Author Topic: KMAC DIY Thread (Read 70887 times)

litster · « **on:** Sun, 29 April 2012, 02:07:09 »

People are receiving KMAC DIY kits. I think a thread to collect all the info, tips, and tricks would be help to all KMAC DIY folks. I will start with a few pictures of the PCB.

Top:

Bottom:

Parts:
- - Cherry MX switches, plate-mount or PCB-mount
diodes:
SMD:

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Fairchild-Semiconductor/MMSD4148/?qs=GXJjH%252bIVz3O2ghAmZxStYXW3%2fiTmBAG2
Digikey has MMSD4148 and many variants. They should also work but I have not tried. I only used the one from mouser.com. use other diodes at your own risk.

Or through-hole diodes:
Mouser: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Fairchild-Semiconductor/1N4148/?qs=%2fha2pyFadugGtrAjJwCYGI3HvinoiCRK2mHek8%252bo6Ms%3d
digikey: http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/1N4148/1N4148FS-ND/458603
These diodes are the same diodes I used on my Phantoms and MX Mini. I didn't use these with KMAC. Links provided here are for reference only.

LED datasheet:

KMAC-LED-SPEC.pdf (201.67 kB - downloaded 468 times.)
I use part number 645-521-9901-802F at mouser.com

March 31st, 2013:
Latest KMAC Keymap program. This is a standalone version and doesn't require an account or a password:
http://go9.co/iLJ

November 14th, 2012:
New KMAC Keymap Program: http://go9.co/fqx
New KMAC Korean Manual: http://go9.co/fqs
New KMAC video: Not a valid vimeo URL
[OLD]
New KMAC Keymap tools
Old KMAC Keymap tools, kept for reference
Project KMAC User Manual V1.2 Korean Edition
Soldering instruction, in Korean:
http://www.kbdmania.net/xe/3706757
Program Instruction, in Korean:
http://www.kbdmania.net/xe/3791549
[/OLD]

KMAC PCB manufacturing videos:

It is possible to use SMD diodes on KMAC PCB instead of through-hole diodes.

Mouser.com has it:

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Fairchild-Semiconductor/MMSD4148/?qs=GXJjH%252bIVz3O2ghAmZxStYXW3%2fiTmBAG2

digikey has it as well, but mouser.com is cheaper.

Solder pads for SMD diodes already have solder on them, because they are originally prepped for machine soldering. To hand solder, I will need to remove solder from one of the solder pads with wick first.

Video of how to hand solder SMD diode to KMAC PCB:

reaper · « **Reply #1 on:** Sun, 29 April 2012, 02:14:47 »

Nice! Can't wait to see more as you progress. If I have anything to contribute I'll post it here. =)

harrison · « **Reply #2 on:** Sun, 29 April 2012, 13:50:51 »

do the tops and bottoms get removed from the PCB? the top would appear that it has to be removed to allow for clearance on the usb connector, but that it's cut to support the bottom of the connector still (a very cool design if that's correct).

litster · « **Reply #3 on:** Sun, 29 April 2012, 14:00:04 »

Yes, I believe the top and bottom need to be removed.

litster · « **Reply #4 on:** Sun, 29 April 2012, 14:03:33 »

KMAC PCB manufacturing videos:

litster · « **Reply #5 on:** Sun, 13 May 2012, 00:27:33 »

So, it is possible to use SMD diodes on KMAC PCB instead of through-hole diodes.

[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 50126[/ATTACH]
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Mouser.com has it:

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Fairchild-Semiconductor/MMSD4148/?qs=GXJjH%252bIVz3O2ghAmZxStYXW3%2fiTmBAG2

digikey has it as well, but mouser.com is cheaper.

both solder pads for each SMD diodes already have solder on them, because they are originally prepped for machine soldering. To hand solder, I will need to remove solder from one of the solder pads with wick first.

