[GB] GH-122.2016 R1 PCB - Completed!

[HoffmanMyster]

Thanks for the great updates and progress, Ron.    I'm currently planning to use something akin to the Swill-style case you are working on, so I look forward to what you come up with for that. 

[samwisekoi]

Firmware very close and custom cover plate arrived.

Soon!

 - Ron | samwisekoi

p.s.  Attaching a wiring diagram for Metalliqaz.

[merlin64]

Wasn't in the buy because I would never be able to use a board this big without incurring some pain in my shoulders and arms. However I feel compelled to follow this thread, and everyday I wish I would have gotten one, if only to just put on display LOL.

[Maddrake]

Every update makes me want this keyboard more :,(

[tjweir]

PM'd about the final PCB. 

[punkpc]

Every update makes me want this keyboard more :,(

Agree... Please run a round 2

[SpAmRaY]

If somebody wants my spot PM me.

[tjweir]

If somebody wants my spot PM me.

If the remaining PCB is taken, I'll take yours Spamray. 

[samwisekoi]

Hey giant keyboard fans!  Typing this from the testing keyboard, currently almost up and running.  Metalliqaz and I have been chasing down firmware for this big old board for the past year and/or week.  As it sits today, everything except ONE DAMN COLUMN works!  (The problem column contains Numpad 5.) We're trying hardware and software fixes every day, and are getting close.  Close, but no cigar.  (Huge thanks to Metalliqaz!)

Also, I've got a pretty good caseless solution going.  Good enough to use for testing, anyhow.  There is a potato pic on my Instagram, with more to follow -- probably more often than posted here.

This board turns out to be pretty sweet to use, so I expect there will be a second run.  Assuming enough people want one, etc.  In the meantime, here is how I'd like to do "trades":

If, to pick a random example, when I ask SpAmRaY for his shipping address, if he gives me an address that includes the real person name associated with, for example, tjweir, I'll ship it as requested, and I won't have to do anything about list management.  I'll just ship boards to places that people want them shipped.

Okay?

Anyhow, best regards from the only working GH-122 in existence.

 - Ron | samwisekoi

[tjweir]

Hey giant keyboard fans!  Typing this from the testing keyboard, currently almost up and running.  Metalliqaz and I have been chasing down firmware for this big old board for the past year and/or week.  As it sits today, everything except ONE DAMN COLUMN works!  (The problem column contains Numpad 5.) We're trying hardware and software fixes every day, and are getting close.  Close, but no cigar.  (Huge thanks to Metalliqaz!)

Also, I've got a pretty good caseless solution going.  Good enough to use for testing, anyhow.  There is a potato pic on my Instagram, with more to follow -- probably more often than posted here.

This board turns out to be pretty sweet to use, so I expect there will be a second run.  Assuming enough people want one, etc.  In the meantime, here is how I'd like to do "trades":

If, to pick a random example, when I ask SpAmRaY for his shipping address, if he gives me an address that includes the real person name associated with, for example, tjweir, I'll ship it as requested, and I won't have to do anything about list management.  I'll just ship boards to places that people want them shipped.

Okay?

Anyhow, best regards from the only working GH-122 in existence.

 - Ron | samwisekoi

The "address remapping" works for me.  @spamray, would you still like to trade your PCB?

[SpAmRaY]

Hey giant keyboard fans!  Typing this from the testing keyboard, currently almost up and running.  Metalliqaz and I have been chasing down firmware for this big old board for the past year and/or week.  As it sits today, everything except ONE DAMN COLUMN works!  (The problem column contains Numpad 5.) We're trying hardware and software fixes every day, and are getting close.  Close, but no cigar.  (Huge thanks to Metalliqaz!)

Also, I've got a pretty good caseless solution going.  Good enough to use for testing, anyhow.  There is a potato pic on my Instagram, with more to follow -- probably more often than posted here.

This board turns out to be pretty sweet to use, so I expect there will be a second run.  Assuming enough people want one, etc.  In the meantime, here is how I'd like to do "trades":

If, to pick a random example, when I ask SpAmRaY for his shipping address, if he gives me an address that includes the real person name associated with, for example, tjweir, I'll ship it as requested, and I won't have to do anything about list management.  I'll just ship boards to places that people want them shipped.

Okay?

Anyhow, best regards from the only working GH-122 in existence.

 - Ron | samwisekoi

The "address remapping" works for me.  @spamray, would you still like to trade your PCB?

Sure however I'm not sure what extra shipping costs there might be to canada?? @samwisekoi probably didn't think about that.

