Post by: hineybush on Sat, 16 December 2017, 23:39:54
Cartel and its affiliates present to you:
Contra - The hella low cost ortholinear keyboard.
Just a PCB and a bottom plate (also PCB material), the bare minimum for a functional keyboard.
European orders: https://mykeyboard.eu/catalogue/danck_397/
Canadian orders: http://www.apexkeyboards.ca/product/danck-40-ortholinear-budget-board-kit
Australian orders: Email keebcat@gmail.com with the subject "Contra order". He's a trusted friend of Cartel and is handling proxy duties for us.
South East Asian orders: https://goo.gl/forms/RgN1sauswTb85pmQ2
Features:
- 2U or split space.
- All through-hole parts. 48x diodes, 1x Pro Micro.
- Assembled with M2 standoffs and screws.
- Powered by QMK.
- Nothing fancy. A very nice way to try out some switches, enjoy some DIY, or to test out ortho keyboards.
- Random crapposts/memes on the bottom of the PCB. Easily hidden when the kit is assembled, if they're not your thing.
Pics/PCB renders:
(https://cartel.ltd/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/contra_pcb_01o.png)
Top of PCB
(https://cartel.ltd/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/contra_pcb_02o.png)
Bottom of PCB
(https://cartel.ltd/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/contra_case_01o.png)
Bottom of base plate
(https://cartel.ltd/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/contra_case_02o.png)
Top of base plate (can be flipped to bottom)
(https://cartel.ltd/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/contra_case_03o.png)
MX + Alps plate
Price: $30 USD + shipping.
Post by: clickityClackity on Mon, 18 December 2017, 15:58:19
Post by: pabile on Mon, 18 December 2017, 22:10:46
would it be possible to request for your sample QMK config file? i intend to incorporate my layers while waiting :D
Post by: blerc on Tue, 19 December 2017, 00:31:37
Post by: TalkingTree on Tue, 19 December 2017, 04:44:38
Post by: hineybush on Tue, 19 December 2017, 05:45:41
are shipping quote from Cartel website final? i might be purchasing at least 5 for the local group but it seems shipping is quite high for every kit after first 3. ...price at mykeyboards are higher and no shipping estimate so... thinking of acquiring these kits directly from cartel.
would it be possible to request for your sample QMK config file? i intend to incorporate my layers while waiting :D
Contact tony@cartel.ltd saying you're looking to do a bulk order, we'll be able to help you out. QMK isn't setup yet, but I'll let ya know when it is.
Post by: pabile on Tue, 19 December 2017, 05:47:56
Contact tony@cartel.ltd saying you're looking to do a bulk order, we'll be able to help you out. QMK isn't setup yet, but I'll let ya know when it is.
cool! will do. thanks
Post by: hineybush on Tue, 19 December 2017, 17:42:56
Post by: YiZZo on Tue, 19 December 2017, 18:29:03
Post by: mpaarating on Tue, 19 December 2017, 18:51:53
Post by: hineybush on Wed, 20 December 2017, 04:29:14
dangit. i had the kit with switches in my cart, then during checkout it told me it was sold out :(
Sorry about that! I can confirm that the Orange Browns are officially sold out.
Post by: dr_derivative on Wed, 20 December 2017, 04:56:51
Post by: TalkingTree on Wed, 20 December 2017, 05:08:01
Is there any chance for a clear acrylic base plate for this? I don't want my memes to be hidden once the keyboard is assembledWon't they be hidden by the keycaps anyway?
Post by: dr_derivative on Wed, 20 December 2017, 05:16:33
Is there any chance for a clear acrylic base plate for this? I don't want my memes to be hidden once the keyboard is assembledWon't they be hidden by the keycaps anyway?
They're on the bottom of the PCB according to the pictures in the OP.
Post by: TalkingTree on Wed, 20 December 2017, 05:21:45
Right, I focused on the plate part rather than base.Is there any chance for a clear acrylic base plate for this? I don't want my memes to be hidden once the keyboard is assembledWon't they be hidden by the keycaps anyway?
