Author Topic: [IC] budget96 PCB and Case - mmm, QMK? (Read 31797 times)

donutcat · « **on:** Fri, 19 January 2018, 16:05:30 »

GB is now open! GB thread at https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=95390.0

Update 4-20-18
Checked in with the manu on a hunch to ask about gold immersion finish, got confirmation back this morning that we'll be able to do gold immersion finish on both the colors of PCBs for no additional costs!

Update 4-5-18
Quotes received on the PCBs. Both Matte Black and Purple will be available for $30 at 50 MOQ each.

Update 3-27-18
Strawpoll tiebreaker for PCB color at https://www.strawpoll.me/15374972

IC for is here: https://donutcables.com/budget-96key-ic/
Alternate link for mobile issues https://goo.gl/forms/cUYFtUlWglLxsnE82

Update 3-3-18
A new IC form is available for deciding on PCB color. The manu got back to me after Chinese New Year and confirmed that as long as we get over 50 orders we'll be able to select a custom soldermask color for the PCB.

Info is in the form but I'll post it here for ease. This is a simple IC for a budget 96key PCB offering, as well as the potential for a budget case option. The boards run on ps2avrgb firmware and use BootMapperClient for programming. They come with RGB underglow LEDs and diodes persoldered, as well as resistors for backlighting LEDs. The layouts support ISO, split backspace, 1800 numpad, and several bottom row options that I'll make up a diagram for soon. Additionally, the mounting points on the PCB appear to let it fit in a variety of cases, but this is not confirmed currently.
Sample pics:

My sample is red, but the PCBs will be black with silver.

For the case, this will most likely be an acrylic sandwich style case from a community maker, and will likely resemble the below sample:

PCB pricing is currently estimated at $35-$40 based on bulk shipment cost to me, case pricing is loosely estimated at $60 since I don't have numbers on that.

Lemme know what you think.

MatchstickMan · « **Reply #1 on:** Fri, 19 January 2018, 16:25:43 »

Need an option in the form for just 1 case!

But at that price point, I'm highly interested.

Any chance for a split spacebar option in the PCB/plate?

donutcat · « **Reply #2 on:** Fri, 19 January 2018, 16:56:29 »

Quote from: MatchstickMan on Fri, 19 January 2018, 16:25:43

Need an option in the form for just 1 case!

But at that price point, I'm highly interested.

Any chance for a split spacebar option in the PCB/plate?

Well, the wording in the form options is meant to be more humorous than serious. Split spacebar is highly unlikely since I'm dealing with a preexisting design and the manu will most likely be unwilling to adjust their design.

Kavik · « **Reply #3 on:** Fri, 19 January 2018, 17:01:46 »

Interested. I have more switches than things to put them in atm, so this may be a good thing to stick them in.

UsualSuspectXXX · « **Reply #4 on:** Fri, 19 January 2018, 17:10:26 »

For the case, will there be an option for different colors on each layer?

And I'd like to see hex screws instead of philips head.

donutcat · « **Reply #5 on:** Fri, 19 January 2018, 17:21:31 »

Quote from: UsualSuspectXXX on Fri, 19 January 2018, 17:10:26

For the case, will there be an option for different colors on each layer?

And I'd like to see hex screws instead of philips head.

Different colors may be available, but that would understandably increase the cost of the case. And yes, I'm aiming for allen head screws as well since they're very nice on my wkl case.

BlackInk · « **Reply #6 on:** Fri, 19 January 2018, 17:33:21 »

Interested

UsualSuspectXXX · « **Reply #7 on:** Fri, 19 January 2018, 17:34:59 »

Quote from: donutcat on Fri, 19 January 2018, 17:21:31

Quote from: UsualSuspectXXX on Fri, 19 January 2018, 17:10:26
For the case, will there be an option for different colors on each layer?

And I'd like to see hex screws instead of philips head.

Different colors may be available, but that would understandably increase the cost of the case. And yes, I'm aiming for allen head screws as well since they're very nice on my wkl case.

