Note, I no longer maintain this thread and have relocated it here (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:16112) under the modifications subheading. As a result, this thread is now closed and the image links may not work. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
Welcome to Geekhack. My name is Craig and I have explicitly written this article with the assumption that the reader has no technical background rather than the other way around. How do I split a Kinesis contour (advantage) keyboard into two discrete halves? If I drill a hole to mount a trackpoint, where does the jumper wires go? Have you asked yourself any of the above questions, if so you have come to the right place. Any questions you may have, don't hesitate to PM me or anyone else on this fabulous forum site, i'm sure they will be more than happy to help you.
Quick demonstration video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDR0xroSR6s)
Project completion:40%
Project progress in that order (1)=completed, (0)=incomplete:
(1)#1-Split Kinesis Contour Classic into two halves
(1)#2-Cherry MX Black's to replace membrane squishies, :smash:
(0)#3-Place IBM trackpoint between keys 'Enter' & 'Space' used for scrolling.
(0)#4-Integrate trackpoint in the center of keys, 'H-J-N-M'.
(0)#5-Fiberglass molds to replace the original keyboard plastic housing.
(0)#6-Brackets to bolt both halves to chair armrests respectively using welded steel stock.
Skill prerequisites:
- Fluent with your soldering technique but if not, don't sweat it. Here is a phenomenal youtube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_NU2ruzyc4) showing the proper procedure. It's difficult to cause any doped silicon damage if your your iron = or < 25 watts unless temperature controlled. If your iron is temp controlled, a good rule of thumb is starting at 450F and increase until there is proper wetting within 1-2 seconds. The bigger the soldering surface, the hotter it needs to be. The goal here is to use lowest possible temp to increase tip life but hot enough to get in and out of there. You do not want a slightly lower temp where your not out by 3 seconds! One more thing, the more oxidized and less wet-ability the iron is, the higher temp you will have to use to compensate for the heat losses. So save yourself the hassle and buy another tip. The reason behind this is the tin coating on the tip has worn off possibly from being used for any purpose other than lightly touching surfaces and/or has not been "tinned" at all times and has oxidized as a result. Ensure soldering iron tip is not contacting components longer than three seconds while soldering.
- Check resistance/continuity/ohms (same thing) with DVOM (http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/3555/multimeter2.jpg)
- Strip 26AWG wire insulation by hand with razor blade. (You are more then welcome to use wire strippers but I find them to be more hassle then it's worth on small diameter wire but if you find some that work well, by all means please let me know.)
- Patience with a Dremel and/or box cutter.
Tool list:
- DVOM (http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/3555/multimeter2.jpg) (Digital Volt Ohm Meter) 'A pair of alligator clips that screw onto the leads will make life much easier.' ($10)
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks of high temperature. You probably will not be impressed how fast the low temp stuff cools down, especially for fastening shielded wires. 0_0 ($5)
- Soldering iron with tip preferably not much wider than 1.6mm (1/16") with brass wire tip cleaner (http://www.hakkousa.com/detail.asp?PID=749&Page=1), do not use a wet sponge 'water.' "Quenching metal over and over effects its metallurgy, prematurely degrading the tip's essential coating and the soldering iron must recover from heat loss." ($20)
- Dremel, box-cutter, or any tool to accomplish cutting and sculpting hard material (ex. plastic, fiberglass)
- Antistatic wrist strap (http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/9683/antistaticwriststrap.jpg) - Static Electricity is the No.1 cause of damage to semiconductor parts. You should always use an antistatic wrist strap or some other method of preventing ElectroStatic Discharge (ESD) when working on your keyboard to prevent damage to semiconductors such as transistors, chips, and diodes that reside on the MCU.
Parts list:
- Kinesis Contour Essential/Classic/Professional (AT\PS/2) or Advantage/Advantage Pro (USB) 'board. ($140-$200+ on eBay)
- Male to Male 15-pin D-Sub VGA extension cable (http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/5571/vgam2m.jpg), = or > Fifteen Feet. ($10)
- (2) 15-pin D-Sub VGA female connectors (http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/5629/femalevgaconnector.jpg). (RS part #276-1502, $4)
- VGA video card brackets or cut a dual VGA bracket (http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/3584/dualvgabracket.jpg) in half. (<$4)
- (2) Metal or plastic strain reliefs (One place you can find these, devices I used to prevent cables from pulling loose, is take a tiny piece of VGA cable to your local hardware store, look for Heavy-Duty 3-Wire Replacement Female Electrical Plugs (http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/8681/heavyduty3wiremaleelect.jpg) that have strain reliefs preferably of small size without 'tabs.'
