Split ergonomic keyboard project

[ondast]

I received 10 IO-expanders, and USB contacts, 1000 SOD-123 diodes, plus a lot of other stuff yesterday. Less than 48 hours from order with mouser to delivery in Sweden! Mouser don't have the 3.5mm connector though, and I think I will be satisfied with having a fixed cable. All the stock ones I have found are very long...

I don't know if dox and ic07 need any new components, but they are getting some of the prototype boards. They are half way completed at pcbwing. So they should arrive in a week or so. I will have some extra components when this thing rolls out for real. And if anyone want me to do some of the soldering I can probably do that for a few dollars extra. Need to work towards paying off my soldering station =D

Did you get the PCBs yet? It would be nice to see them in action I think you could probably find 3.5 mm connectors locally, at Clas Ohlson or similar stores.

[bpiphany]

Look what no one but me have got =D

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split.JPG (157.03 KiB) Viewed 5229 times

[dox]

I knew it! Very nice bpiphany, I can't wait to test it!

[ironman31]

O snap

[bpiphany]

I almost didn't get them today. I called FedEx and asked them to send them to another address where I was today. The guy on the phone said that would be fine. Then I got a text from my flatmate telling me I had gotten a package =P Luckily she was at home today... When I came home she "made" me watch a movie with her (don't tell her I said that...) Soldering will be for tomorrow. Now I am off to bed.

[webwit]

Looking good!

[nodnerb]

Great job on the pcb design!!

DV, could you please add me to the list? Thanks. Definitely in for the PCB (1 pair) and we'll see about cases when the prices are known for sure.

[Djuzuh]

This PCB will only take platemounted switches, amirite?

[justcallmecrash]

This PCB will only take platemounted switches, amirite?

If you notice the two small holes either side (directly either side) of the larger center hole.... Those are for PCB mounted switches.

[Djuzuh]

This PCB will only take platemounted switches, amirite?

If you notice the two small holes either side (directly either side) of the larger center hole.... Those are for PCB mounted switches.

Oh thanks, didn't see those !

That's excellent news ! It means I don't need to get a case to make proper use of it !

[ic07]

I knew it! Very nice bpiphany, I can't wait to test it!

Yay! Me either

[bpiphany]

So I did all the diodes this morning, and some of the other components I had at home. I don't actually have any Teensy in good enough condition. I think I am going to put it in a socket on my own ErgoDox as well, to be able to remove it easily for other purposes.

Here is a higher resolution picture, sorry about the dust and flux residues. I should give them a proper rubbing alcohol bath...

SOD123.JPG (998.48 KiB) Viewed 5166 times

I will ship dox and ic07 their boards today.

[Icarium]

That is fucking sexy.

Edit: I want that as header image!

[Findecanor]

I have got a couple unused Teensy, but no pins. You could have them this afternoon.
I wouldn't mind coming over to see these in real life ...

[bpiphany]

That would have been nice =) But I am working tonight, and tomorrow there is a crayfish party, and then I am going to work all night again after that =P And now I am headed off to my grandpa with his new computer. How can there be so little time in one week =D

And the Phantoms including my Teensy will ship any day now, right?.... No, when I have installed the sockets I can insert one of my beat up Teensys and try with that.

Edit: Ha, just found some sockets =) But first my grandpa...

[Icarium]

I want to ask what a crayfish party is but I don't want to get this thread OT it's already super long.
We need a "thread fork" extension for the board. ...yeah even further OT >_<

[ondast]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crayfish_party

[Icarium]

"A rowdy atmosphere prevails amid noisy eating and traditional drinking songs (snapsvisa). The alcohol consumption is often high, [...]"

[justcallmecrash]

That sounds like a friggin PARTY. I've been trying for some time to convince the wife we need to move to Scandinavia... maybe one day.

[damorgue]

There is usually very little work done the day after too

I checked the price of printing the case in titanium, and it is quite expensive, almost to the point where it would probably be cheaper to mill it from a block of aluminum unfortunately.

[Findecanor]

For some people, eating crayfish is somewhat of an excuse for drinking schnaps.

[regack]

Those boards look fantastic! It's funny to see all those nice little SMD Diodes... then that huge old Ceramic Cap hiding out in the back, almost like it's bowing down to the SMDs.

[bpiphany]

I'm a bus driver so my alcohol consumption will be none, and I am not really a fan of crayfish either =P I will just bring some meatballs or something =D But I'll be working 2:40-10:30 tonight and then 1:30-10:00 tomorrow night, and most of today afternoon was spent exporting Outlook Express data into Thunderbird. So no soldering until Sunday evening probably.

[mSSM]

I'm a bus driver so my alcohol consumption will be none, and I am not really a fan of crayfish either =P I will just bring some meatballs or something =D But I'll be working 2:40-10:30 tonight and then 1:30-10:00 tomorrow night, and most of today afternoon was spent exporting Outlook Express data into Thunderbird. So no soldering until Sunday evening probably.

Quite the occupation for someone with mad CAD skills, bringing our dreams to life! Almost like Bruce Wayne...

[bpiphany]

Those boards look fantastic! It's funny to see all those nice little SMD Diodes... then that huge old Ceramic Cap hiding out in the back, almost like it's bowing down to the SMDs.

I didn't know they were going to b that big.. I just got the cheapishest 100nF ceramic caps there were. They are only for decoupling and apparently the previous ErgoDoxes have been doing just fine without them.

[ondast]

Haha, yeah, they felt like back to the 90s

[mSSM]

Could you guys explain what those caps and diodes are good for?

[JBert]

The diodes make sure that the current only flows in one direction - preventing shortcuts in the keyboard matrix which would make the keyboard 2KRO (details left out for brevity).

The capacitor is likely only there to prevent a current spike when the keyboard is turned on - after all, this keyboard has electronics in both parts and powering up everything at the same time might confuse your computer's USB host.

[bpiphany]

I'm a bus driver so my alcohol consumption will be none, and I am not really a fan of crayfish either =P I will just bring some meatballs or something =D But I'll be working 2:40-10:30 tonight and then 1:30-10:00 tomorrow night, and most of today afternoon was spent exporting Outlook Express data into Thunderbird. So no soldering until Sunday evening probably.

Quite the occupation for someone with mad CAD skills, bringing our dreams to life! Almost like Bruce Wayne... :shock:

More like Casey Ryback perhaps. "I'm just the bus driver..."

Let's see if this thing actually works before judging the madness of my skillz.

The capacitor is likely only there to prevent a current spike when the keyboard is turned on - after all, this keyboard has electronics in both parts and powering up everything at the same time might confuse your computer's USB host.

As I understand it, they are in fact used to prevent dips in the supply, as well as to reduce EMI.

[Jim66]

Ohhhhh, this is looking good.