Cool. The only thing that would hold me back from this one is Bootmapper Client. I'd much prefer TMK/QMK support.

futurecrime · « **Reply #8 on:** Fri, 19 January 2018, 18:17:03 »

I'd also be down for split spacebar and acrylic colour choices but at that pice I'd probably buy one regardless.

punkpc · « **Reply #9 on:** Fri, 19 January 2018, 19:39:21 »

I would be interested. Would prefer the other case from the built keyboard above the sandwich case though.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

BlindAssassin111 · « **Reply #10 on:** Fri, 19 January 2018, 20:14:59 »

Would love to have this, perfect for what I want to do for a project. What is the time frame on this?

MatchstickMan · « **Reply #11 on:** Mon, 22 January 2018, 10:01:25 »

Quote from: donutcat on Fri, 19 January 2018, 16:56:29

Split spacebar is highly unlikely since I'm dealing with a preexisting design and the manu will most likely be unwilling to adjust their design.

No worries, thought I'd ask anyway.

kmba · « **Reply #12 on:** Mon, 22 January 2018, 19:24:29 »

I'd be in at that price point if the sandwich case could add an additional layer on top to act as a lip and make it more high profile

donutcat · « **Reply #13 on:** Mon, 22 January 2018, 19:49:59 »

So the response on the form looks pretty good, so I'll be getting ahold of my case maker later this week and seeing if we can't get this moving some time next week or early Feb.

BlindAssassin111 · « **Reply #14 on:** Mon, 22 January 2018, 20:05:08 »

Quote from: donutcat on Mon, 22 January 2018, 19:49:59

So the response on the form looks pretty good, so I'll be getting ahold of my case maker later this week and seeing if we can't get this moving some time next week or early Feb.

Sweet, can't wait to see where this goes. Need a board to put some BOX Jades on and this looks to be a perfect candidate.

reccatyo · « **Reply #15 on:** Tue, 23 January 2018, 03:04:45 »

Interesting, waiting for updates. I'm a sucker for acrylic cases.

)

donutcat · « **Reply #16 on:** Mon, 29 January 2018, 10:15:59 »

Small update, I've got a request in for a solid quote on case prices, and I'm attempting to contact the PCB manu to see if some customization is available with the estimated 60-odd order numbers we'll have.

Mechboards · « **Reply #17 on:** Tue, 30 January 2018, 18:17:06 »

Interested

Rykno · « **Reply #18 on:** Tue, 30 January 2018, 19:51:37 »

Hi Donut! Any chance your board will feature USB-C?

donutcat · « **Reply #19 on:** Tue, 30 January 2018, 20:28:26 »

Unfortunately the design of the PCB is set in stone currently with USB mini since I'm using a design that the manu already has available as opposed to making my own. This contributes largely to the budget nature of this project.

KorbenDallas · « **Reply #20 on:** Wed, 31 January 2018, 02:46:34 »

Definitely interested. Wanted to join the melody96 but my money is allocated elsewhere atm. This would be right down my alley budget wise. Will keep an eye out

UsualSuspectXXX · « **Reply #21 on:** Sun, 04 February 2018, 00:17:35 »

Hey, donutcat. Would it be possible for me to load QMK firmware on this PCB in place of using bootmapper client? Or is that not possible?

Peiweisgreat · « **Reply #22 on:** Sun, 04 February 2018, 02:39:20 »

This is probably going to be my first and only 96 key board, so lets make this happen captain.

Tree_ · « **Reply #23 on:** Mon, 05 February 2018, 19:17:37 »

Hype. Can't wait.

donutcat · « **Reply #24 on:** Mon, 05 February 2018, 19:34:35 »

Currently working on communication with the manu, which is slightly hard than anticipated. The approach of CNY is also making me a bit nervous about the timeline since at this point the GB period would need to be longer than the week or so until CNY.

TerryMathews · « **Reply #25 on:** Tue, 06 February 2018, 13:23:35 »

I'd be interested in buying a couple PCBs as spares for my existing ZZ96s.

