geekhack
geekhack Marketplace => Interest Checks => Topic started by: linuxleah on Thu, 27 May 2021, 10:42:27
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Thanks to posts in https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=94144.50 alerting me to the existence of Elmo's excellent AEK II USB boards (https://github.com/kb-elmo/aek2_usb), I am now getting another run of these boards made.
The replacement PCBs will be BLUE (Elmo's original run were black) and RoHS compliant.
Costs will be:
* Bare board: $9.83 plus actual shipping. This is at-cost to what I pay. (This includes NO components, you bring your own)
* Full DIY kit: $24.70 plus actual shipping. This includes ALL required components— the microcontroller, socket, diodes, resistors, caps, etc. Includes everything else on the parts list from https://github.com/kb-elmo/aek2_usb. Keyswitches and keycaps NOT included, obviously!)
Quantity for the first run is limited to 25.
I am also enquiring with a local PCB manufacturer about pricing for pre-assembled boards with all the diodes etc. already soldered on for you; just add keycaps. This will be hella posh and priced accordingly. It may prove too expensive to be worth doing.
UPDATE: If you want to record your interest in one or more of these boards, please fill out this form! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZv0mbfkkH6BeQkU43G1b9p5FE97ppBlUwAV_HLBnr3wlVlA/viewform
UPDATE 2: Boards are IN PRODUCTION!
UPDATE 3: Posted bill of materials for board kits. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xIoi1NY4xEUkBVAmCkfbwOEND9K612d9HyyrWwcvM5A/edit#gid=0 (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xIoi1NY4xEUkBVAmCkfbwOEND9K612d9HyyrWwcvM5A/edit#gid=0)
UPDATE 4: Boards SHIPPED! ETA Tuesday, Jun 8.
UPDATE 5: 21 of the 25 boards are tentatively spoken for! (18 from form respondents; I'm keeping 3). If you're interested, please get your input in NOW before all 25 are spoken for! Form is at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZv0mbfkkH6BeQkU43G1b9p5FE97ppBlUwAV_HLBnr3wlVlA/viewform (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZv0mbfkkH6BeQkU43G1b9p5FE97ppBlUwAV_HLBnr3wlVlA/viewform)
UPDATE 6: BOARDS HAVE ARRIVED! Still waiting on some of the kit parts, then will open purchases to people who've responded to the form above.
UPDATE 7 (Friday, Jun 11, 2021): ALL THE KIT PARTS ARE IN! Emailing the 20 respondents to the Google Docs form above to collect payment and pre-shipping info.
UPDATE 8: All the kits that have been paid for have been shipped! Once it's been confirmed that none were lost in the mail, excess boards will be made available for purchase at-cost.
UPDATE 9: Build guide (still being finalised) posted at https://docs.google.com/document/d/19sqwCu7ACE26SjBONydI9nCl92Ab2S-r_NPaC7f-ITk/edit :)
UPDATE 10 (Monday, Sep 20, 2021): Second run (green!) PCBs are now available; interest check at https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=114675.0 !
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Update: Order placed! ;D
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May be interested - is this cost just for the bare PCB -- no diodes, resistors/capacitors, controller, LEDs, etc?
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Yeah, just bare PCB.
I suspect it'll cost a small fortune to get pre-assembled boards. Buuuuuut I'm going to ask my local board manufacturers anyways.
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a kit with the bare board and all needed components would be great. they're all through hole so wouldn't be hard to assemble (no smd components)
i'd probably be in for one kit depending on final price and will pass this on to a couple apple friends as well.
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I def am interested in this, have an AEK with me that I am keen on rebuilding and this would be great :thumb:
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I'd like to be included on this purchase. Will you post a link to a Google sheet or something? Thanks!
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Interest form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZv0mbfkkH6BeQkU43G1b9p5FE97ppBlUwAV_HLBnr3wlVlA/viewform !
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Great! Filled it out :D
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I am interested in this. My AEK Split project hasn't gone as I had hoped, and the original PCB from the donor board is knackered, so it would be nice if I could return the caps and switches from whence they came and make the board whole and working again.