[Maddrake]

Im still down if anyone wants to give up there position. Down for a giant keyboard

[tjweir]

Hey giant keyboard fans!  Typing this from the testing keyboard, currently almost up and running.  Metalliqaz and I have been chasing down firmware for this big old board for the past year and/or week.  As it sits today, everything except ONE DAMN COLUMN works!  (The problem column contains Numpad 5.) We're trying hardware and software fixes every day, and are getting close.  Close, but no cigar.  (Huge thanks to Metalliqaz!)

Also, I've got a pretty good caseless solution going.  Good enough to use for testing, anyhow.  There is a potato pic on my Instagram, with more to follow -- probably more often than posted here.

This board turns out to be pretty sweet to use, so I expect there will be a second run.  Assuming enough people want one, etc.  In the meantime, here is how I'd like to do "trades":

If, to pick a random example, when I ask SpAmRaY for his shipping address, if he gives me an address that includes the real person name associated with, for example, tjweir, I'll ship it as requested, and I won't have to do anything about list management.  I'll just ship boards to places that people want them shipped.

Okay?

Anyhow, best regards from the only working GH-122 in existence.

 - Ron | samwisekoi

The "address remapping" works for me.  @spamray, would you still like to trade your PCB?

Sure however I'm not sure what extra shipping costs there might be to canada?? @samwisekoi probably didn't think about that.

I'll pay the difference.  Such is life in he north

[samwisekoi]

Ok, apparently I made things worse, not better.  Also, I am surprised that there are trades already!

However, my list is still in the form of a simple list.  So it is probably better to make this official.

Rule to Change Spots on The List:

1. Current listed person send me an e-mail saying please give my spot to Geekhack user {joebob}.
2. I will reply to confirm.
3. I will remove your name from its current position and add the new user to the bottom of the list, and allocate your $65 to the new user.
4. I will deal with the new user from then on, including asking for payment for postage.
5. Please take care of payments, swaps, etc. between yourselves.
6. Also, please note that from your perspective, this procedure only has one task for you: send me an e-mail.

TL;DR Send me an e-mail if you want to give your position and money to someone else.

 - Ron | samwisekoi

p.s.  Did I mention I want you to send me an e-mail?

[Venatorious]

The good news, bug #1, and how to watch testing in real time.

The Good News:

It fits into the Unicomp PC-122 Case!  Yay!

Bug #1:
The pads for the ISO Enter are 0.094" offset to the left.  I've already fixed this for any next run AND it can be fixed for these boards.  ANSI is fine, but the fix to this rev is a one-way street, and once modded for ISO, ANSI will be a problem.

Once I mod mine for ISO Enter, I'll mod anyone else's as desired.

Follow Testing in Real Time:
I'll be posting photos to Instagram way more often than here, so follow me there if you want to watch in real time:

https://www.instagram.com/samwisekoi/

Cheers, y'all!

 - Ron | samwisekoi

Oh wow, I would have gotten one of these if I knew it was gonna fit a Unicomp case.  I should have read more 

[Data]

Can it be giant keyboard time now?   

[samwisekoi]

Can it be giant keyboard time now?   

Yes.  This morning Metalliqaz and I have achieved 100% functionality.  I have built a complete configuration and am using the GH-122 for at least a full day to make sure it is solid.  At some point I will do a test install in the Unicomp PC-122 case, but I think that will be fine. The Swill "case" is working for me, although it is very muted.  (Browns with PBT keycaps sound like rain drops when I type.)

Anyhow, I am going to pound on this and then finalize the R1 mods that I will do before shipping each board.

FYI, at the moment I am using this with an ANSI Enter key.  Is there anyone on the current list who wants or needs an ISO Enter key instead?

Thanks and best regards,

 - Ron | samwisekoi
Autotyped by my GH-122 keyboard.

[AKmalamute]

Is there anyone on the current list who wants or needs an ISO Enter key instead?

No.

(I mean, no-for-me. Eek, ISO!? Sure, it looks historical but I have not a single such enter key and am not that married to the legacy of the layout. So, ansi-for-me-thankyou)

[Data]

Me no likey ISO.

[blighty]

I am fine with ANSI.  I feel I should have an ISO board at some point, just not now...

Thanks!

Can it be giant keyboard time now?   