I could just solder through-hole diodes, but I already did that a couple time on Phantom. So I will give SMD a try next week when my diodes are here. I hope I won't ruin my KMAC :-)

tsangan · « **Reply #6 on:** Sun, 13 May 2012, 02:44:22 »

You are a brave man litster!

litster · « **Reply #7 on:** Sun, 13 May 2012, 02:57:09 »

the line between brave and stupid is fine. We will see which side of the line I am on :-)

alaricljs · « **Reply #8 on:** Sun, 13 May 2012, 07:24:01 »

As far as SMD goes, those are big. You'll have no trouble at all if you've been soldering anything. Just need to hold the bugger down so it doesn't float on the solder.

litster · « **Reply #9 on:** Wed, 16 May 2012, 23:54:28 »

Received my diodes from mouser today. Did a couple of them. Wasn't too hard. The printing on the diodes are too small and too faint to really see. I used a magnifying glass with a flash light to read it. Also used a multimeter to confirm the black strip.

Since the diode pads are already prepped, I had to use wick to remove solder from one of the pads before I can solder. I may do a video later.

[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 50589[/ATTACH]

[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 50588[/ATTACH]

litster · « **Reply #10 on:** Thu, 17 May 2012, 02:24:33 »

Video of soldering one diode onto KMAC. 1080p available.

In the video, I didn't do a good job removing the solder from the pad.

litster · « **Reply #11 on:** Sun, 12 August 2012, 01:55:02 »

all the links and attachments are broken after forum software migration. I will have to fix them later.

sherryton · « **Reply #12 on:** Sat, 18 August 2012, 01:20:33 »

You should teach people how to clip the cherry stabilizers. I took nearly 2 hours to figure out how to put the damn thing together. The pictures didn't help me.

Well, finally, my finished KMAC with Linear 55g!

litster · « **Reply #13 on:** Sat, 18 August 2012, 17:59:34 »

Here is a video on how to clip your Cherry stabilizer to get rid of the mushy feel. After this mod, my modifiers feel just as good as Costar's.

litster · « **Reply #14 on:** Tue, 21 August 2012, 22:33:40 »

Here are the two KMACs I built:

KMAC winkey Titanium with Dolch double shots + Hashbaz's Dolch Moogle + Hashbaz's Red Cherry font Enter + the mystery keycap I just received.

This is a KMAC winkeless Silver with 2 sets of Cherry dye sub keycaps. One set is just plain black on beige Cherry dye sub. The other set RGB dye sub with some special print caps.

sth · « **Reply #15 on:** Thu, 30 August 2012, 20:14:44 »

Hey litster - can you tell me the specs for the LEDs you used? i want to make sure to get the right ones.

litster · « **Reply #16 on:** Thu, 30 August 2012, 21:28:06 »

I chose some LEDs that are not very bright. If you use caps with an LED window, these are good enough. If you use regular caps, then you will want LEDs brighter that what I picked. I only soldered LEDs for caps lock and scroll lock. I didn't install LEDs to the function keys and WASD.

Green: http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=WP710A10SGCvirtualkey60400000virtualkey604-WP710A10SGC
Blue: http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=VAOL-3LSBY1virtualkey59300000virtualkey593-VAOL-3LSBY1
Red: http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=WP710A10ECvirtualkey60400000virtualkey604-WP710A10EC
Orange: http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=WP710A10EDvirtualkey60400000virtualkey604-WP710A10ED
Yellow: http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=WP710A10YTvirtualkey60400000virtualkey604-WP710A10YT
White: http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=521-9901-802Fvirtualkey64500000virtualkey645-521-9901-802F

I bought 10 of each, but I only used white. The other should work, too. I just didn't solder them on to any keyboard.

Basically you want T-1 size 3mm, around 3.5V forward voltage. The white ones I am using now is 1100mcd brightness. You could use something dimmer if you use windowed caps. If you use regular caps, you might want something brighter. Also some people are getting creative with UV LEDs.

sth · « **Reply #17 on:** Thu, 30 August 2012, 21:30:34 »

very cool, thank you

litster · « **Reply #18 on:** Mon, 15 October 2012, 21:50:22 »

New files added to the first post.

KMAC Keymap tools
Project KMAC User Manual V1.2 Korean Edition

whiskerBox · « **Reply #19 on:** Tue, 16 October 2012, 10:37:49 »

I thought there was an English version of the manual as well?

