Author Topic: This might be a stupid question  (Read 873 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline CalmB4tehPwn

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 690
  • Location: US Army post - South Korea
  • Demon of the Fall
This might be a stupid question
« on: Sun, 07 July 2013, 15:31:11 »
But I'm looking to start putting keyboards together, and I'm still trying to figure out all of the components.

What I've got so far is:
Case
Board
Plate
Switches
Keycaps
Data cable

Now, I've figured out where to get most of these things on my own, but I'm at a loss for the board. Is there a supplier out there, or does each even relatively minor company (like WASDKeyboard, for example) even manufacture their own boards?

Thanks for the help.
"I seek a great warrior" - Luke Skywalker
"Great Warrior, Hmm? War does not make one great." - Master Jedi Yoda

Offline dorkvader

  • Posts: 6289
  • Location: Boston area
  • all about the "hack" in "geekhack"
Re: This might be a stupid question
« Reply #1 on: Sun, 07 July 2013, 19:30:13 »
Most companies use an OEM (original equiptment manufacturer) to make their keyboards for them. iRocks, iOne, and Costar are all OEMs (WASDkeyboards, CMstorm, and filco all use Costar as their OEM) then they just sell and distribute them.

That's the norm for retail keyboards (and retail items in general)

Then there's DIY keyboard projects. most of these have cool features like aluminium cases or programmable keys. For many of those, you just need to get the "kit", then add keycaps, diodes, LED's resistors, and ofcourse keys (and a cable). Its common for such a kit to contain just the case, the PCB, feet (if necessary) and screws.

Not always of course, In some cases the PCB got designed and released, and people made their own cases afterward. The A87 is an example of this. I think the mxmini is too, but I don't know that much about it.

If all you need is the PCB, there are some places to get it. Usually there is a group buy for them (like the phantom). Sometimes you can buy it from a place (REDLINE might have some more tRiK PCB's left) etc.

Offline Findecanor

  • Posts: 5081
  • Location: Koriko
Re: This might be a stupid question
« Reply #2 on: Sun, 07 July 2013, 21:09:45 »
There needs to be a microcontroller (µC¹) that reads the keyboard and talks over USB to the host computer.
In the case of the Phantom, a Teensy 2.0 board is used with special firmware² and that controller board must be soldered onto the main circuit board.
In the case of other DIY boards, such as the GH60, the µC is on the main circuit board, but it must still be programmed somehow.

Footnotes:
1: "Microcontroller" is often abbreviated µC, or sometimes wrongly as "uC" because they don't have the µ (micro) character in their keymap.
2: Software is called "firmware" when it is loaded on a microcontroller.
🍉