Author Topic: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15  (Read 172967 times)

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Offline heedpantsnow

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Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« on: Sat, 15 February 2014, 09:05:10 »
2015.9.4- a small update here.


Continue below for background.  Enjoy!


Hi, guys, I'm always looking for anything I can do to lighten my load when I'm out and about.  I have this quasi-bipolar taste of leather/canvas and carbon fiber/brush metal.  Don't know what to do with that sometimes.

Anyway, many years ago I built a carbon fiber shell for my Macbook that you can read about here.  Man, that was a long time ago.  I've been thinking that it would be cool to have a carbon-fiber base (not shell on an existing base, mind you) for my Poker.  It will also have a titanium plate (thanks mkawa and The_Beast), so that goes along with the "light but awesome" theme.

My question for you guys is this:  would a plate make up for the crappy feeling that often accompanies plastic/lightweight bases?  Would I be shooting myself in the foot by going through all this trouble (and working with CF is a LOT of trouble) just to end up with a keyboard that sucks?  Could I do something like a foam fill or a silicone insert that would counteract that feeling?

What say you, geekhackers?
« Last Edit: Fri, 04 September 2015, 10:41:52 by heedpantsnow »
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Offline SpAmRaY

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #1 on: Sat, 15 February 2014, 09:15:44 »
Depending on clearance between the PCB and plate you could line the case with something like this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002KQY92W

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #2 on: Sat, 15 February 2014, 09:36:37 »
I appreciate the advice, but I'd prefer to take out the cheap feel of a lightweight base without adding much weight.  I feel like the steel weights would add too much.
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Offline SpAmRaY

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #3 on: Sat, 15 February 2014, 09:41:05 »
Ah sorry was just thinking about adding weight to make it heavier.

For stability maybe a dampening mat? Either shelf liner or something similar.

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=53792.0

Offline CPTBadAss

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #4 on: Sat, 15 February 2014, 10:02:02 »
I like this idea. If you can figure out how to marry the plate to the case bottom or create a top and a bottom out of carbon fiber that'd be really cool.

Based on your last mod, it seems like you know your way around CF though.

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #5 on: Sat, 15 February 2014, 10:09:04 »
Thanks, that's definitely an option.  At one time I remember people still filling their case inside with expanding foam.  Do people still do that?  Does it work?
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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #6 on: Sat, 15 February 2014, 10:22:51 »
Thanks, that's definitely an option.  At one time I remember people still filling their case inside with expanding foam.  Do people still do that?  Does it work?

I thought that was done almost as a joke to counter the 'ping'. Personally that expanding foam gets messy fast, I don't think I'd trust myself using it near a keyboard.

Offline CPTBadAss

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #7 on: Sat, 15 February 2014, 10:24:02 »
Thanks, that's definitely an option.  At one time I remember people still filling their case inside with expanding foam.  Do people still do that?  Does it work?

It went ALL OVER the place. It seemed to be hard to control and far messier than it was worth. You can try using EDPM sheets or drawer liner.

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #8 on: Sat, 15 February 2014, 15:33:17 »
OK, thanks for the suggestions.  At one time I had thought about making a carbon fiber plate to go with the bottom, but cutting all the holes and perfecting filing all of them is dangerous work due to the way tiny carbon fiber shards work their way under your skin...and have to be surgically removed :eek:  But the Ti plate will be just as cool I think.  :thumb:

Sounds like I definitely ought to steer clear of foaming the inside and just use sorbithane or shelf liners.  You guys are great!  Thanks for the advice!  :llama:

Any other comments or suggestions?
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Offline luis911

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #9 on: Sat, 15 February 2014, 15:42:15 »
OK, thanks for the suggestions.  At one time I had thought about making a carbon fiber plate to go with the bottom, but cutting all the holes and perfecting filing all of them is dangerous work due to the way tiny carbon fiber shards work their way under your skin...and have to be surgically removed :eek:  But the Ti plate will be just as cool I think.  :thumb:

Sounds like I definitely ought to steer clear of foaming the inside and just use sorbithane or shelf liners.  You guys are great!  Thanks for the advice!  :llama:

Any other comments or suggestions?

Are carbon fiber shards harmful?
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Offline Zeal

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #11 on: Sat, 15 February 2014, 18:09:47 »
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Offline mkawa

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #12 on: Sat, 15 February 2014, 18:19:02 »
Hi, guys, I'm always looking for anything I can do to lighten my load when I'm out and about.  I have this quasi-bipolar taste of leather/canvas and carbon fiber/brush metal.  Don't know what to do with that sometimes.

Anyway, many years ago I built a carbon fiber shell for my Macbook that you can read about here.  Man, that was a long time ago.  I've been thinking that it would be cool to have a carbon-fiber base (not shell on an existing base, mind you) for my Poker.  It will also have a titanium plate (thanks mkawa and The_Beast), so that goes along with the "light but awesome" theme.

My question for you guys is this:  would a plate make up for the crappy feeling that often accompanies plastic/lightweight bases?  Would I be shooting myself in the foot by going through all this trouble (and working with CF is a LOT of trouble) just to end up with a keyboard that sucks?  Could I do something like a foam fill or a silicone insert that would counteract that feeling?

What say you, geekhackers?
hmmmm....  why don't you start with a fiberglass phenolic G10 or G11 base and see what it feels like? otoh the pcb will probably already be G10/FR4, but it's going to be very thin compared to the 1/8"+ you could make yourself (and YES, wear a respirator WHENEVER you're cutting glass or carbon fiber composites!!! the particles are exactly the worst size for lung cilia (the cell formations that pull oxygen out of the air). they're too small to eject via the bronchial tubes, but too large to pass into the blood stream. the result is damage to lung cilia, and lung cilia, like corneal cells, are very fast growers. what that means is that when you damage them, they duplicate and grow back very quickly. it also means that when you damage the RNA carriage mechanisms or base dna they're carrying and they become malignant cancer, they grow _fast_. late stage lunch cancer is almost always terminal.

_always_ be careful around materials with small hard fibrous formations. lung cancer and emphysema is NO JOKE. whatever the work is, it's not worth your life.

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Offline mkawa

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #13 on: Sat, 15 February 2014, 18:23:42 »
wait, sorry, i was talking about g10 bases.

yah, why not pick up some GPO3 or G10 or G11 for a nice thick, but lightweight bottom plate.

UHMW and delrin/acetal GF20 or GF30 are also really good materials that are lightweight but very strong and abrasion resistant.

the titanium is actually going to be a little more springy than stainless (400 series anyway) at the same thickness, so the main benefit is lightweight, and all the materials above keep the weight down while maintaining about the same tensile and young's modulus.

the terrible feeling mostly comes with very weak plastics like ABS formulations. you don't _have_ to have woven carbon to get a strong light composite. in fact, glass fibered thermoplastics tend to be stronger than anything but very high end carbon fiber because they maintain about the same isometric tensile, while a single layer carbon weave will only have high tensile along the grain of the weave.

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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #14 on: Sun, 16 February 2014, 09:52:37 »

hmmmm....  why don't you start with a fiberglass phenolic G10 or G11 base and see what it feels like? otoh the pcb will probably already be G10/FR4, but it's going to be very thin compared to the 1/8"+ you could make yourself (and YES, wear a respirator WHENEVER you're cutting glass or carbon fiber composites!!! the particles are exactly the worst size for lung cilia (the cell formations that pull oxygen out of the air). they're too small to eject via the bronchial tubes, but too large to pass into the blood stream. the result is damage to lung cilia, and lung cilia, like corneal cells, are very fast growers. what that means is that when you damage them, they duplicate and grow back very quickly. it also means that when you damage the RNA carriage mechanisms or base dna they're carrying and they become malignant cancer, they grow _fast_. late stage lunch cancer is almost always terminal.

_always_ be careful around materials with small hard fibrous formations. lung cancer and emphysema is NO JOKE. whatever the work is, it's not worth your life.

Thank you so much for the warnings; I usually wear a mask, goggles, and a rain jacket with the hood up and cinched around my face, and exam gloves.  I've heard stories, and they almost never end up okay.

wait, sorry, i was talking about g10 bases.

yah, why not pick up some GPO3 or G10 or G11 for a nice thick, but lightweight bottom plate.

UHMW and delrin/acetal GF20 or GF30 are also really good materials that are lightweight but very strong and abrasion resistant.

the titanium is actually going to be a little more springy than stainless (400 series anyway) at the same thickness, so the main benefit is lightweight, and all the materials above keep the weight down while maintaining about the same tensile and young's modulus.

the terrible feeling mostly comes with very weak plastics like ABS formulations. you don't _have_ to have woven carbon to get a strong light composite. in fact, glass fibered thermoplastics tend to be stronger than anything but very high end carbon fiber because they maintain about the same isometric tensile, while a single layer carbon weave will only have high tensile along the grain of the weave.

A machined-out G10 base would be DOPE, but I don't think I have access to the proper equipment.  I have a G10 handled Benchmade (knife) and I love it.  The problem is that I don't just want a flat lower plate as a base, I want sides on it.  Can G10 (or the other materials) be glued?  I could glue sides on it then use a router to bevel the edges.  How hard is it to cut?

I'm not familiar with any of the other materials.  And really the only thing I know about G10 is that (I think) it is reinforced aramid fiber in epoxy.  Is that right?

How else could I do it with premade plates and have sides on it?
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Offline Melvang

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #15 on: Sun, 16 February 2014, 12:14:51 »
I love the idea of a cf case.  But if you are going light weight plate mount an aluminium plate would actually be lighter than titanium and depending on the alloy could be stiffer.  That is if I remember my material properties right.
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #16 on: Mon, 17 February 2014, 10:47:37 »
I love the idea of a cf case.  But if you are going light weight plate mount an aluminium plate would actually be lighter than titanium and depending on the alloy could be stiffer.  That is if I remember my material properties right.

I'm not totally convinced of that.  Anyhow, an aluminum plate wouldn't protect the side of the PCB so that's a no go.

