[BUILD LOG] 75% Layout from the ground up

[xavouine]

Build progress

- Choose layout
- Design PCB
- Order Switches, Diodes, LEDs, Controller
- Assemble parts
- Test
- Design Case
- Build Case

Heya there !

I bought my first ever mechanical keyboard this winter and am loving it up to now! However, I got MX browns and am finding them a little too "mushy" for my taste so I was looking for a keyboard with either clears, whites, greens or blues (haven't got myself a sample kit yet :/ ). Finding out about the massive mechanical keyboard community, I figured it would be really fun to build my own keyboard from scratch and now here I am

TL;DR

I'm building a 75%-ish kinda layout massively inspired from this one http://i.imgur.com/tcJp1vl.jpg.

Projected specs

- MX clears, whites, greens or blues (tbd)
- CNC milled wood case of some sort
- Dual layered PCB
- Teensy controlled
- Layout Layout rev 2

Any suggestions and/or comments and/or tips are appreciated
This is my first time building a custom keyboard but I have some experience with PCB design & 3D modeling.
Will be updating as the building process progresses (probably very slowly as I'm studying at the same time )

[Nuum]

As far as I know 7bit is currently working on the so-called HyperPoo, which has a similar layout to the Noppoo Choc/Keycool 84, but with more flexibility regarding keycap/switch placements and full programmability, maybe it's worth looking into that. It could take him a while to finish it, though.
The right Shift is too big for a small form factor keyboard IMHO. I think you can place all the functions you've got in your layout in the 75% layout, you would perhaps have to integrated the lock LEDs into the keycaps though.

Maybe something like this:

75%.png (18.26 KiB) Viewed 4918 times

http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/# ... 0830e2edf0

[metalliqaz]

I love the 75% layout. I made one for myself and designed it to use the keycaps recovered from a G81-7000 because at the time there were a lot of them cheap on ebay. It has a 6x space bar and 1x mods.



I love it it's the best. The yellow diamonds are Fn keys.

[xavouine]

The right Shift is too big for a small form factor keyboard IMHO. I think you can place all the functions you've got in your layout in the 75% layout, you would perhaps have to integrated the lock LEDs into the keycaps though.

Maybe something like this:

75%.png

http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/# ... 0830e2edf0

I guess you're right, I must admit I didn't think this through enough ^^* I'll just go with regular 75% with the swapping of scroll lock for G-mode and find somewhere on the case to put the status LEDs.

I love the 75% layout. I made one for myself and designed it to use the keycaps recovered from a G81-7000 because at the time there were a lot of them cheap on ebay. It has a 6x space bar and 1x mods.

Wow, nice stuff! Would you happen to know where I can find standard switch spacing for my PCB layout ? I can't seem to find anything

[metalliqaz]

Cherry switches are spaced 0.75" square. Definitely find the MX specs at Cherry's website. Also there is a resources thread at GH with all kinds of info for builders. If only that was available when I made mine