my Monarch unexpectedly came today!
(http://i.imgur.com/biPkOv3.jpg)
So excited to start building, it's so beautiful!
Post by: nickheller on Sat, 02 April 2016, 10:46:24
Post by: stoic-lemon on Sun, 03 April 2016, 05:40:45
Post by: njbair on Sun, 03 April 2016, 09:34:43
So what is the workflow for adding the Monarch files to the tmk stuff I already have from the official repo? I'm still trying to get my head around how this stuff works.Nothing official yet, but you can pull in skullydazed's TMK fork which I linked to above.
Post by: Pikly on Sun, 03 April 2016, 16:33:52
(http://i.imgur.com/EExx7qt.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/XpMZ2yR.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/jyusFMQ.jpg)
Some more pictures here: http://imgur.com/a/k3qc6 (http://imgur.com/a/k3qc6). Complicated blue Alps were harvested from this keyboard (http://imgur.com/a/PJ0Em), keycaps from a Datadesk MAC 101E (http://imgur.com/a/uaRMm). Had some issues with stabilizers during the build: the Datadesk used different positions on the numpad stabilizers, and the space bar used a different stab wire shape AND had two posts instead of one, both in a different position than an AEK II space bar. I've left the numpad stabs off until I figure out the right shape to make it work, for the space bar I clipped both posts off and reshaped an AEK II space bar stab to fit the Datadesk space bar. It works, but makes a remarkable CLACK sound when it bottoms out, I'll have to find some way of padding the plate where it hits to dampen the sound. Here's a video of typing on it if anyone's interested:
Overall, very pleased with how it turned out; Looking forward to getting RGB working with it.
Post by: koalapear on Sun, 03 April 2016, 16:43:30
Got my Monarch put together! I'll have to work on adding RGB later as the parts aren't in yet, but I couldn't wait to build it when it came in, so here it is!Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/EExx7qt.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/XpMZ2yR.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/jyusFMQ.jpg)
Some more pictures here: http://imgur.com/a/k3qc6 (http://imgur.com/a/k3qc6). Complicated blue Alps were harvested from this keyboard (http://imgur.com/a/PJ0Em), keycaps from a Datadesk MAC 101E (http://imgur.com/a/uaRMm). Had some issues with stabilizers during the build: the Datadesk used different positions on the numpad stabilizers, and the space bar used a different stab wire shape AND had two posts instead of one, both in a different position than an AEK II space bar. I've left the numpad stabs off until I figure out the right shape to make it work, for the space bar I clipped both posts off and reshaped an AEK II space bar stab to fit the Datadesk space bar. It works, but makes a remarkable CLACK sound when it bottoms out, I'll have to find some way of padding the plate where it hits to dampen the sound. Here's a video of typing on it if anyone's interested:
Overall, very pleased with how it turned out; Looking forward to getting RGB working with it.
WOW! This seriously made my day! Looks absolutely amazing with those caps! Sounds great too! :thumb:
Can't wait to see more builds! ;D
Post by: stoic-lemon on Sun, 03 April 2016, 23:24:58
Post by: theginginator on Mon, 04 April 2016, 13:26:17
Post by: Saimeidae on Mon, 04 April 2016, 13:27:18
I was wondering if you could provide more info on the Datadesk 101E, as the Deskthority page is rather lacking. What are the caps made of? Do they feel like they're pretty solid quality?
Thinking about getting a few sets of those caps and playing dressup with some PBT dye, if that ends out being reasonable, with my Monarch ;)
Should get mine built today, and I may post a few pictures!
Post by: Pikly on Mon, 04 April 2016, 17:32:59
Hey Pikly, awesome build.
I was wondering if you could provide more info on the Datadesk 101E, as the Deskthority page is rather lacking. What are the caps made of? Do they feel like they're pretty solid quality?
Thinking about getting a few sets of those caps and playing dressup with some PBT dye, if that ends out being reasonable, with my Monarch ;)
Should get mine built today, and I may post a few pictures!
Thanks!
The keycaps are doubleshot, and I'm pretty sure ABS. They're a little on the thin side, textured on the top and smooth on the sides. I don't really mind it though, as they feel "soft" on my fingers, which I like. Structurally, I feel like they should hold up fine.
The keyboard also uses complicated white Alps (at least the one I got), which are a pretty decent switch; so if you get one you can use/sell the switches.
Here's a shot of one of the keycaps from the album I linked above:
(http://i.imgur.com/hRYdnQa.jpg)
And please do post some pictures! I want to see all the different Monarchs and how they look with the different colors :)
Post by: notmybongos on Mon, 04 April 2016, 17:42:33
Do any of you folks plan on lubing your switches? I figure this might be the only time I'll get around to it, but I can't seem to find any good info on lubing Alps. I'll be using dampened cream Alps from a pretty minty AEK2...but I'd love them to feel a little less sandy.
Post by: njbair on Mon, 04 April 2016, 18:04:45
Mine came in today! Can't wait to put it together (:
Do any of you folks plan on lubing your switches? I figure this might be the only time I'll get around to it, but I can't seem to find any good info on lubing Alps. I'll be using dampened cream Alps from a pretty minty AEK2...but I'd love them to feel a little less sandy.
Use a dry powdered lube, not grease. And while you have them open, consider click modding them (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=79539.0), which I think makes creams feel a million times better. That's what I'm building my Monarch with. In fact I'm working on click modding them tonight. Just taking my time picking at them while watching TV.
Post by: sean on Mon, 04 April 2016, 19:00:23
Also obligatory sorry for the potato pic.
(http://i.imgur.com/otZunej.jpg)
Post by: Pikly on Mon, 04 April 2016, 20:53:37
All put together, thank you koalapear and skullydazed!
Also obligatory sorry for the potato pic.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/otZunej.jpg)
Looks great! Is that the Cobalt plate?
Post by: njbair on Mon, 04 April 2016, 21:00:15
(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160405/0b5af34e0d782db39f98b80cbe29d939.jpg)
Titanium Blue, baby!
(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160405/13b78ecde3dbc0d969054185d047b567.jpg)
Dat Cerakote...
(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160405/837b4145aecd8cdbcf2117779d6bb270.jpg)
Click mod in progress!
Post by: sean on Mon, 04 April 2016, 21:12:14
All put together, thank you koalapear and skullydazed!
Also obligatory sorry for the potato pic.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/otZunej.jpg)
Looks great! Is that the Cobalt plate?