One issue I'll have to deal with is that CF is electrically conductive. What other issues can you guys think of?
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Offline Melvang

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #17 on: Mon, 17 February 2014, 11:59:06 »
I love the idea of a cf case.  But if you are going light weight plate mount an aluminium plate would actually be lighter than titanium and depending on the alloy could be stiffer.  That is if I remember my material properties right.

I'm not totally convinced of that.  Anyhow, an aluminum plate wouldn't protect the side of the PCB so that's a no go.

One issue I'll have to deal with is that CF is electrically conductive. What other issues can you guys think of?

I was speaking for the mounting plate.  Not for the case.  But titanium is heavier than aluminum in this case since the part dimensions are not going to be altered here like they are in other industries.  Aluminum is about 168 pounds per cubic foot depending on alloy, and titanium is about 235 pounds per cubic foot.

http://mobilitymgmt.com/Articles/2010/03/01/Aluminum-vs-Titanium.aspx?Page=2

Also here is  web page relating to wheelchairs comparing aluminum to titanium.  A lot of tubing tech in wheel chairs comes from the trickle down concept from the bicycle industry.  In that industry aluminum, titanium, and carbon fiber have been used for a number of years.  To get the same stiffness in a titanum frame that you would get with an aluminum frame you have to make the tubing a lot larger and go with a thinner wall to increase the surface area enough to get to the same stiffness.  A number of years ago I was lusting after a specific MTB frame from a company named Ibis.  The frame was the Bow Ti.  It was a unified rear triangle setup with a simple air shock for rear suspension damping only.  To actually hold the weight of the rider it had a pair of tubes on either side of the frame that went from the headset to the rear dropouts uninterrupted that acted as two leaf springs. 

Plus, I have experience in bending aluminum, and a bit with titanium.  This comes from working as an Aviation Structural Mechanic in the Navy, working on H-60 Seahawks.  These are the Navy's version of the Blackhawk.  The only major differences being the addition of a rescue hoist and a lot of avionics packages available.

One other nice advantage of aluminum is price.  Check mcmastercarr.com and compare some raw material prices.
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #18 on: Tue, 18 February 2014, 10:17:19 »
I love the idea of a cf case.  But if you are going light weight plate mount an aluminium plate would actually be lighter than titanium and depending on the alloy could be stiffer.  That is if I remember my material properties right.

I'm not totally convinced of that.  Anyhow, an aluminum plate wouldn't protect the side of the PCB so that's a no go.

One issue I'll have to deal with is that CF is electrically conductive. What other issues can you guys think of?

I was speaking for the mounting plate.  Not for the case.  But titanium is heavier than aluminum in this case since the part dimensions are not going to be altered here like they are in other industries.  Aluminum is about 168 pounds per cubic foot depending on alloy, and titanium is about 235 pounds per cubic foot.

http://mobilitymgmt.com/Articles/2010/03/01/Aluminum-vs-Titanium.aspx?Page=2

Also here is  web page relating to wheelchairs comparing aluminum to titanium.  A lot of tubing tech in wheel chairs comes from the trickle down concept from the bicycle industry.  In that industry aluminum, titanium, and carbon fiber have been used for a number of years.  To get the same stiffness in a titanum frame that you would get with an aluminum frame you have to make the tubing a lot larger and go with a thinner wall to increase the surface area enough to get to the same stiffness.  A number of years ago I was lusting after a specific MTB frame from a company named Ibis.  The frame was the Bow Ti.  It was a unified rear triangle setup with a simple air shock for rear suspension damping only.  To actually hold the weight of the rider it had a pair of tubes on either side of the frame that went from the headset to the rear dropouts uninterrupted that acted as two leaf springs. 

Plus, I have experience in bending aluminum, and a bit with titanium.  This comes from working as an Aviation Structural Mechanic in the Navy, working on H-60 Seahawks.  These are the Navy's version of the Blackhawk.  The only major differences being the addition of a rescue hoist and a lot of avionics packages available.

One other nice advantage of aluminum is price.  Check mcmastercarr.com and compare some raw material prices.

Ahh, okay, thanks for taking the time to explain all of that.  You definitely know more than I do.  So the aluminum would be cheaper, lighter, and stronger.  Yet I still find myself wanting to do it in carbon fiber.   :-\  :-[  So I don't know what I will end up doing.  I'll have to see how much carbon fiber and epoxy I have left over from my other project.  If I can do it in CF without purchasing anything  I may end up going in that direction.

Regardless of what I end up doing I will post a build log.
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Offline Melvang

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #19 on: Tue, 18 February 2014, 10:24:31 »
Not a problem man.  I don't have an issue with either material.  But titanium is a massive pain in the ass to work with unless you have good high quality tooling.  But stronger isn't really the word that I would use here.  Depending on the shape and if you can reengineer the part for the physical properties, neither really is stronger.  But given the same shape and dimensions aluminum is generally stiffer.  I wouldn't hesitate to make a case out of CF if you have to tooling and the experience with the stuff.  But in the op you mentioned that you wanted to make it as light as possible and was thinking of going with titanium for the plate.  I just wanted to correct you on some very wide spread misconceptions.
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #20 on: Tue, 18 February 2014, 10:33:05 »
Not a problem man.  I don't have an issue with either material.  But titanium is a massive pain in the ass to work with unless you have good high quality tooling.  But stronger isn't really the word that I would use here.  Depending on the shape and if you can reengineer the part for the physical properties, neither really is stronger.  But given the same shape and dimensions aluminum is generally stiffer.  I wouldn't hesitate to make a case out of CF if you have to tooling and the experience with the stuff.  But in the op you mentioned that you wanted to make it as light as possible and was thinking of going with titanium for the plate.  I just wanted to correct you on some very wide spread misconceptions.

Thanks, dude!
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Offline Jixr

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #21 on: Tue, 18 February 2014, 14:34:41 »
I'm confused by this, if you're just doing all this work to lighten the keyboard, how much of a difference will all that work really make.

I'm sure the few ounces could be saved elsewhere, removing things from you bag, changing the thick stock poker cable for a shorter and lighter weight one, get a smaller bag, a lighter one, or even a more comfortable one to manage the weight.....


but doing it for the looks is a completely different option, in which case why not just get an alluminum case and make some CF accents for it. Seems much easier than all this, or just shell the stock poker case.


Offline Findecanor

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #22 on: Tue, 18 February 2014, 14:46:23 »
I think, get a Poker case where
- the PCB makes as much contact with the case bottom as possible
- the case does not flex: some fibreglass tape and epoxy might reinforce the bottom of a plastic case enough, without having to trim afterwards.
- the feet provide a good grip against the desk so that the keyboard does not float around

Offline JaccoW

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #23 on: Thu, 20 March 2014, 12:02:08 »
How about two CF plates with an aluminum middle layer, similar to what you see in acrylic cases?
Or maybe something similar to your previous adventures where the top plate is CF and the bottom part is a stiffer material.
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Offline C5Allroad

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #24 on: Thu, 20 March 2014, 14:12:32 »
Hydrographics comes to mind...

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #25 on: Thu, 20 March 2014, 15:28:11 »
I have a plan, and I'm planning on it being awesome.  I won't be able to work on it until June, though.  Will probably go with a mdf mold with channels for interior ribs, kevlar first (inside of case and electrically inert), then short-cut fiberglass (to absorb a lot of resin and give it some rigidity, then 2-3 layers of CF.  I'll post here when I start on it.
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Offline C5Allroad

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #26 on: Thu, 20 March 2014, 16:26:48 »
That. Sounds. Awesome lol.

Offline JaccoW

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #27 on: Thu, 20 March 2014, 17:16:25 »
Sounds pretty awesome indeed. Looking forward to seeing that.
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Offline mashby

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #28 on: Thu, 20 March 2014, 17:19:19 »
I have a plan, and I'm planning on it being awesome.  I won't be able to work on it until June, though.  Will probably go with a mdf mold with channels for interior ribs, kevlar first (inside of case and electrically inert), then short-cut fiberglass (to absorb a lot of resin and give it some rigidity, then 2-3 layers of CF.  I'll post here when I start on it.

Sounds very, very interesting. Now I just need to find that "stalk" button so I can track every post you make between now and then. ;-)

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #29 on: Thu, 26 June 2014, 09:05:57 »
Finally started. Spent about 30 hours making a plug to mold. A mdf mold might have been easier in the end, but making a urethane mold allows me to get the mold out of the base easier.
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Offline JaccoW

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #30 on: Thu, 26 June 2014, 10:28:59 »
Excellent. Looking forward to some pictures. :)
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #31 on: Thu, 26 June 2014, 11:00:56 »


Here's the plug (model) that I made for the base. I spent a lot of time looking at pics and specs of different bases to try to ensure as much future compatibility as possible.  The plug looks really messy, and I'm not 100% satisfied with it, but that's life...

I used a specific plastilene clay to form the inner ribs and supports. With urethane rubber, you can use any clay containing sulfur. Most of them don't say on the package whether or not, so you have to stand in the craft store and google each brand.   

I used cardboard coated with wax for the sides. You want the plug to be as perfect as possible because fixing problems becomes harder and harder as you go from plug to mold to piece to finished piece. But, I will still have to do some trimming of the mold because I couldn't get the clay formed in the outer corners because there wasn't room for a knife blade. :(

I hope you guys enjoy the process!
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Offline JaccoW

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #32 on: Sat, 28 June 2014, 19:08:09 »
I can see you have put some thought into it (or a whole load of trial and error :P ).

Keep those updates coming! :thumb:
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #33 on: Sun, 13 July 2014, 19:00:38 »
Alrighty, here's the mold. It turned out pretty well. It has some bubbles deep inside, but should still be usable enough (the bubbles only affect long-term strength like if I was manufacturing these day in and out).



I had to do a bit of trimming to make sure the sides are nice and smooth and defined.