They're on the bottom of the PCB according to the pictures in the OP.
Post by: hineybush on Wed, 20 December 2017, 06:50:44
Is there any chance for a clear acrylic base plate for this? I don't want my memes to be hidden once the keyboard is assembled
Next week I'll whip up a DXF and release it, you'll be able to take it to a local fab/ponoko/etc and have one cut!
Post by: dr_derivative on Wed, 20 December 2017, 07:29:15
Is there any chance for a clear acrylic base plate for this? I don't want my memes to be hidden once the keyboard is assembled
Next week I'll whip up a DXF and release it, you'll be able to take it to a local fab/ponoko/etc and have one cut!
Nice! Thank you
Post by: hamilton on Thu, 21 December 2017, 10:57:17
Post by: hineybush on Thu, 21 December 2017, 13:08:02
Post by: hineybush on Thu, 21 December 2017, 18:31:20
As requested by Jack Humbert (https://www.reddit.com/r/olkb/comments/7lctyr/statement_on_the_danck_keyboard/), we've had to remove the word Danck from this project. It will be re-named, and the name will be changed on the silk screen. Will update once we have a name selected.
Post by: hineybush on Thu, 21 December 2017, 23:51:28
Post by: THRILLHOIAF on Fri, 22 December 2017, 00:22:37
Post by: reccatyo on Fri, 22 December 2017, 00:58:09
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSmFYD1WIAATa3b.jpg)
Post by: pabile on Fri, 22 December 2017, 02:21:44
Hey everyone,
As requested by Jack Humbert (https://www.reddit.com/r/olkb/comments/7lctyr/statement_on_the_danck_keyboard/), we've had to remove the word Danck from this project. It will be re-named, and the name will be changed on the silk screen. Will update once we have a name selected.
so that's why i have not received an email reply from tony...
"REDACTED" sounds nice replcement... it's unfortunate it was not approved :(
Post by: TalkingTree on Fri, 22 December 2017, 03:20:41
Post by: Kafka on Fri, 22 December 2017, 03:53:10
Magic Conch Shell
Post by: Koobaczech on Fri, 22 December 2017, 09:52:04
Post by: kawasaki161 on Fri, 22 December 2017, 09:54:04
Post by: hineybush on Sat, 23 December 2017, 15:53:50
Post by: pabile on Tue, 26 December 2017, 02:36:39
Proud to announce we've hit over 200 sales total so far.
any chance you could tap Tony for my request? I send him an email and have not received a reply to date. thanks and happy holidays!
Post by: ioioioio on Tue, 26 December 2017, 03:01:12
Post by: kawasaki161 on Tue, 26 December 2017, 07:46:28
will we get any case ? cause i dont see any case on your website tho.-.
It includes a Skeleton-ish case
Post by: hineybush on Tue, 26 December 2017, 12:46:19
will we get any case ? cause i dont see any case on your website tho.-.
The kit comes with a PCB material baseplate and switchplate, as well as screws and standoffs.
Post by: hineybush on Fri, 29 December 2017, 16:01:30
We're over 250 orders total!
Post by: Allaeius on Sun, 31 December 2017, 11:55:32
It looks and sounds fun.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk
Post by: Puddsy on Sun, 31 December 2017, 11:58:24
Stupid question but how easy is this to build as a first DIY keyboard? I can probably do soldering, if I still remember how to solder.
It looks and sounds fun.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk
thru-hole is pretty easy as long as you're careful
Post by: hineybush on Sun, 31 December 2017, 15:43:09
Stupid question but how easy is this to build as a first DIY keyboard? I can probably do soldering, if I still remember how to solder.
It looks and sounds fun.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk
thru-hole is pretty easy as long as you're careful
Correct - part of the goal of this board is to be something you can practice/learn from.
