geekhack
geekhack Projects => Making Stuff Together! => DIY Discussions ARCHIVE => Topic started by: cloaked on Fri, 10 April 2009, 12:09:24
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Does anyone have a picture of one of these boards torn down?
http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/images/kb_essential720x446.jpg
I'd like to know if I can chop this keyboard into a left and right half and then run a cord between them, like my current kinesis freestyle.
Also if anyone has a programmable Kinesis Contoured just collecting dust, I'm looking for one. :)
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Does anyone have a picture of one of these boards torn down?
Someone here did a switch swap. That thread should have some pics of the internals.
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This is a Kinesis Contour 130EM.
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=2587&d=1244576953)
This is a quick pic from my phone. hi-res available on request.
Each cup of keys is attached to a rigid (barely flexible) pcboard with six 'fingers' at various curve. The connection to the central board is via one of those exposed Mylar edges that slides into a sleeve which is then clamped shut.
In theory you could split the keyboard with a ribbon cable extension from one or the other fingered pcboard. This is not something I'd want to try, especially if you paid full retail for a Kinesis keyboard, but there are FAR more difficult hacks out there.
I'm curious what you'd use to house the separate pieces after the split?
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For your information :
http://skyian.mine.nu/discuz/viewthread.php?tid=992&extra=page%3D1
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wow that thing looks beautiful on the inside. First time seeing a pcb that's not flat on a keyboard.
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First time I've seen a curved PCB period. How do they get those suckers through the wave solder machines?
PCB material isn't usually pliable enough to bend after the fact.
That really depends on the material and how thick you make it. Take a really close look at those boards especially these three images
(http://64.50.163.75/%7Encwmo0/chef/Kinesis%20Contoured/21.JPG)
(http://64.50.163.75/%7Encwmo0/chef/Kinesis%20Contoured/22.JPG)
(http://64.50.163.75/~ncwmo0/chef/Kinesis%20Contoured/19.JPG)
Some things to note when looking at the pictures:
- Bent leads on the switch(s) at the ends of the bent board. No other switch has bent leads. My bet is this switch was the first one installed. Leads bent to hold the board in place while the board was hand soldered.
- Take a close look at the switches in the middle in particular look at the switches in the first picture on the back board. Notice the gap between the switch and the board. The first switch does not have this gap. And if you look really close you can see that the gap is not the same on both sides of the switch. So this switch was installed and hand soldered after the switches on the ends of the board.
- All pictures note the un-soldered via holes all over the board. Even with selective wave soldering some of them would be filled. In this case they are all un-soldered.
- In the last picture above this is one board with multiple fingers.
- In the first two pictures note how thin the board is. With the right material this would be easy to do.
So what does all the above say. I think it really depends on whether or not the switches in this section are plate mounted or not. Or maybe even mounted into the plastic like a plate mount so you have the switch actually acting as the board hold downs. I really think this board was bent into shape. Back in 2000 when I was a process Eng for both SMT (Surface mount tech) and TH (Through hole) we did some stuff similar to this. The reason you don't see more of this stuff in consumer products is because the PCB are very expensive to produce. But then again considering the cost of this keyboard it would not surprise me that they are using the flex circuit material.
FYI: If you want take a look at this company they offer Flexible circuit boards http://www.allflexinc.com after looking through there site a little flex circuits have come a long way compared to what we could do back when I was in manufacturing. They can now mount SMT components to these flexible circuits as long as you design the layout right that is.
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First time I've seen a curved PCB period. How do they get those suckers through the wave solder machines?
PCB material isn't usually pliable enough to bend after the fact.
If they are assembled in China, they are likely just hand soldered.
A lot of the factories have lines upon lines of people just sitting there hand soldering parts.
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This keyboard is assembled in USA :
(http://64.50.163.75/~ncwmo0/chef/Kinesis%20Contoured/03.JPG)
If you guys need other pictures, just let me know.
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There are easily 6 or more threads this update I found yesterday can be posted under, so I chose the very first thread I read upon finding Geekhack last summer!