The support ridges and the screw mounts are obviously very important, and they all turned out fine. Looking forward to putting this thing to use!
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Offline mashby

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #34 on: Mon, 14 July 2014, 10:08:04 »
Sweet! I can't wait to see what the first one looks like. Nice work.  :thumb:

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #35 on: Mon, 14 July 2014, 20:07:38 »
Alrighty. The first layer is "in the bag" LOL. I went with a first layer of Kevlar because it shows and follows contours well (and I can see problems), is easy to work with, and most importantly it is electrically non-conductive so it won't interfere with the KB pcb.

So I sprayed the mold with release, then laid the Kevlar, then mixed up my medium-speed low viscosity epoxy resin. I used a cheap brush to lay it on and work it into the fabric.

I then laid down perforated release film (makes a nice finish but allows excess resin to seep through), followed by poly batting, and finally the vacuum bagging material.

Lastly, I bagged it down to ~25 psi. Now the waiting begins!

Here's a quick pic:


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Offline Melvang

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #36 on: Mon, 14 July 2014, 20:09:59 »
Thats almost as sexy as machining porn.
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #37 on: Mon, 14 July 2014, 20:12:34 »
Oh, and a few tips:
When working with epoxy I double glove my hands so I can just pull off a glove if it gets too messy.

When you use these cheap paintbrushes you MUST pull all the excess fibers before use. They shed like crazy, and you don't want that embedded in your project!

Always pre-cut and lay everything out so you can grab it in order before you mix the epoxy.
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #38 on: Mon, 14 July 2014, 20:13:01 »

Thats almost as sexy as machining porn.
LOL
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Offline JaccoW

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #39 on: Tue, 15 July 2014, 04:26:28 »
It is sexy. :D
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #40 on: Tue, 15 July 2014, 08:19:32 »
Well, a bit of tragedy struck...the vacuum compression didn't push the kevlar down in the support ridges in the mold well enough.  I'll have to try again  :( :'( :mad:  More updates later.
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Offline Demetrium

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #41 on: Tue, 15 July 2014, 08:28:53 »
Bummer, keep us posted!

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #42 on: Tue, 15 July 2014, 11:23:26 »
So, learned a few lessons:  I need to do something to force the fabric down into the channels. So I found some scrap plastic rod (cut up a hanger, said sorry to my wife). I cut it to length of each channel, and will put it on top of the release film to force the fabric into the contours.



I also didn't like the flimsy feeling of the threaded inserts on the first try (they are made of brass and will be used to screw the PCB to the base). They were just stuck to the base with a bit of epoxy. Like I learned back in uni:  anything worth engineering is worth over-engineering!  So now I used a bit of superglue and wrapped each one with Kevlar tow (basically a bundle of fibers pulled from the fabric). This should absorb the epoxy better and create a much stronger mount for the inserts.



Will let you know how this try turns out!
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #43 on: Tue, 15 July 2014, 13:52:14 »
By the way, cutting Kevlar (even with nice fabric shears) is a pain in the butt!  It takes me about 10 mins to cut across my 6 inch wide strip.

I've found that it's actually easier once it's in resin and partially cured; the epoxy holds the fibers so the shears can cut them (using angled serrated medical shears).

I'll be opening up the vacuum bag in a little while; it's important to not let each layer cure fully otherwise you won't get good adhesion layer-to-layer (that's for epoxy resin; poly resin is the other way around).
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Offline Badwrench

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #44 on: Tue, 15 July 2014, 14:07:41 »
Nice work.  I love using kevlar, but totally agree on how hard it is to cut. 

Curious, how are you going to finish the top edge of the case? 
wut. i'd buy a ****ty IBM board for that green V2

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #45 on: Tue, 15 July 2014, 14:32:58 »
Nice work.  I love using kevlar, but totally agree on how hard it is to cut. 

Curious, how are you going to finish the top edge of the case? 

My first choice is to fold over and clamp the last layer of carbon, using superglue to hold it before the epoxy.  It's a rather light 5.7 oz 3k tow 2x2 twill.  The tiny bend radius can work to my advantage by making a little rounded edge, as long as it doesn't splinter.  What do you think?

If that doesn't work, I can either round the edges off with a dremel or last resort use some tiny c-channel molding from McMaster:  http://www.mcmaster.com/#rubber-molding/=sun8vb (I would prefer to avoid that as it won't be as clean).

I'd love any feedback or opinion, I'm totally not an expert at this but enjoy learning.
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Offline Badwrench

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #46 on: Tue, 15 July 2014, 14:46:51 »
Nice work.  I love using kevlar, but totally agree on how hard it is to cut. 

Curious, how are you going to finish the top edge of the case? 

My first choice is to fold over and clamp the last layer of carbon, using superglue to hold it before the epoxy.  It's a rather light 5.7 oz 3k tow 2x2 twill.  The tiny bend radius can work to my advantage by making a little rounded edge, as long as it doesn't splinter.  What do you think?

If that doesn't work, I can either round the edges off with a dremel or last resort use some tiny c-channel molding from McMaster:  http://www.mcmaster.com/#rubber-molding/=sun8vb (I would prefer to avoid that as it won't be as clean).

I'd love any feedback or opinion, I'm totally not an expert at this but enjoy learning.

If the weave is small enough, definitely try to wrap the finishing layer over the edge to get a nice rounded edge. 
wut. i'd buy a ****ty IBM board for that green V2

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #47 on: Tue, 15 July 2014, 14:54:32 »
Nice work.  I love using kevlar, but totally agree on how hard it is to cut. 

Curious, how are you going to finish the top edge of the case? 

My first choice is to fold over and clamp the last layer of carbon, using superglue to hold it before the epoxy.  It's a rather light 5.7 oz 3k tow 2x2 twill.  The tiny bend radius can work to my advantage by making a little rounded edge, as long as it doesn't splinter.  What do you think?

If that doesn't work, I can either round the edges off with a dremel or last resort use some tiny c-channel molding from McMaster:  http://www.mcmaster.com/#rubber-molding/=sun8vb (I would prefer to avoid that as it won't be as clean).

I'd love any feedback or opinion, I'm totally not an expert at this but enjoy learning.

If the weave is small enough, definitely try to wrap the finishing layer over the edge to get a nice rounded edge. 

Thanks. Any concerns over the superglue (dried) interacting with the epoxy resin?
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Offline Badwrench

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #48 on: Tue, 15 July 2014, 15:34:29 »
Nice work.  I love using kevlar, but totally agree on how hard it is to cut. 

Curious, how are you going to finish the top edge of the case? 

My first choice is to fold over and clamp the last layer of carbon, using superglue to hold it before the epoxy.  It's a rather light 5.7 oz 3k tow 2x2 twill.  The tiny bend radius can work to my advantage by making a little rounded edge, as long as it doesn't splinter.  What do you think?

If that doesn't work, I can either round the edges off with a dremel or last resort use some tiny c-channel molding from McMaster:  http://www.mcmaster.com/#rubber-molding/=sun8vb (I would prefer to avoid that as it won't be as clean).

I'd love any feedback or opinion, I'm totally not an expert at this but enjoy learning.

If the weave is small enough, definitely try to wrap the finishing layer over the edge to get a nice rounded edge. 

Thanks. Any concerns over the superglue (dried) interacting with the epoxy resin?

Nope.  Should have no effect.
wut. i'd buy a ****ty IBM board for that green V2

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #49 on: Tue, 15 July 2014, 17:02:57 »
Double cool. :cool:
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #50 on: Wed, 16 July 2014, 09:08:13 »
The second try turned out much better than the first. The fabric went down in the grooves much better, and the threaded inserts bonded well.


I trimmed the Kevlar with my medical shears, and then I used expanding foam (Great Stuff, from the hardware store) to fill in the grooves. I'll give it a few hours to cure, then trim it down and put on the first layer of carbon.



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Offline TBone

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #51 on: Wed, 16 July 2014, 09:18:30 »
This is so cool  :thumb:

I'd pay good money for a carbon fiber (even just finish) case. Either in 60% or TKL.

I think they can look really cool, plus are really solid yet light.

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #52 on: Wed, 16 July 2014, 10:23:28 »
Thanks!

BTW I've seen some really good looking results from the carbon fiber look vinyl. It's not my cup of tea, but if you just want the finish I bet you could spend an evening with the vinyl and a razor knife and come away with a pretty cool case.
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Offline Matt3o

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #53 on: Fri, 18 July 2014, 02:17:57 »
very nice project. I wanted to do something like that since forever. you build log will be extremely useful.

Offline Badwrench

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #54 on: Fri, 18 July 2014, 10:03:47 »
Raising my hand now as a "Beta" tester for one of these.  Just sayin'  ;)

wut. i'd buy a ****ty IBM board for that green V2

Offline TBone

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #55 on: Fri, 18 July 2014, 10:36:12 »
Oh if you were selling I'd buy it to beta test it for sure  :D

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #56 on: Fri, 18 July 2014, 10:36:32 »
Ok sorry for lack of updates.

I trimmed the foam and finally laid the first layer of carbon fiber. It's a pretty thick 6 inch wide strip (called "tape", though there's no adhesive). 12k plain weave.



I slit the corners so they would lay down better, and I'm reasonably happy with the results.



I will have to do quite a bit of dremel work on the edges and corners where the material bunched up a bit.



And you can also see some dips in the top where the vacuum compressed the foam too much. I'll have to fill those with some sanding and epoxy before the next and final layer. Live and learn.

The last layer will be this really nice twill weave.  It will be thinner but should follow the corners and edges well.



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Offline cribbit

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #57 on: Fri, 18 July 2014, 11:04:15 »
Hot damn!

What would you say is cost of materials here?

How much lighter is this going to be than standard cases? How strong/fragile is it?

Amazing work! If you get the process down, you should consider starting a group buy, or at least making a nice detailed guide.
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #58 on: Sat, 19 July 2014, 20:10:04 »
Bill of materials for the first one is probably around $200. It includes a lot of one-off costs like mold-making materials, etc.  Most of the carbon and Kevlar fabric come by the yard, so if you buy 1 yard you might have enough for 3-8 units, depending on whether it's a tape (narrow fabric 6 inches wide) or off a full roll (usually 40 or 50 inch widths).  Brass threaded inserts came by the hundred, even though I only needed five. :rolleyes:

If you only consider the cost of the fabric and divide it up from a yard, would probably be $30-50 each. That's peanuts compared to the labor.  I've already easily spent 50-70 hours on this, though a lot of that was in designing and moldmaking stages.

