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geekhack Marketplace => Interest Checks => Topic started by: donutcat on Wed, 18 April 2018, 20:09:51

Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 - Now Project BitBang!
Post by: donutcat on Wed, 18 April 2018, 20:09:51
(https://i.imgur.com/r4C9qKe.jpg) (https://i.imgur.com/r4C9qKe.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ieeiSDg.jpg) (https://i.imgur.com/ieeiSDg.jpg)

Welcome to the ScrabblePad PCB, meant to accompany the Novelkeys/JOlimon XDA Scrabble Board https://novelkeys.xyz/collections/frontpage/products/xda-scrabble-board-gb, this PCB allows you to bring your newly-found keycap based Scrabble experience to the next level! Or just make lots and lots of meme macros if that's more your speed, I'm not judging :P

Powered by a Teensy++2.0 this board gives you 225 switches with full NKRO thanks to the normal matrix setup, so faceroll to your heart's content! To crank up the level of ridiculous even more, I've added a header for adding WS2812B RGB strips so you can play Scrabble and have a rave at the same time! And for all you adventurous folk out there, I've broken out the SPI pins on the Teensy++2.0 as well as the 8 remaining interior pins, you can fiddle and add even more goodies to this bad boy, like a small display or other even crazier things!

I've been listening to you guys' feedback as well! I'm planning on adding additional mount spots to the PCB so you'll be able to just mount it to a bottom plate and get to business if you're here for the meme potential instead of Scrabble. Pricing is tentatively set at $20 at 5 MOQ with noticeable savings at higher numbers.

You can show your interest and add feedback at https://goo.gl/forms/sKRkBAlZETtD1Ns83
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: clickityClackity on Wed, 18 April 2018, 20:11:27
Holy ****, I want one if these filled with MX Locking switches!! But I can't justify that project (yet)...
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: 256k on Wed, 18 April 2018, 21:24:47
Yooo dude I’m so happy your project made it :) good luck


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: SpAmRaY on Wed, 18 April 2018, 21:38:40
That'd be cool wall art.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: donutcat on Thu, 19 April 2018, 17:40:59
Alright, figured this'd be a good place to answer some comments I've received on the form since it's got a good number of responses now:
Quote
Requests for a plate or comments about additional mounting points on the board for standalone functionality
Yes, I'm planning to add quite a few mounting points on the board so that it'll be able to be used with just a bottom plate and be sturdy with minimal flex/wobble. To save costs, help MOQ, and make the design work easier on myself, I'll probably just have the bottom plate be a second PCB. Holes will line up perfect and it'll be cheaper than offering a bottom plate of a separate design due to the MOQs for PCB production.

Quote
Alternate colored soldermask


My thoughts were to stay with green since that'd make it the cheapest, especially at small numbers. If there was sufficient interest it could be ran in a different color, but only one.

Quote
Does it ship to *blank*

It'll ship anywhere you want, the question is if you'll be willing to pay the shipping. USPS's change to international mailers may make it a bit pricey, especially as the PCB alone weighs 9.2oz/260g. For example, if I can somehow sneak the PCBs into large envelope class, they'd only be about $11 to Norway, instead of the $23 for package.

Quote
Bundling Teensy++2.0 with it


This is something I'd like to do if I can get the cost down enough to make it cheaper for people.

Quote
"Offer a version with teensy installed"

Not really viable since you have 2-3 switches there that need to be soldered before the teensy. I will be offering my normal soldering/assembly services for this though if you feel like sending switches to me to do it instead of yourself.

Quote
"will it have function layers?"

Like, so many layers, especially since the Teensy++ has 4x the memory of the normal Teensy for more macro space.

Quote
"it'd be incredible if it was hot-swappable"

Kailh sockets are definitely out of the picture since I'm fairly certain I can't fit them in around the Teensy area, plus I don't feel good about them currently. I'll be looking into making sure the footprints I'm using are the right size for holtites since that's easy enough to work with and should give no fitment issues with other components.

Quote
"Too goddamn big"

Oh lad, just wait until you see this next PCB project I'm working on that'll make the ScrabblePad look normal sized.