Post by: Giorgio on Sun, 31 December 2017, 16:17:33
Post by: typischt on Sun, 07 January 2018, 17:24:50
Post by: kolashnikov on Sun, 07 January 2018, 18:03:19
hey guys, this might be obvious, but until now I was under the assumtion, that the PCB is already good to go when bought. When I was about to get into the GB today, I realized that I might have to solder the diodes and so on myself. Is this correct? And if so, how much time on avarage do you think will it take for someone with no soldering / keyboard building experience what so ever?
If you think you can solder the switches, you should be fine soldering diodes too. It looks like the diodes are through-hole, which means that long leads on the diode poke all the way through the PCB. That'll be easier than surface-mount diodes. I think you will have to pay attention to the orientation of the diodes though to make sure they're not soldered in backwards. There should be indicators on the PCB to help with that.
Soldering isn't terribly time-consuming and can be very easy with the correct tools. Just watch some tutorials on youtube and give it a go. It might be good to practice on something else if you're overly worried, but it's only a $30 board. The learning experience is worth more than that IMO. Plus, this will give you confidence to take on more advanced and expensive builds in the future once the jaws of inescapable keyboard addiction take hold.
Post by: hineybush on Sun, 07 January 2018, 18:15:45
hey guys, this might be obvious, but until now I was under the assumtion, that the PCB is already good to go when bought. When I was about to get into the GB today, I realized that I might have to solder the diodes and so on myself. Is this correct? And if so, how much time on avarage do you think will it take for someone with no soldering / keyboard building experience what so ever?
If you think you can solder the switches, you should be fine soldering diodes too. It looks like the diodes are through-hole, which means that long leads on the diode poke all the way through the PCB. That'll be easier than surface-mount diodes. I think you will have to pay attention to the orientation of the diodes though to make sure they're not soldered in backwards. There should be indicators on the PCB to help with that.
Soldering isn't terribly time-consuming and can be very easy with the correct tools. Just watch some tutorials on youtube and give it a go. It might be good to practice on something else if you're overly worried, but it's only a $30 board. The learning experience is worth more than that IMO. Plus, this will give you confidence to take on more advanced and expensive builds in the future once the jaws of inescapable keyboard addiction take hold.
Correct - through-hole diodes. It makes it easier if you have something to bend the leads on, I typically use a pen or scrap piece of wood/plastic/metal with the right thickness. I put a prototype together in less than an hour.
Post by: duynguyenle on Sun, 07 January 2018, 18:22:59
hey guys, this might be obvious, but until now I was under the assumtion, that the PCB is already good to go when bought. When I was about to get into the GB today, I realized that I might have to solder the diodes and so on myself. Is this correct? And if so, how much time on avarage do you think will it take for someone with no soldering / keyboard building experience what so ever?
If you think you can solder the switches, you should be fine soldering diodes too. It looks like the diodes are through-hole, which means that long leads on the diode poke all the way through the PCB. That'll be easier than surface-mount diodes. I think you will have to pay attention to the orientation of the diodes though to make sure they're not soldered in backwards. There should be indicators on the PCB to help with that.
Soldering isn't terribly time-consuming and can be very easy with the correct tools. Just watch some tutorials on youtube and give it a go. It might be good to practice on something else if you're overly worried, but it's only a $30 board. The learning experience is worth more than that IMO. Plus, this will give you confidence to take on more advanced and expensive builds in the future once the jaws of inescapable keyboard addiction take hold.
Correct - through-hole diodes. It makes it easier if you have something to bend the leads on, I typically use a pen or scrap piece of wood/plastic/metal with the right thickness. I put a prototype together in less than an hour.
Or you could use the tool specifically designed for the job: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13114
:p
Post by: hineybush on Sun, 07 January 2018, 21:07:39
hey guys, this might be obvious, but until now I was under the assumtion, that the PCB is already good to go when bought. When I was about to get into the GB today, I realized that I might have to solder the diodes and so on myself. Is this correct? And if so, how much time on avarage do you think will it take for someone with no soldering / keyboard building experience what so ever?