Might make more sense to wait until CNY to launch.

donutcat · « **Reply #26 on:** Sat, 03 March 2018, 13:36:42 »

Update 3-3-18
New IC form at https://donutcables.com/budget-96key-ic/ and https://goo.gl/forms/cUYFtUlWglLxsnE82

After no communication due to Chinese New Year, I've finally heard back from the manu that they will allow a custom soldermask color if we get at least 50 units ordered. Additionally, we may see bulk discounts that I wasn't certain of before, but that's also dependent on order quantity.

UsualSuspectXXX · « **Reply #27 on:** Sat, 03 March 2018, 14:35:50 »

That's great news! Purple or red pcb would be pretty cool

BlindAssassin111 · « **Reply #28 on:** Sat, 03 March 2018, 15:32:04 »

Quote from: UsualSuspectXXX on Sat, 03 March 2018, 14:35:50

That's great news! Purple or red pcb would be pretty cool

I second the purple, would really set this apart and look awesome. Always like the OSHpark purple and gold look.

donutcat · « **Reply #29 on:** Wed, 07 March 2018, 20:11:29 »

Some more progress, got some more sample boards in shipping and I've just ordered the first test batch of FR4 plates. I'm really hoping this batch works out since I'd like to show them off at the San Antonio meetup, and it'd be nice if the design worked well for the GB as well since that would further drop the price of the kit.

pr0ximity · « **Reply #30 on:** Wed, 07 March 2018, 21:17:31 »

Will be following along. Some folks at work are interested in 96-key kits on a budget, so pretty good timing.

tanvir175 · « **Reply #31 on:** Wed, 07 March 2018, 23:28:49 »

Looks good! I'm definitely interested in seeing where this goes.

get_weird · « **Reply #32 on:** Sat, 10 March 2018, 06:37:51 »

Is it possible to cut the case layers out of different colors? Like maybe a sandwich of matte black, opaque acrylic, matte black?

TerryMathews · « **Reply #33 on:** Sat, 10 March 2018, 07:48:24 »

I've bought stuff from this manu before, it's good stuff.

Can we get those SMD LEDs for caps and num to be a neutral color like white?

donutcat · « **Reply #34 on:** Sat, 10 March 2018, 11:16:32 »

Quote from: get_weird on Sat, 10 March 2018, 06:37:51

Is it possible to cut the case layers out of different colors? Like maybe a sandwich of matte black, opaque acrylic, matte black?

I'm currently testing FR4 plates to see if we can replace the more expensive and time consuming to cut acrylic plates with them. I chose to try them mostly for having a more durable plate material that can be thin for a snap in fit, but another benefit is that there will be some color options. We're still going to be going with matte/frosted middle layers if we can source them economically enough.

Quote from: TerryMathews on Sat, 10 March 2018, 07:48:24

I've bought stuff from this manu before, it's good stuff.

Can we get those SMD LEDs for caps and num to be a neutral color like white?

I can check, but part of the reason the pricing is low is because we're not modifying their design any, so I'm not sure if that would mess with our current pricing or our potential lead time.

TerryMathews · « **Reply #35 on:** Sat, 10 March 2018, 13:01:37 »

I mean it's not a deal breaker but if it's the green one it's ugly AF.

I wouldn't think doing white in the quantity you're talking about would be any issue

tex_live_utility · « **Reply #36 on:** Sat, 10 March 2018, 16:14:34 »

Quote from: Peiweisgreat on Sun, 04 February 2018, 02:39:20

This is probably going to be my first and only 96 key board, so lets make this happen captain.

