GH60 Keyboard Project

[damorgue]

If the prototype works, how many are left for the real GB?

What happened to all the other guys that know how to work CAD programs?

Well, it seems as more CAD guys aren't necessary at this point since several have volunteered already, which is why I didn't.

I dont think you can print metal

Yes you can. I have examples of key caps I printed in my thread.

[alaricljs]

How many are left?  Prototype phase means you have a fab do a small run, in this case 10 boards.  You test them and make sure you got the design right.  Then we do the GB, collect money, and order GB quantity boards.  There is no limit except what we pay for.

[komar007]

When this board is completed can we get the Gerber's for the community?

The gerbers are in the rev A zip file.

[Lorem-Ipsum]

Wowza! Just came across this thread.

I'm certainly interested.

[SmallFry]

When this board is completed can we get the Gerber's for the community?

The gerbers are in the rev A zip file.

I meant once it is completely done, the final designs etc.

[komar007]

When this board is completed can we get the Gerber's for the community?

The gerbers are in the rev A zip file.

I meant once it is completely done, the final designs etc.

Sure, it's open source;)

[SmallFry]

Sweet!

[Skeksis]

You all are on such a good way. Following this thread day by day and even getting more exited every da.

[__red__]

Sanity checking the design will be orders of magnitude easier if you can post the schematic and pcb layout files.

In the tool, mousing over nets is imho the easiest way to debug.

I'm at skydogcon.com right now re-working the conference badges.  Fun times!

[SmallFry]

They're in a zip in the thread Red...I can't see what post number on my mobile, but they're there.

[komar007]

The kicad files are in the repo.
https://github.com/komar007/ghkb

[jdcarpe]

I also linked the .zip file below the images in the OP.

[__red__]

Thanjs...

Btw, if anyone is interested in the badge re-work we did at the con, please follow.

[SmallFry]

Show Image

Thanjs...

Btw, if anyone is interested in the badge re-work we did at the con, please follow.

Sweet badge Red!

[mkawa]

Show Image

Thanjs...

Btw, if anyone is interested in the badge re-work we did at the con, please follow.

Sweet badge Red!

ditto. cool beans!

[mkawa]

it's looking great komar, bang up job for a first-timer, but i'd like __red__, alaric and bpiphany if possible to please sanity check the design. their collective experience with board layouts for switches is a resource we shouldn't waste!

once treble gets up and running we should be able to get small quantities of milled cases out the door at a trickle. in the meantime, test and revise, then test and revise again

i know i've been a bit MIA, but i'm hugely behind this effort and i want it to succeed. please don't look at my popping in as skepticism; in fact, it's quite the opposite.

[komar007]

Thanks mkawa. So I'll wait until they say something. I should receive most of the parts tomorrow, so I can check the footprints against them and I'll consider testing to be over.

[SmallFry]

So, I was looking at the PCB...Does this have the ability to use regular ANSI Right Shifts, or must you use an Fn key?

[komar007]

Yes, mount the switch in the third position from the right and the stabilizers around it and you're good to go.

[TheProfosist]

So, I was looking at the PCB...Does this have the ability to use regular ANSI Right Shifts, or must you use an Fn key?

you should be using that Fn key! Custom Layouts Only!

[SmallFry]

So, I was looking at the PCB...Does this have the ability to use regular ANSI Right Shifts, or must you use an Fn key?

you should be using that Fn key! Custom Layouts Only!

I'll make my 1unit keys a Fn key. I love the aesthetics of a 1.5-1 type deal:)

[BiNiaRiS]

put me down for one of these. been wanting this board since dox first started talking about it.

[WhiteFireDragon]

I just noticed something about the holes for the Cherry mounted stabilizers. Are there two different PCB-mounted parts we can buy? because all the holes for the smaller size stabilizers (shifts, backspace, and enter) has the larger hole on the bottom, while the larger hole for the spacebar stabilizers are on the top.

[komar007]

I just noticed something about the holes for the Cherry mounted stabilizers. Are there two different PCB-mounted parts we can buy? because all the holes for the smaller size stabilizers (shifts, backspace, and enter) has the larger hole on the bottom, while the larger hole for the spacebar stabilizers are on the top.

The spacebar has the stabilizer upside down, like in the poker.

[SmallFry]

Sweet deal, that kinda worried me as well. I'm glad we can use Cherry Stabilizers, I much prefer them to Costar's. I prefer simplicity when removing the keys.

[jil_jil32]

Any chance that we make a full-board LEDs supported PCB? ^.^

[jdcarpe]

Yes, see this thread. It's called 'The Light.'

[mkawa]

the light is a ways out; the driver ICs we are thinking of sourcing have a 1k MOQ at 5$/ea shipped from germany, and that's just the beginning of the set of issues that project faces.

[gameaholic]

Interested.

[SmallFry]

the light is a ways out; the driver ICs we are thinking of sourcing have a 1k MOQ at 5$/ea shipped from germany, and that's just the beginning of the set of issues that project faces.

Oof. There has to be a better way to drive the LEDs.