If you think you can solder the switches, you should be fine soldering diodes too. It looks like the diodes are through-hole, which means that long leads on the diode poke all the way through the PCB. That'll be easier than surface-mount diodes. I think you will have to pay attention to the orientation of the diodes though to make sure they're not soldered in backwards. There should be indicators on the PCB to help with that.
Soldering isn't terribly time-consuming and can be very easy with the correct tools. Just watch some tutorials on youtube and give it a go. It might be good to practice on something else if you're overly worried, but it's only a $30 board. The learning experience is worth more than that IMO. Plus, this will give you confidence to take on more advanced and expensive builds in the future once the jaws of inescapable keyboard addiction take hold.
Correct - through-hole diodes. It makes it easier if you have something to bend the leads on, I typically use a pen or scrap piece of wood/plastic/metal with the right thickness. I put a prototype together in less than an hour.
Or you could use the tool specifically designed for the job: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13114
:p
I have one of those that was 3D printed by a buddy but I'd rather use a longer piece of material that I can bend a bunch of diodes on at once.
Post by: hineybush on Sun, 14 January 2018, 02:15:07
Post by: dr_derivative on Mon, 15 January 2018, 11:06:44
Post by: tectonicplate on Mon, 15 January 2018, 23:28:15
Post by: THRILLHOIAF on Mon, 15 January 2018, 23:29:56
Post by: clickityClackity on Tue, 16 January 2018, 02:32:17
Post by: hineybush on Tue, 16 January 2018, 03:27:29
are the diodes/other components pretty striaghtforward for installing. never built a board before so this is pretty new ground!
Yes, everything is relatively straightforward. Myself and another of our friends will be making build videos as well, so stay tuned for those! We're also planning to include a nice Ikea-like manual for construction.
Post by: THRILLHOIAF on Thu, 18 January 2018, 15:29:02
are the diodes/other components pretty striaghtforward for installing. never built a board before so this is pretty new ground!
Yes, everything is relatively straightforward. Myself and another of our friends will be making build videos as well, so stay tuned for those! We're also planning to include a nice Ikea-like manual for construction.
awesome! I'm an expert with IKEA furniture :D
Post by: hineybush on Wed, 31 January 2018, 00:31:09
Post by: mdaly001 on Wed, 31 January 2018, 02:29:22
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk
Post by: deacon on Fri, 02 March 2018, 13:49:00
Show Image(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/312287977151660042/408146453786263552/image.jpg)
Think we could get a profile shot showing the board thickness? That would be great!
Post by: hineybush on Fri, 02 March 2018, 23:42:09
Show Image(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/312287977151660042/408146453786263552/image.jpg)
Think we could get a profile shot showing the board thickness? That would be great!
Mine are packed away already (Columbus meetup in the morning) but I'll see if someone with a built proto kit can snag a pic or two.
Also, UPDATE
All proxy orders (besides EU) are shipped as of now. We're just waiting to finalize shipping payment for the EU packages (yes, packageS - lots of EU orders). We have roughly 1/3 of the US orders packed as well. We're looking to have everything shipped out in the next week or two. Here's a copy/paste from our most recent Reddit update:
Quote
Hi Everyone!
I've been more or less head down on Contra for a few weeks now. The good news is that it has paid off and kept us on track, with a little help (A huge thanks to a few friends of ours from Memphis Roller Derby who dropped by and helped with packing your orders!).
We wanted to share the final 'what's in the box' photo ahead of shipping, so y'all get one more tease about what you're going to receive. There are a few extras we have not previously confirmed would be in your orders, and with the amazing turn out in the group buy, are definitely including. Those would be - a cheap six foot (2 meter-ish) micro USB cable, a third sticker, and a physical guide for assembly and flashing (featuring art from our friend [Athanasium](https://www.reddit.com/user/athanasium), who really did an amazing job with it!).