It's Sniper Grey, but I'd imagine Cobalt looks just about the same. I thought it would have a hint of blue to it but regardless it looks awesome. I think SOCOM Blue is a little closer to the color I wanted but I don't think it was an available option at the time I picked my color. Still though, wow it looks slick; and it packs some weight too!
Super psyched that I got my Monarch kit! I'm taking my time building it, though, because I'll be using click modded Cream Alps and I haven't had the motivation to do the click mod. But now that that kit is here I magically became motivated...weird!
Good luck! I could have made and used click modded creams if I didn't have the patience to wait before assembling the board :))
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Mon, 04 April 2016, 21:35:28
Post by: njbair on Mon, 04 April 2016, 21:37:45
Does tmk have support for locking caps locks? I ended up using the locking switch from my AEKII, since I think they're cool.Yes. https://github.com/tmk/tmk_keyboard/blob/master/README.md#mechanical-locking-support
Post by: Spaceman1200 on Mon, 04 April 2016, 22:04:31
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Mon, 04 April 2016, 23:28:53
[attach=1]
Post by: skullydazed on Mon, 04 April 2016, 23:46:34
got mine in today, safe and sound. working on it right now, I underestimated the small size of the under lighting, Not too sure i can handle it lol
Just take it easy and slow and you'll get it. :) The PCB already has some solder on each pad, so just tin your led's, use tweezers to set one in place, and then heat the existing solder with your iron. Once you've flowed it around the LED pull the iron away, blow on the solder, then release the tweezers. Press down on the other side of the LED with your tweezers, apply the iron, once it's reflowed remove the iron, blow on the solder, remove the tweezers.
Test after each LED/Resistor combo. It sucks to get to the end only to find out you did something wrong. Taking the time to test each LED as you install it can save you from having to remove all of them.
Once you get one or two done the rest will be much easier. Just take your time and don't rush anything. (And if you're of legal drinking age, a beer is a great way to steady your hands. If you're not you're young enough that your hands shouldn't shake yet. ;) )
Post by: koalapear on Tue, 05 April 2016, 00:32:48
Post by: Spaceman1200 on Tue, 05 April 2016, 05:56:03
(http://i.imgur.com/BqrwsXM.jpg)
Post by: E3E on Tue, 05 April 2016, 06:19:08
Post by: Delirious on Tue, 05 April 2016, 12:46:51
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Tue, 05 April 2016, 13:29:10
All these dank Blue Alps Monarch boards, I might have to go with Orange Alps because I'm a maverick.
Speaking of, out of the blues that I got, I seem to have about 3 totally dud switches. I've tried swapping everything but the actuation side into some cream alps switches, but that just makes it super scratchy. Is there any chance that anyone in this thread has 3 or 4 spares that they'd be willing to sell me? I'd REALLY appreciate it, and I'd compensate you more than fairly.
Please PM me if we can work something out!
Post by: njbair on Tue, 05 April 2016, 20:09:16
(http://i.imgur.com/VqyfQEo.jpg)
I'm using some dirty old AEKII keycaps because I was too impatient to clean them before putting the board together. You'll also notice the missing Y key, replaced by the del key from the unused nav cluster.
It's a shame that Alpine Winter isn't ready yet. Even once those caps get here it will take some work to make the stabilizers compatible. So at least I can use my Monarch until then!
The build process went pretty smoothly. Although I will say that the Cerakote left the switch and stab holes a bit on the tight side--I actually had to file down the stabilizer clips to fit. But that's something I've had to do with other custom Alps builds, so no big deal.
The other build-related goofup was my own fault...I dropped the tiny little MOSFET for LED control. So for now I have it jumpered so that the LEDs are always on...I'll order a new MOSFET and get that working eventually.
Can I just say that this is without a doubt the most solid keyboard I own. Something I always try with a new keyboard is to grab it by the ends and give it a twist. There is absolutely no flex in the Monarch's frame. Between that, the thick PBT Apple caps, and the click-modded cream damped Alps, this board has a really cool, throaty sound.
All in all, I'm very happy with this new board so far. Thanks to Koalapear and Skullydazed for all your work designing this, and to everyone else for helping to make it happen.
Post by: stoic-lemon on Tue, 05 April 2016, 20:14:51
Post by: ideus on Tue, 05 April 2016, 21:11:34
Post by: theginginator on Tue, 05 April 2016, 21:25:43
Just need to order the parts for under lighting sometime this week to have an orange glow to match the case. :thumb:
Post by: Jersern on Wed, 06 April 2016, 00:06:48
Also if someone could make it compatible with EasyAVR, I will love you for eternity :-*
(http://i.imgur.com/J5A9CkA.jpg)
Post by: stoic-lemon on Wed, 06 April 2016, 01:55:17
It's alive! The clicky Matias switches are very clicky and it sounds absolutely amazing :)) Is there a comprehensive guide to programming the board? (as in for beginners :P )
Also if someone could make it compatible with EasyAVR, I will love you for eternity :-*
Looks great with your setup.
Btw can anyone recommend specific brands of lube for these switches? Some things are unavailable here or prohibitively expensive to import.
Post by: Jersern on Thu, 07 April 2016, 16:40:56
Post by: mseaworthy on Thu, 07 April 2016, 17:04:21
Got it all built and 100% working with some clicky switches. Sounds amazing and feels amazing. Board is overall very solid. My family of lefties were all quite intrigued :))
Just need to order the parts for under lighting sometime this week to have an orange glow to match the case. :thumb:
Looks great. Love the pop of that orange plate!
Post by: njbair on Thu, 07 April 2016, 17:18:12
Does anyone have a more or less stock firmware I can flash back to with the stock keymaps (if possible with caps/num led support)? I've been testing the EasyAVR generated one by suicidal orange and there's still a few kinks in it (but hoping they'll be easy fixes)See the link to the skullydazed repo in the OP.
Post by: Jersern on Fri, 08 April 2016, 01:28:58
You'll just need to use the master release from Github (requires Python) as the Windows exe hasn't been updated with the files for the Monarch. The one thing that doesn't seem to work right now is latching caps lock but I'm sure it will be fixed at some point in the future.
