Murdercore's making a keyboard

[AGmurdercore]

Soooo long story short I really would like to make a custom keyboard but i have like 0 exp in making keyboards from scratch so i will need some help from guys if any of you can/are willing to help me.

So the things that i will need help with are the following for now:
 1. A program that i can use to design the PCB so i will be able to give it to any PCB making company.
 2. guide on how to wire the whole thing because i am not really sure how will be the right way.
 3. list of the parts that i need to make the board programmable (aka what controller should i use to be able to make the board programmable).

The big problem that i see in making this is the ofc the money as i am really short on cash so this project might take super long time to make but i will make it some day (i hope )

I already have the layout in my head and is something that i have never seen anyone do before so until i have everything figured out about it i will keep it for myself just to make sure that all the stuff that i want is possible to make.

So for a start i think that this is enough i will REALLY appreciate any help with this project because as i said above i have 0 exp doing this and i wont be able to do it alone. Thanks to everybody that will join this and for all the inspirations i have in this forum. You are all super duper awesome guys!

[AGmurdercore]

 - Reserved if needed by any chance -

[MKULTRA]

You might wanna go learn about some basic electronics and designing a PCB before taking on a large project like a keyboard.

[llovro]

1. Kicad is a programm with which you can desing pcb. It's not easy to make one so...
2. So what are you going to do? Make a pcb or hand wire it? Anyways if you need help with hand wiring just PM matt3o.
http://deskthority.net/matt3o-u2619/
3. You need:
a good controller like teensy or something fancier

[AGmurdercore]

You might wanna go learn about some basic electronics and designing a PCB before taking on a large project like a keyboard.

I have some basic skills that i learned in school and i work in a PC service where i can learn ****loads of stuff from my colleagues so this wont be a problem, my real worries come from the fact that i don't feel confident in the way that the switches should be wired (the way in which one should be wired to another one) and that is why i ask for help from you guys, which have ****loads more exp then me. Also i have 1 yeah and a half in school using OrCAD so i think that i will be able to do it (keep your fingers crossed )

1. Kicad is a programm with which you can desing pcb. It's not easy to make one so...
2. So what are you going to do? Make a pcb or hand wire it? Anyways if you need help with hand wiring just PM matt3o.
http://deskthority.net/matt3o-u2619/
3. You need:
a good controller like teensy or something fancier

Awesome answer, just what i needed, thank you alot! And btw i am going to make a PCB i want it to be a legit keyboard, not with some hand wiring done incorrect by my shaking hands

[jdcarpe]

Yes, use KiCAD.

Also, as llovro said, the Teensy is a good controller to use if you want thru-hole components. If you want to make it with SMT, use the ATmega32U4.

[AGmurdercore]

Yes, use KiCAD.

Also, as llovro said, the Teensy is a good controller to use if you want thru-hole components. If you want to make it with SMT, use the ATmega32U4.

Thanks alot! I will download KiCAD and look for some tutorials for the basic stuff for this program.

[AGmurdercore]

Btw guys can you give me some articles or guides or w/e to to look what is the proper way in wiring the switches? Thanks a ton!

[divito]

MOZ has started a collection resources you might find useful here: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=47744.0

As for specifics, this "making stuff together!" forum has plenty of useful threads, you just need to poke around a bit to find what you might be looking for.

[AGmurdercore]

MOZ has started a collection resources you might find useful here: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=47744.0

As for specifics, this "making stuff together!" forum has plenty of useful threads, you just need to poke around a bit to find what you might be looking for.

Yeah i am reading most of the stuff here for a few days now, this was my inspiration to start this project. Thanks for the link btw ^^

[MOZ]

Go through the many threads on this subforum, it is a treasure cove of knowledge.

As mentioned before, I would also suggest you use KiCad for PCB designing, however first do a hand-wired, this should be the first step, acrylic plates can be had easily via pololu or even AcidFire, get your plate right, then accordingly design a PCB.

Teensy is a great place to start for controllers, you can look a the ErgoDox resources and and see the firmware as well as the PCB to get ideas on how to go about it.

[jdcarpe]

Also, Matt3o has a great thread on Deskthority, entitled "BrownFox step by step"

You can check out his earlier thread, "Building a custom keyboard from the ground up"

[AGmurdercore]

Thanks for all the positive feedback and for the support guys! You make me feel like i can do it in the end, thanks again!

[CPTBadAss]

Check out the Longcat keyboard that TheFlyingRaccoon is building. He just went through the same learning process that you're asking about (matrix wiring). Also check out jdcarpe's direct wired keyboard prototyping thread.

[AGmurdercore]

Check out the Longcat keyboard that TheFlyingRaccoon is building. He just went through the same learning process that you're asking about (matrix wiring). Also check out jdcarpe's direct wired keyboard prototyping thread.

Thanks for this i just checked the project of TheFlyingRaccoon and it will really be helpful as well as jdcarpe's project.

Just to keep you all updated i have started with the plate prototyping so there might be some pictures and stuff soon. Also i wanna thank Photekq for the help he is giving me to learn the CAD program.

