Author Topic: From typewriter to mechanical keyboard (first project)  (Read 6553 times)

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Offline ineph

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From typewriter to mechanical keyboard (first project)
« on: Thu, 14 April 2016, 14:58:22 »
Hi guys!
I bought a typewriter for R$25,00 ($7)

(when I took this picture I had already taken some keycaps)

I belive it fits the MX switches, right?


i want to make a fully rusted plate to it...
it is just the beginning

So, what you guys think? Was a good deal?

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Offline CPTBadAss

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Re: From typewriter to mechanical keyboard (first project)
« Reply #1 on: Fri, 15 April 2016, 08:38:01 »
I don't think those are compatible with MX. If I remember correctly, they look like they will but won't without modification. The thrift stores around me sell electric typewriters all the time for about that price so I think it's a solid buy. But only if you plan on using the typewriter as is. I don't think it's very easy to convert to be usable over PC. If you did, the board would be so cumbersome it wouldn't be practical.

Offline Dernubenfrieken

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Re: From typewriter to mechanical keyboard (first project)
« Reply #2 on: Fri, 15 April 2016, 08:42:18 »
I don't think those are compatible with MX. If I remember correctly, they look like they will but won't without modification. The thrift stores around me sell electric typewriters all the time for about that price so I think it's a solid buy. But only if you plan on using the typewriter as is. I don't think it's very easy to convert to be usable over PC. If you did, the board would be so cumbersome it wouldn't be practical.

Yeah those are definitely not MX compatible, but it looks to be the same size as SKCC Cross stemmed alps, which I personally love as a linear switch. They'd be most useful as keycaps for a board using those (The Apple M0110 is the easiest/cheapest to get I would think)
    

Offline ineph

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Re: From typewriter to mechanical keyboard (first project)
« Reply #3 on: Fri, 15 April 2016, 21:45:48 »
I'll take off the pcb so... If I want to keep this switches (after greasing it), plate and keycaps, which board/frimeware/controler you guys recommend to use in this layout? (programable):

http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/gists/2414a2517b73bbb8c813709d0bd8d2be
« Last Edit: Sat, 16 April 2016, 09:23:47 by ineph »

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Offline trenzafeeds

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Re: From typewriter to mechanical keyboard (first project)
« Reply #4 on: Mon, 18 April 2016, 22:54:43 »
I'm pretty sure there's some place online that converts typewriters into usable keyboards by putting like teensies in them or some ****. You might be able to find out how they do it.

yeah, here it is:
http://www.usbtypewriter.com/
« Last Edit: Mon, 18 April 2016, 22:56:20 by trenzafeeds »
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Offline ineph

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Re: From typewriter to mechanical keyboard (first project)
« Reply #5 on: Sat, 30 April 2016, 00:58:47 »
I'm pretty sure there's some place online that converts typewriters into usable keyboards by putting like teensies in them or some ****. You might be able to find out how they do it.

yeah, here it is:
http://www.usbtypewriter.com/

Really interesting but it's sells parts that actually goes on typewriter to transform the information of what is typing to a computer...
 I just take of a keyboard of a electric typewriter and want to put a controller on it:



20 pins and a total of 64 keys. I'm thinking that a Teensy can handle this...(?) what model exactly? how exactly I sold de clomns and rows on it? what pins I'll use?

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Offline rampantandroid

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Re: From typewriter to mechanical keyboard (first project)
« Reply #6 on: Sat, 30 April 2016, 04:29:29 »
This thread has a step by step for a hand wired KB - no clue how it'll apply to your PCB though (are the switches already in rows/columns? Do you even like the current switches?)
Edit: Oops, I should actually paste the link, shouldn't I? Here: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=45139.0


Only other way I see to harvest those caps is to 3d print MX stems, dremel off the current stems and mix up some epoxy (assuming epoxy works with that plastic. It probably does.) Biggest problem will be centering them though. Maybe you could also drill out the existing stem and make MX inserts...
Someone apparently went up to the great philosopher Wittgenstein and said "What a lot of morons people back in the Middle Ages must have been to have looked, every morning, at the dawn and to have thought what they were seeing was the Sun going around the Earth, when every school kid knows that the Earth goes around the Sun", to which Wittgenstein replied "Yeah, but I wonder what it would have looked like if the Sun had been going around the Earth?"

