Scratch-build keyboard

[cirthix]

Hi, I'm considering building a keyboard from scratch.  I got bored over the weekend so I threw together a design.

I would use cherry mx black switches and an atmega32 in 44-tqfp with the aikon firmware.  I'd like to use some of the extra pins (I'm only using a 12*8 matrix for the 95 keys) on the atmega32 to control the backlight (lock keys implemented with dual-leds), but I'll have to get in contact with iornate for that.

I would like to use this layout :

Here is a render of the keyboard (altium designer is the design software):



I have some questions:

1) Where do I find keycaps?
2) Input on the layout/design?
Random question: What happens if water gets on a cherry switch?  Can it just be hosed off and left to dry?

[keyboardlover]

2) Input on the layout/design?

I prefer the US ANSI layout - like in the Realforce:

[Findecanor]

Backspace and Enter need stabilizers. Have you got the spacings right? It does not look like much space in-between the switches.

Are you sure that there is no existing keyboard that has this layout, that it would be easier to get? An older MX1800 would be quite close, but with cursors keys and perhaps too much space to the function row. There is the gamer keyboard with MX1800 layout with NKRO and black Cherry switches, but with Windows keys in the bottom row. Then map the Fn-combinations in software.

[cirthix]

Most of the motivation of it is for the sake of building it myself.

As for the spacings, I'm pretty sure I have them correct.  The switches look big in the 3d render because altium doesn't have an easy way of making a good 3d model. The 3d model is just made of a couple extruded rectangles based on the maximum dimensions, so they look larger than they really are.

I'm not sure if I can put a stabilizer on enter.  While stabilizers do fit under the key (.94" between the stabilizers center-center distance), the body of the stabilizers end up being fairly close to the adjacent keys and I'm not sure everything will fit.  I'll put holes on the board but may not be able to populate them.

Backspace is the same size as a standard tab key in my layout, so no stabilizer should be needed.

Thanks for the input

[Pylon]

A lot of the old ADB Mac keyboards have a very similar layout, however they don't have Cherry switches. Some have black Alps.

[cirthix]

Liquids and any switch really don't really mix.

At least the Cherry MX have a tiny piece of gold in them.

I just broke my unicomp by getting water in the plastic sheets/membranes .  Luckily they were nice enough to let me order the base assembly as a part and I got it for 25 bucks+shipping.  On a related note, Unicomp is testing sealed-membrane and I am the first customer to get a sealed version .  They basically put some glue on the sheets around the holes and edges before lining them up to keep water out.

I'm not planning on putting it in the dishwasher, but I would like to know how robust the MX switches are, seeing as how a small amount hosed (ha-ha, pun ) my last keyboard.

[cirthix]

Unicomp is researching sealed membranes?

I got a baaaaad feeling about the upcoming Unicomp Mini.

eh? I don't see a downside to sealing the membrane, care to explain?

[Findecanor]

Backspace is the same size as a standard tab key in my layout, so no stabilizer should be needed.

Now I see it. The keys in that column are longer in the first picture than in the second.

[ch_123]

One can only imagine the semi-religious experience that prompted Unicomp to do this -

Plenty of companies sell waterproof keyboards.

Only one company in the world ships Buckling Spring keyboards.

It's like Topre engineers spending all their time designing different colored keys instead of reading up on Flash Memory versus DIP switches.

 Engineers are like sheep.  If not directed they spend all their time pooping all over the pasture.

It makes an awful lot of sense to me. They market their stuff as being durable and long lasting. They implement a relatively specialized feature that doesn't involve much effort on their behalf. The only question is why they didn't start doing it sooner.