Post by: stoic-lemon on Tue, 12 April 2016, 02:22:56
Post by: Jersern on Tue, 12 April 2016, 04:04:57
Post by: gain on Tue, 12 April 2016, 05:58:38
;_;
these look fantastic btw
Post by: Jersern on Tue, 12 April 2016, 06:02:44
Post by: Delirious on Tue, 12 April 2016, 16:23:19
(http://i.imgur.com/r6ImRU8.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/MI57YuG.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/EzrsPqJ.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/X5iSK2j.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/UaYd628.jpg)
Post by: koalapear on Tue, 12 April 2016, 16:33:28
So hands up who is still waiting for their Monarch? I assume the tracking no longer updates once it has left the US. Mine says it is in transit to destination and has been since April 3rd.
That's a bit worrying :'(
I hope they get it to you soon! The two that went to Australia took a little over a week to arrive and the tracking updated until delivery.
When with Blues after all. My AEK's spacebar wire was bent and rattled like crazy so I switched to Matias's wire and stabs. And let me tell you, Matias's stabilizers suck, the wire's diameter is bigger than the stabs' holes, I spent 2 days sanding and widening the stabs' holes. Big thanks to koalapear for organizing the buy and skullydazed for programming the board.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/r6ImRU8.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/MI57YuG.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/EzrsPqJ.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/X5iSK2j.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/UaYd628.jpg)
Looks amazing! Love the little apple logo ;D
Post by: romevi on Tue, 12 April 2016, 16:45:16
When with Blues after all. My AEK's spacebar wire was bent and rattled like crazy so I switched to Matias's wire and stabs. And let me tell you, Matias's stabilizers suck, the wire's diameter is bigger than the stabs' holes, I spent 2 days sanding and widening the stabs' holes. Big thanks to koalapear for organizing the buy and skullydazed for programming the board.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/r6ImRU8.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/MI57YuG.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/EzrsPqJ.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/X5iSK2j.jpg)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/UaYd628.jpg)
[attachimg=1]
Post by: ideus on Tue, 12 April 2016, 18:08:24
It's alive! The clicky Matias switches are very clicky and it sounds absolutely amazing :)) Is there a comprehensive guide to programming the board? (as in for beginners :P )
Also if someone could make it compatible with EasyAVR, I will love you for eternity :-*Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/J5A9CkA.jpg)
Could the yellow space bar be retro brighten? It does a disservice to the otherwise super nice keyboard.
Post by: romevi on Tue, 12 April 2016, 18:16:53
It's alive! The clicky Matias switches are very clicky and it sounds absolutely amazing :)) Is there a comprehensive guide to programming the board? (as in for beginners)
Also if someone could make it compatible with EasyAVR, I will love you for eternity :-*Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/J5A9CkA.jpg)
Could the yellow space bar be retro brighten? It does a disservice to the otherwise super nice keyboard.
Yeah, it def needs some Retr0bright. It makes the new board look crusty.
Post by: ideus on Tue, 12 April 2016, 18:23:32
Post by: sean on Tue, 12 April 2016, 19:09:11
It's alive! The clicky Matias switches are very clicky and it sounds absolutely amazing :)) Is there a comprehensive guide to programming the board? (as in for beginners
Also if someone could make it compatible with EasyAVR, I will love you for eternity :-*Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/J5A9CkA.jpg)
Could the yellow space bar be retro brighten? It does a disservice to the otherwise super nice keyboard.
Yeah, it def needs some Retr0bright. It makes the new board look crusty.
Just cheat and use an AW spacebar hehehe
Post by: njbair on Tue, 12 April 2016, 19:14:12
- I jumpered UNDERLIGHT to C6
- soldered in a 10K resistor and MOSFET on the underside of the board.
- BACKLIGHT_ENABLE = yes in the Makefile.
- I've assigned Fn keys for ACTION_BACKLIGHT_INCREASE() and ACTION_BACKLIGHT_DECREASE() in my keymap file.
When wired this way, nothing works, either with my own keymap or skullydazed's TMK repo.
BUT...
If I jumper UNDERLIGHT to
Any suggestions???
EDIT: It looks like C6 is still being controlled by the state of CAPS LOCK, and if I comment out BACKLIGHT_ENABLE = yes it's controlled by NUM LOCK. In both cases B6 does the backwards underlight control thing. Am I missing a config setting to switch C6 to MOSFET control?
Post by: skullydazed on Wed, 13 April 2016, 17:07:40
So I can't seem to get programmable underlighting working properly. Here's what I've done:
- I jumpered UNDERLIGHT to C6
- soldered in a 10K resistor and MOSFET on the underside of the board.
- BACKLIGHT_ENABLE = yes in the Makefile.
- I've assigned Fn keys for ACTION_BACKLIGHT_INCREASE() and ACTION_BACKLIGHT_DECREASE() in my keymap file.
When wired this way, nothing works, either with my own keymap or skullydazed's TMK repo.
BUT...
If I jumper UNDERLIGHT to C5, both ACTION_BACKLIGHT_INCREASE() and ACTION_BACKLIGHT_DECREASE() do their thing, but backwards. So it's like something is pulling up when it should be pulling down, or vise-versa.
Any suggestions???
EDIT: It looks like C6 is still being controlled by the state of CAPS LOCK, and if I comment out BACKLIGHT_ENABLE = yes it's controlled by NUM LOCK. In both cases B6 does the backwards underlight control thing. Am I missing a config setting to switch C6 to MOSFET control?
Well, er. This is kinda embarrassing. :'( It seems that I may have gotten the labels backwards on the PCB. I just traced the wire, and the pin directly across from RLCAPSLOCK is B6. The pin directly across from RLCLEAR is C6. I know, I can't believe it either.
Try out this patch (or update your copy from github) and see if that doesn't fix it for you.
Code: [Select]
diff --git a/keyboard/monarch/led.c b/keyboard/monarch/led.c
index a2f4d4c..1eda2eb 100644
--- a/keyboard/monarch/led.c
+++ b/keyboard/monarch/led.c
@@ -28,23 +28,23 @@ void led_set(uint8_t usb_led)
{
if (usb_led & (1<<USB_LED_CAPS_LOCK)) {
// output high
- DDRB |= (1<<6);
- PORTB |= (1<<6);
+ DDRC |= (1<<6);
+ PORTC |= (1<<6);
} else {
// output low
- DDRB &= ~(1<<6);
- PORTB &= ~(1<<6);
+ DDRC &= ~(1<<6);
+ PORTC &= ~(1<<6);
}
#ifndef BACKLIGHT_ENABLE
if (usb_led & (1<<USB_LED_NUM_LOCK)) {
// output high
- DDRC |= (1<<6);
- PORTC |= (1<<6);
+ DDRB |= (1<<6);
+ PORTB |= (1<<6);
} else {
// output low
- DDRC &= ~(1<<6);
- PORTC &= ~(1<<6);
+ DDRB &= ~(1<<6);
+ PORTB &= ~(1<<6);
}
#endif
}
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ void led_set(uint8_t usb_led)
#ifdef BACKLIGHT_ENABLE
void init_backlight_pin(void)
{
- DDRC |= (1<<6);
+ DDRB |= (1<<6);
TC4H = 0x03;
OCR3C = 0xFF;
TCCR3A = 0b10000010;
Sorry for the oversight!
