Key Communications Keyboard Coating On Traces Coming Off Help

Fkazim

23 Sep 2019, 22:12

I tried getting the other half of the matrix but found that the other pins just connected to the diode pin below the image below shows what I mean. Sorry if my description is bad I am new to this sort of thing please let me know what I am doing wrong.

Thanks.
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Muirium
µ

23 Sep 2019, 22:21

Follow the diodes. They have two ends…

Fkazim

24 Sep 2019, 00:25

Here is an image of one of the diodes. Also a picture of where the two ends of the diodes are.

Hope that helps thanks for all the help guys.
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Anakey

24 Sep 2019, 08:29

measure with multimeter on continuity between the diode and the switch pin above it. Once you establish the side that is connected to the switch measure the other end of the diode to the shift register the same way as you did the switch pins.

Fkazim

24 Sep 2019, 09:48

I'm really confused what is the shift register the pins on the controller? I really need this said in simple terms or to be explained what some of this stuff is if you don't mind.

Thanks.

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Muirium
µ

24 Sep 2019, 09:50

The shift register is another chip that helps expand the number of pins on the controller. Don’t worry about it how it works. Just think of the controller as having some pins which happen to be away over there, too.

Fkazim

24 Sep 2019, 10:00

I tried placing one of my multimeter probes to one of the diode pins and tried the other probe on every solder point on the board. When that did not show any connection I tried the other pin of the diode still nothing. I also checked the other switch pin and no connection to any of the solder points on the controller board. What does this mean have have I got dead traces?

I'm really not sure what I am doing wrong.

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Muirium
µ

24 Sep 2019, 10:01

Do it slower. And concentrate on the controller & shift register chip pins. Everything will go there in the end.

Fkazim

24 Sep 2019, 10:14

OK I will try to get the other half of the matrix tonight just to confirm am I probing point 1 of the diode or point to 2 to the Controller solder points?

Below is a picture please let me know am I putting one probe on 1 or one probe on 2?
Diode ends.PNG
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Anakey

24 Sep 2019, 10:21

Fkazim wrote:
23 Sep 2019, 22:12
I tried getting the other half of the matrix but found that the other pins just connected to the diode pin below the image below shows what I mean. Sorry if my description is bad I am new to this sort of thing please let me know what I am doing wrong.

Thanks.15692695081141968231378354124626.jpg
If what you said above is true for all diodes, then it is the other side (1) that connects to a chip its just a case of finding the correct pin.

Fkazim

24 Sep 2019, 10:52

There is quite a lot of different traces leading under the PCB. I have marked them all in red the ones on the far right side are the ones that correspond to the first half of the matrix that I have already mapped. From what I can see nothing directly connects the matrix from the other side please let me know which pins/components I should probe tonight.

Thanks.
Key communications pcb traces.PNG
Key communications pcb traces.PNG (1.52 MiB) Viewed 4633 times

Anakey

24 Sep 2019, 11:06

if you have established that the far right is for the rows, then the other 2 with traces going down will be for the columns so it is those pins that you would need to probe with the other end on side 1 of the diode

Fkazim

24 Sep 2019, 11:23

OK will try these pins again tonight and get back to you guys with the results.

Fkazim

24 Sep 2019, 20:02

Just tried again trying to get the the columns of the matrix below is a video showing what I did really not sure where I am going wrong. Please let me know where I go from here.

Thanks.

Link to the Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOdjxeyKa3E

Fkazim

24 Sep 2019, 22:00

Please let me know what I am doing wrong from the video let me know what I should do now. Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks.

Anakey

24 Sep 2019, 23:44

ok sorry if you know how a diode works but i am going to repeat it anyway. The diode is like a one way system, it allows current to flow in one direction only from + to -ve. Assuming you placed the probes of the multimeter in the correct polarity e.g. the -ve probe was soldered to position 2 and you were probing the chips with the +ve side then you were trying to make the current go through the diode the wrong way. If you had sodered to position 1 in the diode as i have been saying to do before then you could have used continuity as there would be no diode in the circuit.

Fkazim

25 Sep 2019, 09:18

Ok sorry I misunderstood before I know now side 1 of the diode will try that tonight after work.

Thanks for staying with me throughout this conversion guys :D

Fkazim

26 Sep 2019, 00:44

OK Keyboard Matrix fully mapped Below are the pictures showing the pins and also the keys they correspond to please let me know where to go from here I understand where I went wrong and know now for the future and learning a lot along the way. What do i don now get the pro micro solder wires?