A reminder while you wait - we've already updated the [Contra page](https://cartel.ltd/contra/) with a new section including [project updates](https://cartel.ltd/projects/contra/#gb-status), a default [Contra firmware file](https://cartel.ltd/projects/contra/#firmware) and Ricky's amazing Keyboard Firmware Builder for you to customize it with, and the same [Flashing](https://cartel.ltd/projects/contra/#flash) and [Assembly directions](https://cartel.ltd/projects/contra/#assembly) you'll receive a copy of in your kits.
Timetable right now is pretty simple - I am in the final steps before labels happen. Meaning I'm assembling boxes and bubble-wrapping your Contras. First order of business for me is to get our International proxies their shipments. While those are making their various treks outside the US, I'll be packing up US orders. I expect at this point that International Proxy orders will go out next week (2/26/18 - 3/2/18) to those sellers, who can pass it along to their buyers once they receive them. US orders should begin to see emails notifying them of shipments (with tracking information) the week (3/5/18 - 3/10/18) after that, potentially sooner.
POTENTIAL DELAY ALERT! There is one major thing that may cause a brief delay in shipments. Despite conquering a number of other issues that nearly brought the buy to a halt in the past few weeks, I can't conquer nature. My wife is due to give birth to our first child, according to her doctor, any day now. I am rushing to get orders as far along as possible and as many shipped as possible before she goes in to labor. If I'm unsuccessful, I hope you will understand that orders that remain after she goes in to labor will experience a delay. I'm basically expecting that it will add 1-2 weeks to the shipping process if it happens before I finish shipping, with the first week after she gives birth being a possible standstill, and then the week after that, people should start receiving their shipping and tracking notifications. We will have a ton of family and friends lingering around trying to see the baby though, and quite a few are coming in from out of town and spending a week or two with us. I have already warned them all that they'll be put to work helping us wrap this up for you as payment for crowding our house.
Thanks from all of us who worked on this project (and thanks from me to the rest of the team!)
__end, hineybush, rickenbacker620, ai03, Athanasium, and the whole Cartel Discord.
-----
Now, moving forward beyond Contra, we already have a few things in the works -
1. Contra doesn't end here. Once we pass 30 days from the last shipment being posted, we will release all remaining extras for sale on the store. Additionally, we have some plans for a limited run of cases in the works.
2. Thanks to your interest and votes in the last IC we posted, expect to see Group Buys for MX Lock and TTC Razer Green switches soon. We'll be discussing the price points with our vendors to see if we have any wiggle room left to roll both prices down. I personally don't expect much room in the MX Locks, but I think the TTC Razer Green has room and I'll be pressing that point to our vendor.
3. We're working with our Pro Micro supplier to build a custom Pro Micro that will feature a USB-C connection. We're still fine tuning the design (and as such, the price is still not finalized), but our current goal is the same pin-out and foot print as the current Pro Micros, however we plan for ours to feature a recessed and mid-mounted USB-C connector, so that uses where you might have to flip the Pro Micro over will not change the distance between the connector and the PCB. Other vendors who are interested in acquiring a large stock of these for themselves are encouraged to contact us, as the more orders we go in to this with, the cheaper we can make it for everyone (and yes, if you come in looking for a large volume, we will look at discounting according to that volume). We're also looking at asking the vendor for ours to be loaded in with a specific bootloader and fuse setup that will tailor these particularly for this community.
4. Another round of hiney's 1800 PCB is in the works! They are in the fine tuning stage and updates regarding it will roll out soon.
5. We have a Contra style kit for a larger, TKL format board in the works, more news on this soon.
6. Another of these low cost kits, smaller than a TKL, but larger than Contra, is also being developed. This is a new layout we've teased before.
7. The Astro family is not on the backburner, and it's back on our schedule, where it should be. Right now we're taking fresh eyes to the project, in particular the kits, the novelties, and the cases. When we all have the opportunity to really sit down and work these over, an updated gallery will surface. (And don't worry, that dope ass brass weight with the Voyager Golden Record engravings isn't going anywhere!)
