Lovely. Needs an aluminum case though :))This is what you do BEFORE sanding it out for milling, if he ultimately even wants that. Plastic does have it's benefits (like not shocking the hell out of you with static buildup!).
Lovely. Needs an aluminum case though :))Aluminum case is surely something I'm considering but plastics is great for prototyping. I'll probably do some more PCB revisions and case prints before thinking to move to aluminum. The true benefit of plastics is that you can file or sand excesses wheter it's needed. Surely it can be done with aluminum as well but I question the results.
If you want to fix them (or clean up the case), you can lightly sand the plastic, then spray with sandable primer, sand, prime, repeat. After just a couple coats it should be a nice smooth case that looks like something you would buy off a store shelf. Thicker scratches you can use Bondo scratch filler.That's precious, thanks, I'll try that.
0.2mm, while many consider it okay, or even decent, quite a few companies, including mine, consider this to be an extremely rough print. For something we intend to show off we never go thicker than 0.125 and if we have the time, we will go down to 0.1, 0.08, 0.05 or even less. While we have done 0.03 and 0.01 and it looked fantastic, the time required was simply unrealistic. For example a print that took 1 hour at 0.2 will take 200 hours at 0.01, when you consider we often do 36 hour prints at 0.125, a that same print would require 4500 hours, or about 6 months of non stop printing. Most home 3d printers will wear out before it reaches that point.I've read a bit about 3D printing and I was aware that 200 microns would have been rough, especially with PLA.
This case probably cost around $100€ 63.61 shipped, roughly $73.
I've read a bit about 3D printing and I was aware that 200 microns would have been rough, especially with PLA.Abs gives no better finish, however it's easier to smooth.
Does printing ABS gives any better look in your opinion?
€ 63.61 shipped, roughly $73.Pretty much what I expected (I figured $60-70 plus shipping), but I rounded up just to make things easier and not give people wrong expectations.
So why not just use ABS?Your knowledge of 3D printing is impressive and I thank you for sharing it. Since I'm not printing myself I guess I'll keep have my prototypes printed in PLA.
Because ABS is a F***KING terrible plastic to 3d print. Yes, technically it's stronger, which is the big claim people using it use as a reason, the problem is, that is based on molded strength, not 3d printed strength. ABS doesn't adhere to the previous layer well, so it tends to delaminate, so while yes, it;s technically stronger, if done properly, when done wrong, you can literally crush it in your hands. And it's VERY easy to get wrong, opening a door in your house can cause enough of a draft to ruin the print. So you end up with people building cardboard shields, plexiglass cases, etc.. trying to keep air from blowing across it. You also need a heated bed because otherwise ABS has a tendency to warp because it shrinks, which also needs to be accounted for in the design (up to 8%) and the shrinkage can cause all sorts of odd print problems such as an hourglass shape. ABS is actually falling out of favor for various high temp PLAs, nylons and such at this point for these reasons. Not to mention the toxic smell it produces when printing.
Your knowledge of 3D printing is impressive and I thank you for sharing it. Since I'm not printing myself I guess I'll keep have my prototypes printed in PLA.
Again, thank you.
the only place I found that does 3D printing can only make small items and I don't own, or have access to, a 3D printer.Have you tried 3DHubs (https://www.3dhubs.com/)? It was resourceful to me. You can try and split your model with dovetails (http://d33v4339jhl8k0.cloudfront.net/docs/assets/53970867e4b0c76107b1091a/images/54c2218ce4b0512429884e49/file-HS4arJEPiG.jpg) and glue it together.
such outstanding results from a novice at electrical stuff makes me think I may have a chance to design my own board someday.
such outstanding results from a novice at electrical stuff makes me think I may have a chance to design my own board someday.I would encourage everyone to give it a try. At the beginning I made errors that made the board unusable, it costed me money, but in the end I made it. One just has to try and not to give up.
That looks awesome! I want one 👀👀Thanks. I'll be releasing the source as soon as I'm done with v2, so chances you can have one are good.
Wow really impressed with your work so far! :thumb:Thank you mate.
Love how deep the keycaps sink in, and the simple design. It's definitely better than 90% of CNC cases out there that have way off proportions and meaningless shapes.Thanks. The top half of the case is 10mm high so the keycaps sink slightly more than some other keyboards which, I reckon, are 7mm high.
That looks awesome! I want one 👀👀Thanks. I'll be releasing the source as soon as I'm done with v2, so chances you can have one are good.Wow really impressed with your work so far! :thumb:Thank you mate.Love how deep the keycaps sink in, and the simple design. It's definitely better than 90% of CNC cases out there that have way off proportions and meaningless shapes.Thanks. The top half of the case is 10mm high so the keycaps sink slightly more than some other keyboards which, I reckon, are 7mm high.
I'm reworking the whole project and I'm trying to design an aluminum case whose smooth surface would hopefully make the entire board look much prettier.
What are the chances you'll add ISO compatibility in plate and PCB in future revisions?PCB already supports ISO, even in rev. 1. As for plates, I'll be offering various templates but I won't be selling any myself.