- Tin/Lead Rosin core (http://img864.imageshack.us/img864/1668/5coresrosincoresolderma.jpg) solder (http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2363/63088935.jpg) < or = .032" diameter, either 63/37(Sn/Pb) 'melting point @ 183 °C (361 °F,)' or 60/40(Sn/Pb) 'melting range @ 183–190 °C (361–374 °F.)' Lead-free solder is garbage, hence the failing brittle Xbox 360 BGA cold solder joints using inadequate heat in the manufacturing process due to the Lead-free solder's higher melting temp along with mainboard flex. More importantly, acid core solder "plumber's solder" will destroy everything it touches so please stay away from buying solder at a hardware store." ($4-6)
- Activated (RA) Rosin Flux (http://img852.imageshack.us/img852/910/fluxr.jpg). 'No-clean' flux=Manufacturers attempt at cutting cost (some variations are harmfully conductive AND corrosive.) Since we want a product that will last forever, use 90% rubbing alcohol and brush after you are completely finished soldering. All of the flux residue should come off easily if you took my advice on soldering iron selection. Flux pen is probably most convenient in this application. ($5)
- De-soldering braid (http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/8635/89073354.jpg) 'wick' ($4)
- Heat-shrink tubing (http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/9843/heatshrink.jpg) of varying sizes for insulating wires. ($5)
- Electrical tape, 3M or equivalent. ($1)
- Razor blades 'box cutter style.' ($1)
Project images
Praying mantis_vs._human being
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24183[/ATTACH]
Right_Half_Kinesis_Unmodified
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24185[/ATTACH]
Right_Half_Kinesis_Modified
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24184[/ATTACH]
Left_Half_Kinesis_Modified
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24186[/ATTACH]
Soldier_Side_MCU
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24187[/ATTACH]
Right_Half_Internal_VGA_Connection_View
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24188[/ATTACH]
Right_Half_External_VGA_Connection_View
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24189[/ATTACH]
Left_Half_Internal_VGA_Connection_View
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24191[/ATTACH]
Left_Half_External_VGA_Connection_View
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24190[/ATTACH]
All Mechanical
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24192[/ATTACH]
Pinout images
Drill into the PCB's all you want "not the MCU, duh!" because the traces/pads hide no more =P
Thumb_Right_Pinout_V.005
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24194[/ATTACH]
Thumb_Left_Pinout_V.005
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24195[/ATTACH]
Bowl_Right_Pinout
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24202[/ATTACH]
Bowl_Left_Pinout (REV E 13-20003-005)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24201[/ATTACH]
Function_Key_Pinout 'Membrane's are not ordain'
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24206[/ATTACH]
Splitting Kinesis Contour keyboard into two halves tutorial
- Cut VGA Male to Male extension cable into three pieces as shown in the image below. The ends being the exact same length (mine are approx. four feet long but it really depends on a lot of environmental factors such as keyboard placement in regards to desk and/or chair dimensions.) For an example, if you are using a fifteen foot VGA cable and decide to cut the end cables to four feet in length, you will be left with seven foot long mid-section cable which should be more than adequate wire to complete this mod.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24207[/ATTACH]
- Now it's time to crack this baby open, but first it would be a good idea to unplug it first. Since my 'board has a PS/2 cable on it after replacing the AT one, I make sure it is plugged in on every boot up so it can be plug/unplugged at will and still work (on my pc at least). Apparently people managed to fry their PS/2 ports by hotswapping (although the protocol was never designed to do so) so align the arrow FIRST then plug it in at your own risk. Not doing so may cause a short circuit while the pc is on if you press hard enough because the "key" is tiny and only on one side allowing it to pivot inside the opposing end possibly? Take your philips screwdriver and remove all six (6) screws then put them in some sort of container labeled 'case' or simply pay attention to the lengths. These screws are longer than ones inside so if you get them mixed up, you will likely bottom out and split the standoff open as it doesn't take much torque.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24209[/ATTACH]
- Split the mid-section cable sheathing lengthwise with a box-cutter. Don't worry, you will not slice through the metal braided shielding but if you do, it would probably be a good time to practice using more finesse before going any further for obvious reasons.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24213[/ATTACH]
