Turning a full size into a 60%

kelvinhall05 · 12 Apr 2020, 17:00

First, disclaimer. I myself am not a fan of switch harvesting or killing a board to make something else out of it...if the board is fully working. This Lite-on on the other hand had a cut cable, completely dead PCB (I think dead controller, but I am not 100% certain; a different cable did nothing, nor did a Pro Micro), case was very dirty, etc. Moving on...

A while back when I acquired this and realized it was dead, I decided to teach myself how to hand wire and whatnot so I cut the plate to make a 60% with a dremel and then soldered in the switches. It ain't pretty but it works. I think it's alright considering that wire was all I had on hand and it was my first time.

Spoiler:

I messed around with it a bit but obviously determined it needed a case. I was going to make one completely out of wood, but I didn't have the tools to do it, so it basically sat in a drawer for a few months.

A few days ago (as of writing this) I decided to pull it back out and make a case for it, only this time I would have the top "half" be plastic and the bottom "half" wood. I cut up the case, sanded it, and glued it together. Worked great and after adding more epoxy to fill the cracks, you can't feel where the two pieces were joined. Once it's painted nobody will know without looking at the supports underneath.

Spoiler:

So yeah. That's where I am right now. I will buy some paint as soon as I can, paint the top case, and then get started on the wood part (or maybe start on the wood part now, I dunno). If someone has some suggestions lmk.

I also still need a red/grey doubleshot control keycap from a Lite-on/Silitek board, so Tai-Hao TI series I think. The stem on my second one is broken off and although I am attempting to fix it with epoxy, I don't have high hopes for it.

kelvinhall05 · 12 Apr 2020, 17:50

ntv242 wrote: ↑
12 Apr 2020, 17:25
I think you do a very good job with the case, and your 60% will preserve that retro look.

I always want to learn hand wire and stuff, mind sharing any guides and tips for a complete noob?

Maybe this https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=87689.0

I myself know how to do it, but not how to make it look nice (although to be fair I haven't had a chance to do a second handwire, so if I have good wire I can probably make it pretty).

SneakyRobb · 12 Apr 2020, 22:44

This looks great, thanks for sharing.I like the underside epoxy pieces as well. I also like the sawing of the F-row? Off the top If I see it correctly.

kelvinhall05 · 13 Apr 2020, 01:36

SneakyRobb wrote: ↑
12 Apr 2020, 22:44
This looks great, thanks for sharing.I like the underside epoxy pieces as well. I also like the sawing of the F-row? Off the top If I see it correctly.

Yeah, I cut it off the top. That was the easiest cut to make haha, mostly since I
1. didn't have to attach anything there
2. there was a "wall" i could stop cutting at and sand to make it look like there never was an f-row

kelvinhall05 · 15 Apr 2020, 03:22

So I got most of the painting done today. I think I will probably sand and do one more layer tomorrow as there are a few imperfections that are noticeable up close, but it looks pretty decent. I am not 100% happy with the colour, but it's pretty good.

Spoiler:

Also, the lighting and my shitty phone camera really fuck with the way it looks. The keycaps aren't yellowed at all even though they appear like it in the pictures, and the case is a bit lighter colour and also has a little bit of a shine which I actually am very, very happy with. Matte would look the best but I don't have the skill to paint well, much less make a matte paint look nice and even (I also couldn't find a nice matte colour

)

kelvinhall05 · 18 Apr 2020, 00:48

Ok so I finished painting it a few days ago but forgot to post pics here lol

Spoiler:

I am happy with the colour but the paint looks worse in person. It's not *bad*, but it's far from perfect.

kelvinhall05 · 21 Apr 2020, 21:48

At the moment I am stuck on the project until I find a way to carve out the wood bottom half. I don't have a router or anything, so I dunno if I will ever finish it.

Hell if someone here wants to buy it lmk lmao

Darkshado · 24 Apr 2020, 16:20

Wouldn't be as fancy, but couldn't you build a frame from straight pieces of wood and either leave the bottom open or then slap on a flat piece of wood or acrylic to close everything off? No need for a router then.

swampangel · 24 Apr 2020, 17:15

Darkshado wrote: ↑
24 Apr 2020, 16:20
Wouldn't be as fancy, but couldn't you build a frame from straight pieces of wood and either leave the bottom open or then slap on a flat piece of wood or acrylic to close everything off? No need for a router then.

This ^ here's my own example viewtopic.php?p=457898#p457898 but there's no need for slots and dovetails, screws and wood glue would work just as well.

As for the paint, what's your issue? Does it just need a coat of some clear spraypaint to make it look more "finished" or is there something else?

kelvinhall05 · 24 Apr 2020, 17:54

Darkshado wrote: ↑
24 Apr 2020, 16:20
Wouldn't be as fancy, but couldn't you build a frame from straight pieces of wood and either leave the bottom open or then slap on a flat piece of wood or acrylic to close everything off? No need for a router then.

Don't have thin enough wood to make walls. I did think about that idea, though. I just can't really go out and get wood now.

swampangel wrote: ↑
24 Apr 2020, 17:15

Darkshado wrote: ↑
24 Apr 2020, 16:20
Wouldn't be as fancy, but couldn't you build a frame from straight pieces of wood and either leave the bottom open or then slap on a flat piece of wood or acrylic to close everything off? No need for a router then.
This ^ here's my own example viewtopic.php?p=457898#p457898 but there's no need for slots and dovetails, screws and wood glue would work just as well.

As for the paint, what's your issue? Does it just need a coat of some clear spraypaint to make it look more "finished" or is there something else?

I dunno, just doesn't look like what I expected it to. Was hoping for a slightly more even finish but some of the original texture shows a little bit even though I sanded a lot.

kelvinhall05 · 08 May 2020, 00:55

Minor update, bought some router bits for my Dremel and will attempt to hand router the case out this weekend.

kelvinhall05 · 14 May 2020, 21:45

Tried it out a few days ago but forgot to update. Does it work? Yes. Is it fun to do? Hell no.

No idea when I will build up the courage to finish routing it out as it is a massive pain in the ass.

gipetto · 25 May 2020, 01:01

you would be faster with a hammer and chisel. I had to do that for woodworking class in school. it doesn't need to be pretty if its not visible.