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Update: Just approved the production after confirming it's identical to Elmo's original run (except BLUE)! Excited!
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Update: I have posted the proposed parts list for the kits at:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xIoi1NY4xEUkBVAmCkfbwOEND9K612d9HyyrWwcvM5A/edit#gid=0 (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xIoi1NY4xEUkBVAmCkfbwOEND9K612d9HyyrWwcvM5A/edit#gid=0)
REQUESTING REVIEW PLEASE! In general, I am fairly confident that I've chosen good parts, but I could use some more eyes on the proposed bill of materials.
This is all based on the parts list from Elmo's github at https://github.com/kb-elmo/aek2_usb (https://github.com/kb-elmo/aek2_usb) (Where relevant, I referenced Elmo's posted photos to make sure the parts I chose matched the orientation and general design; e.g. that the JST connector has to mount to the board at a 90-degree angle).
With these parts, I would charge $30 + actual shipping for a complete "Assemble It Yourself" kit + board. (I'll be paying just under $15 per kit to acquire the whole load of parts, plus ~$5 for my time counting out all those hundreds of tiny parts, plus $9.83 for the board, ~= $30).
Not bad!
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PERFECT! Sounds wonderful.
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I’m in for at least one kit.
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Update: I have posted the proposed parts list for the kits at:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xIoi1NY4xEUkBVAmCkfbwOEND9K612d9HyyrWwcvM5A/edit#gid=0 (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xIoi1NY4xEUkBVAmCkfbwOEND9K612d9HyyrWwcvM5A/edit#gid=0)
REQUESTING REVIEW PLEASE! In general, I am fairly confident that I've chosen good parts, but I could use some more eyes on the proposed bill of materials.
This is all based on the parts list from Elmo's github at https://github.com/kb-elmo/aek2_usb (https://github.com/kb-elmo/aek2_usb) (Where relevant, I referenced Elmo's posted photos to make sure the parts I chose matched the orientation and general design; e.g. that the JST connector has to mount to the board at a 90-degree angle).
With these parts, I would charge $30 + actual shipping for a complete "Assemble It Yourself" kit + board. (I'll be paying just under $15 per kit to acquire the whole load of parts, plus ~$5 for my time counting out all those hundreds of tiny parts, plus $9.83 for the board, ~= $30).
Not bad!
Looked through the list, and to my eyes it looks good-- though admittedly its been a while since I have done any work looking into through hole components but these seem pretty standard. :cool:
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Interesting, I might order one :)
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UPDATE: Boards SHIPPED! ETA Tuesday, Jun 8.
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looks awesome, i've got a practically NIB AEK II that i'd love to rebuild with this
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UPDATE: 21 of the 25 boards are tentatively spoken for! (18 from form respondents; I'm keeping 3). If you're interested, please get your input in NOW before all 25 are spoken for! Form is at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZv0mbfkkH6BeQkU43G1b9p5FE97ppBlUwAV_HLBnr3wlVlA/viewform (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZv0mbfkkH6BeQkU43G1b9p5FE97ppBlUwAV_HLBnr3wlVlA/viewform)
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Update: I have posted the proposed parts list for the kits at:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xIoi1NY4xEUkBVAmCkfbwOEND9K612d9HyyrWwcvM5A/edit#gid=0 (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xIoi1NY4xEUkBVAmCkfbwOEND9K612d9HyyrWwcvM5A/edit#gid=0)
REQUESTING REVIEW PLEASE! In general, I am fairly confident that I've chosen good parts, but I could use some more eyes on the proposed bill of materials.
This is all based on the parts list from Elmo's github at https://github.com/kb-elmo/aek2_usb (https://github.com/kb-elmo/aek2_usb) (Where relevant, I referenced Elmo's posted photos to make sure the parts I chose matched the orientation and general design; e.g. that the JST connector has to mount to the board at a 90-degree angle).
With these parts, I would charge $30 + actual shipping for a complete "Assemble It Yourself" kit + board. (I'll be paying just under $15 per kit to acquire the whole load of parts, plus ~$5 for my time counting out all those hundreds of tiny parts, plus $9.83 for the board, ~= $30).
