To PCB, or not to PCB, that is the Question

[sz42]

The quality of patience is most-definitely strained...

I'm sure I'm going to be like a lot of folks who are just starting out building their first keyboard and just do the hand-wiring thing.  In my rush to see "Mad Clacks:  Beyond Rubberdome", I don't think I'll be able to sit still long enough to teach myself all the tricks needed to make my first PCB correctly--let alone wait for multiple board revs to come back from fab after the inevitable learning curve leads to a bit of rework.  Besides, I think the hand-wiring looks kinda neat too.

Hand-wiring a key matrix has a few nice advantages, including:
- (when done neatly) looks really snazzy (old-school wire wrap?)
- I can finish building a new keyboard a couple hours after my new switches arrive
- can be quickly and trivially-repaired by anyone with basic soldering skills
- nice easy access to the worky bits in case major repairs are ever needed (like, say, cleanup after *gasp* spilled coffee)
- (may be) slightly easier to desolder an entire hand-wired matrix than a PCB (if you need to reclaim parts used in a prototype for a new keyboard)
- different sounding keyboard than one that has a PCB
- lots of freedom for selecting a suitable keyboard controller
- etc.

However, I also know there are all sorts of wonderful reasons for making a proper PCB too, like:
- fancy backlighting (unless you're crazy enough to hand-wire an LED matrix too)
- learnin' some 1337 design skillz useful to have for many other fun hacking projects (and perhaps to assist other GH folks)
- having a nice place to mount your PCB-mounted stabilizers (in case you want to completely skip having a plate)
- sexy solder mask in wild colors
- a more-repeatable build process with perhaps less chance of human error
- different sound than a PCB-less keyboard
- silk-screened cow udder motifs or random swear words or whatever printed all over the board
- a keyboard that may look a teensy (Teensy?) bit more like what folks are used to keyboards looking like
- etc.

I was originally seeking to simplify my first build slightly in the interests of making sure that it succeeds but still teaches me a little something for my next keyboard build.  I am finally understanding this wallethack thing I was warned about  )

I have also seen some neat hybrid solutions like The Enabler and so on too and I know that there are quite a few bare PCB options floating around out there now.  I haven't taken advantage of any of these options yet (seems to be quite a bit easier finding 60% PCBs at the moment but the shipping/waiting is kinda steep).  Lots of folks also seem to start out getting kits with PCBs for their first builds too.  Even if finding a PCB may be relatively easy, trying to find a matching plate for it that is a 100% guaranteed to fit seems to be bit of a gamble too (or, vice versa).

So, learned builders... What did you end up getting/doing for your first (or second, or third) keyboard builds?  For others who are just starting out, what made you choose what you chose?  Why?  How many tries did your first PCB end up taking you?  Do you still hand-wire matrixes?

[Zustiur]

I highly recommend going the hand wired route first because:
- it is cheaper
- it is faster in that you don't have to learn PCB skills and wait for fabrication
- it teaches you about matrix design in a very visual way, which is good prep for making a PCB in the future
- if you aren't already a solder-wiz, it will teach you to solder in a way that is mistake friendly. Scorched PCBs aren't pretty and can be damaged in ways that beginners may not be able to fix
- if you make a mistake you can fix it, which may not be possible with a PCB
- you can also go the foamcore route that I took and thereby eliminate case fabrication 
- I've been using my hand wired board for over a month, and I still haven't figured out how to use the PCB design tool that I downloaded. (You might find them more intuitive than I do...)

That said, don't kid yourself that hand wiring a whole board will only take you a couple of hours. I spent most of a weekend on the ZusDox1 and that wasn't even my first soldering job. Soldering 200+ joints takes time.

Of course, the exact design you're looking for should play a big part in your decision. If you're after a 'standard' layout, chances are you can find a design someone has already done that meets all or at least most of what you want, in which case you only need to make small adjustments to PCB or plates. In that case, going straight to PCB isn't such a bad idea.