Post by: njbair on Wed, 13 April 2016, 17:27:34
Sweet, I discovered a bug. Do I win some kind of white hat hacker bounty?So I can't seem to get programmable underlighting working properly. Here's what I've done:
- I jumpered UNDERLIGHT to C6
- soldered in a 10K resistor and MOSFET on the underside of the board.
- BACKLIGHT_ENABLE = yes in the Makefile.
- I've assigned Fn keys for ACTION_BACKLIGHT_INCREASE() and ACTION_BACKLIGHT_DECREASE() in my keymap file.
When wired this way, nothing works, either with my own keymap or skullydazed's TMK repo.
BUT...
If I jumper UNDERLIGHT to C5, both ACTION_BACKLIGHT_INCREASE() and ACTION_BACKLIGHT_DECREASE() do their thing, but backwards. So it's like something is pulling up when it should be pulling down, or vise-versa.
Any suggestions???
EDIT: It looks like C6 is still being controlled by the state of CAPS LOCK, and if I comment out BACKLIGHT_ENABLE = yes it's controlled by NUM LOCK. In both cases B6 does the backwards underlight control thing. Am I missing a config setting to switch C6 to MOSFET control?
Well, er. This is kinda embarrassing. :'( It seems that I may have gotten the labels backwards on the PCB. I just traced the wire, and the pin directly across from RLCAPSLOCK is B6. The pin directly across from RLCLEAR is C6. I know, I can't believe it either.
Try out this patch (or update your copy from github) and see if that doesn't fix it for you.Code: [Select]diff --git a/keyboard/monarch/led.c b/keyboard/monarch/led.c
index a2f4d4c..1eda2eb 100644
--- a/keyboard/monarch/led.c
+++ b/keyboard/monarch/led.c
@@ -28,23 +28,23 @@ void led_set(uint8_t usb_led)
{
if (usb_led & (1<<USB_LED_CAPS_LOCK)) {
// output high
- DDRB |= (1<<6);
- PORTB |= (1<<6);
+ DDRC |= (1<<6);
+ PORTC |= (1<<6);
} else {
// output low
- DDRB &= ~(1<<6);
- PORTB &= ~(1<<6);
+ DDRC &= ~(1<<6);
+ PORTC &= ~(1<<6);
}
#ifndef BACKLIGHT_ENABLE
if (usb_led & (1<<USB_LED_NUM_LOCK)) {
// output high
- DDRC |= (1<<6);
- PORTC |= (1<<6);
+ DDRB |= (1<<6);
+ PORTB |= (1<<6);
} else {
// output low
- DDRC &= ~(1<<6);
- PORTC &= ~(1<<6);
+ DDRB &= ~(1<<6);
+ PORTB &= ~(1<<6);
}
#endif
}
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ void led_set(uint8_t usb_led)
#ifdef BACKLIGHT_ENABLE
void init_backlight_pin(void)
{
- DDRC |= (1<<6);
+ DDRB |= (1<<6);
TC4H = 0x03;
OCR3C = 0xFF;
TCCR3A = 0b10000010;
Sorry for the oversight!
I'll try the code the next time I'm at my desk and let you know what happens.
Post by: Delirious on Wed, 13 April 2016, 17:34:23
So I can't seem to get programmable underlighting working properly. Here's what I've done:
- I jumpered UNDERLIGHT to C6
- soldered in a 10K resistor and MOSFET on the underside of the board.
- BACKLIGHT_ENABLE = yes in the Makefile.
- I've assigned Fn keys for ACTION_BACKLIGHT_INCREASE() and ACTION_BACKLIGHT_DECREASE() in my keymap file.
When wired this way, nothing works, either with my own keymap or skullydazed's TMK repo.
BUT...
If I jumper UNDERLIGHT to C5, both ACTION_BACKLIGHT_INCREASE() and ACTION_BACKLIGHT_DECREASE() do their thing, but backwards. So it's like something is pulling up when it should be pulling down, or vise-versa.
Any suggestions???
EDIT: It looks like C6 is still being controlled by the state of CAPS LOCK, and if I comment out BACKLIGHT_ENABLE = yes it's controlled by NUM LOCK. In both cases B6 does the backwards underlight control thing. Am I missing a config setting to switch C6 to MOSFET control?
Well, er. This is kinda embarrassing. :'( It seems that I may have gotten the labels backwards on the PCB. I just traced the wire, and the pin directly across from RLCAPSLOCK is B6. The pin directly across from RLCLEAR is C6. I know, I can't believe it either.
Try out this patch (or update your copy from github) and see if that doesn't fix it for you.Code: [Select]diff --git a/keyboard/monarch/led.c b/keyboard/monarch/led.c
index a2f4d4c..1eda2eb 100644
--- a/keyboard/monarch/led.c
+++ b/keyboard/monarch/led.c
@@ -28,23 +28,23 @@ void led_set(uint8_t usb_led)
{
if (usb_led & (1<<USB_LED_CAPS_LOCK)) {
// output high
- DDRB |= (1<<6);
- PORTB |= (1<<6);
+ DDRC |= (1<<6);
+ PORTC |= (1<<6);
} else {
// output low
- DDRB &= ~(1<<6);
- PORTB &= ~(1<<6);
+ DDRC &= ~(1<<6);
+ PORTC &= ~(1<<6);
}
#ifndef BACKLIGHT_ENABLE
if (usb_led & (1<<USB_LED_NUM_LOCK)) {
// output high
- DDRC |= (1<<6);
- PORTC |= (1<<6);
+ DDRB |= (1<<6);
+ PORTB |= (1<<6);
} else {
// output low
- DDRC &= ~(1<<6);
- PORTC &= ~(1<<6);
+ DDRB &= ~(1<<6);
+ PORTB &= ~(1<<6);
}
#endif
}
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ void led_set(uint8_t usb_led)
#ifdef BACKLIGHT_ENABLE
void init_backlight_pin(void)
{
- DDRC |= (1<<6);
+ DDRB |= (1<<6);
TC4H = 0x03;
OCR3C = 0xFF;
TCCR3A = 0b10000010;
Sorry for the oversight!