[mkawa]

not in that little board space

[komar007]

13 out of 16 payments done. That means I have enough to order the PCBs.
The rest will cover the parts, shipping and other costs.
I'm doing final corrections, adding nice logos and stuff. Still waiting for at least one technical opinion on the board layout;) Two people to check is always better than one.

[__red__]

Kicad doesn't see a link between the ground on P6 and and pad 2 of C2. 

I'm pretty sure i do but when my software flags an existing ratsnest i pay attention.

[komar007]

Thanks.
It's a bug, or actually a feature of kicad. It requires actual tracks between everything and doesn't care for planes.
I've changed the layout a bit in the current version, so P6 is actually wired to ground.


EDIT: pushed

[__red__]

Diptrace does the exact same thing.  I like the feature as it forces you to address everything.

I'm showing my ignorance of this processor (i program on the parallax propeller) but do you need a programming header to install your original bootloader to allow programming over USB?

[komar007]

No, the chips come preprogrammed with a decent DFU bootloader.
I put the header just in case, so that we can change it someday.

[SmallFry]

*waiting* So when does the prototype have an ETA of? I want to get the real deal! great work and thanks again for bring open source on this. Perhaps you may want to apply a licence to it to prevent anybody from making changes without giving you credit.

[komar007]

The ETA (as for ordering) was yesterday evening, that is 12 minutes ago;)
I think I'll order within a day.
The diodes however will come in like a month or something unfortunately, so they may be here later than the PCBs. We'll see.
I'm not into licenses. I suppose LGPL or one of CCs will be good.

[SmallFry]

Just trying to help make sure nobody steals your work. Glad to see this all working as planned!

[TheProfosist]

Any chance that we make a full-board LEDs supported PCB? ^.^

also working on DOX v2 will have that finalizing the plate now didnt want to say too much in this thead about it beacause the boards are very close to each other.

[Parak]

It's a bug, or actually a feature of kicad. It requires actual tracks between everything and doesn't care for planes.
I've changed the layout a bit in the current version, so P6 is actually wired to ground.

Kicad always respected ground planes for me, as long as they were called GND and the appropriate pins were connected to the GND net. As long as the plane made contact with the pins, I never got validation errors. Hope that helps :D

[komar007]

Even if you first put a ground plane, then connect some GND point with a trace to that plane, then save, restart pcbnew and refill the zone?

[The_Beast]

hey komar, if you get some time, could you send me a plate layout for the "model m" style of plate? I'd like to start working on a case that covers up the two 1x keys between the 1.5 mods

If not I'll try to find a phantom plate (if there is one) with a similar layout to modify

[komar007]

I haven't started the plates design yet, but I'll let you know when I have something.

[jdcarpe]

The_Beast, you can use the ANSI150 plate drawing from the Phantom designs to get the 1.5-1-1.5 layout. Then just block the 1x between the 1.5's.

The real problem I forsee using standard ANSI with 1.5-1-1.5 mod row on the plate, with covers over the 1x keys on the case top, is what to do about a function key? I guess you could use a 1.75 right shift with a Fn key beside it, but that defeats the purpose of the standard ANSI compatibility. I will probably use that 1x key between the 1.5 mods as a Fn key.

[The_Beast]

The_Beast, you can use the ANSI150 plate drawing from the Phantom designs to get the 1.5-1-1.5 layout. Then just block the 1x between the 1.5's.

The real problem I forsee using standard ANSI with 1.5-1-1.5 mod row on the plate, with covers over the 1x keys on the case top, is what to do about a function key? I guess you could use a 1.75 right shift with a Fn key beside it, but that defeats the purpose of the standard ANSI compatibility. I will probably use that 1x key between the 1.5 mods as a Fn key.

(you can just call me "beast", I'm not anal like Demik)

I didn't think of that and I don't want a 1x next to my right shift. Either way I just want a case that covers the 1x key spot between the 1.5 mods. I'll probably make the caps lock my function key since I almost never use it anyways and it's an easier reach for me. Plus at work I have all my AutoCAD hotkeys mapped to the caps lock via Autohotkey

[jdcarpe]

That's not a bad idea. I really like cases that cover that area, as well. Put me down for one when you get it designed.

[Parak]

Even if you first put a ground plane, then connect some GND point with a trace to that plane, then save, restart pcbnew and refill the zone?

Well, I don't connect traces to planes typically, although I have in the past for a model F pcb prototype (and what a royal PITA that was) . Either way, they don't disconnect after a reload. DRC is validating stuff just fine. So if I'm doing stuff normally, I label my ground net explicitly in the schematic as GND, then assign the zone to /GND. I bring the zone around the ground pins that need to be connected, and the zone should connect them together, assuming that the traces don't get in the way. If they do get in the way, one could connect pin to pin via a trace on another layer, or do another zone on another layer (which may or may not be a good idea for reasons of interference and such).

[The_Beast]

I'm not sure so I'll ask:

if the bottom row is 1.5 1 1.5 spacebar 1.5 1 1.5, then the spacebar will be 7 unit right?

[mkawa]

DEMIKBEAR!