Make a Numbpad

[glyph]

Hi I was wondering if anyone has a CAD file to make the PCB for a number pad? Something that uses Cherry MX series switches would be ideal. I would like to use it as a reference and to determine pricing through somewhere like OSH Park. I found the CAD file for a metal plate which only needs small alterations, but it would cost $92.10 to have machined at Big Blue Saw.

I was thinking of having a go at making a number pad and eventually using what I learn to make an ergonomic keyboard. Something to replace my ageing MS Natural 4000. I am a newbie to all of this and have spent the last two days pouring over the forum. I guess I will need to learn KiCad in order to get this done properly.

Sorry about the double post, the forum seemed to time out and I cant delete the duplicate. Maybe we can keep things in this one.

[peachesenregalia]

There's other EDA programs to choose from. Eagle is the standard; DipTrace is another option.

[glyph]

Thanks, Eagle is the one program I have heard of by name. I imagine there is a steep learning curve which ever EDA I settle on. I am more looking forward to perfecting my soldering and working with a micro controller.

[OldDataHands]

Here at geekhack, KiCAD is the standard:
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=48851.0

CAD resources collected here:
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=47744.0

Find the GHPad somewhere in making stuff together.

[Melvang]

Fair warning OshPark has a limit to how big of a pcb you can make, though I can't remember what it is.  For price, they charge $5 per square inch on small runs.  For medium runs (over 150 square inches), the price drops to $1 per square inch.

[MOZ]

Here is Regack's GHPad: https://github.com/regack/4x6/tree/GHpad.

KiCAD is the one used here primarily as mentioned by OldDataHands.

[frosty]

I imagined a numpad without a wristrest and prolonged use of it. Numbness pad! (lol sorry i felt like posting this)

I am a CAD idiot so I can't help, sorry. But goodluck with the project!

[glyph]

Hi again guys, and thanks for the help. Thus far I have scoured throught the GHPad thread, eventually discovering a thing called github and the projects source files. My first thought was wow that thing is elegant but way over my head, as I am a CAD idiot. I then found reghack's pcb tutorial and have made a little matrix (5 rows x 4 columns) in KiCad Eeschema. This is the point where I am stuck, and have been for a couple of hours. I generated a netlist and with CVpcb associated the annotated items with their footprints. When I try to make the PCB, PCBnew doesn't seem to like what I have done and throws out errors when reading the netlist.

Code: [Select]

Reading Netlist "\Shared\Keyboard\PCB\basics\0-Base\tutorial.net"
Using component/footprint link file "\Shared\Keyboard\PCB\basics\0-Base\tutorial.cmp"
Module [D1:1]: Pad [2] not found
Module [D4:1]: Pad [1] not found
Module [D1:1]: Pad [1] not found
Module [D2:1]: Pad [1] not found
Module [D3:1]: Pad [1] not found
Module [D5:1]: Pad [1] not found
Module [D5:2]: Pad [1] not found
Module [D4:2]: Pad [1] not found
Module [D1:2]: Pad [1] not found
Module [D2:2]: Pad [1] not found
Module [D3:2]: Pad [1] not found
Module [D4:3]: Pad [1] not found
Module [D2:3]: Pad [1] not found
Module [D5:3]: Pad [1] not found
Module [D3:3]: Pad [1] not found
Module [D1:3]: Pad [1] not found
Module [D4:3]: Pad [2] not found
Module [D1:4]: Pad [1] not found
Module [D4:4]: Pad [1] not found
Module [D2:4]: Pad [1] not found
Module [D3:4]: Pad [1] not found
Module [D5:4]: Pad [1] not found
Module [D4:4]: Pad [2] not found
Module [D2:2]: Pad [2] not found
Module [D1:2]: Pad [2] not found
Module [D5:1]: Pad [2] not found
Module [D4:2]: Pad [2] not found
Module [D4:1]: Pad [2] not found
Module [D3:1]: Pad [2] not found
Module [D2:1]: Pad [2] not found
Module [D1:3]: Pad [2] not found
Module [D2:3]: Pad [2] not found
Module [D1:4]: Pad [2] not found
Module [D2:4]: Pad [2] not found
Module [D3:2]: Pad [2] not found
Module [D3:3]: Pad [2] not found
Module [D3:4]: Pad [2] not found
Module [D5:2]: Pad [2] not found
Module [D5:3]: Pad [2] not found
Module [D5:4]: Pad [2] not found
What I get is a PCB view with the columns and diodes missing their connections. Its weird because the rows are connected ok, so I started adding junctions everywhere just to be sure I have good connections. About now I have no idea what's going wrong

[glyph]

I tried trouble shooting my work, by reducing everything down to just one column and ensuring all the wires were connected. Not much luck there and after trying a number of other ideas I figured there must have been something fundamentally wrong. I eventually deleted everything except for the components necessary to make one button work.... and still had problems. I ended up starting again and now have everything appearing as it should do, at least at this stage of the tutorial. It has taken me the better part of a day to get this far, but allot of that comes down to hitting my head against a brick wall 



One thing I have noticed is making connections can be kinda hit or miss, sometimes an identical circuit (something I have duplicated with a cut and paste) wont have connections in PcbNew. My solution is to add junctions at every point a wire meets. Not sure if this is overkill, kinda thinking it might be, but it has worked for me so far.

[MOZ]

Looking good. Just a question of curiosity, are you remaking a 4x5 pad to learn or you weren't satisfied with the GHPad in some way?

[glyph]

Oh wow the GHPad is a thing of beauty compared to what I am trying to do. Hats off to the guys who developed and tested it. I want to use it as a reference to learn from, though I'm finding component placement complicated and I am just starting to come to grips with things. This is day one here.

I was thinking of making something resembling the Leopold 21-Key Numeric Mechanical Keypad, if only in heart and spirit rather than looks. I imagine what I come up with will be a bit of a hack but something I can be proud of. I would like to use a teensy 2.0 micro controller and maybe modify some pre existing source code to get the job done. I am hoping to learn several things from the experience, including prototyping PCBs in KiCad, programming, as well as some basic electronics. I hope I can lean on this community for ideas if I get stuck.

One thing I find difficult is searching for esoteric information like why the CHERRY_PCB_200H_VISIBLE footprint doesn't snap to the same grid lines as the CHERRY_PCB_100H_PLATED. Damn thing is out by a very small amount     Sorry if I don't have the terminology down as I'm not even sure what the 2x size keys are properly referred to.

[MOZ]

Ah, got it. Best of luck with your efforts!

What have you set your grid to in KiCAD?

[glyph]

Hi MOZ I am using a grid spacing of 1.27 which I think KiCad defaulted to. I also have units set to metric.


EDIT: You were onto something thinking about grid spacing. I guess the GeekHack libraries are in imperial units, as once I settled on a grid of 25.0 Mils the different switches lined up. I had to try a few different grid sizes first and think perhaps the two different switches (though both using imperial units) were made with a different grid pitch.

I discovered a useful comment on a dangerousprototypes blog post about KiCad:

RE: “Placing components at exact coordinates is rather complicated, and requires frequent grid alterations.”

Frequent grid alterations are needed more often than would be nice, however for placing components at exact coordinates, just so you know, you can edit the exact coordinates in the component properties.