Does this affect option 1(Always on underlight + controllable lock status)? Do I just need to cross-jumping the pins in the back?
Post by: Jersern on Wed, 13 April 2016, 21:26:40
It's alive! The clicky Matias switches are very clicky and it sounds absolutely amazing :)) Is there a comprehensive guide to programming the board? (as in for beginners :P )
Also if someone could make it compatible with EasyAVR, I will love you for eternity :-*Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/J5A9CkA.jpg)
Could the yellow space bar be retro brighten? It does a disservice to the otherwise super nice keyboard.
It could be retrobrighted but I really ceebs haha. Yeah if someone could sell me an alpine winter spacebar that would be great :P
Post by: stoic-lemon on Thu, 14 April 2016, 03:12:49
Edit: I'm going to be a hypocrite and add a hastily shot picture.
Post by: njbair on Thu, 14 April 2016, 11:17:35
So I can't seem to get programmable underlighting working properly. Here's what I've done:
- I jumpered UNDERLIGHT to C6
- soldered in a 10K resistor and MOSFET on the underside of the board.
- BACKLIGHT_ENABLE = yes in the Makefile.
- I've assigned Fn keys for ACTION_BACKLIGHT_INCREASE() and ACTION_BACKLIGHT_DECREASE() in my keymap file.
When wired this way, nothing works, either with my own keymap or skullydazed's TMK repo.
BUT...
If I jumper UNDERLIGHT toC5B6, both ACTION_BACKLIGHT_INCREASE() and ACTION_BACKLIGHT_DECREASE() do their thing, but backwards. So it's like something is pulling up when it should be pulling down, or vise-versa.
Any suggestions???
EDIT: It looks like C6 is still being controlled by the state of CAPS LOCK, and if I comment out BACKLIGHT_ENABLE = yes it's controlled by NUM LOCK. In both cases B6 does the backwards underlight control thing. Am I missing a config setting to switch C6 to MOSFET control?
Well, er. This is kinda embarrassing. :'( It seems that I may have gotten the labels backwards on the PCB. I just traced the wire, and the pin directly across from RLCAPSLOCK is B6. The pin directly across from RLCLEAR is C6. I know, I can't believe it either.
Try out this patch (or update your copy from github) and see if that doesn't fix it for you.Code: [Select]diff --git a/keyboard/monarch/led.c b/keyboard/monarch/led.c
index a2f4d4c..1eda2eb 100644
--- a/keyboard/monarch/led.c
+++ b/keyboard/monarch/led.c
@@ -28,23 +28,23 @@ void led_set(uint8_t usb_led)
{
if (usb_led & (1<<USB_LED_CAPS_LOCK)) {
// output high
- DDRB |= (1<<6);
- PORTB |= (1<<6);
+ DDRC |= (1<<6);
+ PORTC |= (1<<6);
} else {
// output low
- DDRB &= ~(1<<6);
- PORTB &= ~(1<<6);
+ DDRC &= ~(1<<6);
+ PORTC &= ~(1<<6);
}
#ifndef BACKLIGHT_ENABLE
if (usb_led & (1<<USB_LED_NUM_LOCK)) {
// output high
- DDRC |= (1<<6);
- PORTC |= (1<<6);
+ DDRB |= (1<<6);
+ PORTB |= (1<<6);
} else {
// output low
- DDRC &= ~(1<<6);
- PORTC &= ~(1<<6);
+ DDRB &= ~(1<<6);
+ PORTB &= ~(1<<6);
}
#endif
}
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ void led_set(uint8_t usb_led)
#ifdef BACKLIGHT_ENABLE
void init_backlight_pin(void)
{
- DDRC |= (1<<6);
+ DDRB |= (1<<6);
TC4H = 0x03;
OCR3C = 0xFF;
TCCR3A = 0b10000010;
Sorry for the oversight!
It's still not working correctly after this patch, but the behavior has changed. This is how it works now, with BACKLIGHT_ENABLE = yes:
- Jumpering UNDERLIGHT to C6 does nothing.
- Jumpering UNDERLIGHT to B6 indicates CAPS LOCK, but the brightness can still be controlled via Fn keys. But the control is still backwards (i.e., BACKLIGHT_INCREASE() makes it darker and vise-versa), and if CAPS LOCK is off the underlighting is off regardless of the Fn key brightness settings.
...and with BACKLIGHT_ENABLE commented out:
- Jumpering UNDERLIGHT to C6 sets the underlighting to always on, full brightness, no control.
- Jumpering UNDERLIGHT to B6 still indicates CAPS LOCK, but without any brightness control (not even backwards)
I also noticed another issue in the code, that init_backlight_pin() was implicitly called in matrix.c. I had to add #include "backlight.h" in matrix.c to get rid of that compiler warning.
We're definitely closer to the solution.
Post by: skullydazed on Thu, 14 April 2016, 13:53:25
So I can't seem to get programmable underlighting working properly. Here's what I've done:
- I jumpered UNDERLIGHT to C6
- soldered in a 10K resistor and MOSFET on the underside of the board.
- BACKLIGHT_ENABLE = yes in the Makefile.
- I've assigned Fn keys for ACTION_BACKLIGHT_INCREASE() and ACTION_BACKLIGHT_DECREASE() in my keymap file.
When wired this way, nothing works, either with my own keymap or skullydazed's TMK repo.
BUT...
If I jumper UNDERLIGHT toC5B6, both ACTION_BACKLIGHT_INCREASE() and ACTION_BACKLIGHT_DECREASE() do their thing, but backwards. So it's like something is pulling up when it should be pulling down, or vise-versa.
Any suggestions???
EDIT: It looks like C6 is still being controlled by the state of CAPS LOCK, and if I comment out BACKLIGHT_ENABLE = yes it's controlled by NUM LOCK. In both cases B6 does the backwards underlight control thing. Am I missing a config setting to switch C6 to MOSFET control?
