Hi everyone, I wanted to start an interest check for a custom PCB/plate combo I had designed in order to get an MX style board in my Heavy-6 case. While I love my Topre board, I had 3 Heavy-6 cases and didn't necessarily want the same board in each one. So far I have only tested this in my Heavy-6 but since the original plate and daughterboard design were copied I believe this should fit any other aftermarket case for the FC660C.
(https://i.imgur.com/0mqgeqS.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/cJpVm7Z.jpg)
The setup I have in my first version is a POM plate which has some pretty serious flex in the middle due to the mounting points being only on the sides of the case. I personally dig the little bounce it has but some may prefer a stiffer plate. I am not entirely sure what all plate options I will be able to provide but wanted to see what people might be interested in. I also had 16 RGB LED's designed on this board for underglow since I had it installed in my polycarbonate Heavy-6. This obviously won't be a benefit to a lot of people as there are only a handful of these cases out there but I will probably leave them on there anyways.
(https://i.imgur.com/Sy8Uo7n.jpg)
If something like this interests you please take a moment to fill out the form and let me know your thoughts! Link to the IC form here: https://forms.gle/7pVDkSra5izqYLqU6 (https://forms.gle/7pVDkSra5izqYLqU6)
Huge thanks to Ryan Norbauer for making such a beautiful case that I bought it multiple times, as well as sharing vital info with me in order to get this made. Another huge thanks to jtallbean, the designer of the PCB, for taking my walls of text of ideas and turning them into a reality for me.
Update (11/06/20): I figured I'd at least post some pictures of the PCB and a few plate prototypes I am testing out, this might clear some things up for a few people. There are also a number of things I have discovered I'd like to address:
- I have come to conclusion only stiff plate options are going to work, and I think only full plates as well. I am limited to the side mounting only option, so there isn't any support in the middle of the board. This works fine with the FC660C because it's extremely stiff all the way through.
- To that end, I will be ordering a another round of plates, probably in brass and steel next.
- I have not tested the half plate yet but I do not think it will work, it might be too flexy. The flex might not be too bad, as long as it snaps back into place. On the POM version I had there was a noticeable sag in the middle of the plate and the keys all sloped in. I have dubbed this the "hammock mount". It looks like the board is broken but I will admit it was fun to type on, it had a nice bounce.
- I can confirm this PCB will not work in the stock FC660C case, nor will it work in the 660M case or as a PCB replacement for the 660M. Both the C and the M have a big hole in the the PCB to allow a post to pass through for the stock case to come together. I do not plan to adjust this PCB/plate to accommodate that.
- I am pretty close to being ready to open this up for sale, I just need to address one issue I am having with the plates. The aluminum plate is the first version of the design and it works fine. The carbon fiber plate is a revision to slim down the edges and have a better universal layout for split backspace as well as stepped caps lock. For some reason, the carbon fiber plate is exhibiting a slight bowing when I install switches into the plate and PCB. This does not seem to happen on the aluminum plate. This could be a slight manufacturing defect or it could be something weird that happened in the file when the changes were made. I have just received a set of calipers and I will do some precise measuring to see where the difference is between the two plates.
I have not decided on a final color for the PCB but I am leaning toward just a black with gold tracing. The white doesn't look so great after you solder. Any feedback is more than welcome, maybe there is something I am missing that someone out there can point out to me to make this thing better, let me know!
Here are some pictures of the current plates and PCB prototypes.
(https://i.imgur.com/RZnzxBJ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/7n3bA1A.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/NkxpyBB.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/XfEhXBF.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/bQ77iQq.jpg)
Big update 03/02/21: So the latest prototype plate is finally here. I would love to hear any feedback as this very well could be the final design. There will be a finish on these but I am not quite sure what all to offer just yet. I had originally planned to just go with either powder coat or anodized black, but I am liking the idea of a anodized gold now to really pop under the polycarb case. The brass plate looked really nice, and I wish we could do brass, but I don't think anyone wants to pay $80 for a plate :grimacing:
A big shoutout to BirgusLatro over at https://acekeyboard.co/ (https://acekeyboard.co/) for helping out with the bends. Here are some pics of the plate in action!
(https://i.imgur.com/0mqgeqS.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/VxRNWER.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ppckRqQ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/uObLNzC.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/mdKbHJ8.jpg)
As you will notice, my bends are going in the opposite direction, down instead of up like the original 660C plate. I was told by a few different manufacturers that the tiny bend needed to copy the plate 1:1 would require some special tooling as it wasn't possible to make the bend in a press brake. So I opted to have the bends in the other direction and a little longer. I can safely say there is no longer any hammock bend going on, yay!
The PCB is pretty much finalized except for a few minor changes, I will be removing the on-board USB and probably getting rid of the physical reset switch to cut down on costs a little bit. Everything is working in VIA so it's easy to program and control the lighting for the underglow. I keep forgetting to build this with stepped caps to show it off every time I rebuild but, it's there, I promise!
That's all for now, please let me know if you have any questions or comments! I will be entering the hell that is setting up a Shopify website in the next week or so, wish me luck...