Designing Keyboard 101

How to Design my/your own keyboard

Transcript

1. Designing
   Keyboards
   101
   @nasa9084
   

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2. $ whoami
   • @nasa9084
   • LINE corp.
   • Go / Kubernetes
   

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3. 
   

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5. 
   

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6. What are you using?
   

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7. FILCO Majestouch Convertible 2
   (Cherry MX Blue)
   2016.04 - 2018.10
   

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8. Ergodox EZ
   (Cherry MX Blue)
   2018.10 -
   

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9. Ergodash
   (Kailh BOX white)
   2019.02 -
   

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10. Self-madeʁ
    

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11. Self-made Keyboards
    • Buy keyboard kit, build by your hands
    • Shop
    • https://yushakobo.jp
    • About 25,000 yen ~
    

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12. Mint60
    By eucalyn_
    

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13. Corne Cherry
    By foostan
    

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14. Nomu30
    By recompile keys
    

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15. Keyboard Related Addiction
    • Keyboard Buying Addiction
    • Keyboard Making Addiction
    • Key-switch Acquisition Syndrome
    • Key-cap Acquisition Syndrome
    • Cable Making Addiction
    • Keyboard Designing Addiction
    

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16. Designing
    Keyboards 101
    @nasa9084
    

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17. Components
    • Key-switches (Cherry MX compatible)
    • Key-caps
    • PCB
    • Diode (1N4148/1N4148W)
    • Controller (ProMicro)
    • Cable, Reset switch, Jack, LEDs, and so on…
    

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18. Cherry MX (compatible) switches
    40 yen / key ~
    

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19. ProMicro
    Arduino compatible micro controllers by sparkfun
    2,492yen
    

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20. ProMicro compatible controllers
    Arduino compatible controller compatible controller…
    300 yen~
    

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21. QMK Firmware
    • Open source keyboard firmware for ProMicro
    • https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware
    • Support 6 keyboards and community keyboards
    $ git clone github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware
    $ cd qmk_firmware
    $ make $KEYBOARD:$KEYMAP:avrdude
    # if your keyboard is Mint60
    $ make mint60:default:avrdude
    

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22. Designing
    

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23. First step
    to the
    Endgame
    https://booth.pm/ja/items/1044084
    

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24. How to Design a Keyboard
    1. Design key layout
    2. Design schematic
    3. Map schematic and footprint
    4. Arrange parts layout
    5. Wiring
    6. Order your PCB
    

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25. Design Key Layout
    • Design with Keyboard Layout Editor
    • http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com
    

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26. http://www.keyboard-leyout-editor.com
    

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27. Keyboard Layout Preset
    • Begin from famous keyboards
    • Add new keys you want
    • Remove keys you don’t use
    http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com
    

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28. Design Schematic
    • Use KiCad
    • is a CAD for creating PCB
    • http://kicad-pcb.org
    • 
    • Current stable is 5.1.2
    

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29. Key Matrix
    • 14 pins are avail for
    key input
    • Layout keys in a
    matrix to use many
    keys
    • Detect a key by 2 pins
    

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30. Other Components
    • Connect all
    components to
    ProMicro
    • Connect left and right
    by TRRS cable
    • Reset switch to reset
    ProMicro
    • (Optional) LED
    

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31. TRRS Cable
    • 3.5mm - 4 contacts phone connector cable
    • Tip-Ring-Ring-Slave cable
    • Hard to find to buy
    • Connect right hand and left hand
    

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32. Map Footprints
    Schematics → Parts
    

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33. Arrange Parts Layout
    • Can use raw data
    from keyboard-
    layout-editor
    • Can use Python script
    © By foostan
    

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34. Wiring Components
    • with 0.25mm wire
    • 0.5mm for power
    • Very hard…
    © By foostan
    

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35. Order PCB
    • Output Garber format file
    • Confirm with KiCad GarbView
    • Measure size
    • Rename files
    • Order from https://www.elecrow.com
    

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36. Q?
    

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