Dox KB, Build your own!

[Parak]

If we can ever get an SMD controller going, the best way would be to also have it be soldered by the pcb fab. With pick-and-place machines, stencils, and reflow soldering, the cost increase for assembly is marginal for every SMD component added.

One could definitely hand solder SMD with a bit of practice and a decent iron, but that gets very tricky with no lead (QFN and such) packages, where essentially the only way to hand solder them is via hot air. A lot of ICs still have lead options in package selections, though, which is good. In any case, as with anything involving SMD, bulk pcb fab assembly would be the primary goal once a prototype from them is validated, of course.

[litster]

Which SMD controller could be used?

[bpiphany]

The controller on the Teensy2.0, ATmega32U4, comes in SMD packages only but both with and without leads TQFP44 and QFN44. The leadless one the Teensy uses is quite a bit smaller altogether. There are drawings at the end of the datasheet. I think there are some other suitable ATmega controllers as well. The USB ready ones seem to come on those to packages, number of legs varying.

[tsangan]

Oh man I just saw the layout I want for the DOX in it's complete form

[demik]

oh thats nice

[hasu]

Very nice HHK. Dolch keycaps and original case?

My next project plan will be a DIY PCB + cheap and weak Poker case HHK.
Apparently I am always behind away from OTD guys

[tsangan]

We need to get this DOX project back on the road, I want that keyboard so bad

[byFd]

are plans now to have it backlit or not backlit?

[TheProfosist]

Mini Phantom that way everyone gets what they want. I know that having teh teensy below the spacebar isnt the most ideal but it seems to be the only option besides SMD.

[tsangan]

are plans now to have it backlit or not backlit?

backlit is for wusses

[byFd]

backlit is for wusses

i had to look that up lol.

i don't like backlit.

[Index]

Oh man I just saw the layout I want for the DOX in it's complete form

Show Image

Oh man, that's the exact layout I was trying to go for. I'm really bad with drawing up PCB's, and I have no time due to work.

tsangan, where did you find that pic?

[mkawa]

is that a kbd365 design? the layout and milled case look like a pure, but the 1.5x modifiers clearly aren't. jesus those keys are sex.

i think i'm actually on the side of smd now. if we can get enough volume the pcb fab can usually produce with some extra marginal cost. it raises the price naturally, but the backlighting option will probably get us enough extra business from the gamer types that it will be worth it. plus with LEDs there's more cool stuff you can do with the firmware.

i don't know how many people are familiar with the DIY audio scene, but typically they try to produce designs that are more than one-offs. to do this they obviously have to do a _lot_ more work appeasing large groups, but the result is that there are tons of high quality projects available to build at any one time.

soo... who knows how to do pcb layout for SMD?

[BiNiaRiS]

Status update?

[TheProfosist]

Status update?

I would like one as well as we had 2 working prototypes nothing should really be stopping us from making them i know i wanted a altered layout if possible and ishtob doesnt have the time with school to lay it out.

[bloodygood]

I know I haven't been active on the forums lately but I still check up on everything at least once every day or two. I really am sad that we haven't had any real updates to the Dox builds in what seems like 2+ months now. Hope you are doing well Ishtob and we can't wait to get back into the design and building of these great custom keyboards. In the down time I have been trying to think of new layouts since my girlfriend wanted a custom split/ergonomic keyboard.

[ishtob]

hey guys, so pharmacy school kicks ur butt pretty hard the last year, don't get too much freetime :/ kinda sad to see no one carrying this project on... at this point its looking like i will be busy with my clinical rotations till jan 2013 >.<
heres a photo of my office at the current rotation site at boston medical center .. its one of my dox prototypes and some random blank keycap set i had sitting around... hate those rubber domes they have at the office


im still dropping by GH every so often, so if you someone do decide to pick this up while im gone, i'm more than happy to help

[litster]

you have a very small monitor, just  a tad wider than your DOX.  And that phone!  I had one like that at work, 20 years ago!