That should answer most of the questions right now. In other news, I'd like to say that the ScrabblePad now has official QMK support through the QMK Configurator https://config.qmk.fm/#/scrabblepad/LAYOUT thanks to mechmerlin being awesome and shoving that in there basically immediately after he learned about the project!
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: donutcat on Thu, 19 April 2018, 20:53:26
Something new I'm also trying
(https://i.imgur.com/wQUnkIt.png) (https://i.imgur.com/wQUnkIt.png)
Direct fit compatibility for PJRC's MicroSD adapter https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/sd_adaptor.html
This is replacing my current SPI headers with better header layouts and is happening to give the ability for tinkerers to add even more to their builds with easily expandable memory.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: donutcat on Mon, 23 April 2018, 17:02:03
Got the microsd adapter wired in as well as the 16 new mounting points for optimal stability during caseless use.
https://i.imgur.com/KEneFFz.png

I'll be looking to get another round of protos done up soon along with sourcing bits like standoffs and bumpons for those looking to use the PCB without the case.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: emenelopee on Mon, 23 April 2018, 22:57:39
I was going to pass until I read "wall art" which got me interested. I'm at 70% in.

I don't know what your teensy programming skills are like, and whether you want to do more design to add an LED matrix, but if you can get per-key LEDs working and have each key toggle its own light, you can get an excellent LiteBrite together.

(https://earlofevents.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/giant-lite-brite-1.png)
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: donutcat on Tue, 15 May 2018, 15:12:07
Small update, turns out I'm a dumbass and didn't pay attention to the scrabble board case, which this is meant to complement. As it is, the port for the teensy is an interference fit with one of the case standoffs, making them incompatible. Just moving the teensy isn't a viable option so I'm working on a complete redesign of the PCB to accommodate the change in position of the teensy and other components. I'm hoping to have new protos ordered by the end of the week and then moving on from there.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: kakan on Tue, 15 May 2018, 15:18:15
The guy who made that pcb probably thought wtf is going on here the whole time.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: donutcat on Fri, 01 June 2018, 14:52:23
Small update, ordering protos of the new revision later, so I should have them on hand next week. As long as I didn't mess anything up, I'll be ready to look into doing the GB shortly afterwards.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: donutcat on Fri, 15 June 2018, 20:01:38
Updated protos in, waiting to do some partial building before approving them and moving onwards. As long as these are electrically sound I should be ready to move onto GB phase before too long.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: donutcat on Mon, 18 June 2018, 12:07:46
Protos passed the tests, now I'm working on finalizing all GB information before moving on.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: Starius on Mon, 18 June 2018, 13:01:03
Sounds good! 
I've been keeping my eye on this.  Definitely interested!
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: donutcat on Thu, 21 June 2018, 00:56:16
Alright, got some tentative pricing going after redesign and getting the kit components rounded up

PCB - Starting at $20 at 5 units going down to $9 at 500 units ;)
Bare, no components pre-soldered. Requires a minimum of a Teensy++2.0 and diodes to function. Second PCB and mounting hardware can be purchased to use as a plate/case for the working PCB.

"Replica" Teensy++2.0 + header pins - $13.50
Much cheaper than a legit ++2.0 but claims to still even be able to use the Teensy.exe app for flashing. To be used with this board the LED on pin D6 must be removed, which I will do for all ++2.0s ordered through me. Teensys will also be tested by me before being shipped out.

Diodes - $4 for a pack of 250, drops to $2.7/pack at 80 units
Enough diodes for the board and to account for defects. Nothing special.

Bumpons+Screws+Standoffs - $2.5 per pack of 20 bumpons, 18 standoffs, 36 screws, goes down to $2 at 50 units
Pack of bumpons, screws, and standoffs meant to be used with a second PCB to act as a plate/case to make the board a standalone macro pad.


Everything here should be explanatory. These are all of the components I'm currently planning on having available for the GB unless there's a good bit of requests for other components such as the TRRS ports and RGB strips.