Offline ineph

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Re: From typewriter to mechanical keyboard (first project)
« Reply #7 on: Sun, 01 May 2016, 18:37:47 »
This thread has a step by step for a hand wired KB - no clue how it'll apply to your PCB though (are the switches already in rows/columns? Do you even like the current switches?)
Edit: Oops, I should actually paste the link, shouldn't I? Here: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=45139.0


Only other way I see to harvest those caps is to 3d print MX stems, dremel off the current stems and mix up some epoxy (assuming epoxy works with that plastic. It probably does.) Biggest problem will be centering them though. Maybe you could also drill out the existing stem and make MX inserts...

This will help me a lot! thanks
I liked the switches, a little hard but I belive that a lubricating graphite can make a nice result.

what did you mean "are the switches already in rows/columns?"?

Assuming that I'll use de typewriter switches I can avoid all this work, I guess.

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Offline rampantandroid

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Re: From typewriter to mechanical keyboard (first project)
« Reply #8 on: Mon, 02 May 2016, 15:42:39 »
This will help me a lot! thanks
I liked the switches, a little hard but I belive that a lubricating graphite can make a nice result.

what did you mean "are the switches already in rows/columns?"?

Assuming that I'll use de typewriter switches I can avoid all this work, I guess.


What I meant is (and it might be best to read the hand wiring thread I linked to) is that if you have access to each row (as in, tab, q, w, e, r, t,y and so on) and column (1, q, a, z... OR 2, w, s, x...) then it's a simple job of wiring those to the teensy.
Someone apparently went up to the great philosopher Wittgenstein and said "What a lot of morons people back in the Middle Ages must have been to have looked, every morning, at the dawn and to have thought what they were seeing was the Sun going around the Earth, when every school kid knows that the Earth goes around the Sun", to which Wittgenstein replied "Yeah, but I wonder what it would have looked like if the Sun had been going around the Earth?"

Offline ineph

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Re: From typewriter to mechanical keyboard (first project)
« Reply #9 on: Tue, 03 May 2016, 00:17:00 »
This will help me a lot! thanks
I liked the switches, a little hard but I belive that a lubricating graphite can make a nice result.

what did you mean "are the switches already in rows/columns?"?

Assuming that I'll use de typewriter switches I can avoid all this work, I guess.


What I meant is (and it might be best to read the hand wiring thread I linked to) is that if you have access to each row (as in, tab, q, w, e, r, t,y and so on) and column (1, q, a, z... OR 2, w, s, x...) then it's a simple job of wiring those to the teensy.

Yeah the rows and cloumns will be exactly like the lastest image I uploaded

this thread you linked helped me to know exactly pins to use :thumb:

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Offline ineph

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Re: From typewriter to mechanical keyboard (first project)
« Reply #10 on: Mon, 09 May 2016, 15:37:37 »
I'm on my way to buy the Teensy but for me it is more easy and fast to buy the LC model (the Teensy 2.0 as out of stock in the mostly stores in here and the ++2.0 is more expensive and unnecessary)



according with this image i can use the gray "Digital pins" right? And about the 5, 16, 17, 21 pins that are 20mA?
and I'll put two switches LEDs: one in CapsLock and another in Fn (or "magic"). I put booth in LED pin?

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Offline user 18

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Re: From typewriter to mechanical keyboard (first project)
« Reply #11 on: Sat, 14 May 2016, 22:13:12 »
I believe LED on that schematic just refers to the onboard LED being connected to that same pin. You can use any digital IO pin for a LED, but I recommend using the PWM pins, as they will allow you to control LED brightness more easily. If you want the LEDs to be separately controllable (i.e. caps can be lit while FN is off or vice versa) you need to use two different pins, one per LED. Don't forget that you'll want to hook resistors up in series with LEDs as well.