[TheProfosist]

hey guys, so pharmacy school kicks ur butt pretty hard the last year, don't get too much freetime :/ kinda sad to see no one carrying this project on... at this point its looking like i will be busy with my clinical rotations till jan 2013 >.<
heres a photo of my office at the current rotation site at boston medical center .. its one of my dox prototypes and some random blank keycap set i had sitting around... hate those rubber domes they have at the office

Show Image

im still dropping by GH every so often, so if you someone do decide to pick this up while im gone, i'm more than happy to help

I want a DOX :( i have everything but a PCB.

[ishtob]

should i post up the layout i was using again? since the attachments are all gone

[ishtob]

you have a very small monitor, just  a tad wider than your DOX.  And that phone!  I had one like that at work, 20 years ago!

lol.. yea you should see my pager... 5 buttons, vibrate and 1 ring tone, no backlights

[TheProfosist]

should i post up the layout i was using again? since the attachments are all gone

I saved my layout as well. might you be able to help with phantom firmware as well?

[Index]

Hi, I just finished my layout in KiCAD and also found a Teensy 2.0 schematic online in KiCAD. I've been trying to figure out how to put the two together in one PCB for the past day. I'm wondering if anyone could help me out here.

I've attached both KiCAD project files.

[bpiphany]

That is not the actual Teensy I think, but some other set-up with the same micro controller. That shouldn't matter, although I haven't looked through it to see that it looks correct.

.lib files are the components in EESchema
.sch files are the schematic files for EESchema
.mod files are the footprints in PCBnew
.brd files are the layout files for PCBnew

They are all text  files. Merge them in a text editor =D But first move all the stuff around so that they don't overlap in the merged file...

[Index]

You're right, it's the Adafruit ATmega34U4 Breakout Board. It should work identical to a Teensy though.

http://forums.adafruit.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=24754

[alaricljs]

Functionally they are the same.  But it's a different size and you'd have to find/make the footprint for it.

[bpiphany]

He's not using the actual break out board, only the schematics. That should be all dandy =)

Edit: And there were a ton of footprints in that Adafruit KiCAD file. I'm stoving that away in a safe place for now...

[Index]

bpiphany, I'll be putting together the schematic tonight. Can I ask you to take a look at it after I'm done?

[Index]

Here's the updated project files with both the breakout board and the cherry switches.

Can someone please look over the schematic? I know nothing about pcb design and I'm pretty much doing this for the first time.

[WRXChris]

And that phone!  I had one like that at work, 20 years ago!

So funny to think that companies used to build things to last... My parents still have one of those phones in their house; The phone cord port broke over a decade ago and I soldered in a new one one, still works like new!

Nowadays, most products are built to break within a year or 2, locking in a steady stream of profits and wasting precious resources...

Sorry for the OT.

[fartq]

the idea behind the light will be that the core controllers will fit on a dox footprint.

[alaricljs]

Ok, opening your schematic, there are 2 libs missing...
C:\Users\...\Documents\KiCad\atmega32u4bb_kicad\atmega32u4bb-from_ea
C:\Users\...\Documents\KiCad\atmega32u4bb_kicad\atmega32u4bb-cac

Other than that, you have no USB connector, no resistors or capacitors on any of the lines, no clock chip, just an MCU and a bunch of switches wired together.  In the schematic there's a stack of munged parts, presumably because of the missing libraries.

So basically, read the teensy or adafruit schematic and try to figure out why parts are where they are and how to integrate them into your schematic.

Also, put some stabilizers on the switches that need them, you're going to need those holes in your PCB

[Index]

Sorry about the incomplete project files. I've uploaded the project files that include all the required .lib and .mod files. Also, I've read the schematic of the breakout board and tried to make sense out of it as much as possible. I have little experience with transistors, capacitors, voltage, power. All I know is how to program the microcontroller and how to read datasheets.

I've integrated the schematic as best as I can. I'm just looking for someone to look it over.

I'll put the holes for the switches and stabilizers later, baby steps.

[alaricljs]

Ok, the schematic is a whole lot closer to proper... I'll ignore the board

You don't need the solder jumpers for voltage or the HWB pin, just determine how you're going to use the device and make that permanent in your board.  So, kill the 3v options all around.  Honestly I'd take the teensy schematic over the adafruit one, then use the adafruit schematic to figure out how to add the ISP header and if you want it, the 500ma fuse.  The teensy schematic is a bit easier to read.