After some thinking and mathing I've chosen to go with a replica Teensy++2.0 for this project instead of a legit one. The replica is less than half the price of the PJRC with header pins and should be functionally identical. As mentioned above, part of buying these through me is I'll be testing flashing and functionality of each of these before shipping as well as removing the LED on pin D6, which needs to be done in order to use that pin for the matrix since I have every other I/O pin on the outer edge used.
The header pins included will be a strip of 40, enough for the majority of people to get normal usage out of the Teensy. My assumption is that anyone that wants to get to the inner pins of the Teensy will either have more pins on hand or know to order more on their own. The same logic applies to items such as the TRRS port, RGB strip, and MicroSD reader.

Lemme know your thoughts on the matter.

Edit - Instances of "Knockoff" replaced with "Replica" since someone didn't like the word.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: suicidal_orange on Thu, 21 June 2018, 04:43:49
Knock-off Teensy, you really need another burger rather than supporting the company that made custom boards possible?  A cheaper alternate AT90USB board is one thing, a knock off leeching off the work of others is another entirely...
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: Starius on Thu, 21 June 2018, 06:18:46
Will there be diagrams/instructions on assembly, for those of us who are beginners at such things? (ie, don't know what the hell they're doing.)
Perhaps a youtube video HOWTO might be handy, as well, when the time comes. 

Sounds pretty interesting so far!

Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: donutcat on Thu, 21 June 2018, 13:43:38
Knock-off Teensy, you really need another burger rather than supporting the company that made custom boards possible?  A cheaper alternate AT90USB board is one thing, a knock off leeching off the work of others is another entirely...

That could have been said in a much better way than you did, but nonetheless I'll take the time to respond. "Knockoff" might not be the word I was looking for, but it is an at90usb1286 board with the Teensy++2.0 footprint that uses the Teensy.exe app for flashing than is less than half the cost of an "official" Teensy++2.0. The implication from your statement that I'd be earning more money from the knockoffs is factually incorrect. Since they're cheaper it takes less money to give the ~10% buffer I usually like to maintain in order to have replacements available in case of defects. Plus the benefit of using these controllers is being passed entirely to the buyers, not myself, since they are the ones receiving functionally comparable controllers for a notably cheaper price. My entire goal here is to deliver a product that people want to use at a price that they can afford, and using this controller over the PJRC makes an entire kit at 10 units almost 20% cheaper, even more at higher MOQs.

Will there be diagrams/instructions on assembly, for those of us who are beginners at such things? (ie, don't know what the hell they're doing.)
Perhaps a youtube video HOWTO might be handy, as well, when the time comes. 

Sounds pretty interesting so far!



I can definitely make an assembly guide for the board since some bits might not be as intuitive to others as I tend to find them. I've been meaning to write up a decent guide on the features of the board, so I might make a github for the board that will also have access to all of the QMK files for it.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: emenelopee on Thu, 21 June 2018, 14:42:06
Is everything through-hole or are there any SMDs?
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: donutcat on Thu, 21 June 2018, 15:30:36
Is everything through-hole or are there any SMDs?

Everything is throughhole, but there are SMD pads for the diodes if someone feels like doing them SMD.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: oldcat on Thu, 21 June 2018, 17:03:56
Wondering if we can solder LED lights to this board?
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: donutcat on Thu, 21 June 2018, 17:36:17
Wondering if we can solder LED lights to this board?

You can add an RGB strip to the board but not in-switch LEDs. The large number of switches makes normal LEDs a concern for pulling too much current through both the Teensy itself and the host PC. In the interest of not setting keyboards or PCs on fire, I did not even make than an option.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: donutcat on Sun, 24 June 2018, 12:32:27
Putting the link for the order form here

https://goo.gl/forms/U1JHdfv3AGu7Rn3y2

Orders aren't open yet, but I'm letting people into the form to check and make sure everything that should be there is there and I didn't make any mistakes. After ~24hrs of the form being open and if there's no mistakes, orders will open for realsies.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: Starius on Sun, 24 June 2018, 13:26:39
This whole project is just crazy and it's cray-cray at how I've just been stumbling through it.

