deskthority

I am working on this idea I had, I got a Dell Quietkey SK-8000 and I am trying to convert it into a mechanical keyboard.
I modified the case with a dremel tool and now I am working on a PCB to replace the original membrane circuits: The PCB will bolt to the original backplate of the keyboard with M2 fasteners. There will be a sheet of kapton to insulate it from the PCB.

It is a slow process to probe the contacts of the membrane.

Any tips and tricks are appreciated.

If you had measured the spacing between key groups, and they had been 1/2 and 1/4 keys, then you could have used a PCB and plate for a Filco Majestouch or similar, because that is quite common.
It looks like vertical spacing between the alphanumeric section and function key row is 1/2u anyway.

BTW, are you going to use quiet switches in your QuietKey ?

If this PCB design works, I will have 5 from JLCPCB. The first prototype I will use these cheap MX Blue knockoffs, so it will be a LOUD key! I do want to build some more with better switches including quiet switches like the new silent T1s.

So if anyone has junk SK-8000s, hang on to them so I can mod them in the future!

I can't use an existing PCB there is a 7.05 mm island between the key groups which isn't standard.

An ALPS version is possible in the future but it would require special plate design and more modifications to the top case. I used an ALPS/Cherry hybrid footprint on this PCB

In the future I want to do similar projects with the Dell Oval and IBM/Lenovo Preferred Pro keyboards.

PCB is now in production, hopefully I did everything right.

I decided to do Cherry only for now to save on drill costs. In the future I may just make my own controller board because tracing out the matrix was very stressful to do. Maybe I will use this controller:
https://www.sprintek.com/en/products/ke ... K5126.aspx

PCB test:

SK-8K wrote: ↑

05 Sep 2021, 02:21

I decided to do Cherry only for now to save on drill costs. In the future I may just make my own controller board because tracing out the matrix was very stressful to do. Maybe I will use this controller:
https://www.sprintek.com/en/products/ke ... K5126.aspx

I reccomend just using a pro micro and QMK.
But that might work as well.

Do you have any extra PCBs?

I have 3 extras which I will use. I am making a Revision 2 PCB which I will release to the public. It will correct some misallignment issues and hole placement and will have support for ALPS and I-Rocks switches.

On Ebay I have found some 0.6mm plastic pieces that I will use instead of the backplate.This prototype just has foam there.

2nd build started,the Dremel cuts are much cleaner this time. Switches: YOK trash pandas switches.

Without any lubrication, foam, etc. these switches have quite a deep sound in the QuietKey chassis! It may sound better when I install the plastic sheets I got to support the PCB.

This one will be my new daily driver. Too bad the Geekhack scumbag moderators won't see it. 4:3 gang!

SK-8K wrote: ↑

03 Oct 2021, 03:15

This one will be my new daily driver. Too bad the Geekhack scumbag moderators won't see it.
DSC04597.JPG
4:3 gang!

Really looks solid. Does the PCB support winkeyless as well (winkeyless Quietkeys exists but they might have a different controller/matrix)?

What happened with the GH mods? They can be a bit up tight but I haven't had any bad experiences myself.

At least GH actually has mods

Rayndalf wrote: ↑

08 Oct 2021, 04:44

At least GH actually has mods

Indeed!

I've long been on the record as one in favour of more moderation here: kicking shit-stirrers and politics trolls. (Keyboard trolling is fine.) Better and for worse, Webwit was always against intervention. I wasn't around for the Ripster Incident. I imagine it must have involved noodles.

Hopefully Someone's still deleting spam these days…

GH, meanwhile, has a longstanding reputation for dodgy moderation in its marketplace. Fingers on the scales and such.

Rayndalf wrote: ↑

08 Oct 2021, 04:44

What happened with the GH mods?

It was over a string of anti-vax related posts.

Because a keyboard forum is definitely the place to go for your data on epidemiology.

It was an off-topic thread and I just casually floated some experiences and opinions on the subject because I was bored.

They shadowbanned and eventually fully-banned me when a simple "I disagree, and here's why..." would have sufficed.

Why not let fellow keyboard nerds be adults and respectfully chat, even if our opinions on a subject are radically different?

But I've moved on from all that, Deskthority and Nexthority are my home bases now to continue making cool keyboards.

Geekhack has countless subforums. I haven't been in most of them.

They seem like weird little caves.

Do you happen to have any progress on the project?

Yeah I made Rev. 2 which supports BAE and corrected some measurement errors from the first one.
Random pics of the Rev 2. boards: