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geekhack Marketplace => Interest Checks => Topic started by: gds on Mon, 02 May 2022, 13:17:11
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DIY 4x12 ergonomic columnar stagger keyboard PCB that fits 60% cases.
[attach=1]
- Ergonomic columnar stagger
- Support for many (most?) tray mount 60% cases
- Aggressive stagger for optimal pinky comfort
- Corne/Reviung-like thumb key cluster
- MX Hotswap sockets
- Knob positions allows for actuation with thumbs without the fingers leaving the home row
- Mostly through-hole construction for easy DIY construction
- Optional RGB Underglow
- Optional support for up to 3 encoders (up to one each side and one in the centre)
- Optional support for OLED instead of an encoder in the central position
More details here: https://github.com/godders/scientist
Prototype gallery: https://imgur.com/a/xrHWU2O
Layout tester (PDF): https://github.com/godders/scientist/raw/main/tester/scientist-layout-tester.pdf
Kits are expected to cost between £20-£40 (about €24-€48, $25-$50) plus shipping from the UK, depending on what the default kit ends up containing (which depends on IC feedback!). Kits will definitely include at minimum a PCB and plate, an ATMega32a with a preflashed bootloader and all the necessary components for a basic build.
IC form: https://forms.gle/eDNBZQhNKfCj61LX9
Thank you!
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This is really cool, everyone loves a chunky MCU. I've never used a columnar stagger, but this would convince me to give it a try.
Oh and you should open source it, cos open source hardware good.
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Thank you Peej, I appreciate your support! To be 100% transparent this all started as a project to keep me busy while I wait for my R2 Lumberjack :)
Yes I was planning to publish everything once I've got the layout nailed down (which it pretty much is now I think, last thing was the 1u2u1u space bar layout which I added this morning). Open source hardware indeed good.
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hell yeah, i love everything about this. consider my interest checked
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this looks fun to use :p
glwic
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omfg
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h-how does one even use a board like this. are there tutorials?
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h-how does one even use a board like this. are there tutorials?
I mean, you...type on it? I'm not sure exactly what you're asking here. Are you just wondering about 40%'s in general?
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h-how does one even use a board like this. are there tutorials?
I mean, you...type on it? I'm not sure exactly what you're asking here. Are you just wondering about 40%'s in general?
Yes. Never owned a 40.
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This keyboard is quite sassy. Grabbed a couple lumberjacks. Might as well try this too. Good jerb
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Hey, found this project on r/mk. Very nice work, I applaud the support of 60% cases (just like I did with the Katana60).
You said it supports most if not all cases, care to elaborate on that? With the Katana60 I had to trim the switches that overlapped standoff posts to ensure a flat PCB. Did you encounter the same issue?
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Thank you!
You said it supports most if not all cases, care to elaborate on that? With the Katana60 I had to trim the switches that overlapped standoff posts to ensure a flat PCB. Did you encounter the same issue?
Yeah there was a lot of headscratching and experimentation to get the ergonomics I wanted while working around the mounting posts, with tweaks to stagger, angle of the halves, thumb keys and LED positions to make it all fit. Luck was on my side in some areas though - It would have been much harder to design without fairly aggressive pinky stagger for example (but fortunately I wanted that anyway). It's a bit of a delicate balance!
I've tested it in a number of cases and it's ok (or *will be* - the plate is a tiny bit too big for a Tofu right now, but I'll fix that), and I've borrowed a few more to test with. As it stands, switch mods shouldn't be necessary, but some cases may still pose a challenge particularly if they have very thick mounting posts (>5mm) in the two central locations. I haven't found any that are thick enough to be problematic which aren't removable - though I'm sure there are some. In any case that can be worked around with a washer, kapton tape, perhaps an o-ring mod, etc as long as they're not ridiculously wide.
Only non-starter I've found so far is BBox60 as it has tons of extra mounting points that I can't possibly work around without severely compromising the layout. I kinda got it working with o-rings (using washers to support them) and removing the USB socket cover, but that's not a great outcome.
Had lots of requests for daughterboard support and cutouts for a Bakeneko60, so I'm working on that (and have one on the way to make sure it'll work - best excuse I've ever had for frivolously ordering keyboard parts so I couldn't pass it up!).
Katana60 is a fantastic design btw!
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How is this project going?
Me and several other people in our community have been literally drooling over this for the last few months, waiting anxiously for news.
Edit: Do you still have plans to make it open source? I would be ready to make a local group buy to order the version with the fixed encoder places.
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Hey, any progress on this project? I run 42. Keebs (https://42keebs.eu/), a small mk shop based in the EU specialising in DIY through-hole kits and I would love to add this to our inventory ;) I would be happy to support you with a designer's fee from every sale, like I do with Peej and his Lumberjack and many other designers :)
Please let us know!