I had no interest in the scrabble keycaps..... but then I saw Novelkey's keyswitch pad and I thought, "Wow, that's awesome!  I gotta have that!"
Then I decided, "Well, if I'm gonna get that, then I should get the scrabble keycaps for it too....."
And then I saw this and I was like, "OMG, if I have those other things, I need this too!"

Now some day all of this stuff is going to show up and I'll be bewildered, wondering what I have gotten myself into...
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: jmg123 on Sun, 24 June 2018, 14:21:47

I think you need the ability to select zero for the quantity of anything you don’t want, currently on the form you have to select one of everything to be able to submit.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: donutcat on Sun, 24 June 2018, 14:37:49

I think you need the ability to select zero for the quantity of anything you don’t want, currently on the form you have to select one of everything to be able to submit.

Good catch, I definitely missed that.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: donutcat on Tue, 26 June 2018, 15:22:20
GB thread finally open over at https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=96321.0
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: donutcat on Fri, 18 September 2020, 02:49:37
Tl:dr, ScrabblePad V2: Electric Boogaloo. New potential features WIP:


 - Keep the 15x15 format, though I am vaguely tossing around the idea of stepping up to 16x16 for some interactions there. This would take a great deal of positive feedback to do though since it would involve a more invasive changeup in design.

 - Presoldered diodes - This is the bare minimum I'm aiming for with components. 225+ diodes is just too much bending and soldering alongside the switches and other bits.

 - Different controller - Teensy++2.0 is nice and all, but between price to get them outside of the GB and the out of date hardware, I'd like something newer, functionally stronger, and possibly even a full SMD solution. I may consider ARM since that's the current hotness.

 - Per-key RGB - Yep, you read that right. I want to go full ham and try to do a per-key RGB on a board this size, despite the potential power issues. Will it be tricky? Absolutely, but I think I can get it figured out with help of the fine folks over on the QMK Discord.

 - Hotswap - Kind of a "stretch" goal if you will, something I'd like to consider if there's considerable support and it seems viable space-wise and cost-wise.

 - Encoder support - Alt goal, would be nice to have some encoder spots available if there's pin space. All-key encoder support would be a 10/10 meme though.

 - SPI/Other connectivity breakouts

 - More? - Let me know what you'd be interested in seeing and I'll see what's possible.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 "Why am I doing this" Edition
Post by: vaf1en on Fri, 18 September 2020, 03:37:40
I would be very interested in this.
Joined the hobby after your initial group buy ran, so I only just now got news of the existence of this "thing".
I want to do an interactive wall-art project with this. :)
Will you be gathering interest simply through responses to this thread, or will there be an IC form we need to fill out?
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 "Why am I doing this" Edition
Post by: Shutter_Shock on Fri, 18 September 2020, 11:00:45
I would be very interested in a V2. Presoldered diodes would indeed be excellent. USB-C would be ideal, either from the full SMD custom solution or from the likes of an Elite-C. Per-key RGB would be absolutely killer if possible, but I’d still buy a V2 without it. Hotswap isn’t a huge deal to me. I wouldn’t mind soldering the switches in. VIA support would be fantastic though.

Edit: Also, while I don't mind the green PCB, black might look good? Idk just something to think about.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 "Why am I doing this" Edition
Post by: donutcat on Fri, 18 September 2020, 13:16:06
I would be very interested in this.
Joined the hobby after your initial group buy ran, so I only just now got news of the existence of this "thing".
I want to do an interactive wall-art project with this. :)
Will you be gathering interest simply through responses to this thread, or will there be an IC form we need to fill out?

Just through this thread, and I'll probably organize the feedback somewhere.

I would be very interested in a V2. Presoldered diodes would indeed be excellent. USB-C would be ideal, either from the full SMD custom solution or from the likes of an Elite-C. Per-key RGB would be absolutely killer if possible, but I’d still buy a V2 without it. Hotswap isn’t a huge deal to me. I wouldn’t mind soldering the switches in. VIA support would be fantastic though.

Edit: Also, while I don't mind the green PCB, black might look good? Idk just something to think about.