I haven't weighed it yet because I'm not done, but it will be a fraction of the weight of the stock plastic casing and will probably be only slightly less strong (it really doesn't have to be all that strong; who stands on their keyboard?). 

Also strength is such an interesting topic when it comes to carbon fiber since the strength is optimized along the length of the fibers.  For example take a hollow tube. If you want it to resist twisting, then you make it with a lattice of fibers running at 45 degrees to the length of the tube (like one of those Chinese finger catchers when we were kids. Anyone remember those?). If you want it to resist bending, you have it pultruded with straight fibers running the length of the tube (most CF bikes are made like this). If you want it to resist crushing, you make it with the fibers running almost perpendicular to the length, like rings, though it actually is just a really tight spiral since the fibers are continuous. Most tubes are a combination of the above, of course. But that's the real art to CF design.

Sorry so long winded!  Got this to help with the next task:
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Offline cribbit

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #59 on: Sat, 19 July 2014, 22:02:07 »
Will it resist warping over time?

I wonder what it will end up feeling like to type on. Hopefully all it needs is a good plate to still feel very solid.

But actually though fiberglass + titanium plate for a 5oz keyboard.
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #60 on: Sun, 20 July 2014, 13:32:33 »
Shouldn't warp at all. The combo of internal ridges, raised sides, and several different materials should head that off.
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Offline CPTBadAss

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #61 on: Mon, 21 July 2014, 12:50:01 »
Thats almost as sexy as machining porn.

Nah, this thread is as sexy as machining porn. Thanks for posting this build log! It's awesome :D. I somehow missed this thread up until now!

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #62 on: Mon, 21 July 2014, 13:48:25 »
Lol thanks. Here's a bit of a teaser:
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #63 on: Sun, 27 July 2014, 20:35:59 »
Did a ton of sanding over the last several days. Wow. Let me just tell you that when they say that Kevlar has good anti-abrasive properties...they mean it. My dremel sanded through the CF without the slightest hiccup, but when it hit the Kevlar it pretty much just stopped. Had to change to the Diamond wheel to do anything to the Kevlar layer.

Generated a ton of dust, but I think I have it relatively flat and the corners nice and trim.

It should be nice and ready for the final layer of nice twill weave carbon fiber. Probably will do that on Friday.

Here are some pics. Feel free to leave comments or questions.



Oh, forgot to say that I still need to do a leveling coat of epoxy:






Here's a shot of one of the threaded inserts. Feels rock solid.


Thanks!
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Offline cribbit

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #64 on: Mon, 28 July 2014, 13:19:38 »
Hnnnngg
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Offline JaccoW

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #65 on: Mon, 28 July 2014, 16:35:17 »
That carbon fibre is a pretty wide weave I must say. I cannot even imagine what that thing must feel like right now. Incredibly light but stiff at the same time probably. :D
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #66 on: Mon, 28 July 2014, 19:01:10 »
Yeah I intended that to be the primary strengthening layer. It's 12k plain weave. Soaks up the resin like a sponge (relative to other types). But it looks like crap compared to the upcoming 3k 5oz twill carbon.
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Offline cribbit

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #67 on: Mon, 28 July 2014, 19:20:02 »
3k 5oz twill carbon.


I google image'd that and immediately came. Mmmmm geometry.

What about fiberglass keycaps? Stem would have to be made of plastic and connected somehow, but still.
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Offline JaccoW

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #68 on: Tue, 29 July 2014, 02:57:49 »
What about fiberglass keycaps? Stem would have to be made of plastic and connected somehow, but still.
How to Get Fiberglass Out of Fingers - eHow
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #69 on: Tue, 29 July 2014, 08:04:23 »

What about fiberglass keycaps? Stem would have to be made of plastic and connected somehow, but still.
How to Get Fiberglass Out of Fingers - eHow

Lol. And carbon fiber is even more nasty!
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Offline blackbox

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #70 on: Tue, 29 July 2014, 08:32:01 »
Looking great! Nice to see the project is going well!
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #71 on: Tue, 29 July 2014, 20:50:31 »

Looking great! Nice to see the project is going well!

Thank you
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Offline cbot

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #72 on: Thu, 31 July 2014, 13:29:47 »
You're doing a fantastic job, keep up the good work. Let's see more updates soon! I want to see what the finished project would look like.

Offline pr0ximity

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #73 on: Fri, 01 August 2014, 08:41:03 »
Can't believe I didn't see this until now! Really looking forward to the next step!
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Offline tyvar1

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #74 on: Wed, 06 August 2014, 15:42:21 »
What about fiberglass keycaps? Stem would have to be made of plastic and connected somehow, but still.
How to Get Fiberglass Out of Fingers - eHow
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are you from sweden? :)

Offline JaccoW

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #75 on: Wed, 06 August 2014, 15:49:04 »
What about fiberglass keycaps? Stem would have to be made of plastic and connected somehow, but still.
How to Get Fiberglass Out of Fingers - eHow
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are you from sweden? :)
Who me? No, I am Dutch. A bit further to the South I'm afraid. ;)
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Offline byker

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #76 on: Wed, 06 August 2014, 20:21:17 »
Looks really good so far! Excited to see the end result..  :thumb:

Offline tyvar1

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #77 on: Thu, 07 August 2014, 02:24:38 »
What about fiberglass keycaps? Stem would have to be made of plastic and connected somehow, but still.
How to Get Fiberglass Out of Fingers - eHow
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are you from sweden? :)
Who me? No, I am Dutch. A bit further to the South I'm afraid. ;)
Aah Okey! That guy from the gif is a YouTube celeb from Sweden :) IjustWantToBeCool

Offline JaccoW

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #78 on: Thu, 07 August 2014, 02:48:27 »
Show Image

are you from sweden? :)
Who me? No, I am Dutch. A bit further to the South I'm afraid. ;)
Aah Okey! That guy from the gif is a YouTube celeb from Sweden :) IjustWantToBeCool
Haha I know. I came across him several years ago.
His videos are quite funny.

I can understand parts of it and I grew up with a mixture of American, British and several Scandinavian children's series.
Da Lotte blev usynlig (Lotte stays invisible), Pippi Långstrump (Pippi Longstockings), Ronja Rövardotter (Ronja the Robber/Brigand's daughter) and several others. :)
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Offline tyvar1

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #79 on: Thu, 07 August 2014, 04:32:29 »
Show Image

are you from sweden? :)
Who me? No, I am Dutch. A bit further to the South I'm afraid. ;)
Aah Okey! That guy from the gif is a YouTube celeb from Sweden :) IjustWantToBeCool
Haha I know. I came across him several years ago.
His videos are quite funny.

I can understand parts of it and I grew up with a mixture of American, British and several Scandinavian children's series.
Da Lotte blev usynlig (Lotte stays invisible), Pippi Långstrump (Pippi Longstockings), Ronja Rövardotter (Ronja the Robber/Brigand's daughter) and several others. :)
Yeah I likes his videos a lot!

Haha that's sounds awesome! I saw those movies when I was a kid to!

Offline Sent

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #80 on: Thu, 11 September 2014, 21:35:19 »
Any updates on this?  Love carbon fiber and been a fun build log to keep up with.  :thumb:

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #81 on: Thu, 11 September 2014, 21:37:55 »
I have done a few things on it, haven't posted those yet. And actually today bought supplies for the next, and probably final, stage.

Thank you very, very much for the interest and encouragement. Don't worry, it's not dead.
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Offline Sent

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #82 on: Thu, 11 September 2014, 21:41:27 »
Definitely looking forward to seeing the finished project.  Surprised that this wasn't done sooner, honestly.

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #83 on: Thu, 11 September 2014, 21:48:37 »

Definitely looking forward to seeing the finished project.  Surprised that this wasn't done sooner, honestly.

You mean surprised it has taken me this long to complete?  Or that someone didn't attempt it sooner?  :confused:
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Offline Sent

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #84 on: Thu, 11 September 2014, 21:55:22 »
The latter. :)

I know how annoying cf can be.  Used to play around with it a lot back when I was tracking extensively.  It's just such a popular material that I thought someone before you would have attempted this.

Offline ynrozturk

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #85 on: Fri, 10 October 2014, 16:23:43 »
Such an awesome project, really can't wait to see the end result.
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #86 on: Sat, 11 October 2014, 13:59:29 »
Ok. On to the progress.

After the thick CF layer in the last step it was apparent that I needed to level out the base. So I mixed up a batch of epoxy and poured it on, making sure the whole thing was sitting level, and used a piece of peel-ply to add texture so the next layer would have a good surface to adhere to.

Here's how it looked after curing:


I had to do some repair work. Due to this little nub in the original mold the material was pushed too far out and did not form properly around the area for the USB connector. So, I cut this area and remade it using short cut carbon fiber tow mixed with epoxy. That enabled the rear corner to conform to the side of the mold without lifting.

Here's the offending bit:


More coming!
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Offline ynrozturk

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #87 on: Sat, 11 October 2014, 16:27:29 »
Looks fantastic!
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Offline JackMills

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #88 on: Thu, 30 October 2014, 17:35:42 »
Off Topic: Thank you JaccoW, I had this image from my youth stuck in my head about a girl that became invisible after pushing her bellybutton. Your post made look up those titles and I saw the scene that I remembered from "Da Lotte blev unsynlig", so thank you.

Haha I know. I came across him several years ago.
His videos are quite funny.

I can understand parts of it and I grew up with a mixture of American, British and several Scandinavian children's series.
Da Lotte blev usynlig (Lotte stays invisible), Pippi Långstrump (Pippi Longstockings), Ronja Rövardotter (Ronja the Robber/Brigand's daughter) and several others. :)

On Topic: browsing the forum, thinking about carbon plates and finding this carbon case. Looks really nice, I like the idea of using Kevlar for the first layer. Very nice!

