Leopold FC210TP rewire. Stuck on LED backlighting!

[nathanrosspowell]

Hi everyone,

Preface: This is my 2nd wiring project. I managed to get a Planck built with TMK (build log). I am good with software, but I am still a bit of a hardware newb...

I had a good look around the resources here and I can't seem to find what I'm looking for:

• an example of a LED matrix wired and the corresponding firmware
• an example of fully addressable LED backlighting

I have read up on the science behind using a matrix and I think I get it, but I wanted to get a good look at a LED backlighting setup before I went ahead and tried to add them to the project. As I understand the options are normally limited for this due to the large number of LEDs and the limited number of pins on the controller chips.

As this board only has 21 keys (needing only 10 pins for the switch matrix), I should be able to use another 10 pins to make the backlighting fully addressable, right? Would all of those pins need to be PWM pins? It seems that there would be enough available on a Teensy 3.1.

I know that someone did a hand wired Planck with full LED backlighting that had simple brightness level control. I found the TMK code, but I am still unsure of how the hardware would be wired up to make it functional.

Anyway,  you can see, I've currently got all the switches wired up (thinking I should have done the LEDs first?):



I'll wait for some feedback from you all before I try and wing it 

Full build log as it happens: HERE and HERE

Cheers,
Nathan

[nathanrosspowell]

Well, I guess no-one knows?

Time to buy a breadboard and get prototyping!

[suicidal_orange]

For the actual wiring config you can ignore the fact it's in a keyboard and look for an Arduino LED matrix tutorial - I thought there would be lots but seems everyone buys a little module with a helper chip... I did find this one which has a schematic you could shrink.

If you want adjustable brightness you either need PWM pins, or you could fake PWM in software by turning them on and off really quickly so they never have time to go full bright or full dim.  I don't have the knowledge to look at that schematic and know whether the rows or columns are positive but if it's the "rows" you have 5 PWM pins so you should be good, if you wire it up sideways.

Hopefully that gives you something to start from at least

Firmware?  That's a whole other problem...

[nathanrosspowell]

For the actual wiring config you can ignore the fact it's in a keyboard and look for an Arduino LED matrix tutorial - I thought there would be lots but seems everyone buys a little module with a helper chip... I did find this one which has a schematic you could shrink.

If you want adjustable brightness you either need PWM pins, or you could fake PWM in software by turning them on and off really quickly so they never have time to go full bright or full dim.  I don't have the knowledge to look at that schematic and know whether the rows or columns are positive but if it's the "rows" you have 5 PWM pins so you should be good, if you wire it up sideways.

Hopefully that gives you something to start from at least

Firmware?  That's a whole other problem...

Thanks bro

[nathanrosspowell]

Bah, I gave up on the LEDs as there is such little room inside the casing as it is!

I had a bunch of trouble with the Pro Micro to start with but I figured it out and left the steps on my github: https://github.com/nathanrosspowell/FC210TP

I will try and pick this up with my next wire job on my OLKB Quark plate! But for now, heres the finished board:


All row3 SA to show off my Fallout collection. 2u keys are from SA Retro ErgoDox pack (that I have no idea why I bought!).

[suicidal_orange]

Very bright and random - love it

[nathanrosspowell]

Very bright and random - love it

Heh cheers! Hopefully when my Hack'd By Geeks arrives I will have this and my Kul ES-87 set up together. Finally with those sweet sweet numpad codes instead of the original junk that was on that junk Leopold firmware