Well, er. This is kinda embarrassing. :'( It seems that I may have gotten the labels backwards on the PCB. I just traced the wire, and the pin directly across from RLCAPSLOCK is B6. The pin directly across from RLCLEAR is C6. I know, I can't believe it either.
Try out this patch (or update your copy from github) and see if that doesn't fix it for you.Code: [Select]diff --git a/keyboard/monarch/led.c b/keyboard/monarch/led.c
index a2f4d4c..1eda2eb 100644
--- a/keyboard/monarch/led.c
+++ b/keyboard/monarch/led.c
@@ -28,23 +28,23 @@ void led_set(uint8_t usb_led)
{
if (usb_led & (1<<USB_LED_CAPS_LOCK)) {
// output high
- DDRB |= (1<<6);
- PORTB |= (1<<6);
+ DDRC |= (1<<6);
+ PORTC |= (1<<6);
} else {
// output low
- DDRB &= ~(1<<6);
- PORTB &= ~(1<<6);
+ DDRC &= ~(1<<6);
+ PORTC &= ~(1<<6);
}
#ifndef BACKLIGHT_ENABLE
if (usb_led & (1<<USB_LED_NUM_LOCK)) {
// output high
- DDRC |= (1<<6);
- PORTC |= (1<<6);
+ DDRB |= (1<<6);
+ PORTB |= (1<<6);
} else {
// output low
- DDRC &= ~(1<<6);
- PORTC &= ~(1<<6);
+ DDRB &= ~(1<<6);
+ PORTB &= ~(1<<6);
}
#endif
}
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ void led_set(uint8_t usb_led)
#ifdef BACKLIGHT_ENABLE
void init_backlight_pin(void)
{
- DDRC |= (1<<6);
+ DDRB |= (1<<6);
TC4H = 0x03;
OCR3C = 0xFF;
TCCR3A = 0b10000010;
Sorry for the oversight!
It's still not working correctly after this patch, but the behavior has changed. This is how it works now, with BACKLIGHT_ENABLE = yes:
- Jumpering UNDERLIGHT to C6 does nothing.
- Jumpering UNDERLIGHT to B6 indicates CAPS LOCK, but the brightness can still be controlled via Fn keys. But the control is still backwards (i.e., BACKLIGHT_INCREASE() makes it darker and vise-versa), and if CAPS LOCK is off the underlighting is off regardless of the Fn key brightness settings.
...and with BACKLIGHT_ENABLE commented out:
- Jumpering UNDERLIGHT to C6 sets the underlighting to always on, full brightness, no control.
- Jumpering UNDERLIGHT to B6 still indicates CAPS LOCK, but without any brightness control (not even backwards)
I also noticed another issue in the code, that init_backlight_pin() was implicitly called in matrix.c. I had to add #include "backlight.h" in matrix.c to get rid of that compiler warning.
We're definitely closer to the solution.
Sorry for the hassle here. I've been doing some drive-by troubleshooting and obviously this needs more than that. I'll try to sit down with the code and my board tonight or tomorrow night and work through this.
Post by: notmybongos on Fri, 15 April 2016, 16:04:48
What kind of LED's are you all using for caps lock and numlock?
Post by: KaminKevCrew on Fri, 15 April 2016, 16:25:26
Sent from my SM-G925T using Tapatalk
Post by: njbair on Fri, 15 April 2016, 16:29:55
Is it possible to use LED's for numlock and caps lack AND have controllable underlighting? I recall a distinction being made about that early in this thread, but now seem to have confused myself!Basically you can pick between any two LEDs. Num+Caps, Num+Underlighting, or Caps+Underlighting.
What kind of LED's are you all using for caps lock and numlock?
I'm only going to use underlighting.
Post by: Delirious on Fri, 15 April 2016, 17:02:10
Is the numpad enter misalignment something that's been noted previously? I just noticed today. It's a touch farther up than it should be, and it occasionally causes the enter key to also press the + key.
Sent from my SM-G925T using Tapatalk
Just tested with Notepad open, my numpad Enter works fine. Check your switch may be you didn't properly install them. Another quick way to fix it is to file the edges of both keycaps down.
Post by: Jersern on Fri, 15 April 2016, 19:36:38
Post by: skullydazed on Sun, 17 April 2016, 16:58:37
- With capslock and numlock LED's, no underlight control: https://www.dropbox.com/s/qdrwbisvm3idht9/monarch-no-underlight.hex?dl=0
- With capslock LED, and underlight control: https://www.dropbox.com/s/pxuzukqfrzpo5ft/monarch-with-underlight.hex?dl=0
The problem was basically me not knowing how to use PWM. There are a lot of ways it can be complicated, and the data sheet explains every single one all at once. If you want to be confused try to figure out PWM from the datasheet alone. :) I got lucky when it was on C6 and grabbed an example that worked with basically no modification. I had to noodle through setting it up on B6 all on my own.
Code: [Select]
- TC4H = 0x03;
- OCR3C = 0xFF;
- TCCR3A = 0b10000010;
- TCCR3B = 0b00000001;
+ ICR1 = 0xFFFF;
+ TCCR1A = 0b00100010; // COM1B1 and WGM11, datasheet page 131
+ TCCR1B = 0b00011001; // WGM13, WGM12, and CS10, datasheet page 133
+
+ OCR1B = 0x0000;
This diff shows the changes I needed to make between C6 and B6. The biggest change is that I couldn't get 8-bit PWM working, so I eventually gave up and used 16-bit. That's where the ICR1 comes from, I had to change to 16 bit by writing to that set of registers. Then I not only had to change to a new set of timers, but also build a new bit-mask, which meant a lot of reading to determine what each bit meant. (Seriously, grab the datasheet (http://www.atmel.com/images/atmel-7766-8-bit-avr-atmega16u4-32u4_datasheet.pdf), head to page 131, and try to figure out what those mean. :) )
Code: [Select]
switch (level)
{
case 0:
- pwm_level = 0x00;
+ // Turn off underlighting
+ PORTB &= ~(_BV(PORTB7));
+ OCR1B = 0x0000;
break;
case 1:
- pwm_level = 0x0F;
+ // Turn underlighting back on at low level
+ PORTB |= (_BV(PORTB7));
+ OCR1B = 0x00FF;
break;
case 2:
- pwm_level = 0x80;
+ OCR1B = 0x0FFF;
break;
case 3:
- pwm_level = 0xFF;
+ OCR1B = 0xFFFF;
break;
default:
xprintf("Unknown level: %d\n", level);
}
-
- TC4H = pwm_level >> 8;
- OCR3A = 0xFF & pwm_level;
}
This was the next fun change. In order to write the pwm level to C6, you have to use this weird 10 bit scheme where you write the top 2 bits to TC4H (this is the same register used for anything that needs 10 bits) and then you write the bottom 8 bits to the actual register, in C6's case OCR3A. The MCU knows to grab the full 10 bit value... somehow. This actually meant that writing PWM values to B6 is EASIER, but since C6 was complicated it took me a while to accept that I was overcomplicating it.