Yes.  This morning Metalliqaz and I have achieved 100% functionality.  I have built a complete configuration and am using the GH-122 for at least a full day to make sure it is solid.  At some point I will do a test install in the Unicomp PC-122 case, but I think that will be fine. The Swill "case" is working for me, although it is very muted.  (Browns with PBT keycaps sound like rain drops when I type.)

Anyhow, I am going to pound on this and then finalize the R1 mods that I will do before shipping each board.

FYI, at the moment I am using this with an ANSI Enter key.  Is there anyone on the current list who wants or needs an ISO Enter key instead?

Thanks and best regards,

 - Ron | samwisekoi
Autotyped by my GH-122 keyboard.

[samwisekoi]

OK, the trend is clear.  However if anyone DOES want ISO, please advise me about that.

(This is to say, no more down with ISO replies necessary.)

Thanks!

 - Ron | samwisekoi
Auto-typed by my GH-122 keyboard.

[Venatorious]

Silly question, are there any extra available?  I didn't realize these would fit in Unicomp cases so I didn't order one. 

If not, will there be a round 2 coming soon?

[samwisekoi]

Silly question, are there any extra available?  I didn't realize these would fit in Unicomp cases so I didn't order one. 

If not, will there be a round 2 coming soon?

No extras available, but very likely a second round will come.

 - Ron | samwisekoi

[UTEster750]

Silly question, are there any extra available?  I didn't realize these would fit in Unicomp cases so I didn't order one. 

If not, will there be a round 2 coming soon?

No extras available, but very likely a second round will come.

 - Ron | samwisekoi

Might have to get in on round 2!

[Venatorious]

No extras available, but very likely a second round will come.

 - Ron | samwisekoi

Awesome, now I can join in on the hype instead of feeling regret  )

EDIT: will there be anything new for the R2 PCB?  Possibly LED wiring or bent plate options for the Unicomp case?

[Hak Foo]

I recall it was mentioned being difficult to do MX and ALPS together, probably because of the areas with 92 overlapping keys like the bottom row.

A thought: what if some of the switches were mounted upside down?

I could see it actually being a good way to design some of the more complex areas: for 1.25x modifiers mount switches "normally" and for 1.5x, mount upside down, or vice versa, so you can tell at a glance you haven't accidentally made one 1.5x key amid a row of 1.25s.

[Venatorious]

Alps would be a godsend, if this happens I will be very happy!

Take a look at Duck Eagle PCB, you can combine them in one 

[merlin64]

If it fits in a Unicomp case, will it fit in the equivalent IBM case?

[samwisekoi]

About a possible round 2:

The board already supports a separate 2x12 function bank, which is what the Unicomp case requires.  I do not know if it would fit an "IBM case", but I believe the Unicomp case is the IBM Model M case.  I cannot speak for the Model F, but you shouldn't put this board in that case anyhow!

Also, the current board already allows a full bend, which was very restrictive for trace runs, and may be removed for future rounds.  We'll see.  I'll certainly keep the PC-122 compatibility, however.

The problem with Alps is that both leads are on the same plane.  That makes Alp switches interfere with themselves if (for example) a 1.50 and 1.25 bottom row is supported.  Could I reverse ONE of the two Alps switches in such a scenario?  Maybe.  I will commit to taking a look.

Backlighting doesn't thrill me, and even a Teensy++ doesn't have enough pins to provide very much control.  Basic all-or-nothing backlighting with level control is about it.  Also, the number of switches on the board means that the power consumption of backlighting exceeds USB specs.  But again, I will commit to taking a look.  I may provide expansion pads to enable someone else to use the indicator LED pins to control a more complex backlight system on a daughter card.  I will try and run ground for LEDs at every switch position.  We'll see.

But right now I am focused on prepping 23 round 1 PCBs for shipment.

 - Ron | samwisekoi
Auto-typed by my GH-122 keyboard.

[Spaceman1200]

Thanks for the update samewisekoi

[blai5000]

Regarding the power limitations of adding full LESs for Round 2, would the use of USB3.0 vs 2.0 make a difference, assuming that is possible?

[metalliqaz]

Regarding the power limitations of adding full LESs for Round 2, would the use of USB3.0 vs 2.0 make a difference, assuming that is possible?

the problem is that you want it to work on USB 2 ports, and the official spec says that each device may only use 0.5A at 5V.  Having said that, most users don't care about the spec, and go full gonzo with the power consumption, and I believe that almost all USB ports these days go on to supply the requested power without much complaint, probably up to 1A.  That's 5W of power.  That is comparable to a typical LED light bulb's power consumption.