Not bad!
Hi there :)
Most of the parts in the list are correct.
However some aren't quite the right ones.
The parts that should get changed are:
- For the AVR connector it's better to use a right angled one. A vertical one is too tall to fit inside the case. https://octopart.com/61200621721-w%C3%BCrth+elektronik-32855457
- The JST connector is a S4B-PH-K-S. The one currently in your list is a B4B-PH-SM4-TB which uses a different plug. This is the correct one: https://octopart.com/s4b-ph-k-s+%28lf%29%28sn%29-jst-5373077
- 16Mhz crystal should be HC-49S package type instead of HC-49USX. This one works: https://octopart.com/as-16.000-18-raltron+electronics-973373
- 4.7uF capacitor C1 needs to have 2.5mm lead spacing instead of 2mm. This one could be used instead: https://octopart.com/eca-1hm4r7i-panasonic-39478610
- 100nF Capacitors C2 and C3 should have 2.54mm lead spacing instead of 5.08mm. https://octopart.com/c315c104m5u5ta-kemet-83288
- For the resistors I would recommend to use metal film instead of carbon film composition due to their lower tolerances. Wattage doesn't really matter for this use case.
- 10k: https://octopart.com/mf25+10k-multicomp-2697429
- 68r: https://octopart.com/mf25+68r-multicomp-5364489
- 1.5k: https://octopart.com/mf25+1k5-multicomp-5372506
(Don't get confused by the product pictures on Octopart. They are mostly just placeholders and often times wrong)
GLWGB! :D
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Awesome! I will order the replacement parts. Price of the kit will remain the same; I'll chalk this up to my own stupid error and either find a way to return/exchange the parts, or just keep em for other projects.
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Ordered replacement parts. Updated bill of materials: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xIoi1NY4xEUkBVAmCkfbwOEND9K612d9HyyrWwcvM5A/edit#gid=1152068506
(Note "Final" tab; changed parts are highlighted in yellow)
Thanks again to Elmo for his feedback!!! And, of course, for designing this beautiful board in the first place! :D
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great.
thanks @linuxleah & @elmo
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Update: ETA for bare boards Tuesday. Updated spreadsheet of parts (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xIoi1NY4xEUkBVAmCkfbwOEND9K612d9HyyrWwcvM5A/edit#gid=1152068506) with on-hand status of parts. Some have arrived; others have not yet arrived.
Hopefully we should be ready to collect moneys and ship kits by EOW next week.
Preferred payment method will be Paypal (you will have to add a few percent extra to compensate for Paypal fees on my end).
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awesome.
Preferred payment method will be Paypal (you will have to add a few percent extra to compensate for Paypal fees on my end).
...as expected. all good.
thanks again!
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BOARDS ARE HERE! Still waiting on kit parts. Should have the kits ready to ship within a week.
Here are some teaser photos. That "pear x Elmo" logo is so shiny!
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nice!
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UPDATE: Just one shipment to go before we have all the parts for the kits... and it's ETA today!
Another update, but not so fun: The cost for a pre-assembled board would be.......... high.
On top of the $24.70 for the board and components, the assembler would charge us a minimum of $157.08 per board to assemble them, and that's if *20* of us opt for this service. And this is the CHEAPER of the two services I contacted. The others would be over $200 per board.
If we want 10 boards assembled, the cost increases to $175.37 per. (See attachment.)
Is anyone interested in this service, given the high cost involved?
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no, not interested. if it was an smd controller that might be an issue, but this is all through hole, so shouldn't be bad at all to put together.
i'm not any of the known builders, but i'd offer to do the components if any of the buyers are not confident they could complete the task (supporting the apple fans however i can).
of course, only after i put mine together & test, since i have not built this specific board before. don't know what would be fare, plus you'd have the shipping back & forth from wherever they are located.
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Thanks for offering, nevin! :)
I'd offer too, but my soldering skills aren't the best. (They are "adequate" at best)
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looks awesome, i've got a practically NIB AEK II that i'd love to rebuild with this
Curious what would be the reason for rebuilding a good condition board would be. Just for modern connectivity?
