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geekhack Projects => Making Stuff Together! => Topic started by: Tye on Mon, 18 April 2016, 20:53:57

Title: Mounting SMDs on plate side/keyswitch side of Ergodox -- Will it work?
Post by: Tye on Mon, 18 April 2016, 20:53:57

I'm well into my mod to add a Trackpoint to an Ergodox.

The clearance between PCB and the case bottom is very small -- only about 3mm. Because of this, I don't even have clearance for the SMDs on the bottom of the PCB because the Trackpoint module bumps against them.
Because of this, I mounted the right hand SMDs on the top/plate/switch side of the PCB instead of the bottom side as indicated in the most Ergodox tutorials. I checked the polarity on the top and the bottom of the PCB with a multimeter and everything flows the right way. Additionally, I test fit some Gateron keyswitches and they (just barely) fit too.

So, is it really that simple? Or did I miss something that will mess up my build?

Title: Re: Mounting SMDs on plate side/keyswitch side of Ergodox -- Will it work?
Post by: Melvang on Mon, 18 April 2016, 22:38:37

Quote from: Tye on Mon, 18 April 2016, 20:53:57

I'm well into my mod to add a Trackpoint to an Ergodox.

The clearance between PCB and the case bottom is very small -- only about 3mm. Because of this, I don't even have clearance for the SMDs on the bottom of the PCB because the Trackpoint module bumps against them.
Because of this, I mounted the right hand SMDs on the top/plate/switch side of the PCB instead of the bottom side as indicated in the most Ergodox tutorials. I checked the polarity on the top and the bottom of the PCB with a multimeter and everything flows the right way. Additionally, I test fit some Gateron keyswitches and they (just barely) fit too.

So, is it really that simple? Or did I miss something that will mess up my build?

While I don't have a dual sided board like that nor an ergo dox, I would say it should work.  They are flippable, and dual sided. so essentially, all the same circuit just on both sides of the pcb.