hi guys,
i got a new controller for my happy hacking keyboard professional, aka pro1. this is the older brother of the popular HHKB Pro 2. there are relatively few differences, the main ones being the lack of USB hub and the placement of the USB jack (it is closer to the right side on the pro1). because of these differences, the original TMK hhkb pro2 controller is incompatible with the older keyboard.
however! hasu, the creator of the tmk firmware and controller, also happens to have a pro1, and a few months after the pro2 controller was released he contacted me saying he had finished a replacement controller for the pro1!
fast forward a week, and i have received the controller safe and sound all the way from japan. installing this controller is a pretty easy mod and it comes flashed with a layout already so you can test it quickly. compared to installing dental bands on the sliders of the pro1, this took maybe 1/10th of the time and i encountered zero problems from start to finish. when you don't have to remove the heavily-secured PCB from the case it makes things a lot easier - i dealt with 4 screws instead of close to 20
Step 1: remove the three screws from the bottom of the case, near the back side:
Step 2: gently separate case starting from the back but DO NOT pull it apart quickly. you'll see why in a sec. keep the halves pretty close together for now and lift the top half of the keyboard up just a bit to release it from the bottom half via the press-fit tabs
Step 3: lay the top half flat so the keyboard is "open" like a book, but keep it overlapping the bottom half. this is because the connector cable is pretty short. here you can see the controller resting in it's little cubby.
Step 4: remove the connector cable from the controller but leave it plugged into the key pcb. here's a closeup of the connector:
and here it is coming out of the controller. please do NOT pull it by the wires but instead gently work it out of the controller by gently pulling the connector itself by the sides until it comes out. i just held it by the wires for a clear picture.
Step 5: one more screw to remove. don't eat this.
Step 6: from there you can start coaxing the old controller out. you need to lift it from the back side because there is a plastic tab near the front to hold it in place. you can try turning the whole thing upside down or remove the DIP cover and push, whatever works easiest for you.
intermission: here's the old controller. so complicated! so fancy! the pinnacle of capacitive keyboard control! or is it???
but wait, what's this?
oooh so shiny
Step 7: back to work maggots. connect the controller. the connector only goes in one way! easy. as. pie.
Step 8: slide the controller in from the front first - that darn tab. here's a picture without the connector so you can see the tab. i recommend installing the connector first though!
Step 9: don't forget that screw
Step 10: guide the press fit tabs on the front of the case into their lil nooks and crannies on the back side of the case, then bring the two halves together just like when you took them apart. you might need to apply some pressure on the front half of the case to snap everything into position. then screw the 3 case screws back in and you're golden! fire up a terminal, run git clone
https://github.com/tmk/tmk_keyboard.git and get started modifying your new happy hackable keyboard!