Ok. On to the progress.

After the thick CF layer in the last step it was apparent that I needed to level out the base. So I mixed up a batch of epoxy and poured it on, making sure the whole thing was sitting level, and used a piece of peel-ply to add texture so the next layer would have a good surface to adhere to.

Here's how it looked after curing:
More
Show Image

I had to do some repair work. Due to this little nub in the original mold the material was pushed too far out and did not form properly around the area for the USB connector. So, I cut this area and remade it using short cut carbon fiber tow mixed with epoxy. That enabled the rear corner to conform to the side of the mold without lifting.

Here's the offending bit:
More
Show Image

More coming!


Offline TheOpposition

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #89 on: Sun, 08 February 2015, 00:17:50 »
What an amazing project! I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product.
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #90 on: Tue, 07 April 2015, 21:01:45 »
OK so I get to necro my own thread lol.

I'm sorry for the lack of updates.  My project experienced a tragedy and I honestly haven't had the emotional energy to post about it or think about how to move forward.  You'll see what I mean...

So where we left off I had just done the leveling coat of epoxy and used a textured peel-able cover on it so the next layer would stick well (called Peel-ply).

The piece already has more than enough stiffness and strength.  This last layer adds more stiffness and strength, but really the point is to make a nice looking final layer with a nicer weave than the strong-but-a-bit-ugly 12k plain weave pictured above.  So I went with 3k twill weave of the absolute top quality.  This fiber comes from the same manufacturer where companies like McLaren, Koenigsegg, etc. get their CF.

I don't want to use any more than is absolutely necessary, so I very carefully measure out how much I'll need and cut it accordingly.  I contemplated a drop of super glue at the corners to make it easier to handle but in the end it was okay without.


I decided to finish off the piece by first epoxying only the main flat part (bottom) and leaving the sides without epoxy.  Once the bottom is fixed then I will wrap the CF around the edges and epoxy the rest.  The theory was sound, but it was really hard to get it right.

Here is the back in epoxy, under smooth finish vacuum bag (no vacuum bagging here because I want to control the spread of the epoxy):



Corners OK:


And afterward folding the CF over the edges, with a ruler cut to length inside and secured by several high-tech clamps :-) :


This part was really, really hard to coordinate all at one time.  Making sure I got all the carbon fibers, had them straight and saturated with epoxy, then covered with the bagging material, then the ruler, and then also putting on all the clothespins was just too much at one time.  One side turned out really nice, the other side was meh.

Really nice side:


Meh side:

CENSORED

If I ever do any more of these, I won't do it this way. It's just too hard to get it right, and I don't think the edge is much nicer than a cut, routed, and sanded edge.

So after it all cured, now comes the finishing and polishing stage.  Not so great at this, as you will see...I'll post that in the next few days along with the (tragic) ending.
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Offline JaccoW

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #91 on: Wed, 08 April 2015, 13:32:44 »
So after it all cured, now comes the finishing and polishing stage.  Not so great at this, as you will see...I'll post that in the next few days along with the (tragic) ending.
No Spoilerz plz!  :'( :'( :'(
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #92 on: Sat, 25 April 2015, 13:12:37 »
Okay. So I am sorry that it is taken me so long to get these updates. I have a couple IR L stuff going on that keeps me from updating this thread as much as I would like.

So… How to finish a piece of carbon fiber. Well first you need to try to get as smooth a surface as possible using the molding. Using plenty of Epoxy, good vacuum bag techniques, and making sure your vacuum is high enough all help.

Mine ended up with a few pinholes, but not too bad.


They are a pain, however, to deal with.  The basic way to finish carbon fiber is to sand the epoxy down flat, put down a light layer of lacquer using 5-10 misting coats (wait 10 mins in between mists), sand again with finer sandpaper, mist again with lacquer, etc. the goal is to get a very fine, flat, uniform buildup of lacquer to look nice but also protect the CF.

There are basically three tricks to this: always spray super thin coats of lacquer, always use water and a sanding block to sand, and always stop sanding if you see any black on your sandpaper (this means you sanded through lacquer and epoxy and are now sanding carbon. Bad, bad, bad!).

So I started at 400 grit, moved up gradually ending at 2000 grit with about 8 layers of lacquer composed of about 30 thin mists.

Here's an important picture.  It shows three areas of the part after sanding early in the process: areas too low that the sandpaper didn't touch, areas sanded, and toward the edges areas sanded too much to the carbon.

After all that, here's what I ended up with:


...more later
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #93 on: Sat, 25 April 2015, 14:11:03 »
So I didn't mention this earlier but it is really important to keep everything WARM when lacquer coating. Both the part and the lacquer need to be above about 70F. Most of the time this isn't a problem but I was doing all this in the winter. Yes it is Florida but it still gets down in the high 30's and 40's and the spraying had to be done outside.

So throughout the whole process I was keeping the lacquer can in a bowl of hot water and before each spraying I would put the part in the oven for 3-5 minutes to get it nice and warm.

And you might imagine this is where disaster struck. Each time I put the part in the oven I never set the temp... The part was only in there for the first 5 minutes of preheat so it was never really an issue.  Except one time.

I had just put the part in when my son came in, excited about his new level unlocked in Mario Kart 8. I figured, "I have 5 minutes, no problem."  30 minutes later, while he was dominating me on our third race, I smelled smoke. Uh oh. It then hit me: my part was getting cooked at 350 degrees!

Here's the carnage. It's not pretty.


So, yeah, the part was ruined because of a stupid mistake. All is not lost though.

I learned sooo much this time around. The next time will be better, smoother, and hopefully require less finishing.

And my part turned out amazingly light.

Here's the stock plastic case:


Here's the titanium 60% plate:


And here's my case:


All in all I'm pleased with the result. I'm still going to try to sand off the burnt parts and see if I can salvage much of my case. But I've also got some cool ideas for the next iteration!

Thanks for reading!

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Offline ynrozturk

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #94 on: Tue, 12 May 2015, 10:32:31 »
Thanks for the updates, I was really looking forward to this. Carbon fiber is extremely difficult to work with, so I commend you on this journey. Very tragic ending indeed, but like you said the next round will be a lot better and easier for you I'm sure. And I would LOVE to see that.
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #95 on: Sun, 17 May 2015, 11:18:44 »

Thanks for the updates, I was really looking forward to this. Carbon fiber is extremely difficult to work with, so I commend you on this journey. Very tragic ending indeed, but like you said the next round will be a lot better and easier for you I'm sure. And I would LOVE to see that.

Thanks dude. I'm recovering from a recent trip now and should start on the next version next week.
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Offline hoz

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #96 on: Sun, 31 May 2015, 08:25:04 »
i havent read the whole thread so maybe someone mention this already, have you looked into bitumen mats for stiffening up the design?
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Offline JaccoW

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #97 on: Sun, 31 May 2015, 11:52:42 »
i havent read the whole thread so maybe someone mention this already, have you looked into bitumen mats for stiffening up the design?
Bitumen will work pretty well for dampening the case but they are also quite heavy.

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Offline heedpantsnow

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Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #98 on: Sun, 31 May 2015, 12:22:30 »
i havent read the whole thread so maybe someone mention this already, have you looked into bitumen mats for stiffening up the design?

I've not even heard of bitumen mats, thanks for the heads up.

I think the design is sufficiently stiff. It's already at least as strong stock plastic case and I suspect quite a bit more (though I have no way to test this).

JaccoW is right, though. I'm trying to keep weight to a minimum.
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Offline JaccoW

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #99 on: Sun, 31 May 2015, 14:18:03 »
To give you an idea hoz, each 105 x 105 mm bitumen mat weighs about 40 grams. Seeing as you'll need roughly 2-3 of them to fill an entire board you are looking at an extra 80-120 grams.


But they do work really well though. :)
I put a few in my FC660M that I used at work.
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Offline hoz

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #100 on: Sun, 31 May 2015, 22:47:23 »
i havent read the whole thread so maybe someone mention this already, have you looked into bitumen mats for stiffening up the design?
Bitumen will work pretty well for dampening the case but they are also quite heavy.



i havent read the whole thread so maybe someone mention this already, have you looked into bitumen mats for stiffening up the design?

I've not even heard of bitumen mats, thanks for the heads up.

I think the design is sufficiently stiff. It's already at least as strong stock plastic case and I suspect quite a bit more (though I have no way to test this).

JaccoW is right, though. I'm trying to keep weight to a minimum.

mkay, yeah, my thought was more in the line of using strips along the sidewalls or across etc, using sheets to fill the bottom gets heavy fast :)
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #101 on: Fri, 12 June 2015, 11:47:23 »
OK, just a quick update on this.

I've decided that I will start making these to sell.  This will be on a small batch "artisan" type model where I work for a while making them and then post them for sale (as opposed to a GB model where people prepay).  I really don't want the stress and pressure of taking people's money and then being on a timetable to deliver.

I have some ideas that I think can turn out really amazing.  For now each one will be unique, focused on a different design paradigm, but all with be CF and some will have aramid (Kevlar or Spectra) fiber reinforcing. 

Production has already started and I plan to have a few (around 5ish) for initial sale by late July.  It will take a while since I have to make them in my spare time, can only do one at a time (I only have 1 mold), and each one is 3-4 layers + finishing, with curing in between.

Thanks for all of you who have expressed support and interest in here as well as privately.  I'm sooooo excited about where this is headed and I hope you guys will be delighted by what I produce.

Edit:  some have asked why I haven't done this sooner; I was waiting for Hwood to finish his Carbon Fiber sandwich-style case GB.  I think it is an awesome idea and didn't want to derail his thread.  :thumb:
« Last Edit: Fri, 12 June 2015, 11:56:32 by heedpantsnow »
I'm back.

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Offline E3E

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 6/12/15
« Reply #102 on: Sat, 13 June 2015, 00:09:02 »
Man, and I just hit up that group buy, too! IT NEVER ENDS!

