So, I'm a fan of mechanical boards. (even though I currently use a microsoft sidewinder despite owning an apple extended2, dell at101w(my favorite) and an nmb) Im also a fan of modularity, and embarking on home projects. I just finished a replica of Milton's red stapler from 'Office Space', so it's time for a new project; A very unusual, unique, customizeable mechanical keyboard. Heres some the concept design i threw together with gimp:
I rejected tradition.
Instead, I chose something different.
I chose the impossible...
I chose Rapture;
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The keyboard where the artist would not be bound by single colour leds,
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Where the scientist would not be bound by petty non-programmable keys.
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And with the sweat of your brow, it can become your keyboard too.
Yes, it looks unusual, with the grid layout, 1x1 windowed keys, and rather tiny (smaller than the poker 2) but let me explain why I chose these features (and feel free to leave constructive or destructive criticism, your choice
(seriously, I'd like to know how ugly you think it looks)):
-Teensy 3.1 microcontroller, seemed like the obvious choice for documentation, cost, ease of use, and functionality. I may switch to a de0-nano fpga if I need more jiggawatts later on.
-Programmable keys, made possible by the uC, so you can switch modes to get arrow keys, symbols, alternate layouts, macros etc.
-NKRO... why not? Its easier to make and simpler to understand than non-nkro as far as I'm concerned
-Its a keyboard, not a typewriter; why should I use staggered keys when ortholinear is more ergonomic?(this one's subjective)
-cherry mx clears cuz I like em. (I was considering whites just cuz they're more rare lol, and decided against matias cuz caps don't exist, though I do love the feel of alps)
-Blank keycaps, because A: screw qwerty and B: lends itself to fully programmable keys, and looks pretty fly.
-Small, for portability obviously
-Windowed keys, because full transparrents just look kinda cheap to me, and it definitely gives it a very unique look.
-Bioshock references, because I'm a geek, the quote seems relevant to choosing how you want your keyboard and Andrew Ryan is my hero, behind Nikola Tesla and Elon Musk. (Ryan is the fictional Elon! Or is Elon Comstock?
anyway...)
-INDIVIDUAL PER-KEY PROGRAMMABLE RGB BACKLIGHTING!!! Yep, the keys will be able to be programmed to respond to your touch, or give you beautiful colourful feedback. (heck, I intend to use them to display the memory contents of the microcontroller so you can literally use this board to program itself!!(yea, in machine code, but what do you expect?; I'm a comp eng
))
There are definitely some hurdles to overcome, but that's what makes it fun =)
Glass ceiling: 200$
So what have I done so far? Nothing
Because I'm waiting on my parts to arrive
The board has 48 keys (subject to change) but I ordered 50 clears, and 52 keycaps incase of defects. So I'm currently waiting on those to arrive so I can determine whether I will be able to pull off RGB backlights. MX switches only physically support 3mm leds, but afaik, 3mm rgb leds don't exist. So if I can modify them to accept 5mm rgbs, or square leds, the projects is a go. I will then order probably 100 leds, and begin the pcb design. I intend to have a multiplexed matrix design, with the teensy reading 6 keys per scan, and 8 scans per cycle; 6*8=48; nice and simple. I have the means to print, etch, drill, and solder the board at home, so that's what I will be doing. The led circuit will be a tad more complicated. Regarding the leds, if I go analogue, Ill need a resistor ladder, hefty current source, and 3 capacitors per led (probably not possible for my target dimensions) So it looks like I'm going the digital route: I would like to use the teensy's multiple built in pwm pins to drive the leds without sacrificing any clock cycles from key detection, but I'd still need 3 caps per led, and there are other logistics preventing that from working. (plus caps are a common point of failure in electronics). Afaik, my best option is getting some TTL ICs, and yes, I'll need 48*3=144 elements. (the FPGA route is looking more and more attractive). I should be able to get away with 144 extremely simple D-Latches in the form of 36 16-pin DIP ICs and still keep it tiny. (Unless I'm crafty with my design, this could end up requiring a multi-layer PCB solution). Phew, once that's all said and done... add joysticks? haha I toyed with that idea, but I'm content with my already complicated design. Maybe in the future. As for the lettering on the keycaps... Laser? (Don't yell at me, but they're also ABS :/) The final step (for assembly at least) would be buying or fabbing a slick case to hold it all together; Should be pretty simple. Once assembled just plug-and-play, err... program... the entire controller from scratch. (Hope I havn't wired anything wrong at this point!) Yup It's ambitious; I know. But I have to go through with it now that Iv'e put money into switches and caps. In for a penny, in for a pound! I'll make any practical or necessary adjustments along the way ("Eventually we adapted it from invisibility to just not being seen" lol) and I'll of course leave room for future improvement, and document every step for you! If there is enough interest I will design a (relatively) easy to use software interface; free, as in 'beer' AND 'freedom'!. BTW, keycaps are from SP, but it looks like they no-longer sell the packs that I bought.