Likewise.

donutcat · « **Reply #37 on:** Mon, 12 March 2018, 16:10:48 »

Prototype plates are here! Now to just wait for the PCBs, which seem to be delayed :\

UsualSuspectXXX · « **Reply #38 on:** Mon, 12 March 2018, 18:27:39 »

Quote from: donutcat on Mon, 12 March 2018, 16:10:48

Show Image

Prototype plates are here! Now to just wait for the PCBs, which seem to be delayed :\

Yay. Glad to see this moving along!

donutcat · « **Reply #39 on:** Wed, 14 March 2018, 15:14:28 »

Small update, got switches in for the prototypes:

Now if only EMS could hurry up and deliver the PCBs I could build these suckers

donutcat · « **Reply #40 on:** Mon, 19 March 2018, 13:48:38 »

Stack of case middles from JOlimon, only thing I'm missing is the PCBs, which EMS still have :|

donutcat · « **Reply #41 on:** Mon, 19 March 2018, 14:15:25 »

Got one put together to check for fitment. One thing we overlooked was that the FR4 plates wouldn't have countersunk screwholes like the acrylic tops would, so you'll notice they aren't the best fit. We'll be looking into resizing the holes or changing screw types before the GB run.

As it sits, the case is 11.4mm thick and weighs 404g.

MatchstickMan · « **Reply #42 on:** Tue, 20 March 2018, 10:33:09 »

I can't wait for this. I imagine it will be extremely successful, especially after how well the Contra ran.

donutcat · « **Reply #43 on:** Tue, 20 March 2018, 18:54:50 »

stacks on stacks on stacks

Now if only EMS were capable of delivering my PCBs in a timely manner :think:

UsualSuspectXXX · « **Reply #44 on:** Tue, 20 March 2018, 18:59:13 »

Any word on what color PCB's you'll be using?

donutcat · « **Reply #45 on:** Tue, 20 March 2018, 19:56:26 »

Purple was going really strong, but it looks like matte black is currently in the lead by quite a bit

I'll probably leave the form open until after I'm back from the San Antonio meetup and see where it's at then if I finally have the sample PCBs on hand to check over.

UsualSuspectXXX · « **Reply #46 on:** Tue, 20 March 2018, 20:09:07 »

Quote from: donutcat on Tue, 20 March 2018, 19:56:26

Purple was going really strong, but it looks like matte black is currently in the lead by quite a bit
Show Image

I'll probably leave the form open until after I'm back from the San Antonio meetup and see where it's at then if I finally have the sample PCBs on hand to check over.

Oh =[ but black is so boring!

tanvir175 · « **Reply #47 on:** Tue, 20 March 2018, 20:33:10 »

Quote from: UsualSuspectXXX on Tue, 20 March 2018, 20:09:07

Quote from: donutcat on Tue, 20 March 2018, 19:56:26
Purple was going really strong, but it looks like matte black is currently in the lead by quite a bit
Show Image

I'll probably leave the form open until after I'm back from the San Antonio meetup and see where it's at then if I finally have the sample PCBs on hand to check over.

Oh =[ but black is so boring!

It does go nicely with everything. Though, I do wish people were open to more "out there" colors.

BlindAssassin111 · « **Reply #48 on:** Tue, 20 March 2018, 20:36:20 »

Quote from: tanvir175 on Tue, 20 March 2018, 20:33:10

It does go nicely with everything. Though, I do wish people were open to more "out there" colors.

I voted for purple because I never see those and I think they look the best, black was the backup color. Black and gold pads looks too good to me not to like but purple beats it hands down.

BobCarltheThird · « **Reply #49 on:** Tue, 20 March 2018, 20:40:13 »

Quote from: tanvir175 on Tue, 20 March 2018, 20:33:10

Quote from: UsualSuspectXXX on Tue, 20 March 2018, 20:09:07
Quote from: donutcat on Tue, 20 March 2018, 19:56:26
Purple was going really strong, but it looks like matte black is currently in the lead by quite a bit
Show Image

I'll probably leave the form open until after I'm back from the San Antonio meetup and see where it's at then if I finally have the sample PCBs on hand to check over.

Oh =[ but black is so boring!

It does go nicely with everything. Though, I do wish people were open to more "out there" colors.

If some of the last few buys I've seen are representative of anything people perfer getting colorful cases whenever a "big" keyset drops (Laser) and generally they get one that matches one of the main colors for that set. Otherwise they go for more muted options as they have a higher chance of matching something that comes out in the future.

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Author Topic: [IC] budget96 PCB and Case - mmm, QMK? (Read 31797 times)