[regack]

hey guys, so pharmacy school kicks ur butt pretty hard the last year, don't get too much freetime :/ kinda sad to see no one carrying this project on... at this point its looking like i will be busy with my clinical rotations till jan 2013 >.<
heres a photo of my office at the current rotation site at boston medical center .. its one of my dox prototypes and some random blank keycap set i had sitting around... hate those rubber domes they have at the office

Show Image

im still dropping by GH every so often, so if you someone do decide to pick this up while im gone, i'm more than happy to help

I want a DOX :( i have everything but a PCB.

I was looking at the express pcb layout that Dox originally posted, since I was going to try and poke at it again... and I noticed that there's a 1.75 key in row 2... and it matches the photo that was just posted... (wow, that IS a small monitor)... so here's my question ... where can I find a R1 1x1.75 key like that?  Or is it actually a R2 profile key in R1?  I'm still kind of new to all of this.

[alaricljs]

Are you counting row 1 as spacebar, or esc row?  Because it's different depending on who you're talking to.

[regack]

Are you counting row 1 as spacebar, or esc row?  Because it's different depending on who you're talking to.

Ahh, see, another thing I didn't know (Also, I didn't mean to derail the thread).   I was counting spacebar row as R1.   My limited understanding has Spacebar and ZXCV row as a R1 profile.. then The homerow as R2 profile, QWERTY as R3 profile and 1234... and ESC row as R4 profile. 

[TheProfosist]

Im going to get my account here back up to par tomorrow then ill repost some images of what im looking for in the end something we almost had completed.

[TheProfosist]

I was looking for something like the pics below so it would match my Phantom layout. I think these pics are a bit old so the layout doest match my phantom exactly. See this link to see my final Phantom layout.

[TheProfosist]

Looks like i might at least get my hands on what ishtop did so i can still have a dox for my self problem is we never did design a plate to it... Anyone out there that has the know how willing to undertake designing one?

[TheProfosist]

Updated my DOX layout to be better and closer to my Phantom

[jdcarpe]

Y U NO GB FOR THIS?!?!

[TheProfosist]

Y U NO GB FOR THIS?!?!

because you can buy all the stuff yourself easily enough...

[jdcarpe]

But you have to have PCBs made and plate/case machined.

I can source the rest myself, but group buying power for those two items would be nice. (Where do you find a 1.25 Return/Enter key of the correct profile?)

Why settle for a Poker or Pure when you can have a programmable board like this one?

[TheProfosist]

But you have to have PCBs made and plate/case machined.

I can source the rest myself, but group buying power for those two items would be nice. (Where do you find a 1.25 Return/Enter key of the correct profile?)

Why settle for a Poker or Pure when you can have a programmable board like this one?

well im just using a poker case but yes if you couldnt get one you would have to have an aluminium one made like was done in the past i forgot who ran the groupbuy. I will be ordering pcbs and plates for my self once the design is done if your interested maybe we can work something out...

Sadly you dont find one with the correct profile. I really dont notice it all too much on my phantom i actually totally forgot about it until you mentioned it. Though your good on everything else through wasd keyboards which is nice because you can get the custom legends etched or engraved on.

Thats exactly why i got involved with this project i didnt like the pokers layout.

[jdcarpe]

As for PCBs and plates for the Dox, count me in for one of each. Maybe there are others interested, as well?

If this will fit in a Poker case, I have an aluminum case from treble318 I will use.

[TheProfosist]

As for PCBs and plates for the Dox, count me in for one of each. Maybe there are others interested, as well?

If this will fit in a Poker case, I have an aluminum case from treble318 I will use.

alright sounds good ill post here of course when the PCB is done.

If anyone can get a poker case and wants one build but doesnt have the skills to build it them selves i can easily do it.

Also i will know more of whats needed when the pcb is complete. There used to be a dox build thread on the forum that had additional info on our revision and whats needed and how to build it. I wonder where that went

Hazeluff has made a template of the layout for me to send to wasd and ill post it here later.

[TheProfosist]

Mods / Admins think we can get this http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=24082.0 moved out of the archive as hopefully this project will be moving forward again.

[TheProfosist]

And heres the DOX layout for WASD

[ishtob]

Here's the layout you wanted for PCB

does anyone know where to find the costar stab measurement/specs?