What is this?
For those of you who haven't been following the project, the Postage Board is a controller board (like a Teensy or Pro Micro) designed specifically for hand-wire keyboards. The benefit is that it mounts and solders to the underside of any 3x switches on your top-row. This keeps your hand-wire build thinner, cleaner, and it also conveniently mounts the USB Type-C connector on the top edge of your keyboard. Check out this pic https://i.imgur.com/jqfdTKT.jpg (https://i.imgur.com/jqfdTKT.jpg)
Please visit https://github.com/LifeIsOnTheWire/Postage-Board/blob/master/README.md if you want to read more details on the Postage Board. I have tried to compile all the specs/details, and FAQs on that page.
What is this?For those of you who haven't been following the project, the Postage Board is a controller board (like a Teensy or Pro Micro) designed specifically for hand-wire keyboards. The benefit is that it mounts and solders to the underside of any 3x switches on your top-row. This keeps your hand-wire build thinner, cleaner, and it also conveniently mounts the USB Type-C connector on the top edge of your keyboard. Check out this pic https://i.imgur.com/jqfdTKT.jpg (https://i.imgur.com/jqfdTKT.jpg)
Please visit https://github.com/LifeIsOnTheWire/Postage-Board/blob/master/README.md if you want to read more details on the Postage Board. I have tried to compile all the specs/details, and FAQs on that page.
What is this?For those of you who haven't been following the project, the Postage Board is a controller board (like a Teensy or Pro Micro) designed specifically for hand-wire keyboards. The benefit is that it mounts and solders to the underside of any 3x switches on your top-row. This keeps your hand-wire build thinner, cleaner, and it also conveniently mounts the USB Type-C connector on the top edge of your keyboard. Check out this pic https://i.imgur.com/jqfdTKT.jpg (https://i.imgur.com/jqfdTKT.jpg)
Please visit https://github.com/LifeIsOnTheWire/Postage-Board/blob/master/README.md if you want to read more details on the Postage Board. I have tried to compile all the specs/details, and FAQs on that page.
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plus Atmega32u4 microcontroller (not included?)
to obtain this
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Any plan to make a larger-capacity version for easier 104/8 key wiring?
It has a USB-C connector, does it work with USB-C to USB-C cables?
Any plan to make a larger-capacity version for easier 104/8 key wiring?
If you don't mind getting a little wacky with your wiring, that actually shouldnt be necessary. You can cover a 104 key using a creative matrix design. You just need to fudge the rows and columns a bit.
To answer your question, in the near future I won't be redesigning this with a different chip with more IOs unless there is suddenly support for something better within QMK. The at90usb1286 is simply too large, and that is the only other Atmel chip with QMK support and more IO pins.
I would really like to see QMK support (or a new firmware altogether) with support for ATxmega chips. The ATxmega32a4u has 34 IO pins, it is available in a tiny BGA package, and it doesn't require an external crystal/oscillator, so in a few ways it takes up much less room.
If you don't mind getting a little wacky with your wiring, that actually shouldnt be necessary. You can cover a 104 key using a creative matrix design. You just need to fudge the rows and columns a bit.
To answer your question, in the near future I won't be redesigning this with a different chip with more IOs unless there is suddenly support for something better within QMK. The at90usb1286 is simply too large, and that is the only other Atmel chip with QMK support and more IO pins.
I would really like to see QMK support (or a new firmware altogether) with support for ATxmega chips. The ATxmega32a4u has 34 IO pins, it is available in a tiny BGA package, and it doesn't require an external crystal/oscillator, so in a few ways it takes up much less room.
Can alps be used as the switches for this?
Can alps be used as the switches for this?
From what I can see yes, it looks like it supports alps, and it better because that is why I bought it...
QMK supports ARM, and if you use the STM32F072C8T6 you will have enough pins and be crystal-less for cheaper than a 32u4, and with a smaller LQFP-48 package(7mmX7mm) instead of the TQFP-44 (10mmX10mm) of the 32u4.