Thanks for all the input and help.
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Anakey

26 Sep 2019, 10:33

Well done, it would be easier to now arrange the table by the order of the keys on the board and also convert the pin numbers to correspond to the physical row/column numbers starting from 0 e.g. Columns 0, 1, 2 etc so that Esc = Column 0, Row 0, F1 = Row 0, Column 1 etc. Before getting the conversion done you would need to first consider the number of pins that you will need. It looks like you will need more pins then the pro micro can provide. I do have a spare Teensy++ that I can send you as that will have enough pins. As for desoldering you would want to desolder the chips that the pins are on as you will be wiring the pins on the pcb to the controller. Sorry if it sounds confusing, it would probably be better if i could talk with you on discord about the conversion would be easier in real time. I am on both the MKUK and deskthority rooms if either of those would be acceptable.

Fkazim

26 Sep 2019, 10:45

Sounds good we could talk through discord Thanks also how much would you charge for the teensey? really appreciate all the help btw :D

Anakey

26 Sep 2019, 11:12

No charge for the Teensy, though you can help me in other ways. I am going to be making a presentation on converting vintage boards for the meetup happening in Leeds next month. I would appreciate using some of the photos and also asking if I have explained things correctly so that my presentation would be easy to understand for those that have not converted a board before if that is ok?

Fkazim

26 Sep 2019, 13:00

Hmm are you talking about using some of the pictures I have posted in this thread. Or are you talking about asking me to take some pictures of the keyboard and PCB? Also from what you said above I presume this is not enough and I need the physical matrix? From what I have read online about converting keyboards using QMK all you need is just to know the rows and columns. Then solder all the rows on to one side of the teensey then solder the columns on the other side of the teennsey but I may be wrong just let me know.

Thanks.

Anakey

26 Sep 2019, 14:21

The easy part is indeed soldering the rows and columns to the Teensy pins yes, but in order to create the .hex file needed to flash the teensy you will need to construct both a physical matrix (physical layout of the switches on the board) and the electrical matrix (layout of connected switches). There is a website specifically designed for handwired boards (the pcb is being used as if it were handwired) that can be used to generate the matrix file, though it takes some explaining to use the website correctly which is why i was wanting to discuss with you on discord. As for the images just the ones that you have provided will be fine, they show clearly the traces to the matrix only rather then other components etc so will be good to use for reference.

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Muirium
µ

26 Sep 2019, 16:03

More or less the same process is going on simultaneously in this thread, too:

viewtopic.php?p=453120#p453120

My two diagrams over there are what Anakey is on about. (Though I did them in a spreadsheet rather than on the website people use, which I didn't know about.)

Also: don't get caught up on the Teensy having two sides. It does, but you can use (almost all of) the pins as you wish. (The exception being that damn LED pin.) In fact: you usually do need a lot of them, and their side really doesn't matter.

Fkazim

26 Sep 2019, 16:43

Got a rough drawing of the matrix that I did on my lunch break I also show the pins they correspond to let me know if this is correct either way I will draw up a better diagram when I get home.

Thanks.
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Last edited by Fkazim on 26 Sep 2019, 16:48, edited 1 time in total.

Anakey

26 Sep 2019, 16:47

A drawing of the matrix will indeed help as you can then use it to refer to when you create the matrix in the website.

Thank you for your insight Muirium, the reason why i suggest the website kbfirmware.com as it makes it easier ,at least for me, especially when the matrices are different from each other especially as some pcbs even if they use diodes do still like to mix up the rows/columns instead of being in an orderly grid.

Fkazim

26 Sep 2019, 16:51

Is my Matrix drawing accurate I think I'm doing things right but please let me know. I have posted the image above.

Anakey

26 Sep 2019, 16:59

Yes that looks very good. Last thing you would need to do is to make a kle of the layout that you want and also if you want any layers.

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Muirium
µ

26 Sep 2019, 17:23

Indeed. Remaps and layers are where the fun lies. Looking at your board again:

Image

You're going to need to be a bit creative with mods. And I'd totally map an inverted T arrow cluster over on the right; even rearranging the arrow keys to match, if they are the right profile.

Fkazim

26 Sep 2019, 17:39

I actually got a nice set of blue and black Tai Hao Keycaps that will be going on this keyboard when I am done converting it with a inverted T arrow cluster just as you say. Below is an image of some Cherry OG double shots that are in the layout that I want. Also the Mail and Xmit buttons will be replaced with the windows key and something else not fully decided on the something else yet. also not sure what I am going to do with the spacebar maybe dye it black to match the rest? But anyways below is an image of the layout I am going with let me know what you think.

Thanks.
Key Communications Keyboard intended layout.PNG
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