Funny enough I've got VIA working on existing ScrabblePad, but I think I was waiting for other PRs to go through before I tried adding it. For the PCB color yes, something other than green I'd like to do.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 "Why am I doing this" Edition
Post by: IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES on Fri, 18 September 2020, 14:41:27
Bought round 1
Need to get off ass and build
In for round 2
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 "Why am I doing this" Edition
Post by: Cloods on Sat, 19 September 2020, 02:38:41
what in gods name...
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 "Why am I doing this" Edition
Post by: donutcat on Tue, 22 September 2020, 18:12:06
what in gods name...

(https://i.imgur.com/YA0cL61.png) (https://i.imgur.com/YA0cL61.png)
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 "Why am I doing this" Edition
Post by: Mytherium on Wed, 30 September 2020, 16:20:34
Definitely interested in round 2  :thumb:
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 "Why am I doing this" Edition
Post by: king_krool on Wed, 30 September 2020, 19:44:15
I'm in, can we get a black PCB?
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB
Post by: gorbachev on Thu, 01 October 2020, 02:39:57
As one of the people who did actually assemble Scrabblepad v1 (all blank keycaps, with a firmware that outputs random keystrokes). I'm a resounding yes for having the diodes pre-soldered by the PCB factory.

You should go as big as you possibly can with the v2. 25x25! Use three MCUs if you need to! :) Make it the first desk sized keyboard in the world. Although I think the Soviet nuclear reactor control boards probably had you beat there.

Experiment with different form factors. Tetris block shapes. 2x100. Doubledecker. Cube. Donut/round shape...why you haven't done that yet given your username, I have no idea.

Add a mechanism to rotate the keyboard 90/180 degrees.

Low profile choc switch support would be cool.

BTW, soldering 225 LED chips is a whole another level of hell compared to bending and soldering 225 throughhole diodes. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. If you do end up doing that, please, please use chips that are easy to solder. The sk6812-mini-e (with legs) or the chips with castellated pads would probably work best.

If you do end up adding encoder support, make the layout so that I could smack some ridiculously large knob on it (40mm or larger). Go big or go home! I would prefer that right in the middle of the keyboard.

You also absolutely need to collaborate with a artisan keycap maker to create a miniature scrabblepad artisan for this.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 "Why am I doing this" Edition
Post by: king_krool on Thu, 01 October 2020, 18:21:40
Also 16x16 would be great in conjunction with per key RGB, would be able to use it to recreate SNES tiles/sprite art.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 "Why am I doing this" Edition
Post by: donutcat on Fri, 02 October 2020, 06:10:59
I'm in, can we get a black PCB?

Black is one of the main colors up for consideration along with the other colors I had available for Budget96 plates: white, blue, red, yellow. It's likely that I'll stick with a single color for pricing efficiency but with enough interest two could be done.


As one of the people who did actually assemble Scrabblepad v1 (all blank keycaps, with a firmware that outputs random keystrokes). I'm a resounding yes for having the diodes pre-soldered by the PCB factory.

You should go as big as you possibly can with the v2. 25x25! Use three MCUs if you need to! :) Make it the first desk sized keyboard in the world. Although I think the Soviet nuclear reactor control boards probably had you beat there.

Experiment with different form factors. Tetris block shapes. 2x100. Doubledecker. Cube. Donut/round shape...why you haven't done that yet given your username, I have no idea.

Add a mechanism to rotate the keyboard 90/180 degrees.

Low profile choc switch support would be cool.

BTW, soldering 225 LED chips is a whole another level of hell compared to bending and soldering 225 throughhole diodes. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. If you do end up doing that, please, please use chips that are easy to solder. The sk6812-mini-e (with legs) or the chips with castellated pads would probably work best.

If you do end up adding encoder support, make the layout so that I could smack some ridiculously large knob on it (40mm or larger). Go big or go home! I would prefer that right in the middle of the keyboard.

You also absolutely need to collaborate with a artisan keycap maker to create a miniature scrabblepad artisan for this.

Size/shape - 15/16 is already making it a tough spot for power draw for potential lighting, and going much bigger is going outside the bounds of what is still a somewhat manageable meme board size and cost wise. More "exotic" shapes is something I'd leave for another project entirely but not something I'm opposed to doing eventually. Round is specifically something I haven't done *yet* because square keys/switches don't do well in "reasonable" sized circles, but I've got other stuff that ought to.