Finally, here's a pic of what will be inside each kit:
(https://i.redditmedia.com/oK4DabA-p40QF1xYj1-eogCVyfN42DsXqM56aNXjgIY.jpg?w=864&s=d04690959593e9314cb84a02b247fdf0)
Post by: TonyD on Mon, 05 March 2018, 09:23:02
Post by: punkpc on Mon, 05 March 2018, 10:08:16
Post by: punkpc on Thu, 08 March 2018, 13:42:25
Big props on the packaging. Not a lot of people (other GB) take the time to have a nice out of box experience at this price.
[attach=1]
[attach=2]
[attach=3]
[attach=4]
I will get more pictures once I open it all up to build it. :D
Post by: punkpc on Fri, 09 March 2018, 00:11:10
[attach=1]
And built
[attach=2]
:thumb:
Post by: sunnywala on Sun, 11 March 2018, 14:39:20
Post by: mike-y on Sun, 11 March 2018, 17:04:52
Any ideas? here is the error I get, as well as a constant red light on the pro micro.
[attach=1]
[attach=2]
Post by: hineybush on Sun, 11 March 2018, 19:27:13
Any update on the files so we can 3d print our cases?
Not yet. I'm moving this week so all of my keeb stuff is packed up, and I'm taking a break from design stuff til I'm settled in.
I'm having a problem with my pro micro. I get a USB error saying the device isn't recognized, even when in the bootloader mode. I have a macropad with a promicro, and it works fine, so I'm pretty sure I have the right drivers installed.
Any ideas? here is the error I get, as well as a constant red light on the pro micro.
This is interesting - I'm not sure. There could be a short somewhere, or the cable could be bad. Does it show up at all in Device Manager? If so, you may have to update drivers: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/pro-micro--fio-v3-hookup-guide/installing-windows
If that doesn't work, try to flash with atmel flip or xloader. Those are my last-ditch-effort flashing tools.
Post by: typischt on Tue, 13 March 2018, 18:30:20
https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/8419tx/gb_contra_shipping_update_and_contra_red_giveaway/?st=JEQAEJLB&sh=88dc4d88
Edit: giveaway is ending in 5 hours according to the timestamp it shows for me, so should be enough time for anyone wanting to enter ;)
Post by: hineybush on Tue, 13 March 2018, 18:50:29
Hey guys, just fyi, for anyone not regularly checking reddit (I also just saw it by accident ;): Status and giveaway.'
https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/8419tx/gb_contra_shipping_update_and_contra_red_giveaway/?st=JEQAEJLB&sh=88dc4d88
Edit: giveaway is ending in 5 hours according to the timestamp it shows for me, so should be enough time for anyone wanting to enter ;)
Thank you! I forgot to post about it here.
Post by: djfunh8r on Wed, 14 March 2018, 10:52:46
Post by: typischt on Tue, 20 March 2018, 11:05:57
Post by: CallumMcG on Tue, 20 March 2018, 11:16:33
Any updates on the boards for EU?
I emailed them regarding this earlier and received the following:
The EU Proxy had their preferred shipper come by and pick the order up from us last week. I imagine it’s still in transit at this point, but it is on its way to Mykeyboard.eu.
Post by: hineybush on Tue, 20 March 2018, 16:07:36
Post by: b9nign on Fri, 23 March 2018, 09:48:30
Any updates on the boards for EU?Got a shipping notification today
Post by: mike-y on Sat, 24 March 2018, 22:35:14
[attachimg=1]
Post by: hineybush on Sat, 24 March 2018, 22:50:35
Finally got mine fixed. finished it up today and threw on some spare keycaps from a dsa grab bag, and a few bounty hunter keys.
