Hey dudes.
Got an idea for a board that has infested my brain deeply enough that there's no turning back. Gotta happen, would love some suggestions. I love my ADV2 more than I could say, and I want to retain 100% of it's functionality. But I also like MOAR BUTTONS!!! and the Maltron case has always seemed more substantial in some way... although I've never touched one... hopefully it is a bit more solid than the ADV case.
Anyway, basic premise is that I have the guts from a donor Advantage2 that I'll use to run the same 86 keys it's designed to run with a slight re-config for the differing function rows, and then use a teensy or other suitable controller to run the other 24 switches. 6 of the Maltron's 28 central key-cluster will need to be run by the ADV2 controller to make up the missing function keys. This leaves 2 extras in the thumb clusters and the remaining 22 central key-cluster switches for the teensy. The case is going to be a Maltron L89, nice and beige. Getting a few sets of caps from them too... for science.
The two controllers will terminate into a USB hub inside the case so I can hook in both on a single USB cable. Type-C on the hub connector facing the PC. Probably punch out an extra port or 2 from the hub the the case exterior for phone/goPro/thumb-drive. Will also twin the USB connections directly from each controller and extend them to a "service" punch-out on the case exterior to make flashing and diagnostics easier. The Hub will also have an access panel on the bottom for the same purpose.
Will probably run it with DSA in PBT. Maybe G20s for the thumbs and some of the center cluster.
Khila BOX pale blues for alphaNu, Navys for Thumbs, and Orange/yellow for the center cluster.... maybe.. not sure yet.
Here's a mockup showing the controller split. Blue is ADV2, Pink is secondary controller.
And here's the key mockup for how I may configure it. SP DSAs in PBT, Maybe some G20's in there for the stuff I want to avoid hitting accidentally. Macros and the like.
GQN/ beige - Main AlphaNu
WAN/ lightGrey - Highlights
GQT/ darkGrey - Shadows
RBH/ red - Escape
BCT/ blue - Program (The actual "Advantage")
VAZ/ green - Arrows
Will also need to contract some clever-devils here for some sublimation work on a couple WAN blanks.
And that's pretty much it. Would love some suggestions from you exceptional humans on the details.
- What small USB hubs do you like that are HQ and dead reliable? Powered or un-powered. I'd consider both. I like Ankar's stuff alot and it would be neat to punch-out a DC barrel jack to have a full power hub on board that could run arduino/breadboards and such and keep everything accessible on the desk, all nice like. Will probably cannibalize and put it in a custom printed case to hang inside in a good location. Assuming there is one.
- Any issues making a teensy the go to unit for the secondary keys? Any alternatives you like? What's going to be stripped down and dead simple?
- Hand soldered matrix or homemade flexible PCB? What do you like? Would do either, may actually be easier to do the pcb given the interface with the ADV main board via ribbon cables. Would be real sweet to retain that cleanliness even if it adds a month to the build.
- Bling and gadgets? LEDs? Haptics? Thumbscanner? Trackball? Party button? ELT? Fart soundboard? RFID reader?
- Any advice you have on the Maltron insides. I'm super familiar with the ADV2's but am in the blind for the inside of the Maltron. I bet it's not as roomy as it looks in the photos. May have to add a riser to the base?
- Anyone stuffed an ADV2 brain into a Maltron 3D board yet? got any shape files you'd share for a trade of my grandma's secret chili recipe?
This is still the best community on the internet. Thanks for taking the time.