Also, what pins are the Row0, Col0, Col1 and Col2 attached to? I looked through all the information provided and can't figure it out, which makes it hard to setup firmware(doing that now because I am trying to see if my layout works with this).
Can alps be used as the switches for this?
Hey I was wondering if you had dimensions for the board and its USB. I'm designing a sandwich case and wanted to orient where my cutoff should be along with how wide I need it.
Thank you so much!Hey I was wondering if you had dimensions for the board and its USB. I'm designing a sandwich case and wanted to orient where my cutoff should be along with how wide I need it.
I asked on reddit a week or so ago and I'm still waiting on an answer too... :( I'm doing the same, so in the meantime I spitballed the pcb size in illustrator. This should give you a place to start at least. A 13mm cutout that starts 12mm in from the top-left corner excluding borders should give you about the right cutout, or you can make a ~10mm cutout with a 45 degree bevel to 13mm if you want a narrower opening that still clears the pcb.
(edit) Got an answer back, official dimensions:Show Image(https://raw.githubusercontent.com/LifeIsOnTheWire/Postage-Board/master/dimensions.png)
Hey I was wondering if you had dimensions for the board and its USB. I'm designing a sandwich case and wanted to orient where my cutoff should be along with how wide I need it.(edit) Got an answer back, official dimensions:Show Image(https://raw.githubusercontent.com/LifeIsOnTheWire/Postage-Board/master/dimensions.png)
I have a split column-staggered board I'd like to try this on. Does anyone see any reason that rotating 3 switches 90 degrees and mounting the Postage Board on the side would not work?
(Attachment Link)
I think you'd have clearance issues with the PCB. If you take a look at the image in the quote, you see how the board extends over the next row of switches, which it wouldn't be able to do coming off the side -- you'd run into one of the pins on each switch.
I think you'd have clearance issues with the PCB. If you take a look at the image in the quote, you see how the board extends over the next row of switches, which it wouldn't be able to do coming off the side -- you'd run into one of the pins on each switch.
I don't see any reason it wouldn't work if you rotated the neighboring switches 90 degrees the other direction, just like how it's used horizontally.
Any updates on production?
Greetings everyone. Sorry it has been so long since the last update. I was hoping to a more precise shipping date for everyone immediately following the Group Buy, but there proved to be much more correspondence between myself and the PCB manufacturer than I anticipated before I actually knew when they would be shipped. It was my impression that I would have a rough date almost immediately after I placed the order. I also made the rookie mistake of not foreseeing the time it takes them to obtain all the components needed to manufacture.
The production of the boards began several days ago, and it should be shipped to me in the next few days. I'd like to estimate that I could have them mailed out by the end of September. I will send another update after I receive them to let everyone know.
I've attached a photo of the first sample board that the manufacturer has made.
Thanks for everyone's patience in this process. I hope to have the boards in everyone's hands as soon as I can :)
I just received an email this morning that the boards were shipped out today. Next time I'll post an update here, rather than email it out
The boards are in my possession, and I have completed the testing phase. They work splendidly, and I am working on shipping them out now.
I ran into some delays with the shipping-out phase, my choice of packaging turned out to be incompatible with my shipper's labels. I have it sorted out, and they should all be shipped out tomorrow.
I would be interested in two, if you have spares.
Sorry, I would like two Postage Boards.I would be interested in two, if you have spares.
Sure, just to be clear because we were discussing 2 different things, are you interested in Postage Boards, or Postage Expanders?
I'm afraid I don't have any to sell at the moment, I only ordered the amount that sold during the GB, plus a small supply that I'm hanging onto incase anyone gets a DOA board or something.Then I will keep my eyes open for the next GB. Thanks for the reply.
I will probably be running another GB in the near future.
...Hopefully mine isn't lost, been over 10 days and still nothing, wonder if they just don't like me?