The blogger isn't me, and it's not my mod, but there may be info for someone to use. (pics are clickable!)
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v-vyP3l7ON4/S1aABe4sudI/AAAAAAAADO4/hERlalJH6f8/s320/CIMG8657.JPG&imgrefurl=http://dbenamy.blogspot.com/&usg=__nSrSluQ1RXUVWSCZW5yELA_hxPg=&h=240&w=320&sz=28&hl=en&start=272&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=RsmZWtKrHW4RVM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkinesis%2Bcut%2Bcomfort%26start%3D252%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Den%26ndsp%3D21%26tbs%3Disch:1
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I played with my iPhone in the same spot with an app that made it into a wireless mouse (yaay!) but then had to answer a call (boo!)
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That trackpad mod inspired me. The precision of the cutouts is quite deft.
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Exactly. The beveled edge was stunning, the precision of the USB ports was ... ineffable. I had to try that.
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That trackpad mod inspired me. The precision of the cutouts is quite deft.
First thing I saw, actually. Props to the cutter.
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I wish he/she showed that portion.
I thought of using a cutting wheel along the drilled holes, then hand filing with several different file types.
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> Anybody know how he made the final cut after drilling the holes?
I assumed it was all hand-filed. The tools are pictured on the complete page IIRC: no dremel. Unfortunately I can't find my archived web page complete at the moment.
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As comical as that is, I can't help but wonder why you own a Peerless-equipped keyboard...
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You looking for this?
http://www.kbdmania.net/xe/?mid=review&search_target=user_name&search_keyword=카프리옹&document_srl=711827
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If you look in the pics, you can see what appears to be the dark plastic filings on the table/floor.
I think it's the best hand job I've ever seen!
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I think it's the best hand job I've ever seen!
Excluding Internet porn, I'd have to agree. I wish I could read that page to better understand how that was done, that bevelled edge is amazing.
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I wish he/she showed that portion.
I thought of using a cutting wheel along the drilled holes, then hand filing with several different file types.
The compartments between the holes were obviously cut with some cutting pliers.
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It totally boils down to the finish. It would be great if someone could tell if the poster explained what he did. I have some limited access to Korean language students on occasion. I'll inquire and pass info along.
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Excluding Internet porn, I'd have to agree.
Don't say "hand job" in front of TexasFlood!
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Don't say "hand job" in front of TexasFlood!
Yes, sorry, should have resisted. Tried, could not.
DON'T PRESS THE BIG RED BUTTON! :smile:
(http://www.cnet.com/i/bto/20091217/stimpy.jpg)
Or for anyone who has no idea who Stimpy is,
a trip back in time to an excerpt / remix the "Space Madness" red button (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jjN-H62U64).
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Not wanting to go too far off topic: Traveller Role Playing Game a number of years ago, the girl who played the ship's (male and decidely omnisexual) captain deliberately twisted any phrase that could be remotely viewed sexually (if given the appropriate kinks) and played the captain as being eager to do it.
E.g.
Struggling crewman: "Gimmee a hand up"
Captain (excited): "Oooooh!"
Any random crew member: "Don't say "gimme a hand up" in front of the Captain!"
We wound up with a lot of "Don't say ... in front of the Captain" situations. And a growing list of things to avoid saying...
Just as you couldn't resist commenting on the "hand job", I couldn't resist paraphrasing our crew's admonition.
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Ren and Stimpy is my favorite cartoon of all time.
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Ah yes, Ren & Stimpy. Good times.
POWWDERRRED...TOAASST...MAAAN!!!
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Ah yes, Ren & Stimpy. Good times.
POWWDERRRED...TOAASST...MAAAN!!!
Ahh, memories....
(http://panda1047.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/toast.jpg)
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Ren: Stimpy, your wealth of ignorance astounds me.
Stimpy: Duh... they don't call me "stupid" for nothin'!
The rubber nipple salesmen had to be one of the most disturbing things I have ever seen. That, and Cousin Sven.