My Custom 3d printed keyboard

[elgiraffe]

I was going make a guide, but there are plenty of those out there and I don't think I'd have much to add.  If you need step by step I have the links for the 2 guides I mainly used.  Thanks to matt3o over at deskthority.net.  Instead, I wrote up a little bit about doing my build.  Maybe someone will be able to read through this and gleam something.  I'd like to make a tool similar to http://builder.swillkb.com/ that would take the raw data from keyboard-layout-editor.com and spit out the .stl files for keycaps and a case for people to print.  If I get that going, I'll contribute that for sure.

I bought my first mechanical keyboard about 2 months ago.  The first time I sat down at my desk and typed on it I knew I was hooked.  Little did I know what rabbit hole I had fallen down.  Different switches, different clone switches, different layouts, different keycap profiles, different keycap materials...  Oh my... 

I decided I was going to build a custom keyboard.  It didn't take me long to find out I like silent tactile switches (browns, but still need to try clears).  And I wanted a compact layout.  I liked the 60% and the 40%, but wanted something in between.  I present 50ish.  It's basically a 40% layout with arrow keys and a number row added at the top.  I toyed around with more compact designs, but landed on this as my first test.

That was layout and switches decided.  That's the easy part.  Now I had to decide what I was going to make it out of.  At first I wanted to go with metal and decided on aluminum.  I knew that was the way most customs seemed to be made.  I worked for a couple of weeks looking for a local service that could do this and found nothing.  All of the online services I found were ridiculously expensive.  I eventually decided to look into doing it myself.  I decided the best way to do this would be to become a member of the local makerspace (I'm lucky to have one) and utilize those tools. 

Now the makerspace is, in a word, AWESOME.  Holy crap the endless possibilities, but that rant could go on so I'll stop.

I eventually backtracked on the metal idea because I just wasn't going to be able to get the tools needed.  I debated between wood and acrylic and decided to 3d print a numpad to test and because I really wanted to.  It worked great and was surprisingly strong so I decided to go with that for the full keyboard.  I am using PolyPrint 229 3d printers.

Now I needed to design the 3d model for the case.  There are a million ways to do it.  I decided to go with Tinkercad.com.  It is a free 3d modeling tool that is very powerful, but fairly basic.  It is also online so I could do it from any computer.  I started with a block, and made holes where the keys would go.  Then I added slots for the wires and diodes.  Then a spot in the back for the teensy.  I might go into more detail on this later, but I will have a link for the tinkercad projects so you could have a look at what I did.

Now I had to decide on the keycaps.  At this point, I was so thrilled with 3d printing that I thought it might be a cool idea to 3d print the keycaps.  I eventually did it, but this part took the longest by far.  I had to figure out the specifics of my printer so that it would print correctly and consistently without supports and with a cross-post that would actually work on the MX switches.  This took a couple of weeks of tinkering with it since I only had access to the 3d printer at the makerspace, mostly on the weekends.

After several failed attempts and screw-ups, I eventually printed my full keyboard and all of the keycaps.  The switches all fit in perfectly.  I didn't have any stabilizers, so on the RShift key I used a hollowed out 2nd switch as a stabilizer.  It works almost perfectly on a 2u switch.  I tried making the space bar 3u long and that same method did not work as well.  I ended up with 2 1.5 u space bars instead.  Good enough for me...

Once I had all of the switches in the top plate and all of the keycaps on I was on to wiring it.  This was by far the most soldering I have done, but I got it done in a few hours mostly over 1 weekend.  Be sure the diodes are facing the correct direction for the firmware you are planning on using.  I did the wiring for the TMK firmware, but tried using the Easy AVR firmware.  Nothing worked and I couldn't figure out why.  Luckily a user on reddit was able to help me out and I switched to TMK.  It's better anyway and only a little complicated to program.

Once I got it working, I ecitedly plugged it into my computer and played some Payday 2.  I'm pretty much done with it now.  I still need to make the bottom plate, but it is fully functional.  WHOOOOOOOOO!!!!

-Links-
imgur gallery:
http://imgur.com/a/BwHFn

Keyboard Layout:
http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/gists/ce6e9c8f0d7a7c3c9362

Keyboard Case/Top Plate:
https://tinkercad.com/things/f59SVtVzTS4

Keyboard Bottom Plate (untested):
https://tinkercad.com/things/cijIiqCf09q

Keycaps:
https://tinkercad.com/things/i0znQqLER90

-Guides I Used-
BrownFox step by step by matt3o on deskthority.net:
http://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/brownfox-step-by-step-t6050.html

how to build your very own keyboard firmware by matt3o on deskthority.net:
http://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/how-to-build-your-very-own-keyboard-firmware-t7177.html

[njbair]

Looks like you learned a lot! I'll be honest, those caps don't look like fun to type on. But it's a cool layout.

Are those keys larger than the standard size?

[jaffers]

Not printing pancake keycaps https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1853707494/pancakebot-the-worlds-first-pancake-printer

[elgiraffe]

Looks like you learned a lot! I'll be honest, those caps don't look like fun to type on. But it's a cool layout.

Are those keys larger than the standard size?

Thanks.

I learned a ton.  The key's a little rough, in more ways than one.  But they aren't to bad to type on.  I think they are a tiny bit larger than regular keys and as a result the space in between is smaller, but its not noticable for the most part.  There are a couple of keys that stick because they aren't quite straight.

The biggest issue is that this keyboard is very very very very very light.  I will probably eventually make another keyboard with this or a similar layout that is made out of metal or has weights.  I'm going to put rubber feet on the bottom eventually so that it doesn't slide as much.

[vvp]

Nice. If you printed with ABS then you can paint the printouts with acetone. It is quick and it will look better ... like here.
I did a keycap (model) too. But it was without any legend.