Pretty sure I had it at some point, might be on my old computer I will look tonight.

litster · « **Reply #20 on:** Tue, 16 October 2012, 12:14:53 »

yeah, I think there was an English version, but it was for the older firmware version. This one is new. Maybe it will be translated to English later.

whiskerBox · « **Reply #21 on:** Wed, 17 October 2012, 11:35:11 »

Ah ok that makes sense, I guess I will be waiting for that lol

litster · « **Reply #22 on:** Wed, 17 October 2012, 23:18:08 »

New KMAC Keymap tools

First post's link also updated.

m00nshake · « **Reply #23 on:** Fri, 19 October 2012, 18:23:51 »

Okay, forgive me for being a complete newb to this but what are the diodes for exactly?

litster · « **Reply #24 on:** Fri, 19 October 2012, 18:35:41 »

you need diodes if you want 6 or more KRO. Diodes allows electricity flow only in one direction. Without diodes in the matrix, either ghost keys maybe registered when more than a couple of keys are pressed at the same time, or only 2 keys are registers when you have 3, 4, or more keys are pressed.

alaricljs · « **Reply #25 on:** Fri, 19 October 2012, 18:36:06 »

Diodes are one way doors for electricity. What they do is allow you to detect what switches are closed and know those are the only switches closed. Otherwise some switch combinations make it seem as tho other switches are closed when they aren't actually.

litster · « **Reply #26 on:** Fri, 19 October 2012, 18:36:57 »

I won!

alaricljs · « **Reply #27 on:** Fri, 19 October 2012, 18:53:50 »

Get off my lawn!

m00nshake · « **Reply #28 on:** Fri, 19 October 2012, 18:55:42 »

Ha! Thanks guys. I've just received a pm that I snagged a KMAC, so I'm sure you can understand my excitement with being able to get this DIY project working. Which means...

...lots of questions...

thankfully you guys are the bees knees... so....

how do you know where on the board to solder these diodes? And how many do you need on the board?

Also... I'm curious as to how to get led lights working on this board. I know you have to buy the lights but how do you get them working on the board.

Now, I'm new to soldering but I'm eager to learn and I want to do this on my own. However, I also don't want to destroy the board. Do any of you guys have any advice for me that would help me along the path to success once I start building this board?

Viz · « **Reply #29 on:** Fri, 19 October 2012, 19:01:21 »

This is kinda OT, but not worth a new topic:
When are the KMAC mini's avaiable? and for what price?

alaricljs · « **Reply #30 on:** Fri, 19 October 2012, 19:05:32 »

I have a piece of one on my desk, so part of the answer is... They were already available... perhaps you can get one now if you try?

m00nshake · « **Reply #31 on:** Fri, 19 October 2012, 19:13:49 »

They might still be available. The ones listed are the silver winkey, I'm not sure if it's the mini. Check with Sherryton.

TheProfosist · « **Reply #32 on:** Sat, 20 October 2012, 02:18:34 »

Yep got myself a silver winkey kmac fro sherryton. Please educate me as well. what was the talk of leds?

TheProfosist · « **Reply #33 on:** Sat, 20 October 2012, 02:23:06 »

Im going to have to come up with everything i need now as i seem to be getting just a few bits and having to source the rest.

bpiphany · « **Reply #34 on:** Sat, 20 October 2012, 02:40:58 »

I just want to clarify that you really only get 2KRO without diodes. There are always going to be combinations of 3 keys that doesn't work. There are also going to be a lot of combinations that work, but it is the worst case that counts.

TheProfosist · « **Reply #35 on:** Sat, 20 October 2012, 02:51:24 »

Whats recommended through hole or smd diodes?

Halverson · « **Reply #36 on:** Sat, 20 October 2012, 02:59:46 »

My question is about leds. Can I put one on any switch or only certain ones. Also, anyone know a good place to buy leds?

TheProfosist · « **Reply #37 on:** Sat, 20 October 2012, 03:02:11 »

Quote from: Halverson on Sat, 20 October 2012, 02:59:46

My question is about leds. Can I put one on any switch or only certain ones. Also, anyone know a good place to buy leds?

if u want red buy with me im buying the brightest red i can find and i sure hope it can go on all keys.

Halverson · « **Reply #38 on:** Sat, 20 October 2012, 03:04:11 »

Quote from: TheProfosist on Sat, 20 October 2012, 03:02:11

Quote from: Halverson on Sat, 20 October 2012, 02:59:46
My question is about leds. Can I put one on any switch or only certain ones. Also, anyone know a good place to buy leds?
if u want red buy with me im buying the brightest red i can find and i sure hope it can go on all keys.