What are the chances you'll add ISO compatibility in plate and PCB in future revisions?PCB already supports ISO, even in rev. 1. As for plates, I'll be offering various templates but I won't be selling any myself.
That looks awesome! I want one 👀👀Thanks. I'll be releasing the source as soon as I'm done with v2, so chances you can have one are good.Wow really impressed with your work so far! :thumb:Thank you mate.Love how deep the keycaps sink in, and the simple design. It's definitely better than 90% of CNC cases out there that have way off proportions and meaningless shapes.Thanks. The top half of the case is 10mm high so the keycaps sink slightly more than some other keyboards which, I reckon, are 7mm high.
I'm reworking the whole project and I'm trying to design an aluminum case whose smooth surface would hopefully make the entire board look much prettier.
That looks awesome! I want one 👀👀Thanks. I'll be releasing the source as soon as I'm done with v2, so chances you can have one are good.
Open source?Yes under a Creative Commons BY-SA 3.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).
I wouldn't have guessed that you were a novice, considering how often I saw you responding to and helping others in that thread.I've been googling a lot by myself and found many answers to my questions around the internet, yet the most invaluable help I've found was in this very community and mostly from the gentlemen cited in the very first post.
Would you mind if I PM you down the road as I get ready to start working on my own projects?Be my guest.
Thanks for keeping up with this and for the new links. I've only barely gotten into KiCAD, and looking at your work on the pcb helps a lot with the understanding of it.I'm glad it's useful to someone. Good luck with your project.
I dig it. Nice to see a 4:3 aspect among all the widescreen-shaped keyboards out there.
Personally would get rid of the horizontal spacebar hole as it adds flex to the whole bottom row etc.I have three mounting points there, do you think the bottom row would still flex?
Would also round the corners/increase chamfer size but that's personal preference.The switch opening is on a 19*19 mm base and the fillets of the inside corners are 0.5 mm. I'm afraid a bigger fillet wouldn't leave room for the cap to move.
LED holes look a little small, but I'm not educated on that topic so won't go further.The opening you see is to allow the light through, the LEDs themselves are hidden in a 7mm cylinder beneath that. That's a feature I've seen on many recent designs and I find it quite nice.
Personally would get rid of the horizontal spacebar hole as it adds flex to the whole bottom row etc.I have three mounting points there, do you think the bottom row would still flex?Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/CCwkV29.png)Would also round the corners/increase chamfer size but that's personal preference.The switch opening is on a 19*19 mm base and the fillets of the inside corners are 0.5 mm. I'm afraid a bigger fillet wouldn't leave room for the cap to move.Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/z2vJrlk.jpg)LED holes look a little small, but I'm not educated on that topic so won't go further.The opening you see is to allow the light through, the LEDs themselves are hidden in a 7mm cylinder beneath that. That's a feature I've seen on many recent designs and I find it quite nice.Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/WJQLz1t.jpg)
Thank a lot you for your input.
You could do something like this for the spacebar:That's been duly noted. Thank you.Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/PQ47OkU.png)
Cleans it up and is a bit more sturdy.
.5mm radius is fine for the corners and the leds are also fine. You could probably even get away with something like 5mm for the cylinders unless you are using larger leds of course.Would a shorter radius change the light effect in your opinion? For instance I'm using either 3mm or 2x3x4mm LEDs.
You could do something like this for the spacebar:That's been duly noted. Thank you.Show Image(https://i.imgur.com/PQ47OkU.png)
Cleans it up and is a bit more sturdy..5mm radius is fine for the corners and the leds are also fine. You could probably even get away with something like 5mm for the cylinders unless you are using larger leds of course.Would a shorter radius change the light effect in your opinion? For instance I'm using either 3mm or 2x3x4mm LEDs.
What size is the hole that the light will actually shine through?1mm.
Let us know how you deal with incorporating the numpad clusterWith layers. I generally use two: one for navigation and one for media and both are momentary.
Very nice project. The design of the function keys is perfect.
Getting better and better all the time... Very nice.
hnng need a caseThat's the next on the list. If everything goes according to the plan, it'd be done by the end of April. In that case I'll share the model files.
I've just made a deal with the factory that will produce the casing for the new Toad.
Anodizing will be dark grey as they don't offer micro arc oxidation but perhaps it's something that they can arrange in the future.
Lead time is fifteen days so I should getting everything together by early April since I've already assembled the PCBs.
I gotta say that the quote was better than I expected and the EUR/USD exchange rate truly helped.
Hopefully everything will work as intended.
How many are you making?Just one for the time being.
Are the multiple PCBs for variations in layout?For different switches. I've already assembled one with Kailh Box Blacks and will put another together with Cherry MX Silent Blacks with films, lube and new springs.
Who did you get to fabricate?Ulitemech (http://ulitemech.com/en/index.html). I found them scouring Alibaba and I already had a pair of counterweights for the handlebar of my motorbike done by them, so I know the machining is accurate and the anodizing looks good.
I'm curious on the cost300 USD including shipping and PayPal fees.
eventually produce some for others here to purchaseI'm seriously thinking about this opportunity. I'll probably run a very limited quantities depending on the demand. Let me first put everything together then, eventually, you'll see an interest check.