You shouldn't need more than 5 mA for any tasks involved in the keyboard you propose, either scanning a matrix or driving a single LED. I don't think it matters which of those pins you use.

It's likely that the typewriter already has a PCB and its own matrix, if it's an electric typewriter. Each row and column will need a digital IO pin, but the logical rows and columns of the matrix likely do not correspond to the physical rows and columns of keys. You can use a multimeter or any device that measures resistance in order to test for continuity, which will allow you to determine which two lines in the matrix correspond to each key -- this will allow you to actually set up the firmware. This isn't a particularly complicated process, but it's time-consuming, and I'm probably doing a poor job of describing it.

The primary advantage of the Teensy 2.0 is that several keyboard firmwares are written for that exact board, and they may not work properly on a Teensy LC. I would expect that you would need to write some code yourself in order to get a Teensy LC working as a keyboard controller.

I think that covers most everything, feel free to ask if you have any further questions.
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Offline suicidal_orange

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Re: From typewriter to mechanical keyboard (first project)
« Reply #12 on: Sun, 15 May 2016, 04:34:12 »
Another option is the official Arduino Micro which uses the same ATMega32u4 chip used in the Teensy 2.0, but avoid the much cheaper Pro Micro as it only has 18 pins.  Unless the PCB uses an 8x8 or 9x9 matrix...
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Re: From typewriter to mechanical keyboard (first project)
« Reply #13 on: Sun, 15 May 2016, 09:39:07 »
Just be careful that you don't get the similar-looking Arduino Nano, which does not act as a USB device.
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Offline ineph

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Re: From typewriter to mechanical keyboard (first project)
« Reply #14 on: Sun, 22 May 2016, 10:31:26 »
I believe LED on that schematic just refers to the onboard LED being connected to that same pin. You can use any digital IO pin for a LED, but I recommend using the PWM pins, as they will allow you to control LED brightness more easily. If you want the LEDs to be separately controllable (i.e. caps can be lit while FN is off or vice versa) you need to use two different pins, one per LED. Don't forget that you'll want to hook resistors up in series with LEDs as well.

You shouldn't need more than 5 mA for any tasks involved in the keyboard you propose, either scanning a matrix or driving a single LED. I don't think it matters which of those pins you use.

It's likely that the typewriter already has a PCB and its own matrix, if it's an electric typewriter. Each row and column will need a digital IO pin, but the logical rows and columns of the matrix likely do not correspond to the physical rows and columns of keys. You can use a multimeter or any device that measures resistance in order to test for continuity, which will allow you to determine which two lines in the matrix correspond to each key -- this will allow you to actually set up the firmware. This isn't a particularly complicated process, but it's time-consuming, and I'm probably doing a poor job of describing it.

The primary advantage of the Teensy 2.0 is that several keyboard firmwares are written for that exact board, and they may not work properly on a Teensy LC. I would expect that you would need to write some code yourself in order to get a Teensy LC working as a keyboard controller.

I think that covers most everything, feel free to ask if you have any further questions.

Hey thanks!
I'll not use the typewriter's PCB, it has some unwanted extra keys  :(

The Teensy-LC has arrived yesterday:

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Offline ineph

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Re: From typewriter to mechanical keyboard (first project)
« Reply #15 on: Mon, 22 August 2016, 20:17:46 »
Here is a little update:



Yeah it's very ugly, and my first try with soldering something important :-[

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Offline suicidal_orange

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Re: From typewriter to mechanical keyboard (first project)
« Reply #16 on: Tue, 23 August 2016, 03:07:53 »
It may not be Yoe level perfect pretty wiring but you won't see that when it's finished anyway - looking good :)
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