Would it be faux pas to ask how much we'd be looking at per case? I'm guessing these will be pretty pricy considering the intensive labor of working with this stuff. I'm still definitely excited for the CF-LX case, but it's pretty awesome to see other innovative cases made out of CF coming around! You've done excellent work on so far and it was enjoyable seeing your progress (until the unfortunate end of your first case, that is).

Looking forward to seeing these, man. :) The uniqueness of each case as you say and the blending of other composites into the framework is really neat, and I might not have much of a choice but to buy into this when you set up shop.
« Last Edit: Sat, 13 June 2015, 00:20:11 by E3E »

Offline KnivesM

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 6/12/15
« Reply #103 on: Sat, 13 June 2015, 01:20:04 »
Will definitively be looking to buy one when you sell them, the open case style was what stopped me from getting a CF-LX and once I saw your thread I was hoping you'd start selling some. :thumb: :thumb:
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 6/12/15
« Reply #104 on: Sat, 13 June 2015, 13:53:40 »
Man, and I just hit up that group buy, too! IT NEVER ENDS!

Would it be faux pas to ask how much we'd be looking at per case? I'm guessing these will be pretty pricy considering the intensive labor of working with this stuff. I'm still definitely excited for the CF-LX case, but it's pretty awesome to see other innovative cases made out of CF coming around! You've done excellent work on so far and it was enjoyable seeing your progress (until the unfortunate end of your first case, that is).

Looking forward to seeing these, man. :) The uniqueness of each case as you say and the blending of other composites into the framework is really neat, and I might not have much of a choice but to buy into this when you set up shop.

Man, thank you so much for the interest and encouragement.  I'm sorry to offer yet another thing to buy, but I really wanted to honor Hwood's initiative and passion.  It's part of what makes this community as amazing as it is.   :thumb:

I don't know yet how much these will cost; I'd like to get an accurate fix on exactly how much hands-on time each one takes, and I'm making some improvements in the process that will lessen the need/complexity/length of finishing.  I do know that they will be substantially more than Hwood's case.  My materials cost as much as his finished product does.  So maybe it's good that you didn't wait on this one.  :))

Will definitively be looking to buy one when you sell them, the open case style was what stopped me from getting a CF-LX and once I saw your thread I was hoping you'd start selling some. :thumb: :thumb:

Thanks, dude.  Like I said I'm really excited about some of the ideas I have; if I can pull them off then I think these will be highly functional while at the same time being aesthetically gorgeous.
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Offline E3E

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 6/12/15
« Reply #105 on: Sat, 13 June 2015, 14:49:51 »

Man, thank you so much for the interest and encouragement.  I'm sorry to offer yet another thing to buy, but I really wanted to honor Hwood's initiative and passion.  It's part of what makes this community as amazing as it is.   :thumb:

I don't know yet how much these will cost; I'd like to get an accurate fix on exactly how much hands-on time each one takes, and I'm making some improvements in the process that will lessen the need/complexity/length of finishing.  I do know that they will be substantially more than Hwood's case.  My materials cost as much as his finished product does.  So maybe it's good that you didn't wait on this one.  :))

Certainly. To be honest, as someone who does a lot of DIY and craft projects, there's an incredibly fulfilling feeling that comes from making something yourself. To extend that onto others as something you can offer is pretty amazing. You're telling me though! Hwood's cases were really fairly priced--I bought two of them! If this isn't too much more than a TEX milled case, or heck, even double that, I think I can deal with the costs, plus, with the extra case, I could try and fit the top plate into your case, which would just be an awesome way of marrying hwood's/Joey Quinn's concept with yours, haha. Carbon fiber everything! I can't pass that idea up. Crossing my fingers that these don't end up being like $500 + hahahaha.

Sheesh, it's true that this hobby can be addictive with all the great things being offered out there.  :-\  I'm pretty new here, but I'm DEFINITELY feeling it.

Will definitively be looking to buy one when you sell them, the open case style was what stopped me from getting a CF-LX and once I saw your thread I was hoping you'd start selling some. :thumb: :thumb:
Thanks, dude.  Like I said I'm really excited about some of the ideas I have; if I can pull them off then I think these will be highly functional while at the same time being aesthetically gorgeous.

I think we're all looking forward to seeing what you come up with, man!
« Last Edit: Sat, 13 June 2015, 15:58:34 by E3E »

Offline berserkfan

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 6/12/15
« Reply #106 on: Sun, 14 June 2015, 10:39:24 »
Maybe I'm reading too quickly, but I don't get what's wrong. The screwed up parts are not going to be visible, and it's not as if keyboard becomes ultraflammable or something thanks to a poor job, so heedpantsnow can just continue using his keyboard base can't he?
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Offline E3E

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 6/12/15
« Reply #107 on: Sun, 14 June 2015, 18:59:22 »
I think it might just be more so the disappointment of having all that work end up below his expectations. As an artist and someone who works with giving ambitious projects a shot, I'm used to things not being as perfect my vision, myself, at least not on the first attempt. Some people demand perfection though. I believe a true "perfectionist" is never happy when it comes down to it.

It seems fine functionally despite being "overcooked"! There's not really much to a case as it is, so it doesn't seem like it harmed anything structurally.

Still, I'd imagine it's disappointing when an accident like that happens, but it's not a total wreck at all.

Maybe I'm reading too quickly, but I don't get what's wrong. The screwed up parts are not going to be visible, and it's not as if keyboard becomes ultraflammable or something thanks to a poor job, so heedpantsnow can just continue using his keyboard base can't he?
« Last Edit: Sun, 14 June 2015, 19:02:15 by E3E »

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 6/12/15
« Reply #108 on: Thu, 18 June 2015, 06:42:06 »

Maybe I'm reading too quickly, but I don't get what's wrong. The screwed up parts are not going to be visible, and it's not as if keyboard becomes ultraflammable or something thanks to a poor job, so heedpantsnow can just continue using his keyboard base can't he?

Well the whole outside of the board has bubbles from the heat and the part is probably impaired structurally somewhat.

It was fun but I learned too much to not do it again better!
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 6/12/15
« Reply #109 on: Thu, 18 June 2015, 06:42:30 »

I think it might just be more so the disappointment of having all that work end up below his expectations. As an artist and someone who works with giving ambitious projects a shot, I'm used to things not being as perfect my vision, myself, at least not on the first attempt. Some people demand perfection though. I believe a true "perfectionist" is never happy when it comes down to it.

It seems fine functionally despite being "overcooked"! There's not really much to a case as it is, so it doesn't seem like it harmed anything structurally.

Still, I'd imagine it's disappointing when an accident like that happens, but it's not a total wreck at all.

Maybe I'm reading too quickly, but I don't get what's wrong. The screwed up parts are not going to be visible, and it's not as if keyboard becomes ultraflammable or something thanks to a poor job, so heedpantsnow can just continue using his keyboard base can't he?

Yes, basically this.
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Offline iamtootallforthis

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Re: Carbon fiber kb base?
« Reply #110 on: Thu, 18 June 2015, 06:45:56 »
So I didn't mention this earlier but it is really important to keep everything WARM when lacquer coating. Both the part and the lacquer need to be above about 70F. Most of the time this isn't a problem but I was doing all this in the winter. Yes it is Florida but it still gets down in the high 30's and 40's and the spraying had to be done outside.

So throughout the whole process I was keeping the lacquer can in a bowl of hot water and before each spraying I would put the part in the oven for 3-5 minutes to get it nice and warm.

And you might imagine this is where disaster struck. Each time I put the part in the oven I never set the temp... The part was only in there for the first 5 minutes of preheat so it was never really an issue.  Except one time.

I had just put the part in when my son came in, excited about his new level unlocked in Mario Kart 8. I figured, "I have 5 minutes, no problem."  30 minutes later, while he was dominating me on our third race, I smelled smoke. Uh oh. It then hit me: my part was getting cooked at 350 degrees!

Here's the carnage. It's not pretty.
Show Image


So, yeah, the part was ruined because of a stupid mistake. All is not lost though.

I learned sooo much this time around. The next time will be better, smoother, and hopefully require less finishing.

And my part turned out amazingly light.

Here's the stock plastic case:
Show Image


Here's the titanium 60% plate:
Show Image


And here's my case:
Show Image


All in all I'm pleased with the result. I'm still going to try to sand off the burnt parts and see if I can salvage much of my case. But I've also got some cool ideas for the next iteration!

Thanks for reading!

I may just be confused but aren't carbon fiber items usually sanded and polished after production to remove imperfections like this. I might be underestimating the extent of the bubbling, but couldn't you sand the whole exterior down a bit to remove the imperfections while still leaving a decent layer of epoxy?

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 6/12/15
« Reply #111 on: Thu, 18 June 2015, 07:31:16 »

So I didn't mention this earlier but it is really important to keep everything WARM when lacquer coating. Both the part and the lacquer need to be above about 70F. Most of the time this isn't a problem but I was doing all this in the winter. Yes it is Florida but it still gets down in the high 30's and 40's and the spraying had to be done outside.

So throughout the whole process I was keeping the lacquer can in a bowl of hot water and before each spraying I would put the part in the oven for 3-5 minutes to get it nice and warm.

And you might imagine this is where disaster struck. Each time I put the part in the oven I never set the temp... The part was only in there for the first 5 minutes of preheat so it was never really an issue.  Except one time.

I had just put the part in when my son came in, excited about his new level unlocked in Mario Kart 8. I figured, "I have 5 minutes, no problem."  30 minutes later, while he was dominating me on our third race, I smelled smoke. Uh oh. It then hit me: my part was getting cooked at 350 degrees!

Here's the carnage. It's not pretty.
Show Image


So, yeah, the part was ruined because of a stupid mistake. All is not lost though.

I learned sooo much this time around. The next time will be better, smoother, and hopefully require less finishing.

And my part turned out amazingly light.

Here's the stock plastic case:
Show Image


Here's the titanium 60% plate:
Show Image


And here's my case:
Show Image


All in all I'm pleased with the result. I'm still going to try to sand off the burnt parts and see if I can salvage much of my case. But I've also got some cool ideas for the next iteration!

