Well, my "prototype" (non-aluminum tester) board is finally done:
Technically it was done earlier, but thanks to my decision to go back and clean up some flux, things got just a hair complicated. I wasn't really thinking when I did it, and the cleaner managed to make it's way through to the other side of the PCB and under the acrylic plate causing streaking that's impossible to remove without removing every switch. It also managed to make it's way into the switches themselves causing them to no longer click (blues), and to stick. A few hours of alcohol and PTFE dry lube later, the switches are back to 90% of their original state. Good enough until I replace them with something else (Turns out I don't really care for blues all that much. Curse the general shortage of browns!)
As for the streaking? I made lemonade with those lemons. Taking it as the perfect opportunity to test out the plans my sister has for hers when it's made, I went and got some paper that pretty much perfectly matches the keycaps. After a bit of precise cutting, I end up with a result that's really quite nice.
A note to anybody planning on doing something similar: leave nothing hanging on the inside. Not even half a hair's width. The tolerances of Litster's case design are too tight for any margin of error.
Beyond that, I went and added some feet to it to give it a bit of an inverse tilt. but that's all subject to change while I figure out what's best.
Now for things I'm not exactly crazy about:
- Some of the PBT keycaps are ridiculously tight. They're so tight they have ripped multiple switches in half while attempting to pull them off the stem. I've added lube on them this time around, but only time will tell if that helped.
- Litster's case design doesn't have quite enough play around the edges. I can't even get my key puller in where keys meet the case. This wouldn't be too bad if the above issue didn't exist, but still isn't ideal either way.
- The DSA keycaps don't have any homerow centering keys. I'm used to the Kinesis, so this layout isn't exactly hard for me, but I manage to misplace my hands enough without those wonderful homerow keys of the Kinesis.
More random photos
here.