Other switch compat would be nice, but can quickly make routing around footprints tricky. I'll look into what I can fit on the board given other plans for it, but I can't make any guarantees at this point.

LEDs - If I do get to do full RGB, my goal is have that among the SMD stuff to be presoldered if at all possible.

Encoders - These are likely to go into switch locations, so fitment of wheels/knobs is likely to depends on just not putting switches around the encoder if you go that route.

Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 "Why am I doing this" Edition
Post by: Shutter_Shock on Fri, 02 October 2020, 12:24:27
Just food for thought. I'd personally want to put a translucent/clear keycap set on this if it's RGB. The Rama Works Grid keycaps come to mind as ideal, but Signature Plastic clear DCS also could be a good, more economical option. I know it's a lot to add to logistics, but if there's a bunch of people buying this board that need 200+ keycaps of the same profile, I'd personally consider joining a GB for 225-256 clear R1 keycaps or something like that. Otherwise, I'm going to be trying to get ahold of 4 sets of Rama Works Grid keycaps in the Noct translucent gray because that on a black PCB with black switch stems and RGB would be sick.

I'm in, can we get a black PCB?
Black is one of the main colors up for consideration along with the other colors I had available for Budget96 plates: white, blue, red, yellow. It's likely that I'll stick with a single color for pricing efficiency but with enough interest two could be done.
I 100% support black. Especially if the board is RGB, a neutral color seems best since the PCB is exposed. A green PCB might clash with whatever colors someone might want to use. I guess white could work too, but I just think black would look best imo. White PCBs don't really do it for me.

LEDs - If I do get to do full RGB, my goal is have that among the SMD stuff to be presoldered if at all possible.
Oh, thank god. I honestly don't think I'd have the motivation to solder 225-256 LEDs. I'm definitely interested in full RGB if it's doable/no totally outrageously expensive, but for me, it would need to be presoldered smd. I'd probably not bother soldering in LEDs, RGB or throughhole, myself. I'm all about low-effort memes lol. If I'm in the minority and it does require self-soldering for RGB, that's fine too. I don't want the project to not get made just because the pre-soldered RGB made it too expensive for some.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 "Why am I doing this" Edition
Post by: Shutter_Shock on Sun, 04 October 2020, 12:20:40
Also, quick question. The original allowed you to use a second PCB as a base. Presumably, that solution wouldn't be appropriate for a V2 with SMD diodes and LEDs pre-installed. Any chance there could be like a plain FR4 base with the appropriate holes for standoffs or something like that?
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 "Why am I doing this" Edition
Post by: zoo on Sun, 04 October 2020, 16:25:08
This looks interesting :)
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 "Why am I doing this" Edition
Post by: king_krool on Mon, 05 October 2020, 11:08:30
What kind of MOQ are we looking at for this to pass interest? I can commit to at least 4 PCBs. Just definitely need per-key RGB and black as a PCB color option.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 "Why am I doing this" Edition
Post by: donutcat on Thu, 08 October 2020, 16:51:54
Also, quick question. The original allowed you to use a second PCB as a base. Presumably, that solution wouldn't be appropriate for a V2 with SMD diodes and LEDs pre-installed. Any chance there could be like a plain FR4 base with the appropriate holes for standoffs or something like that?

Defo something to look into. Could just use non-assembled PCBs for bottom plates but something a bit nicer is definitely not off the list.

What kind of MOQ are we looking at for this to pass interest? I can commit to at least 4 PCBs. Just definitely need per-key RGB and black as a PCB color option.

Really depends on how pricing for assembly works out. Even as low as 10 is possible to just get the board to exist, but obvs higher numbers will make cost much nicer.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 - Now Project BitBang!
Post by: donutcat on Thu, 13 May 2021, 15:57:57
Update time here:

I'm back working on this and a few other PCB projects after that thing I do where I run into a problem and then just shelve the project for months. Here's where I currently sit:

 - 16x16 matrix is a go now. Before I was unsure, but I've fully delved into accepting this is the way to go, especially where routing/planning shouldn't be *that* much more work(famous last words)

 - Per-key RGB is a prime feature now. This'll be a full 16x16 RGB matrix now, and as such I'll be adding in a nice "easter egg" compatibility for an ESP32 controller that can allow fancier control of the matrix via nifty software such as WLED, which I've been working with lately. I'm hoping this allows expanding the market for the board to not just people looking for a meme-size macro pad, but also people looking for LED matrix projects.

