Plate-mounted Matias Ergodox

[Mad_Maxx]

Hey guys! I got started with mechanical keyboards last year some time, and I've mostly been on reddit (pls no flame, we can all get along) and I'm trying to branch out a little. Every time I research something keyboard related some thread from Geekhack comes up, and the site has been a huge help, so I wanted to contribute a little something of my own.
Pretty new to the forum layout, so if i commit any atrocities, mea culpa.

The Story:
I really liked the Ergodox design, but am not a huge fan of cherry switches, so I wanted to try to put Matias switches in one. I looked for a tried and true method of doing so, but all I could find was one or two posts of people with PCB mounted versions, which simply would not do (I don't do things the easy way). So I decided to just pull the trigger and start ordering components, and hope that I could figure things out.

The 'Dox kit was ordered from FalbaTech, the switches from mechanicalkeyboards.com, and the caps from eBay.
Fast forward a month or two, and I had all the components, and so I had to try and figure out how to make these switches fit in the plate cutouts. I thought about machining the plate, but that seemed like it was going to be too involved and complicated, so I decided to hand file each individual cutout to make them fit.

Filing:


It took a while, but every switch fits nice and snugly.

Naked:


Some of the pins had to be bent a bit to fit the PCB, but all in all I couldn't believe how well it all went together.

End Product:


https://imgur.com/a/oZSbo - gallery with a few more pics

All in all a great first experience with building a keyboard, and I've got my first real custom in the works because of it.

[bcredbottle]

I want to take on this project but was wondering, what parts of the plate cutouts, exactly, did you file away? Was it just an all-around diameter increase, or only in one direction?

[AKmalamute]

If you've got access to a laser shop (there's always BigBlueSaw who happily mail things to you) there are plate drawings out there that already have ALPS outlines; no filing.

Myself I'm hoping my 2nd ergodox will be buckling spring. It'll be a doozy but since there's a GB building to recreate the F62 I think I'll be able to start that project.

You know, like every other project I start. It's why my garage is such a mess -- it's full of half-done, sometimes half baked projects.

60% ALPS is another one I'm about halfway through with. Welcome to the board, Mad_Maxx.

[bcredbottle]

If you've got access to a laser shop (there's always BigBlueSaw who happily mail things to you) there are plate drawings out there that already have ALPS outlines; no filing.

Myself I'm hoping my 2nd ergodox will be buckling spring. It'll be a doozy but since there's a GB building to recreate the F62 I think I'll be able to start that project.

You know, like every other project I start. It's why my garage is such a mess -- it's full of half-done, sometimes half baked projects.

60% ALPS is another one I'm about halfway through with. Welcome to the board, Mad_Maxx.

The problem is the .dxf files don't come with dimensions, so Ponoko won't cut them based on the files alone.

[Findecanor]

With Ponoko, you have to use their templates. It is when you do don't that things can get out of scale. That happened to me...  because I rushed it and they forgot to check it at the other end before they started cutting.

First make sure that there are no duplicate lines. Export your design to a DXF file. Start up Inkscape, load the template and import your design. Copy your design into the template and make sure that it fits within the lines. Then change the line thickness and colour to the precise values according to the instructions on Ponoko's web site.

[kurplop]

Your MatiaDox come out real nice. I've never seen the FalbaTech plate before. Is the thumb section barely connected so that it can be bent to a different plane?

[bcredbottle]

With Ponoko, you have to use their templates. It is when you do don't that things can get out of scale. That happened to me...  because I rushed it and they forgot to check it at the other end before they started cutting.

First make sure that there are no duplicate lines. Export your design to a DXF file. Start up Inkscape, load the template and import your design. Copy your design into the template and make sure that it fits within the lines. Then change the line thickness and colour to the precise values according to the instructions on Ponoko's web site.

Right, but the problem is that those precise values = whatever dimensions the plate needs to be to fit Matias switches. I know the dimensions of Matias switches, but I don't know how big to make the openings (should I make them the exact dimensions of the switches? Add some distance to allow the clips to fit? If so, how much?). And I don't even know how big the overall plate needs to be

[AKmalamute]

Right, but the problem is that those precise values = whatever dimensions the plate needs to be to fit Matias switches.

You're making it much too hard on yourself. The plate's dimensions are fine, you just need to adjust the line thickness to the specified amount.

 I was going to say just google switch cutout but I did myself, and didn't find the CAD resource thread, which I know had the numbers you'd need for making a DXF from scratch.
EDIT: found it. 15.5 wide by 12.8 tall. Which is what it already, I'm guessing?

 You're not writing this up from scratch; you're just adjusting it so Ponoko knows what to make of your drawing. No need for fussing over rewriting the holes at all.

[Mad_Maxx]

I want to take on this project but was wondering, what parts of the plate cutouts, exactly, did you file away? Was it just an all-around diameter increase, or only in one direction?

It was only the cutout tab that you have to file more or less flush. the vertical dimension is actually a little bigger than the alps switches, so they dont really contact the top and bottom of the cutout. I did make sure to be really careful, and not file anything down too much, so all the switches fit in nice and snugly.

With Ponoko, you have to use their templates. It is when you do don't that things can get out of scale. That happened to me...  because I rushed it and they forgot to check it at the other end before they started cutting.

First make sure that there are no duplicate lines. Export your design to a DXF file. Start up Inkscape, load the template and import your design. Copy your design into the template and make sure that it fits within the lines. Then change the line thickness and colour to the precise values according to the instructions on Ponoko's web site.

Right, but the problem is that those precise values = whatever dimensions the plate needs to be to fit Matias switches. I know the dimensions of Matias switches, but I don't know how big to make the openings (should I make them the exact dimensions of the switches? Add some distance to allow the clips to fit? If so, how much?). And I don't even know how big the overall plate needs to be

You should be able to find a spec sheet out there that tells you what the cutout size is supposed to be. If your using the falbatech case, I have no idea if you would be able to find the dimensions out there.

[Mad_Maxx]

Your MatiaDox come out real nice. I've never seen the FalbaTech plate before. Is the thumb section barely connected so that it can be bent to a different plane?

Thanks! I might have to steal that name...

I was wondering the same thing, but I don't think so. I'm pretty sure its just for cosmetic purposes, so the case can kind of look more uniform. It must been to large an area for the case to free float, so they just have it sitting on the pcb, which you can kind of see here:


No reason it wouldn't be able to be bent for some other case, as far as I can tell.