Thanks for reading!

I may just be confused but aren't carbon fiber items usually sanded and polished after production to remove imperfections like this. I might be underestimating the extent of the bubbling, but couldn't you sand the whole exterior down a bit to remove the imperfections while still leaving a decent layer of epoxy?
You are right about the normal manufacturing. But in this case the plastic is burnt and bubbled all the way down to the carbon. 
I'm back.

Espresso machine overhaul: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=78261.0

Carbon Fiber keyboard base: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=54825

Offline iamtootallforthis

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 6/12/15
« Reply #112 on: Thu, 18 June 2015, 08:21:22 »

So I didn't mention this earlier but it is really important to keep everything WARM when lacquer coating. Both the part and the lacquer need to be above about 70F. Most of the time this isn't a problem but I was doing all this in the winter. Yes it is Florida but it still gets down in the high 30's and 40's and the spraying had to be done outside.

So throughout the whole process I was keeping the lacquer can in a bowl of hot water and before each spraying I would put the part in the oven for 3-5 minutes to get it nice and warm.

And you might imagine this is where disaster struck. Each time I put the part in the oven I never set the temp... The part was only in there for the first 5 minutes of preheat so it was never really an issue.  Except one time.

I had just put the part in when my son came in, excited about his new level unlocked in Mario Kart 8. I figured, "I have 5 minutes, no problem."  30 minutes later, while he was dominating me on our third race, I smelled smoke. Uh oh. It then hit me: my part was getting cooked at 350 degrees!

Here's the carnage. It's not pretty.
Show Image


So, yeah, the part was ruined because of a stupid mistake. All is not lost though.

I learned sooo much this time around. The next time will be better, smoother, and hopefully require less finishing.

And my part turned out amazingly light.

Here's the stock plastic case:
Show Image


Here's the titanium 60% plate:
Show Image


And here's my case:
Show Image


All in all I'm pleased with the result. I'm still going to try to sand off the burnt parts and see if I can salvage much of my case. But I've also got some cool ideas for the next iteration!

Thanks for reading!

I may just be confused but aren't carbon fiber items usually sanded and polished after production to remove imperfections like this. I might be underestimating the extent of the bubbling, but couldn't you sand the whole exterior down a bit to remove the imperfections while still leaving a decent layer of epoxy?
You are right about the normal manufacturing. But in this case the plastic is burnt and bubbled all the way down to the carbon. 

Bummer man. Still looks awesome though and the fact that you made it yourself makes it even cooler.

Offline heedpantsnow

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Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 6/12/15
« Reply #113 on: Fri, 04 September 2015, 10:33:35 »
This isn't dead, not yet at least.

I went through a ton of revisions and methods in trying to come up with a base that is robust but with well-formed contours for supporting the PCB.  This was one thing I wasn't super satisfied about with the original prototype.  It had the ridges, but the kevlar didn't lay into them as well as I would like and so there were many gaps in the ridges with no contact with the PCB.  Lately I haven't liked the feel of cases that only provide standoffs for the screws, especially if using them without a plate.

Well I finally got a method I'm happy with.  I ended up making a partner mold for my existing mold to sandwich the initial kevlar layer to get the ridges formed perfectly.  Now that I have that, I can move forward (or at least until the next obstacle!).



The one on the left is the new method.  The one on the right is the only acceptable sample of my previous tries.  I inserted carbon fiber rod inside the support ridges to force the kevlar against the mold.  It worked okay, but is temperamental, hard to line up, and costs too much for not much benefit.
« Last Edit: Fri, 04 September 2015, 10:40:15 by heedpantsnow »
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Offline E3E

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 6/12/15
« Reply #114 on: Sun, 27 September 2015, 19:28:59 »
Ahh, very methodical process, HPS. I'm liking how you're going about tackling these obstacles and slowly working your way toward a perfected method for making these case. I'm definitely eager to see the final result. I'd love to have one of these!

Offline taylordcraig

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #115 on: Thu, 15 October 2015, 11:16:38 »
Showing my continued support. Did you ever sell the prototypes?

Offline heedpantsnow

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Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #116 on: Thu, 15 October 2015, 12:06:28 »
Showing my continued support. Did you ever sell the prototypes?

Thank you sir, the prototypes are still being finished.  I have to "suit up" every time to work on them at this point and so progress is a bit slower.

Here was the first layer of short chopped carbon I put on them; this is to gradually level the base after I fill the ridges with foam (I've since done 2 more layers of this):


And here is after rough sanding the layers down level and smooth. This exposed a few more "pockets" where I need to fill in with some additional short chopped carbon:
« Last Edit: Thu, 15 October 2015, 12:14:14 by heedpantsnow »
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #117 on: Thu, 15 October 2015, 12:29:36 »
About the short chopped CF filler:
This is a relatively new development in the composites industry.  The marketing term is "forged composite", which is dumb because it's not forged.  It's basically molded composite.  Here's a decent article about how it's being used by Ferrari and Callaway.  I think it can be beautiful on its own, but it's also the perfect technique for leveling out the surface of the keyboard base before I apply the final layer of woven carbon fabric.  Basically I'm putting down several layers of the "forged carbon" and then sanding it back down level and smooth.

As you can see the sanding generates a lot of dust.  This dust is a mixture of cured epoxy and carbon fiber.  Basically the nastiest stuff from any phase of this somewhat nasty process.  Before each session of sanding I have to "suit up" as mentioned above:  I put on a full tyvek suit (with booties and hood), nitrile gloves taped to the suit at the wrists, respirator, and goggles.  After each session I have to get our vacuum cleaner and thoroughly vacuum the work surface, tools, floor, and any surfaces in the vicinity.  Then I vacuum myself.  Then I can unsuit.  Then I have to empty the vacuum cleaner, clean all the filters for it, and wipe down the insides so that there's no chance of this stuff blowing back out into our house while my wife or kids use the vacuum.

So basically I can only sand when I have a large chunk of time, which isn't often these days.

I'm sorry the progress is slow right now.
I'm back.

Espresso machine overhaul: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=78261.0

Carbon Fiber keyboard base: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=54825

Offline iamtootallforthis

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #118 on: Thu, 15 October 2015, 13:15:30 »
About the short chopped CF filler:
This is a relatively new development in the composites industry.  The marketing term is "forged composite", which is dumb because it's not forged.  It's basically molded composite.  Here's a decent article about how it's being used by Ferrari and Callaway.  I think it can be beautiful on its own, but it's also the perfect technique for leveling out the surface of the keyboard base before I apply the final layer of woven carbon fabric.  Basically I'm putting down several layers of the "forged carbon" and then sanding it back down level and smooth.

As you can see the sanding generates a lot of dust.  This dust is a mixture of cured epoxy and carbon fiber.  Basically the nastiest stuff from any phase of this somewhat nasty process.  Before each session of sanding I have to "suit up" as mentioned above:  I put on a full tyvek suit (with booties and hood), nitrile gloves taped to the suit at the wrists, respirator, and goggles.  After each session I have to get our vacuum cleaner and thoroughly vacuum the work surface, tools, floor, and any surfaces in the vicinity.  Then I vacuum myself.  Then I can unsuit.  Then I have to empty the vacuum cleaner, clean all the filters for it, and wipe down the insides so that there's no chance of this stuff blowing back out into our house while my wife or kids use the vacuum.

So basically I can only sand when I have a large chunk of time, which isn't often these days.

I'm sorry the progress is slow right now.

Carbon fiber is the biggest pain in the ass. One of my classes last semester discussed carbon fiber recycling techniques and as you can imagine it is slow moving because of how nasty the stuff is.

Thanks for the progress updates! I really look forward to seeing where this goes.

Offline smarmar

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #119 on: Fri, 06 November 2015, 11:18:36 »
Heedpantsnow, these boards will be amazing once they're completed! You're like a wizard or something. When I saw your prototypes I thought they were nice enough to sell, as is.
I can't wait to see how these are going to turn out  :thumb:
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Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #120 on: Sat, 07 November 2015, 13:44:53 »
Heedpantsnow, these boards will be amazing once they're completed! You're like a wizard or something. When I saw your prototypes I thought they were nice enough to sell, as is.
I can't wait to see how these are going to turn out  :thumb:

Thanks bro.  You're the only other GH'er whose seen them in person!

I hope you're well.  We need to grab coffee again sometime soon!

I'm back.

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Offline smarmar

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #121 on: Mon, 09 November 2015, 13:35:16 »
Heedpantsnow, these boards will be amazing once they're completed! You're like a wizard or something. When I saw your prototypes I thought they were nice enough to sell, as is.
I can't wait to see how these are going to turn out  :thumb:

Thanks bro.  You're the only other GH'er whose seen them in person!

I hope you're well.  We need to grab coffee again sometime soon!


I'm very well. Hope you are too.

We definitely need to hit up another coffee joint one of these days. Thanks to you, whenever I'm in the Waterford Lakes area I have to stop in at Vespr!
1992 IBM Model M | Tesoro Durandal[Browns] | Hi-Tek Series 725[Space Invaders] | Tandy Enhanced[Sliders] | Dell Quiet Keys | Mitsumi[AT]

Offline ccarlitos2

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #122 on: Sun, 06 December 2015, 15:54:48 »
I can't believe I'm just seeing this now. Hows progress on it going?
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Offline E3E

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #123 on: Sun, 06 December 2015, 19:45:36 »
ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGMENT! ;)

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #124 on: Mon, 07 December 2015, 14:36:43 »

I can't believe I'm just seeing this now. Hows progress on it going?

ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGMENT! ;)

Thanks guys for the interest and encouragement. I've been sidetracked by another project for the last month or so.  Found rust on the bottom of Silvia while doing brain surgery.  Had to rebuild her frame and rewire her. Soon she will be giving me god shots of espresso again!



I'll have a work log on that soon, and will pick up where I left off on the carbon fiber goods. I had to take care of Miss Silvia so I could have fuel for the CF!
I'm back.