 - ARM is certain now. Given that ARM is seemingly a good bit more fleshed out now as far as "what definitely works and what is experimental", I'm much more confident approaching it. This does mean that the project is impacted by the chip shortage since I'm not easily able to order test boards for my bare controller array. But hey, progress still even if it's just "get to the next waiting point".

 - Finally, given the drastic departure from the original project, I've now deemed it appropriate to rename this project and separate it from the predecessor. From this point the board will be the "BitBang", inspired by the heavy focus on the RGB matrix and the primary method to drive addressable RGB.

Looking forward to getting this moving forward as much as I can given current limitations and other projects.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 - Now Project BitBang!
Post by: IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES on Thu, 13 May 2021, 16:59:24
what is a conceivable price point for a bent metal case with some standoffs for these? would anyone other than me want one?
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 - Now Project BitBang!
Post by: donutcat on Thu, 13 May 2021, 17:16:11
what is a conceivable price point for a bent metal case with some standoffs for these? would anyone other than me want one?

So a quick glance showed me ~$90 for a 1off with not much in the way of bulk pricing I could see. The size of this(~305mm*305mm) makes it a bit of a chunky thing to build around. I'll be looking around now though because the size is right in a spot where something premade might be able to be easily adapted.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 - Now Project BitBang!
Post by: king_krool on Thu, 13 May 2021, 18:26:45
Good to see that the project's still alive and happy about the changes, still super eager to see this go forward!
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 - Now Project BitBang!
Post by: IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES on Thu, 13 May 2021, 19:04:45
what is a conceivable price point for a bent metal case with some standoffs for these? would anyone other than me want one?

So a quick glance showed me ~$90 for a 1off with not much in the way of bulk pricing I could see. The size of this(~305mm*305mm) makes it a bit of a chunky thing to build around. I'll be looking around now though because the size is right in a spot where something premade might be able to be easily adapted.

I'm game at that level. I'd pay more for a beefier build as I'd be interested in using it daily.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 - Now Project BitBang!
Post by: MemeScreen on Fri, 14 May 2021, 14:49:54
what is a conceivable price point for a bent metal case with some standoffs for these? would anyone other than me want one?

So a quick glance showed me ~$90 for a 1off with not much in the way of bulk pricing I could see. The size of this(~305mm*305mm) makes it a bit of a chunky thing to build around. I'll be looking around now though because the size is right in a spot where something premade might be able to be easily adapted.

I'm game at that level. I'd pay more for a beefier build as I'd be interested in using it daily.

I would like some sort of case for this. Otherwise it make it harder to use just a raw PCB.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 - Now Project BitBang!
Post by: FishyKeebs on Sat, 15 May 2021, 10:52:13
i need this
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 - Now Project BitBang!
Post by: gorbachev on Thu, 03 June 2021, 19:57:31
- 16x16 matrix is a go now. Before I was unsure, but I've fully delved into accepting this is the way to go, especially where routing/planning shouldn't be *that* much more work(famous last words)

 - Per-key RGB is a prime feature now. This'll be a full 16x16 RGB matrix now, and as such I'll be adding in a nice "easter egg" compatibility for an ESP32 controller that can allow fancier control of the matrix via nifty software such as WLED, which I've been working with lately. I'm hoping this allows expanding the market for the board to not just people looking for a meme-size macro pad, but also people looking for LED matrix projects.

So nice! I'm looking forward to blinding my coworkers with this board.
Title: Re: [IC] ScrabblePad PCB V2 - Now Project BitBang!
Post by: Shutter_Shock on Fri, 04 June 2021, 11:29:21
I missed the update a couple weeks ago, but good to hear that this is still alive. I’m still interested in one when the time comes.