I'm not sure on my colours yet, but I think I want some aqua/UV like EK had on his KMAC numpad.
Where you buying yours from?

TheProfosist · « **Reply #39 on:** Sat, 20 October 2012, 03:07:13 »

Quote from: Halverson on Sat, 20 October 2012, 03:04:11

Quote from: TheProfosist on Sat, 20 October 2012, 03:02:11
Quote from: Halverson on Sat, 20 October 2012, 02:59:46
My question is about leds. Can I put one on any switch or only certain ones. Also, anyone know a good place to buy leds?
if u want red buy with me im buying the brightest red i can find and i sure hope it can go on all keys.

I'm not sure on my colours yet, but I think I want some aqua/UV like EK had on his KMAC numpad.
Where you buying yours from?

check the dox thread should have a semi part list leds should be listed that site have a pretty good way to select them. http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=19227.0

litster · « **Reply #40 on:** Sat, 20 October 2012, 03:14:53 »

LEDs are wired for caps lock, scroll lock, function keys, and WASD. I only installed LEDs for the lock keys.

TheProfosist · « **Reply #41 on:** Sat, 20 October 2012, 03:17:52 »

Quote from: litster on Sat, 20 October 2012, 03:14:53

LEDs are wired for caps lock, scroll lock, function keys, and WASD. I only installed LEDs for the lock keys.

thanks much noticed that more now looking at the pcb i assume then need resistors for 5v?

TheProfosist · « **Reply #42 on:** Sat, 20 October 2012, 03:19:26 »

Quote from: Halverson on Sat, 20 October 2012, 03:04:11

Quote from: TheProfosist on Sat, 20 October 2012, 03:02:11
Quote from: Halverson on Sat, 20 October 2012, 02:59:46
My question is about leds. Can I put one on any switch or only certain ones. Also, anyone know a good place to buy leds?
if u want red buy with me im buying the brightest red i can find and i sure hope it can go on all keys.

I'm not sure on my colours yet, but I think I want some aqua/UV like EK had on his KMAC numpad.
Where you buying yours from?

now nowing where their going id go uv as well as long, i always want the brightest i can find though.

m00nshake · « **Reply #43 on:** Sat, 20 October 2012, 04:20:18 »

I posted the question a couple of pages ago but it must've gotten lost in the sauce...

Where do the diodes go on the board and how many are needed?

bpiphany · « **Reply #44 on:** Sat, 20 October 2012, 05:11:25 »

Quote from: m00nshake on Sat, 20 October 2012, 04:20:18

I posted the question a couple of pages ago but it must've gotten lost in the sauce...

Where do the diodes go on the board and how many are needed?

One per switch, and it should be quite obvious... Although I must admit I didn't have a look at it =)

Ok, so either through hole and internal to the switch, or SMD and on the back of the PCB beneath each switch.

WhiteFireDragon · « **Reply #45 on:** Sat, 20 October 2012, 05:41:45 »

Quote from: TheProfosist on Sat, 20 October 2012, 02:51:24

Whats recommended through hole or smd diodes?

Functionally the same, but if you're going to do it by hand, I would think through-hole would be easier. SMD was meant for pre-assembly at the factory I think. No reason why you can't do SMD yourself though.

bpiphany · « **Reply #46 on:** Sat, 20 October 2012, 05:51:01 »

Once you get the hang of it, these SOD123 (I presume) diodes are quite nice to do by hand. In this case through hole would also require you to open each switch to insert diodes (if you don't already have switches with them included). And open ~100 switches is a real pain =P You could probably do a half-dodgy version soldering through hole diodes from the back with their leads precut to just go into the pad holes.

alaricljs · « **Reply #47 on:** Sat, 20 October 2012, 07:49:08 »

Well most of these guys are opening switches for stickers, lube and whatnot... A little diode isn't going to add much time.

litster · « **Reply #48 on:** Sat, 20 October 2012, 11:22:44 »

You could use through-hole diodes without opening switches by soldering the diodes onto the back of the PCB and solder the diode legs flush to the switch-side od the PCB.

SMD diodes work best though.

TheProfosist · « **Reply #49 on:** Sat, 20 October 2012, 12:46:04 »

Can anyone who has made one of these come up with a complete list of parts needed and possibly the parts that they recommend? I would be eternally thankful!

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Author Topic: KMAC DIY Thread (Read 70887 times)