Note::laser:If you start getting erratic output from other electronics near the keyboard, run keyboard diagnostic program such as 'AquaKeyTest.' Need to extend the AT/PS-2/USB cable? Say you chair mount and the computer is far away, it wouldn't be a bad idea to add two pull-up resistors of 1KΩ between Clock and +5V, the other between Data and +5V. This will prevent the Clock and data lines from floating and be consistently pulled high but don't worry, one kilo ohm (1000Ω) reduces the current to almost null. What I've discovered from allowing function key wires to touch together 'short to switches,' a few keys in the bowl would not work until after I was finished testing the function key wiring and properly insulating them. Part 15 of FCC:This device may not cause harmful interference, must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Should you suspect environmental interference as a culprit, two easy diagnosis come to mind allowing you to rule out wi-fi routers, EMI, AC sine waves, RF, etc. Move the keyboard to a remote location or be lazy, completely wrap your keyboard in a single layer of aluminum foil and press keys through it. If you indeed have electronics that emit a lot of interference in the vicinity of the keyboard halves, the internal pull-up resistors could be too weak inside the MCU because it was never engineered with the signal wires traveling further than a few inches. All you have to do is reapply the shielding just like the VGA cable was before the dissecting demise, minus the braided shielding as it is simply unnecessary. Wrap the wires with foil 'non-conductive colored side inwards against the wires' shown as blue in the image above, periodically applying a small dab of tape to prevent foil from unraveling. Remove the bare braided wire from the mid-section cable, solder both ends immediately to prevent fraying and tape one end where the shielding begins away from the MCU. Use small dabs of electrical tape every inch or two applying it lengthwise across entire conductive shielding with three inch overhang only on end away from switches, towards MCU. Using electrical tape, completely wrap foil and braided wire. Solder the bare wire to the shielding earth ground wire of the PS/2 or USB cable, (should be the uninsulated wire but check continuity with DVOM 'one lead touching the metal casing of connector' just in case) not to be confused with DC ground (black wire.) Precautions must be made to ensure the earth ground shielding is not exposed and wires fastened securely to prevent component leads from 'wearing' through the electrical tape as permanent damage to MCU can result via short to ground.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24210[/ATTACH]
---------------------------This is the end of the "Split Kinesis Contour Classic (Advantage) Keyboard - 2 VGA mod"---------------------------
Off topic rant: "There are the ones who print the nations money supply (Israeli Zionist Jews) and the ones who work 9-5 to make this money. I'm only referring to Zionist Jews, therefore this is not a racial or anti-semantic statement as I have Jewish friends who are not Zionists. If you are offended and can back it up with true hard facts, by all means please pm me, my mind is open and I'm all ears. Are you offended due to the repetition of the "hypnotizing" television (aka program executable) which updates your mind (aka your operating system?) If so, your OS full of malicious code via the Israeli Zionist Jew propaganda virus and it would be a good idea to reinstall your OS. I'll show you how hypothetically speaking, of course. Who is the enemy if Hitler is not you ask? Zionists Jews, who must be stopped or we will be, created the most cleaver scam since recorded history people call "money" that is defined as something of value but contrarily, it is bank notes merely ink and paper created out of thin air on a printing press at the central bank, "Ex. Private 'Federal' Reserve Bank in USA." This fraudulent scheme is called fractional-reserve banking (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debt-based_monetary_system), aka debt-based monetary system. Thus, since the Zionists artificially create over 95% of the world's money supply, this allows them to own almost the world in it's entirety while enslaving the human race with artificial inflation. How is artificial inflation created you might ask? It is a simple concept after it is broken down that can be summarized in one sentence and goes something like this. We the people are enslaved (if you use their dirty "money") whether you are aware of it or not. Artificial inflation is created by the central bank charging lending banks 'ex. Bank of America' at interest, also known as debt, for every dollar in circulation that must be paid back to the central bank which does not exist in circulation to begin with! For example, let's say I am the federal reserve bank, you are Bank of America and you want to borrow one dollar from me. You must pay me back that one dollar PLUS the additional interest, therefore, you owe me $1.10. Now ask yourself this question. If I am the only bank who creates the nations money supply in America, how are you going to pay me the additional ten cents you owe me? You cannot because the ten cents you owe me is artificially created and does not exist. You have to give the Zionist Jews credit for being able to deceive the majority of the world's population. The exception is 3rd world countries such as Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Libya, etc. who do not use this fiat enslavement currency which is only one reason why we are at war with them to continue the New World Order agenda they envision because if you cannot control their money, you cannot control the people. "Give me control of a nations money supply, and I care not who makes its laws" Amschel Rothchild. I'm 26 so I'm most certainly preparing for the