And so here we are, 6 hours later. It doesn't really seem like that big of a change now that it's working.
Post by: njbair on Mon, 18 April 2016, 09:03:12
Alright, I've licked the underlight problem. For those of you who care, read about the details below. For those who don't you can just update your local copy or grab one of these convenient pre-compiled images:More
- With capslock and numlock LED's, no underlight control: https://www.dropbox.com/s/qdrwbisvm3idht9/monarch-no-underlight.hex?dl=0
- With capslock LED, and underlight control: https://www.dropbox.com/s/pxuzukqfrzpo5ft/monarch-with-underlight.hex?dl=0
The problem was basically me not knowing how to use PWM. There are a lot of ways it can be complicated, and the data sheet explains every single one all at once. If you want to be confused try to figure out PWM from the datasheet alone. :) I got lucky when it was on C6 and grabbed an example that worked with basically no modification. I had to noodle through setting it up on B6 all on my own.Code: [Select]- TC4H = 0x03;
- OCR3C = 0xFF;
- TCCR3A = 0b10000010;
- TCCR3B = 0b00000001;
+ ICR1 = 0xFFFF;
+ TCCR1A = 0b00100010; // COM1B1 and WGM11, datasheet page 131
+ TCCR1B = 0b00011001; // WGM13, WGM12, and CS10, datasheet page 133
+
+ OCR1B = 0x0000;
This diff shows the changes I needed to make between C6 and B6. The biggest change is that I couldn't get 8-bit PWM working, so I eventually gave up and used 16-bit. That's where the ICR1 comes from, I had to change to 16 bit by writing to that set of registers. Then I not only had to change to a new set of timers, but also build a new bit-mask, which meant a lot of reading to determine what each bit meant. (Seriously, grab the datasheet (http://www.atmel.com/images/atmel-7766-8-bit-avr-atmega16u4-32u4_datasheet.pdf), head to page 131, and try to figure out what those mean. :) )Code: [Select]switch (level)
{
case 0:
- pwm_level = 0x00;
+ // Turn off underlighting
+ PORTB &= ~(_BV(PORTB7));
+ OCR1B = 0x0000;
break;
case 1:
- pwm_level = 0x0F;
+ // Turn underlighting back on at low level
+ PORTB |= (_BV(PORTB7));
+ OCR1B = 0x00FF;
break;
case 2:
- pwm_level = 0x80;
+ OCR1B = 0x0FFF;
break;
case 3:
- pwm_level = 0xFF;
+ OCR1B = 0xFFFF;
break;
default:
xprintf("Unknown level: %d\n", level);
}
-
- TC4H = pwm_level >> 8;
- OCR3A = 0xFF & pwm_level;
}
This was the next fun change. In order to write the pwm level to C6, you have to use this weird 10 bit scheme where you write the top 2 bits to TC4H (this is the same register used for anything that needs 10 bits) and then you write the bottom 8 bits to the actual register, in C6's case OCR3A. The MCU knows to grab the full 10 bit value... somehow. This actually meant that writing PWM values to B6 is EASIER, but since C6 was complicated it took me a while to accept that I was overcomplicating it.
And so here we are, 6 hours later. It doesn't really seem like that big of a change now that it's working.
Thank you thank you thank you!!!
I saw this last night and SSH'd into my dev machine at the office to add these changes and compile it, but I wasn't able to actually flash the new firmware and try it out until I got here this morning. So far, so good!
I played around a bit with the brightness settings and I wound up with some values that seem a little more evenly-spaced, visually:
Code: [Select]
diff --git a/keyboard/monarch/led.c b/keyboard/monarch/led.c
index 1cc181a..4f99fa1 100644
--- a/keyboard/monarch/led.c
+++ b/keyboard/monarch/led.c
@@ -68,10 +68,10 @@ void led_set(uint8_t usb_led)
case 1:
// Turn underlighting back on at low level
PORTB |= (_BV(PORTB7));
- OCR1B = 0x00FF;
+ OCR1B = 0x0FFF;
break;
case 2:
- OCR1B = 0x0FFF;
+ OCR1B = 0x87FF;
break;
case 3:
OCR1B = 0xFFFF;
Basically I just took the old level 2 value and made it level 1, then set level 2 to the average between levels 1 and 3. 0x0FFF + 0xFFFF = 0x10FFE, divide that by 2 and you get 0x87FF. PROTIP: Google's autocomplete will do that math for you as you type.
One weird thing I noticed, and this may be a wiring/soldering thing on my end....but when the backlight is fully off, I get weird things happening when I hit certain keys. Namely, when I press any of the 3/E/D/C keys, all four characters show up. This isn't a huge deal because I basically keep the backlight on. But it would be good to know if it's something I did hardware-wise that can be fixed.
Post by: notmybongos on Tue, 19 April 2016, 15:13:32
Quote
Basically you can pick between any two LEDs. Num+Caps, Num+Underlighting, or Caps+Underlighting.
So, say I chose a capslock LED + underlighting. Would it be possible to configure the firmware to turn the underlighting on when numlock is toggled?
Or is it much more of a simple/hardwired thing, where the switch controls the LED?
Basically, I think the underlighting would look really cool – but I'd prefer it to have some meaning, other than just look flashy; something like binding it to some kind of modality like function layers, modifier keys, etc.
Post by: skullydazed on Tue, 19 April 2016, 15:51:35
QuoteBasically you can pick between any two LEDs. Num+Caps, Num+Underlighting, or Caps+Underlighting.
So, say I chose a capslock LED + underlighting. Would it be possible to configure the firmware to turn the underlighting on when numlock is toggled?
Or is it much more of a simple/hardwired thing, where the switch controls the LED?