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yeah, you can do most with hasu's adb converter, but there are a couple snafu's with the original pcbs... you can't differentiate left from right on some of the modifiers, ....they are electrically the same switch.
plus, a little cleaner/simpler with cables etc, unless you were going to build the converter into the case which many have done.
and any full size qmk compatible pcb is more than welcome as there are not many out there.
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Yikes, at that price I'd definitely assemble the board myself. But you for looking into it!
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looks awesome, i've got a practically NIB AEK II that i'd love to rebuild with this
Curious what would be the reason for rebuilding a good condition board would be. Just for modern connectivity?
more or less, i prefer orange alps to damped cream so i was planning on rebuilding with those and figured i might as well use a brand new pcb. that said it probably makes more sense to try and get my hands on an extra plate so i can keep the original assembly intact
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i may have one i could part with, would want to keep the stabs though ... probably have a couple parts laying around that should go to a new home.
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Ladies and gentlebeings, the kits are READY TO SHIP!
I will be emailing everyone who responded to the Google Docs form through today— 20 respondents, though one seems to be a repeat (so, probably 19).
Kit contents are attached. You get what's listed in the "Qty Per Kit" column on https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xIoi1NY4xEUkBVAmCkfbwOEND9K612d9HyyrWwcvM5A/edit#gid=1152068506. That is, the bare board, plus all the following parts:
1 ATmega32A 40 pin DIP (32L works too)
1 40 pin DIP socket
1 2x3 pin header 2.54mm (for ISP flashing)
1 JST PH 2mm 4pin connector
1 ... + JST cable for above
1 USB breakout PCB
1 500 mA polyfuse
2 6mm momentary push buttons
1 16 MHz quartz crystal
1 4.7 uF electrolytic capacitor
2 100 nF ceramic disk capacitor
2 22 pF ceramic disk capacitor
1 10 kΩ resistor
2 68 Ω resistor
4 1.5 kΩ resistor
3 5mm LED (for the lock indicators) - BLUE option
3 ...WHITE option
2 3.6 V zener diode (DO-35 BZX55C3V6)
105 universal switching diode (DO-35 1N4148)
...plus 5 or 6 spare diodes.
I will be emailing everyone who responded to the form with the following questions:
1) How many BARE BOARDS do you want ($9.83 per, limit 2 per person)
2) How many FULL DIY KITS do you want? ($24.70 per, limit 2 per person)
3) What country are you located in?
4) What is your zipcode or postcode?
I will then send you an invoice via PayPal for the boards/kits and actual shipping costs.
Everyone will have through 11:59:59pm PDT (UTC-7) on June 30 (so, end of month) to pay the invoice. After that, I will open up any boards/kits not yet spoken for to a group buy.
Offsite backup of the kit content images (doubles as a handy component identifying guide for some of the resistors and caps): https://imgur.com/a/HVxeMiB
If you have not received an email within the next 24 hours, please Message me here. You can also reach me via email at linuxleah (at) gmail (dot com).
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Sent out all the emails. Whew! Everyone who expressed interest on the Google form, please check your inbox. If you have not received a message, message me here, or hit me up via email at linuxleah (at) gmail (dot com)
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Ordered the shipping supplies too. My spouse and I are experienced eBay sellers; these will come WELL packaged.
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Update: 12 of the 25 boards claimed and fully paid! (3 by me, 9 by others)
Get in your payments if you want in on this run.
If (when) these sell out, I may do a second run. The second run would be identical, but with GREEN boards instead of blue. I'd probably wait 6-12 months before the next run.
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Update: I have assembled the first of my boards, and I can confirm that they work great! Plus a bonus shot of my purpose built ROM flasher. Looks incredibly janky but works great.
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NICE!
absolutely nothing wrong with function over form.
thanks again!
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Update: Assembled the component kits, now packaging boards and kits for shipping! If you paid you should be receiving a tracking number by tomorrow. (There was one payment that was still pending from a person in the UK; that one may get a tracking number a day or so later.)