next collapse in the next years or decades, it's just a matter of when as nothing can inevitably grow forever because there would have be an infinite increase in human population to increase the demand of "money" to compensate for the increasing amount of debt hence inflation and that is simply impossible, get it? OR Adolf Hitler who discovered the Zionists ponzi scheme and attempted to stop the trampling of people's god given common-law rights? Adolf Hitler was bored one day and in his "psychotic" little mind he managed to brainwash people by the MILLIONS, coaxed SIX MILLION people during the holocaust (http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/5390/holocaust.jpg) into gas chambers and gassed them with thousands of pounds of Zyklon-B (http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/4199/zyklonbinsecticide.jpg). THEN went through the inconvenience of burying their bodies at Treblinka (http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/845/treblinka.jpg). Speaking of Zionism, have you ever wondered why all legal law-abiding documents, "ex. your driver's LICENSE," state your name in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS? This is due to your mother or guardian unknowingly signed your birth CERTIFICATE (http://www.dherbs.com/articles/birth-certificate-274.html) creating a CORPORATION in your name that only applies to you in CAPS. For example, if your name is John Doe then you have a corporation in your name called JOHN DOE legally defines as, "artificial person" not to be confused with John Doe termed ,"natural person," effectively removing your god given common law rights via the Social Security Act of 1935 because quite frankly, your fictional corporation has no rights. Unfortunately, if you sign the IRS form 4361 (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBkQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.irs.gov%2Fpub%2Firs-pdf%2Ff4361.pdf&ei=C9bDTcqGH4Ox0QGuu9iDCA&usg=AFQjCNEYCavLSfBaNgq9CGpp4djTMR0eTg&sig2=0XL3br6JS51n82RCM0E5pw) that will opt you out of "Social Security," IRS calls "Application for Exemption From Self-Employment Tax for Use by Ministers, Members of Religious Orders and Christian Science Practitioners," they only accept people with proper documentation to prove they are indeed in a religion that is against these fraudulent practices, effectively stopping most from being truly free by not accepting the application. I know because I tried! Even if you did opt out of this "Social Security" that was unscrupulously implemented after the Great Depression people were suckered into enabling them to get back on their feet from the scam of paying only 10% up front while the bank demands 100% of the loan back overnight, people did not have the funds for it to begin with because that's why they wanted the loan in the first place! This effectively made all competing banks go bankrupt to continue the Federal Reserve Act of 1913. You cannot do anything without a Social Security number if you are "locked into the grid" for lack of better words; no house, land, car, utilities, you get the idea... If one looks up words: Person (http://img852.imageshack.us/img852/4613/personn.jpg), Employee (http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/employee), Employer (http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/employer), License (http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/license), Certificate (http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/certificate) and Driver (http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/driver) to name a few in a LAW dictionary and you will soon discover every bit of this is 100% true facts, use your imagination looking up words in a LAW dictionary and I promise you will never view the world the same again. All of this would not be possible without forced corrupt education "We don't need no education, we don't need no thought control," and the invention of the television, thus this world would be for the people and not a tyrannical dictatorship. If the Israeli Zionist Jews are not stopped, we will be, don't you see? Cannabis prohibition has served to redirect human evolution from that of a decentralized agrarian lifestyle and natural economy, to a centralized petro-chemical military dictatorship controlled through the artificial economic will of private banks and other trans-national corporate interests. Too bad I didn't grow up in the 60's to consume all the cancer curing Cannabis when it was more socially acceptable and making God's creation illegal is implying god made a mistake but man-made ethyl alcohol is glamorized? There is a brief history lesson that would not dare be spoken of in education, media, and politics the Jewish Supremacy dominate. There is a book named "Behold A Pale Horse (http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4051182/%28Ebook_-_English%29_William_Cooper_-_Behold_a_Pale_Horse) by: William Cooper" that can be downloaded from www.thepiratebay.org (http://www.thepiratebay.org) using a bit torrent program and a documentary called, "Zeitgeist : Moving Forward" for further education. You're welcome, peace, love, and prosperity to you all." -Bluecar5556
Note, I no longer maintain this thread and have relocated it here (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:16112) under the modifications subheading. As a result, this thread is now closed and the image links may not work. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you.