Thank you all! <3

[AGmurdercore]

Hey guys! I just wanted to let all of you know that this project is not dead. I am just super busy in my work and after work i am doing stuff for the gaming team that i am managing and i have hardly any spare time ;(

On a positive note i got my teensy last week so i can freely start with the plate design and proceed with the tests if the layout after that. Thank you for your time

[phetto]

Do you want a phantom pcb and ansi 150 plate?

[AGmurdercore]

Do you want a phantom pcb and ansi 150 plate?

No idea how i missed this... I will PM you anyway to see if this is still up although i am pretty sure that you already sold it ;(

Anyways guys i need some more help from you! Can anybody tell me how is the ergo dox working or said in other words how can i make a keyboard build on 2 separate plates or said in even other words how will be the best way to make a removable expansion?

[AGmurdercore]

Anyways guys i need some more help from you! Can anybody tell me how is the ergo dox working or said in other words how can i make a keyboard build on 2 separate plates or said in even other words how will be the best way to make a removable expansion?

Please guys can anybody help me on this?

[AGmurdercore]

Ok guys i have some nasty idea about the board i will attempt to make and i hope that i will have the time to share them with your soon. I am excited lol 

[tufty]

Can anybody tell me how is the ergo dox working or said in other words how can i make a keyboard build on 2 separate plates or said in even other words how will be the best way to make a removable expansion?

Woops, missed this.

The ergodox uses a teensy on one side, hardwired to the matrix for that side of the keyboard, and the other side is handled by an MCP23018 i2c I/O expander.  This enables the connection from one side to the other to be "small" (ergodox uses a 4-conductor TRRS cable to join the two halves)

Oobly's board uses, again, a teensy, but rather than using an I/O expander he uses a larger (10 conductor, from memory) cable to join the two halves, and hardwires both direct to the matrix (which is a pair of 6x4 matrices, one for each half, making a 6x8 matrix in total).

There's other ways of doing it, of course - you could take a sledgehammer to the walnut and put a teensy in both sides, for example.

[AGmurdercore]

Can anybody tell me how is the ergo dox working or said in other words how can i make a keyboard build on 2 separate plates or said in even other words how will be the best way to make a removable expansion?

Woops, missed this.

The ergodox uses a teensy on one side, hardwired to the matrix for that side of the keyboard, and the other side is handled by an MCP23018 i2c I/O expander.  This enables the connection from one side to the other to be "small" (ergodox uses a 4-conductor TRRS cable to join the two halves)

Oobly's board uses, again, a teensy, but rather than using an I/O expander he uses a larger (10 conductor, from memory) cable to join the two halves, and hardwires both direct to the matrix (which is a pair of 6x4 matrices, one for each half, making a 6x8 matrix in total).

There's other ways of doing it, of course - you could take a sledgehammer to the walnut and put a teensy in both sides, for example.

Thanks for the answer! For now i think that i will go with hardwires between the parts that plan to make on the board to be as simple as possible. Might do something more complex with control some time later

[AGmurdercore]

So i am digging this thread from the grave because i am in need of a small (60% or so) keyboard and i decided that i might just build it myself. Does anyone have some blueprints of 60% plates that i can use for the lasercutting of the plate?

[regack]

So i am digging this thread from the grave because i am in need of a small (60% or so) keyboard and i decided that i might just build it myself. Does anyone have some blueprints of 60% plates that i can use for the lasercutting of the plate?

I haven't used it for having anything made, but I would suggest using Swill's plate layout editor which imports from the keyboard layout editor.  You can download the CAD file from Swill's tool after you put your layout together, then use something like QCAD to tweak it, if need be.

[AGmurdercore]

So i am digging this thread from the grave because i am in need of a small (60% or so) keyboard and i decided that i might just build it myself. Does anyone have some blueprints of 60% plates that i can use for the lasercutting of the plate?

I haven't used it for having anything made, but I would suggest using Swill's plate layout editor which imports from the keyboard layout editor.  You can download the CAD file from Swill's tool after you put your layout together, then use something like QCAD to tweak it, if need be.

Thank you! I will check this out as soon as i go home from work to see what i can do with. Lets hope that i will manage to handle the CAD program with my non existent skills 

[evangs]

So i am digging this thread from the grave because i am in need of a small (60% or so) keyboard and i decided that i might just build it myself. Does anyone have some blueprints of 60% plates that i can use for the lasercutting of the plate?

I haven't used it for having anything made, but I would suggest using Swill's plate layout editor which imports from the keyboard layout editor.  You can download the CAD file from Swill's tool after you put your layout together, then use something like QCAD to tweak it, if need be.

I've used Swill's tool to get a plate made, would definitely recommend.

[mrbishop]

welcome to the rabbit hole

http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/
http://builder.swillkb.com/

those will get you started with the design of the layout. i did my first keyboard hand wired. its not as cool as a PCB but you'll get faster results for your first project the PCB part will take you awhile on the design and prototypes more than likely. trust me i'm there right now.

[iLLucionist]

This is so cool on GH that there is so much knowledge and experience! I hope I can eventually make my own board as well.. Would be so cool to tinker with a project, some relaxing project where it doesn't matter how quickly you proceed.

[AGmurdercore]

Thank you so much for the replies guys! It turned out that i am super busy these few days but i hope that in the next few days i will be able to check everything out and make my layout. If all is good i hope that the keyboard will be mostly done until the end of the month