Nice work man, you did a good job of reusing alps, I am thinking of harvesting a few and reusing them myself and now you have a created a template for them ^:)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/P8MSIJx.jpg)
That teensy controller also reminded me of the original apple logo, I'm not sure if that was intentional on your behalf :p
Amazing work as usual Yoe! :thumb:
Always appreciate how much you share with the community.
looks nice. I have been thinking about making a single sided pcb for a project Im working on as well so it is nice seeing others doing it.
Ok.. updated the OP with the Y63 PCB file. Y62 file to be made this weekend I guess.ya I don't expect it to be faster then hand wiring, I'm decently fast at that unless I'm trying to toss in leds, its the cleaner look I'm after. I have also been doing the toner transfer pcb etching method for years as it is for making things like dog tags and even a name plate on the bottom of a keyboard I made for someone as it is I have just never used to to make a pcb lol.looks nice. I have been thinking about making a single sided pcb for a project Im working on as well so it is nice seeing others doing it.
Thanks! Yeh, it takes a bit of work and a whole lot of jumpers.. :P Not sure if it is any faster than making a hand wired board, but it looks good and works nicely :) Also I enjoyed the designing and etching parts very much :)
Well then, you're good to go! :) Etching other stuff like name plates and such things sort of happened for me too in the process.. had some smaller pcb parts that I made some test transfers to. When I got the hang of it, I made a nice little Alps logo pin for a fellow Alps fan… :)Ok.. updated the OP with the Y63 PCB file. Y62 file to be made this weekend I guess.ya I don't expect it to be faster then hand wiring, I'm decently fast at that unless I'm trying to toss in leds, its the cleaner look I'm after. I have also been doing the toner transfer pcb etching method for years as it is for making things like dog tags and even a name plate on the bottom of a keyboard I made for someone as it is I have just never used to to make a pcb lol.looks nice. I have been thinking about making a single sided pcb for a project Im working on as well so it is nice seeing others doing it.
Thanks! Yeh, it takes a bit of work and a whole lot of jumpers.. :P Not sure if it is any faster than making a hand wired board, but it looks good and works nicely :) Also I enjoyed the designing and etching parts very much :)
When I got the hang of it, I made a nice little Alps logo pin for a fellow Alps fan… :)
Fun stuff! I don't have etching equipment but I once used a CNC mill to route out & drill a small PCB for a project. I should look into an etching setup some day.
Fun stuff! I don't have etching equipment but I once used a CNC mill to route out & drill a small PCB for a project. I should look into an etching setup some day.
CNC routing PCBs.. cool, never heard of that approach before!
As for etching setups, there sure are really advanced and expensive stuff available, but I've gone for the cheap option. Haven't mentioned much about the etching part, but I might as well, if someone is curious..
Stuff to have: access to a decent laser printer; toner transfer paper (got cheap china stuff); copper clad laminate; clothes iron for the toner transfer; etching powder (ferric cloride); plastic containers for etching and water baths; protective glasses and gloves; something to put the etching liquid in after use; IPA; Acetone; some rags; a pillar drill for making the holes (like a mounted dremel).
The process:
* Print the circuit design onto toner transfer paper. If the transfer paper jams the printer because it's too flimsy, use paper based adhesive tape to mount the leading edge to regular paper.
* Sand and clean the copper side of the laminate. Use fine grit paper or steel wool and then a rag doused with isopropyl alcohol.
* Iron the toner onto the laminate. Make sure everything lines up properly. First press the iron as evenly as possible over the paper, then go over it thoroughly with the edge of the iron to really make the toner stick.
* Let the laminate cool down a bit. Don't burn yourself handling it.
* Put the laminate and paper in water. When the paper loosens up, slowly and carefully peel it off the laminate, and make sure the toner stays on the copper. If it fails, just wipe toner off with acetone and start over from step one.
* Put on protective gear.
* Pour warm water in the etching container and get the powder in. Let it dissolve.
* Put the laminate in the etching liquid and start agitating. Just keep the liquid on motion over the copper until the copper is gone. (Don't over-etch!)
* When it's done, put it in water to stop the etching.
* Clean the toner off the traces with acetone and rags
* Admire it for a while and post on Instagram
* Drill the holes. Carefully. Don't get sloppy.
* That's it! :)
Fun stuff! I don't have etching equipment but I once used a CNC mill to route out & drill a small PCB for a project. I should look into an etching setup some day.
CNC routing PCBs.. cool, never heard of that approach before!
As for etching setups, there sure are really advanced and expensive stuff available, but I've gone for the cheap option. Haven't mentioned much about the etching part, but I might as well, if someone is curious..
Stuff to have: access to a decent laser printer; toner transfer paper (got cheap china stuff); copper clad laminate; clothes iron for the toner transfer; etching powder (ferric cloride); plastic containers for etching and water baths; protective glasses and gloves; something to put the etching liquid in after use; IPA; Acetone; some rags; a pillar drill for making the holes (like a mounted dremel).
The process:
* Print the circuit design onto toner transfer paper. If the transfer paper jams the printer because it's too flimsy, use paper based adhesive tape to mount the leading edge to regular paper.
* Sand and clean the copper side of the laminate. Use fine grit paper or steel wool and then a rag doused with isopropyl alcohol.