By the time you receive your board, I will have posted assembly notes based on my own experiences building these boards… As well as an additional means of controlling the board with a Teensy! (if you want to attempt this route, order a Teensy++ 2.0. and be sure that you have a spare Mini USB (NOT micro!) cable to disassemble for parts.)
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thanks for the update.
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thanks for the update.
Not a prob! I see your name on the list, btw; you should be getting a tracking # within an hour or three :)
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oh, it's fine. no rush. mine isn't even totally apart yet.
...btw, communication on your end has been excellent.
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Thanks! I aim to please. ;D
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Whew! That’s a lot of boxes. My cart overfloweth.
If you bought a board and have not yet received a notice via PayPal that your item has shipped, email me (linuxleah at gmail dot com).
Also pictured: With every board, I’m including a little Elmo head sticker, in case you want to tag your PCB or keeb. It’s Elmo’s board, after all!
IF YOU MISSED OUT ON THIS ROUND OF BOARDS: Good news, another run of 25 is already in fabrication! That round of boards will be green, rather than the blue of this run. (I will post a group buy link when they’re here. Like this run, they will be sold at cost.)
Everyone who wants a modern USB PCB in this fantastic keyboard should be able to get one, and I’m glad to be able to help everyone obtain such boards.
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GOT MINE! YAY!
would love to start it this weekend, but probably won't get to it till next weekend.
thanks again @linuxleah
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No probs!
I should have the assembly guide up later today.
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oh, no worries. i wasn't pushing for that. board is very clearly labeled what goes where.
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Yeah, Elmo did a fantastic job.
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Update: Build guide (still being finalised) posted at https://docs.google.com/document/d/19sqwCu7ACE26SjBONydI9nCl92Ab2S-r_NPaC7f-ITk/edit :)
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Are the still any kits left/plans for a 2nd run?
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I already have a second run of boards in-stock. :-)
In a few weeks, as soon as I'm reasonably sure that nobody's board was damaged in-transit, I will be putting up a group buy for kits based on the second run of boards. (They are green, as opposed to the first run, which are blue.)
I will also be offering up any of the blue boards I still have left.
All boards and kits will forever be sold at-cost. I believe the green boards worked out to ever so slightly cheaper than the blue boards, though I'll admit the colour is not as nifty. :)
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Thats great news! I'll definitely be in for one! (maybe 2 because it'll be my first solder project) Are you going to make another thread or just continue this one?
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mine arrived unscathed. well packaged. thanks for the extra effort @linuxleah
haven't built mine yet. have a bunch of mods to the case/plate floating around in my head....
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I'm going to make a new thread and link to it from this thread.
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Evening! I just got around to build the board and so far its fantastic, very refreshing to have QMK. Where can I find the VIA hex to flash? Also, do I need to press the reset button or is there a hot key wired to reset when flashing? cheers!
Edit: I believe I found the right file, the kb_elmo_aek2_usb_via.hex. However when I hold down boot, hit reset, then release boot; i never seem to enter flashing mode (as what Im used to doing with QMK toolbox and being able to flash that hex. Im probably just doing something wrong though
Edit2: So I think actually the bootloader may be corrupted; the flashed keymap works well but anytime I try to pull up the bootloader, either by esc then plugging in or pressing the boot and reset keys, it just goes blank and then back to the normal keymap.
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Hmm. I DID have a bit of a problem flashing those chips, but it's been months at this point; Elmo himself probably knows more than I do. Can you ask him? (FYI: I informed elmo via reddit private message; hopefully he'll show up here. In the past he's been very responsive!)
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Sad I missed this. Any plans on doing another production run in the future?
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Sad I missed this. Any plans on doing another production run in the future?
Actually, some new boards are already ready and in-hand. I'll be listing them for sale, with or without component kits, within a week or so.
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Second run (green!) PCBs are now available; interest check at https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=114675.0 !
Go git yew some boards! ;D :D ;D
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Sad I missed this. Any plans on doing another production run in the future?
New boards are ready for shipping!
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=114675.0