(Attachment Link)
Nice! I like the sideways N key for Z :D
Post by: kolashnikov on Tue, 03 April 2018, 19:42:47
Anybody heard of this before? Possible I missed a diode or solder joint? I'll review my connections tomorrow but would appreciate any tips about where and what to look at first.
Post by: hineybush on Tue, 03 April 2018, 22:11:39
Finally got mine put together after waiting a few weeks for switches from China. However I seem to be having issues with the 3rd row from the top; the one Z, C, and V are usually on. This whole row does not register any keys while the rest of the board works fine. This is critical, as Undo, Copy, and Paste are about 80% of what I do at work :p
Anybody heard of this before? Possible I missed a diode or solder joint? I'll review my connections tomorrow but would appreciate any tips about where and what to look at first.
My first guess would be a diode - there's one sort of hidden behind some silk (our mistake/oversight) but that would typically only result in one switch not working. Double check your joints to the pro micro as well.
Post by: childofthehorn on Wed, 04 April 2018, 01:18:54
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180404/822e57f80c696a259fc0574fe8966b32.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180404/fda6ce0d1506b7a0cf1043cf12c1e8cf.jpg)Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
Post by: kolashnikov on Wed, 04 April 2018, 20:13:50
Finally got mine put together after waiting a few weeks for switches from China. However I seem to be having issues with the 3rd row from the top; the one Z, C, and V are usually on. This whole row does not register any keys while the rest of the board works fine. This is critical, as Undo, Copy, and Paste are about 80% of what I do at work :p
Anybody heard of this before? Possible I missed a diode or solder joint? I'll review my connections tomorrow but would appreciate any tips about where and what to look at first.
My first guess would be a diode - there's one sort of hidden behind some silk (our mistake/oversight) but that would typically only result in one switch not working. Double check your joints to the pro micro as well.
Figured it out! I had installed an RGB strip under the PCB following yanfali's directions on reddit. I ended up shorting out that row by squashing the LED strip down too hard onto some diode/switch pins. I laid a few layers of electrical tape between the LED strip and the PCB and it's all good now.
Post by: hineybush on Wed, 04 April 2018, 22:17:06
Finally got mine put together after waiting a few weeks for switches from China. However I seem to be having issues with the 3rd row from the top; the one Z, C, and V are usually on. This whole row does not register any keys while the rest of the board works fine. This is critical, as Undo, Copy, and Paste are about 80% of what I do at work :p
Anybody heard of this before? Possible I missed a diode or solder joint? I'll review my connections tomorrow but would appreciate any tips about where and what to look at first.
My first guess would be a diode - there's one sort of hidden behind some silk (our mistake/oversight) but that would typically only result in one switch not working. Double check your joints to the pro micro as well.
Figured it out! I had installed an RGB strip under the PCB following yanfali's directions on reddit. I ended up shorting out that row by squashing the LED strip down too hard onto some diode/switch pins. I laid a few layers of electrical tape between the LED strip and the PCB and it's all good now.
Glad you got it fixed! I'll have this added to the DIY section of the product page so other people don't run into the problem :thumb:
Update on extras: we've received the rest of the parts needed to package em up. End should be working on that through the next week or so, then we will have ~100 Contras for sale from our store for $40/kit. I'm unsure what the other proxies will be doing, as we sent them some extras with their initial orders.
Post by: kmfmppl on Fri, 21 February 2020, 07:07:03
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Post by: deacon on Sun, 23 February 2020, 20:02:56
Post by: tectonicplate on Sun, 08 March 2020, 00:39:17
Got finally around to build this kit. Works nicely apart from the keys from Y to backspace in the right top row, which are completely dead. I desoldered a few of them and bridged the switchholes with tweezers, but the board does not register any keystrokes. Solder joints on the pro micro look fine to me, and I flashed and tested the controller as recommended prior to building. Maybe a diode thats bad?
(Attachment Link)
I had to run a jumper to the Pro Micro for the backspace key. Since that initial fix, it's been fine for the past couple years.