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Offline E3E

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #125 on: Mon, 07 December 2015, 15:20:17 »

I can't believe I'm just seeing this now. Hows progress on it going?

ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGMENT! ;)

Thanks guys for the interest and encouragement. I've been sidetracked by another project for the last month or so.  Found rust on the bottom of Silvia while doing brain surgery.  Had to rebuild her frame and rewire her. Soon she will be giving me god shots of espresso again!

Show Image


I'll have a work log on that soon, and will pick up where I left off on the carbon fiber goods. I had to take care of Miss Silvia so I could have fuel for the CF!

I had no idea WHAT that thing was until you mentioned espressos. The instant thought that came to mind was a Nissan Silvia, since it looks like it would fit right in under the hood of a car #notamechanic

That's crazy though! Seems like time well spent nonetheless, good sir. Coffee is an important commodity!


Offline mashby

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #126 on: Mon, 07 December 2015, 15:52:51 »

I can't believe I'm just seeing this now. Hows progress on it going?

ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGMENT! ;)

Thanks guys for the interest and encouragement. I've been sidetracked by another project for the last month or so.  Found rust on the bottom of Silvia while doing brain surgery.  Had to rebuild her frame and rewire her. Soon she will be giving me god shots of espresso again!

Show Image


I'll have a work log on that soon, and will pick up where I left off on the carbon fiber goods. I had to take care of Miss Silvia so I could have fuel for the CF!

If mine ever goes South, looks like I'll be taking it south to visit you!

Offline ccarlitos2

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #127 on: Mon, 07 December 2015, 16:07:20 »

I can't believe I'm just seeing this now. Hows progress on it going?

ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGMENT! ;)

Thanks guys for the interest and encouragement. I've been sidetracked by another project for the last month or so.  Found rust on the bottom of Silvia while doing brain surgery.  Had to rebuild her frame and rewire her. Soon she will be giving me god shots of espresso again!

Show Image


I'll have a work log on that soon, and will pick up where I left off on the carbon fiber goods. I had to take care of Miss Silvia so I could have fuel for the CF!

Woah that looks pretty wicked... how does it work?
HHKB Pro 1| Poker 2(MX Browns)| Leopold FC200R (MX Blue)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Yup, that tasted purple" -Lulu

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/138889771@N05/

Offline mashby

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #128 on: Mon, 07 December 2015, 16:54:53 »
Woah that looks pretty wicked... how does it work?

Here's a video of the Rancilio Silva, which is what he just took apart.


Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #129 on: Sat, 12 December 2015, 10:20:21 »
Okay, Silvia side project completed. Will post a work log in a few days. This thing works like a dream.

I'm back.

Espresso machine overhaul: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=78261.0

Carbon Fiber keyboard base: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=54825

Offline mashby

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #130 on: Sat, 12 December 2015, 10:48:24 »
Okay, Silvia side project completed. Will post a work log in a few days. This thing works like a dream.

Show Image


heedpantsnow -- you have my full attention. We have an older model here at the office and I'd LOVE to see what you did!

Offline ccarlitos2

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #131 on: Sat, 12 December 2015, 11:10:51 »
Okay, Silvia side project completed. Will post a work log in a few days. This thing works like a dream.

Show Image


It looks beautiful!!! Can I come over and makes some drinks haha
HHKB Pro 1| Poker 2(MX Browns)| Leopold FC200R (MX Blue)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Yup, that tasted purple" -Lulu

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/138889771@N05/

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #132 on: Sat, 12 December 2015, 11:39:50 »
Okay, Silvia side project completed. Will post a work log in a few days. This thing works like a dream.

Show Image


It looks beautiful!!! Can I come over and makes some drinks haha

Of course, but I think you need to focus on exams now, right?  :thumb:

Okay, Silvia side project completed. Will post a work log in a few days. This thing works like a dream.

Show Image


heedpantsnow -- you have my full attention. We have an older model here at the office and I'd LOVE to see what you did!


Ok I will have the work log up in a few days and I will ping you when it posts.  Man I wish I worked somewhere that had a machine like this in the office!
I'm back.

Espresso machine overhaul: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=78261.0

Carbon Fiber keyboard base: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=54825

Offline ccarlitos2

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #133 on: Sat, 12 December 2015, 12:32:44 »
Okay, Silvia side project completed. Will post a work log in a few days. This thing works like a dream.

Show Image


It looks beautiful!!! Can I come over and makes some drinks haha

Of course, but I think you need to focus on exams now, right?  :thumb:



well yesssssss but coffee helps with that
HHKB Pro 1| Poker 2(MX Browns)| Leopold FC200R (MX Blue)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Yup, that tasted purple" -Lulu

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/138889771@N05/

Offline smarmar

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #134 on: Thu, 17 December 2015, 17:16:25 »

[/quote]

Ok I will have the work log up in a few days and I will ping you when it posts.  Man I wish I worked somewhere that had a machine like this in the office!

[/quote]

Yeah, me too.  :(
120389-0
*BARF*
1992 IBM Model M | Tesoro Durandal[Browns] | Hi-Tek Series 725[Space Invaders] | Tandy Enhanced[Sliders] | Dell Quiet Keys | Mitsumi[AT]

Offline domoaligato

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #135 on: Thu, 17 December 2015, 17:38:25 »
we have one at my office. they are not as great as you might think.

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #136 on: Thu, 17 December 2015, 17:49:33 »

we have one at my office. they are not as great as you might think.

The Keurig?  I have to admit I own one. The coffee isn't great but when my wife wants one cup in the middle of the day it's good for her.
I'm back.

Espresso machine overhaul: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=78261.0

Carbon Fiber keyboard base: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=54825

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #137 on: Thu, 31 December 2015, 08:53:50 »

I can't believe I'm just seeing this now. Hows progress on it going?

ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGMENT! ;)

Thanks guys for the interest and encouragement. I've been sidetracked by another project for the last month or so.  Found rust on the bottom of Silvia while doing brain surgery.  Had to rebuild her frame and rewire her. Soon she will be giving me god shots of espresso again!

Show Image


I'll have a work log on that soon, and will pick up where I left off on the carbon fiber goods. I had to take care of Miss Silvia so I could have fuel for the CF!

I had no idea WHAT that thing was until you mentioned espressos. The instant thought that came to mind was a Nissan Silvia, since it looks like it would fit right in under the hood of a car #notamechanic

That's crazy though! Seems like time well spent nonetheless, good sir. Coffee is an important commodity!




I can't believe I'm just seeing this now. Hows progress on it going?

ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGMENT! ;)

Thanks guys for the interest and encouragement. I've been sidetracked by another project for the last month or so.  Found rust on the bottom of Silvia while doing brain surgery.  Had to rebuild her frame and rewire her. Soon she will be giving me god shots of espresso again!

Show Image


I'll have a work log on that soon, and will pick up where I left off on the carbon fiber goods. I had to take care of Miss Silvia so I could have fuel for the CF!

If mine ever goes South, looks like I'll be taking it south to visit you!


I can't believe I'm just seeing this now. Hows progress on it going?

ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGMENT! ;)

Thanks guys for the interest and encouragement. I've been sidetracked by another project for the last month or so.  Found rust on the bottom of Silvia while doing brain surgery.  Had to rebuild her frame and rewire her. Soon she will be giving me god shots of espresso again!

Show Image


I'll have a work log on that soon, and will pick up where I left off on the carbon fiber goods. I had to take care of Miss Silvia so I could have fuel for the CF!

Woah that looks pretty wicked... how does it work?

Here's the thread for the espresso machine worklog; I'll be doing another post later today. https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=78261.0
I'm back.

Espresso machine overhaul: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=78261.0

Carbon Fiber keyboard base: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=54825

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #138 on: Tue, 13 September 2016, 05:54:59 »
Prototype VI
I'm back.

Espresso machine overhaul: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=78261.0

Carbon Fiber keyboard base: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=54825

Offline E3E

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #139 on: Tue, 13 September 2016, 07:50:23 »
Prototype VI
Show Image


Praise all that is delicious. :D

Glad to see you back, man!

Offline iamtootallforthis

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #140 on: Tue, 13 September 2016, 10:06:06 »
Prototype VI
Show Image


Looking forward to seeing results.

Offline ccarlitos2

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #141 on: Tue, 13 September 2016, 12:38:49 »
Yeeeeee looks good :D
HHKB Pro 1| Poker 2(MX Browns)| Leopold FC200R (MX Blue)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Yup, that tasted purple" -Lulu

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/138889771@N05/

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #142 on: Wed, 14 September 2016, 12:38:14 »
Yeeeeee looks good :D

Prototype VI
Show Image


Praise all that is delicious. :D

Glad to see you back, man!

Prototype VI
Show Image


Looking forward to seeing results.

Thank you guys for the encouragement and enthusiasm. 

I decided to put aside the other two prototypes (#'s 4 & 5) as they were proving to be too much work.  In an effort to simplify my production, I'm decided to not apply the foam inside the internal stiffeners.  It was a mess and I had to buy an entire new can of foam for each application.  Then, when I went to put on the stiffening layer, the vacuum would depress the foam and cause the base to be very rough.  The picture above is of the strengthening layer.  It's 12k plain weave carbon fiber.  A beast.  Soaks up resin like a sponge.  Just one layer is very very strong.  I'll upload a picture of the corner so you can see how stiff it is.

I'm try to finish up this prototype so I can field test it on my upcoming trip...I leave on Saturday for 2 weeks in the amazon jungle for work.

I've hit a little snag though.  This prototype I was making specifically to use with my GON bluetooth board, which stopped working this morning.  Please head over to that thread to help if you can:  https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=84685.0
I'm back.

Espresso machine overhaul: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=78261.0

Carbon Fiber keyboard base: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=54825

Offline heedpantsnow

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Re: Carbon fiber keyboard base - Updated 9/4/15
« Reply #143 on: Wed, 14 September 2016, 19:15:28 »
Here's a quick pic of the corner. You can see the stiffness a bit more here.
I'm back.

Espresso machine overhaul: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=78261.0

Carbon Fiber keyboard base: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=54825