Basically, I think the underlighting would look really cool – but I'd prefer it to have some meaning, other than just look flashy; something like binding it to some kind of modality like function layers, modifier keys, etc.
If you want that tied to numlock you just configure the firmware as if you were using numlock, but wire up the underlighting. I actually did all my software testing using the opposite, underlight configured but wired up to numlock. Note that you'll need to do some firmware work if you want the brightness to be controllable as well, but if you just want on/off tied to numlock it's super simple.
Post by: Jersern on Thu, 28 April 2016, 02:50:22
Post by: koalapear on Thu, 28 April 2016, 03:02:32
Rather unfortunately, the mini-USB connector came loose. :( I tried to solder it back on but my job wasn't the best and right now the underlighting works but the board does not. Any things I can do to fix it? Are there still spare PCBs?
That's not good :(
I've never soldered one of those connectors before but skullydazed repaired some of the connectors before so he may be able to give some pointers.
Unfortunately there are no more spare PCBs.
Post by: stoic-lemon on Tue, 03 May 2016, 20:47:00
Edit: I decided to go ahead and build this thing. It was a steep learning curve, but I have a fully working keyboard! This is my first build, and first time soldering anything so small, so you can imagine how all powerful I feel right now. I flashed the updated firmware for the underlighting fix and things seem fine on that score. I am also noticing that when the backlight is off, multiple keys seem to get pressed.
I love my Monarch.
Post by: goldmahn on Tue, 17 May 2016, 14:12:13
Please do let me know if you are planning on making a new shipment of this fabulous board.
Post by: Texchappy on Fri, 22 July 2016, 12:37:52
Post by: gerankle on Tue, 20 September 2016, 15:23:33
Post by: cmaz on Tue, 18 October 2016, 10:32:08
I'll be checking back for round 2.. Lovely pics.
Post by: Dominathan on Sun, 20 November 2016, 03:48:46
Post by: PollandAkuma on Tue, 17 January 2017, 18:17:54
Post by: ihalatch on Wed, 18 January 2017, 00:49:04
Post by: notmybongos on Mon, 20 February 2017, 12:11:59
Here's a pic of the jumper section.
[attach=1]
Some other odd behavior... If I'm typing rather quickly, key input freezes for about 2 seconds. This started happening after I added LEDs etc.
I also checked for continuity & shorts on the lighting rail and that seems fine...
Post by: skullydazed on Mon, 20 February 2017, 12:37:59
Having a little trouble getting underlighting to work. I've bridged GND to UNDERLIGHT and jumpered the FET bypass. I actually want to use controllable underlighting and NUM/CLEAR LED...but I figured I should troubleshoot the lighting first. I'm pretty green at SMD work.
Here's a pic of the jumper section.
(Attachment Link)
Some other odd behavior... If I'm typing rather quickly, key input freezes for about 2 seconds. This started happening after I added LEDs etc.
I also checked for continuity & shorts on the lighting rail and that seems fine...
With the jumper to GND you don't need the FET, which is why the bypass is there. If you have the FET you should not have the bypass, and vice-versa. Sorry that wasn't clear from the silkscreen, I see how you could interpret it the way you did.
Remove the FET bypass jumper and see if that clears up your problems.
Post by: notmybongos on Mon, 20 February 2017, 22:05:41
Remove the FET bypass jumper and see if that clears up your problems.So if I remove the bypass jumper, does the way I currently have the 3&4 pin headers look correct? And since I have the FET I'll essentially have enabled controllable underlighting, right?
Post by: skullydazed on Tue, 21 February 2017, 16:59:43
Remove the FET bypass jumper and see if that clears up your problems.So if I remove the bypass jumper, does the way I currently have the 3&4 pin headers look correct? And since I have the FET I'll essentially have enabled controllable underlighting, right?
I'm doing some of this from memory, so I think this is the way you should approach it:
- Remove the bypass jumper
- Desolder the right hand side of the jumper
- Plug in the board
After you do this the underlight will be enabled but not turned on. You should then touch the wire to GND (the place it's currently soldered) and see if it lights up. If not it means you need to touch that to VCC and it will light up. Solder the wire in whichever way lights up the board.
Your wiring looks good for numlock and capslock. Note that you have to pick 2/3 options for numlock, capslock, and controllable underlighting.
Post by: notmybongos on Sun, 19 March 2017, 18:03:01
I can kind of hold the connector in one direction but I think some data gets shorted as all the keypresses come out crazy.
Most keys don't even send a keypress.
Has anyone else successfully replaced the female usb connector?
While I'm at it, is it easy enough for me to make this a micro-usb connector, instead of mini?
Looking forward to finally getting this thing at 100%... someday!
Post by: notmybongos on Mon, 27 March 2017, 17:18:28
Does anyone know if mixed up/ inconsistent characters could be the result of a poor usb connection? or is that more likely to be a bad connection with a diode, causing the matrix to get jacked up?
Post by: Delirious on Mon, 27 March 2017, 18:22:54
Sorry for the bump...just a bit out of sorts here.
Does anyone know if mixed up/ inconsistent characters could be the result of a poor usb connection? or is that more likely to be a bad connection with a diode, causing the matrix to get jacked up?
Can you take a picture of the connection port? If it's shorting I suggest put a little dab of hot glue on it or tape it off.
Post by: Pikly on Tue, 28 March 2017, 09:08:29
Post by: notmybongos on Tue, 28 March 2017, 10:37:26
Quote
If you're getting characters, then I would guess that the USB port is okay as it appears to be recognized as a keyboard. If there was an issue with the port, I would expect no key presses to register at all, or for the device to constantly connect-reconnect.
That's my guess. Though I think it might actually be a combination of the two. Evidenced by:
1. USB connector was faulty. Fixed that, but it progressively degraded (disconnects at certain cable angles). Now I really have to gingerly angle it to get a connection.
2. Confirmed a proper usb connection by successfully flashing firmware (while carefully holding USB in place)
3. While holding the USB in this position, key presses are bizarre. Getting several keys outputting the the same (incorrect) characters. Most keys don't register anything.
This leads me to believe something is either shorted or not connecting somewhere.
Is there any possible way that the LED's and related FET could be effecting the matrix?
What troubleshooting process do ya'll recommend?
Thanks for the tips Pikly & Delirious!
Post by: rpiguy9907 on Sat, 13 July 2019, 10:02:39
Post by: stoic-lemon on Tue, 16 July 2019, 20:12:26