* Iron the toner onto the laminate. Make sure everything lines up properly. First press the iron as evenly as possible over the paper, then go over it thoroughly with the edge of the iron to really make the toner stick.
* Let the laminate cool down a bit. Don't burn yourself handling it.
* Put the laminate and paper in water. When the paper loosens up, slowly and carefully peel it off the laminate, and make sure the toner stays on the copper. If it fails, just wipe toner off with acetone and start over from step one.
* Put on protective gear.
* Pour warm water in the etching container and get the powder in. Let it dissolve.
* Put the laminate in the etching liquid and start agitating. Just keep the liquid on motion over the copper until the copper is gone. (Don't over-etch!)
* When it's done, put it in water to stop the etching.
* Clean the toner off the traces with acetone and rags
* Admire it for a while and post on Instagram
* Drill the holes. Carefully. Don't get sloppy.
* That's it! :)
Can't you use the leftover acid to dispose of dead bodies? Might be a faster way to recoup some of the material costs...
Looks great! Question about those red caps. What dye did you use?
Just decided to look at this thread. This is awesome.
Thanks for the write up. I have all of that stuff except for transfer paper and copper clad laminate and I'd love to give it a try. I think I remember Ben Heck did a segment on making pcb's which I should go rewatch.
That PCB is insanely pretty
Great, now you've re-inspired me to make my own again :(
Hey Yoe. Lovely.
I don't suppose there's a chance of getting a pdf of the ANSI board layout, is there? Have no Woindoze, but do have a M0116 that could be sacrificed to the gods of custom boarding.
Hrm. Actually, scratch that, the M0116 is a big L return key ISO layout.
Cheers
Simon
now you just need to get that teensy out of there and solder in the chips instead
You're a star. Y62 is what I needed.
Cheers.
now you just need to get that teensy out of there and solder in the chips instead
nothing is wrong with the teensy other then it cost far more then the parts to put on the board and it would look cleaner without soldering a second pcb onto the keyboard.now you just need to get that teensy out of there and solder in the chips instead
What's wrong with the Teensy exactly? Am I missing something?
nothing is wrong with the teensy other then it cost far more then the parts to put on the board and it would look cleaner without soldering a second pcb onto the keyboard.now you just need to get that teensy out of there and solder in the chips instead
What's wrong with the Teensy exactly? Am I missing something?
Got my Teensy++ 2.0 yesterday, so I tried fitting it on... so this is my idea:
(Attachment Link)
Then I'll make a nice little cable from the usb jack of the Teensy to a pcb fitted jack that goes in the back of the case...
(Attachment Link)
Well.. that's what's happening. Not much time for my hobby this week though.
Got my Teensy++ 2.0 yesterday, so I tried fitting it on... so this is my idea:
(Attachment Link)
Then I'll make a nice little cable from the usb jack of the Teensy to a pcb fitted jack that goes in the back of the case...
(Attachment Link)
Well.. that's what's happening. Not much time for my hobby this week though.
Do you need to program the Teensy at all? I'm a total n00b when it comes to electronics and such, but I really want to make a 60% M0116.
Would it be better to buy a blank PCB and make it myself, or order it from ExpressPCB? Any help would be much appreciated! Cheers!
Great thread! I'm interested in something ... similar, but for switches with 4 pins each (such as very low, common profile, Alps, or Space Invader switches).
Do you think it one can start from your PCB design and adapt it, or things must be started from point zero?
Impressive, as always, Yoe. Those dyed keycaps look incredible.
You should offer your PBT keycap dyeing skills as a paid service in the artisan forum. I'm not joking.
Impressive, as always, Yoe. Those dyed keycaps look incredible.
You should offer your PBT keycap dyeing skills as a paid service in the artisan forum. I'm not joking.
Thank you!
Yes, I'm actually considering doing that. Just feel the need to try out some more colors first, so I have a bunch of color options that I'm confident in using.
I have also recently acquired a bunch of M0116 donor keyboards, so I'm pretty close now to offering built to order Y62 boards too. I already have people on my waiting list, and I haven't even posted in the classifieds or artisan forums yet, so that's nice :)
Impressive, as always, Yoe. Those dyed keycaps look incredible.
You should offer your PBT keycap dyeing skills as a paid service in the artisan forum. I'm not joking.
Thank you!
Yes, I'm actually considering doing that. Just feel the need to try out some more colors first, so I have a bunch of color options that I'm confident in using.
I have also recently acquired a bunch of M0116 donor keyboards, so I'm pretty close now to offering built to order Y62 boards too. I already have people on my waiting list, and I haven't even posted in the classifieds or artisan forums yet, so that's nice :)
With your pcb is the plate still necessary or can you mount the alps directly to the pcb? I am tying this from my m0116 with oragne alps I am not a huge fan of the layout but I love these switches. Also thanks for all the work !
Do you have any pcbs/plates or are these just the resources to make your own?
Just a few more pictures of the first Y62 before shipping it :)
(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link) (Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)
Do you have any pcbs/plates or are these just the resources to make your own?
For the Y63 (M0118) I've got a bunch of laser cut plates, and I believe at least one etched pcb ready made. Just toss me a PM if you're interested. Or if you want to use the files to make your own Y62 or Y63, feel free to do that, and send me questions if anything should be unclear.