Now, I scaled the resistors on my Zeta build to stay within the 0.5A spec, and they came out pretty bright.  That's 87 LEDs.  122 LEDs should be doable in my opinion.  Say, with 470ohm resistors.

[LukStarkiller]

Add the possibility to add a second USB port to get more current, another possibility is to use an Y cable like a lot of devices do, so you can get current from two USB ports on the computer to one in the keyboard.

I'm interested on the second round, I want backlight but I know the best idea is to make it optional.

[samwisekoi]

What the heck happened to samwisekoi and the GH-122.2016?

So, as you know, after way too much effort, Metalliqaz and I got the first batch of GH-122.2016 PCBs working.  And they work just fine.

However, there are some cuts, jumps, and changes that need to be done to each PCB to make them work.  And as you know, I have committed to make those fixes before I send any of the PCBs out.

However...

After much experimentation and reflection, I have decided that I cannot send out two dozen awesome PCBs with a functional-but-ugly backside.  One or two jumps I could send, but these were too much. And even if 100% of the early adopters could deal with the boards as-is, there is no telling where these will end up in the future.

So.

I have just rejected my own first run of PCB and placed a second order with all of the updates and fixes in place from the foundry.  This is an expensive lesson, but I felt it was important to send out the very best boards I could send.  Especially to the group of people who paid up front to be in the first round of a really cool PCB.

I think the next batch will be fast, and we already have firmware, so they should be able to come in here and get sent out quite quickly.

So there you have it.  A fixable error that I am going to replace with new instead of sending out repaired boards.  Hopefully the 24 people in the first round will see this as a positive step.  If not, please send me a PM and we'll sort it out.

Thanks and best regards,

 - Ron | samwisekoi

p.s. Sorry for the potato pic.  It was what I had close to hand to take this picture.

[blighty]

Would you like us to send some more $$ to help deflate your costs?

[tjweir]

Would you like us to send some more $$ to help deflate your costs?

+1

[Maddrake]

Possibilty of being able to buy the old gne 1 pcbs at a discounted price. Im alright with a board with jumper wires

[blighty]

Possibilty of being able to buy the old gne 1 pcbs at a discounted price. Im alright with a board with jumper wires

Us R1 peeps should have dibs.  )

[AKmalamute]

Alternately, for us R1 early-adopters, any chance we can get both the broken, and fixed boards in the same envelope...?

Not likely to _deliberately_ buy a second one, but given a chance like this ...

[Data]

I don't mind receiving a clean board with the included fixes.  I'm eager to get started on this but I'm also not exactly in a hurry.  I still need to get my Teensy and a pack of diodes & resistors.  So no pressure.  And if you're taking donations to ease the pain please give us a link. 

[Venatorious]

Hey could you make a few changes and include alps in the second run? Thanks 

[Niomosy]

Hey could you make a few changes and include alps in the second run? Thanks 

Let's throw in a split option to make an Ergo-122 board as well

Seriously, though, I'd really consider one.

[WNovizar]

Please send me the broken PCB together with the fixed one. Good chance for me to practice some soldering...

[Dee1]

Would you like us to send some more $$ to help deflate your costs?

I have the same question.

[Spaceman1200]

Don't be shy

[Maddrake]

I have some 32 awg enameled wire. I wonder if that would make the board with some rework look little more clean looking?

[Data]

Looking for a good source for Cherry PCB stabs.  I really need to order a whole bunch and just stock up...  Digikey and Mouser both have part numbers for them but neither has them in stock.

[blighty]

Looking for a good source for Cherry PCB stabs.  I really need to order a whole bunch and just stock up...  Digikey and Mouser both have part numbers for them but neither has them in stock.

http://stores.ebay.com/Doyu-Studio?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

This seller sells 2, 6.25 and 7u stabs.  Gateron switches too.  It took 9 days from order to arrival to get a package from them.  Stabs/switches worked great in my octagon V2.

[Norman_the_Owl]

Looking for a good source for Cherry PCB stabs.  I really need to order a whole bunch and just stock up...  Digikey and Mouser both have part numbers for them but neither has them in stock.

http://stores.ebay.com/Doyu-Studio?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

This seller sells 2, 6.25 and 7u stabs.  Gateron switches too.  It took 9 days from order to arrival to get a package from them.  Stabs/switches worked great in my octagon V2.

I'll vouch for them too, that's where i ordered from. Relatively fast shipping considering it's from Taiwan

[Data]

Thanks guys.  Ordered 4 sets.  They're a little on the pricey side but the shipping balanced it out.