Author Topic: My wireless! Filco Majestouch-2 Tenkeyless... (Read 15633 times)

martinmeijerink · « **on:** Fri, 15 July 2011, 08:59:30 »

Last week my Filco Majestouch-2 Tenkeyless (with Cherry MX Blues) arrived, and I was really happy about it...
There was only one minor thing about it: The cable!
So I decided to turn my new keyboard into a wireless one.
First I examined if my favourite Wireless Keyboard Controller board (Logitech Wii) would fit, and which batteries I would need, then I started my mod.
It's really simple, and not very much work (although it seems a lot of work).

This is what you need:
- Filco Majestouch-2 Tenkeyless keyboard.
- Logitech keyboard for Wii.
This keyboard contains a really ideal wireless keyboard controller:
2.4 GHz (very responsive, no latency like the old 27Mhz ones)
very small (so it will fit in almost any keyboard)
also tenkeyful-support
low power consumption (my previously modded keyboard's AAA batteries still last after 636 days of intensive usage)
easily solderable
cheap (I bought some for only EUR 8,50 (=12 bucks))
- Duracell 9V battery (contains 6 AAAA cells, we only need 2 of them)
Due to the keyboard's compactness there's not much space left, AAA batteries won't fit, that's why I chose AAAA batteries.
With its 500 mAh I think these batteries will last for at least one year or so.
- Some small wires
- Rosin core solder

Tools required:
- Soldering iron
- Desoldering pump

This is how I did it:

1. Removed old matrix (desoldering pump required).

2. Added new matrix

3. Opened 9V battery

(contains 6 concatenated AAAA cells, which is ideal for soldering)

4. Watch the polarity. It's different than it seems. The flat end is positive, the tip is negative!

5. Added wireless controllerboard & batteries.

6. Finished!

HaveANiceDay · « **Reply #1 on:** Fri, 15 July 2011, 09:33:52 »

Once again a great mod from you! Really inspiring stuff.

wanabe · « **Reply #2 on:** Fri, 15 July 2011, 17:26:25 »

jeebus, looks like a pain to debug

digitalleftovers · « **Reply #3 on:** Fri, 15 July 2011, 17:51:46 »

That beautiful PCB! Well, now you can build a custom board from that. Maybe a typeNow-solid clone with ergo-clears.

HaveANiceDay · « **Reply #4 on:** Fri, 15 July 2011, 19:21:07 »

Quote from: digitalleftovers;381091

That beautiful PCB! Well, now you can build a custom board from that. Maybe a typeNow-solid clone with ergo-clears.

Who would want to clone a leopold =\

keyboardlover · « **Reply #5 on:** Fri, 15 July 2011, 19:33:21 »

Quote from: digitalleftovers;381091

That beautiful PCB! Well, now you can build a custom board from that. Maybe a typeNow-solid clone with ergo-clears.

I just came.

martinmeijerink · « **Reply #6 on:** Sat, 16 July 2011, 00:51:32 »

Thanx

To prevent debugging, I'd triple-checked everything while attaching the wires... Finally I attached only 1 wire erroneously (so Control_L didn't work), it was luckily not very hard to find.
The PCB will probably be used to collect dust.

(Anyone interested in the PCB? You can pick it up for free...)

keyb_gr · « **Reply #7 on:** Sat, 16 July 2011, 11:48:41 »

Great mod. :thumbsp:

sinis · « **Reply #8 on:** Sat, 16 July 2011, 11:59:04 »

godlike!

khanable · « **Reply #9 on:** Sat, 16 July 2011, 12:18:31 »

martinmeijerink · « **Reply #10 on:** Sat, 16 July 2011, 15:24:35 »

Thanx...

I still have 2 logitech wii keyboards in stock, my next project is making my IBM Model M wireless... but how?

keyboardlover · « **Reply #11 on:** Sun, 17 July 2011, 08:35:59 »

Awesome mod dude.

mtl · « **Reply #12 on:** Sun, 17 July 2011, 20:29:45 »

Fantastic mod! How's the key performance? I'm curious if the Filco's controller has logic specific to the Cherry MX (such as debouncing) that would be absent on the Logitech device and could cause problems recognizing keystrokes.

Arcanius · « **Reply #13 on:** Sun, 17 July 2011, 21:32:40 »

IF anything, the Logitech would have a longer debouncing time, I'm guessing. May lead to transposition errors? Not likely, since I haven't heard of a rubber dome ever doing it....

martinmeijerink · « **Reply #14 on:** Sun, 17 July 2011, 23:54:04 »

Key performance? As in NKRO, or just the overall performance? I don't play any game, and experience no problems when typing... The scan-rate is high enough (no key transition problems, like a batch of Das Keyboard III's a few years ago). No swapped keys when typing very fast bursts, and no key bounces or excess keypresses. Only the NKRO might be a problem for some people, it will register 6 in a row, ('sdfjkl' is no problem, but 'asw' is).
To me the Logitech controller is really perfect, I've yet left 2 in stock, and today I'm gonna buy 3 more, because they are very hard to get nowadays, there's only 1 shop in the whole country which still have a few...

WasabiJ · « **Reply #15 on:** Mon, 25 July 2011, 14:54:37 »

Since you did the mod, is it possible for you to sometime create a chart for all the wiring?

I'm a bit lazy and I don't understand the matrix, so it would be really helpful for me, being the kind of person that understands wiring diagrams better.

SmallFry · « **Reply #16 on:** Mon, 25 July 2011, 23:30:24 »

you can make it bluetooth... replace the controller and stuff with a teensy i believe... just search model m in the search bar and it shows up as bluetooth model m or something

martinmeijerink · « **Reply #17 on:** Wed, 27 July 2011, 15:23:31 »

Wasabij:
Click this thumbnail for a PDF'ed wiring chart:

SmallFry:
I've seen it, but I don't like the bluetooth idea, have to use drivers and have to pair and so on. I prefer USB-wireless, works without any drivers...

hyperq · « **Reply #18 on:** Mon, 15 August 2011, 10:51:54 »

Oooooooooooooooo......the object of my desire. I admire Martin's skills. You will be Da Bomb if you can merry a mech board with Logitech's unifying receiver.

martinmeijerink · « **Reply #19 on:** Wed, 17 August 2011, 04:10:39 »

I think that's no problem... the only problem is that I don't have that unifying logitech stuff...

News:

Author Topic: My wireless! Filco Majestouch-2 Tenkeyless... (Read 15633 times)