geekhack
geekhack Projects => Making Stuff Together! => Topic started by: Endu97 on Wed, 18 August 2021, 11:42:31
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Howsit everyone,
I've been lurking for quite a while and in that time, I designed and machined myself a 60% case. I was a complete noob(still am) and built up the case with a dz60 and lubed box royals. The build was good enough for me at the time but since then, I have learned a fair bit about keebs and my tastes have certainly matured away from those monstrous switches. :p
Recently, I got my hands on a Discipline 65 kit and thought it was about time that I design and manufacture a second case that incorporates some of what I learned over the past few months. Anyway, here it is, the Caprice 65. I will be posting pics as I go and plan to have a finished v1 in a few week's time. Let me know if you have any comments on the design or foresee any issues that I might have overlooked, I would seriously appreciate some input from the vets out there!!
(https://i.imgur.com/hco74hj.jpg)
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Here are some screens that should help answer questions about the mounting system. I decided to go the same route as Rama with their mute system (you know what they say, imitation is the best form of flattery), simply because it was one of the only designs that worked out in my favour. The fact that the PCB extends past the edge of the plate made designing a gasket mount trickier than I had originally expected.
(https://i.imgur.com/Xlke6va.png)
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(https://i.imgur.com/YvUU3Na.jpg)
Finished up with the first two ops of the top frame. One final operation to go which is drilling and tapping some holes into the 7-degree face.
(https://i.imgur.com/GMAnJfy.jpg)
I think the first plate came out looking great. I plan to make another two, one in brass and another in PC.
(https://i.imgur.com/ub9tFkz.jpg)
These are the rails that fix the gasket and plate to the top frame of the board - they were a nightmare to machine due to the lack of rigidity. I think I may need to add another 2 screw holes to each part to stiffen up the whole assembly.
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After another pretty successful afternoon of machining, the acrylic window is finished. The more I look at this piece, the more obnoxious the branding seems :-\ Let me know if anyone has any thoughts on it or possibly even suggestions on something a little less in your face? It will be positioned above the Disciplines resistors which should help disguise it a little. I'll only really know once I finish up with this unit and get cracking with the build.
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/557254472322121768/877951766744956948/20210819_180936.jpg)
Fresh off the mill!
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/557254472322121768/877952636555509800/20210819_182322.jpg)
After bead blasting with a 30-50 micron glass bead.
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/557254472322121768/877952637151092776/20210819_182328.jpg)
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/557254472322121768/877952765945581633/20210819_182456.jpg)
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This looks really superb. I'm jealous of your modeling / machining skills. Looking forward to seeing a fully assembled proto.
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Cheers and thanks for the kind words. Might as well put what I learn at work to good use on something fun. ;D
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Earlier I started work on a fixture for the second Op of the bottom half of the case and sometimes things just don't go as planned... Only after running the fixture did I realise that there was some interference between it and the part. A few short hours later and I ended up just needing to make an insert to correct the wonky geometry.
(https://i.imgur.com/oDA1AFP.jpg)
helo - This is a closeup of the insert. Yes it looks hella displeased and yeah I know, the tool I used is deeeaadddd. :)
(https://i.imgur.com/uWhih6R.jpg)
The finished vacuum fixture. I don't have access to a 4th axis so this is pretty much the only way to machine features on the 7-degree face without spending hours 3D surfacing.
I should have a finished case in the next day or two after which, I will crack on with moulds for the silicone gasket and bump-ons. ;D
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Wow that case looks beautiful :eek:
Love the logo in the acrylic cover
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Shot Elmo! Awesome 40% project btw :cool:
Everything went very smoothly earlier and I am officially finished with the case's machine work. Now for the bane of my existence... Finishing :'( It's incredibly difficult to find good quality Ano here in South Africa.
(https://i.imgur.com/wh926gK.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/0jDuJm9.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/0NC9aO8.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/VLorPrq.jpg)
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What an absolutely insane looking project. :o
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Thanks haha :D
I wish I had access to a CNC machine so I could make an alu case for it.
Absolutely love your work on this so far.
Looks really awesome!
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That jig is just as impressive as the base of the keyboard.
And for anyone who complains about why custom keyboards (especially lower volume designs) cost so much, this thread is a good example of why. It doesn't matter if you need 1 or 500 you would still need that jig and still have to make design changes and figure out how to actually make it work (just because it works in cad does not mean it works in real life) and requires a lot of of hands on by a person. It's time consuming and not entirely hands off.
Awesome work, Endu97.
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Thanks, everyone!
That jig is just as impressive as the base of the keyboard.
This fixture is actually fairly simple, it just took far more work than it should have after botching the initial design. It is pretty much a 7 degree angled slab of Alu with a vacuum gasket and two faces to reference the part off of. That being said, you are 100% correct about the pricing and volume side of things. Making one-off parts is almost always a time-consuming and expensive undertaking.
So much for being a button pusher! ;) xd
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And for anyone who complains about why custom keyboards (especially lower volume designs) cost so much, this thread is a good example of why. It doesn't matter if you need 1 or 500 you would still need that jig and still have to make design changes and figure out how to actually make it work
Exactly this. I'm pointing people to this thread whenever they ask why bespoke keyboards cost so much. And this doesn't even begin to cover the ano / finishing process
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Incredible, incredible work here! Hoping to see the keyboard built. Such a refreshing design.
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Well, I know it's been a while but I think it's time to share the final results.
After remaking a few of the components multiple times due to finishing issues as well as a few small oversights regarding clearance with the PCB, I finally stumbled upon a winning recipe and all the stars aligned.
(https://i.imgur.com/AQ9YnZX.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/lBPU8CY.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/eKgyBB9.jpg)
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"If I just change this one last thing it would be perfect. Okay, maybe something in between. No, it was better the first way, but I could make it better if I just did this one last thing..."
Yep, I know that story all too well. HAH
Looks great.
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This looks great, man. Very cool to see a custom coming out of Durban as well; would love to see an add-on for an internal speaker that only plays gqom :p
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Hahaha thanks Leslieann & Photekq, gqom65 incoming ;)
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The final result is really beautiful, congratulations!
If I can give you an opinion, I would like to have a more transparent window so that I can see the components clearly - in fact, from the photos it seems to me that they remain unfortunately not very visible.
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Thanks bro, I 100% understand where you are coming from and it's actually more transparent when looked at straight on and in person.
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One more beauty pic for the books.
(https://i.imgur.com/96To4rJ.jpg)
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Wow, this looks very nice. So many fr4 sandwich or stacked acrylic through hole kits out there, it is cool to see one with a case like that.
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Thanks bro! I think there's a lot that can be done with off-the-shelf/existing pcbs which could give some people an 'upgrade' path without having to replace the entire board.
Here are a couple more pics from different angles.
(https://i.imgur.com/A70FOju.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/fm5i2L2.jpg)
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Have you considered running an IC for this?
IYKYK
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Consider it considered
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What a beautiful keyboard! I really love how the acrylic window was implemented; the way it goes right up to the edges makes it look very premium.
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Looks neat, love more options for through hole boards
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Any plans on making a Discipline 65 v1 variant as well? :)
These look awesome, btw!
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Thats look very nice