help with Ergodox case design

[tebla]

Hi, I'm making a case for an Erogodox and came to something that I'm unsure about. I'm using the designs from the layered acrylic case by Lister (but have made the plate from aluminium and am making the other layers from plywood, same layer thicknesses as the original design.)

When the switches are fully seated into the plate they push the PCB away from the plate by a little under 1mm. This means that the spacer layer underneath the plate (layer 4) is not actually thick enough for the 'tallest' components on the bottom of the PCB to clear the bottom layer (5).

So I could either construct the case with the thicknesses listed in the design  (with the PCB flat against the plate, meaning the switches would not be fully seated in the plate), or I could increase the thickness of the spacer layer(4) to add more clearance underneath the PCB. (would have to order some more wood.) 

I could well be misunderstanding how the case is supposed to go together. I'm not sure if I explained the issue very well, can take some pictures if that would help.

Thanks in advance, any advice would be muchly apreciated!

[Findecanor]

I had expected you to adjust the case to make the metal mounting plate 1.5 mm thick. Then through-hole diodes should fit in the space between the plate and PCB.

Hmm. The acrylic layers are:
3 mm - Top cover
4 mm - spacer
4 mm - Plate
4 mm - spacer
 - 1 mm space
 - 1.6 mm PCB
 - 1.4 mm below PCB
3 mm - Bottom

You could either:
 - Use surface-mounted diodes on the bottom. (not easy to solder ...), or
 - Put the diodes in the switches: Few keyboards are made this way these days, but this is what Cherry originally intended. They probably still sell switches with pre-installed diodes. Does not work with all modern "RGB switches" though.

Do keep in mind the diode direction!

[tebla]

I had expected you to adjust the case to make the metal mounting plate 1.5 mm thick. Then through-hole diodes should fit in the space between the plate and PCB.

Hmm. The acrylic layers are:
3 mm - Top cover
4 mm - spacer
4 mm - Plate
4 mm - spacer
 - 1 mm space
 - 1.6 mm PCB
 - 1.4 mm below PCB
3 mm - Bottom

You could either:
 - Use surface-mounted diodes on the bottom. (not easy to solder ...), or
 - Put the diodes in the switches: Few keyboards are made this way these days, but this is what Cherry originally intended. They probably still sell switches with pre-installed diodes. Does not work with all modern "RGB switches" though.

Do keep in mind the diode direction!

Thanks, I should have gone with the thinner plate. I think I will just increase the thickness of the lower spacer rather than re-solder all the diodes.

[AKmalamute]

Too, I was given a "spacer" that can be used to cut everything from 1.5mm metal, and hold the pieces apart so it will all fit.
I guess you have to adjust a few of the spacer pieces to make room for the TRRS connector though. I'm using off-board RJ11 jacks so have no personal experience with that problem.

I posted the files I used, somewhere ... might be in my history if you look me up? And I think the spacer was included there.