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An Introduction to Custom Mechanical Keyboards

Eschew

Whew! I will fully ingest this later, but dang 'chew! Nice work from the preliminary skim.

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yayayayayayayay!

 

*takes notes*

 

very noice

 

also, 🥚

Don't forget to use the "Quote" feature or mention me ( @Gegger) if you want me to see your reply!

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2 hours ago, Eschew said:

 

Vendors

Here's a few more

 

https://mekanisk.com

https://novelkeys.xyz

https://keycult.io

https://www.primekb.com

https://switchmod.net

https://www.switchtop.com

https://dixiemech.com

 

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2 hours ago, Eschew said:

 

Firmware

Via is another KB firmware.  It's has less support for different PCBs, they are growing the list, but is feature rich and easy to use. 

https://caniusevia.com/

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Good job on the guide.

Here is a list of more mechanical keyboard vendors. Not mine, someone on r/mk made it so I don't know if it's updated.

 

I know this guide is geared towards custom, but this layout reference might be helpful for folks with OEM keyboards (Corsair, Razer, etc) that want to start off with changing their keycaps.

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just one quick suggestion... can't help you with the exact details, but maybe consider to do some position links so people can click them and go to that specific section?

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2 hours ago, gloop said:

Also, consider posting this in the guides and tutorials sub-forum!

Done, I added a hardware section and added a few links in there.

 

As for the pin, we're discussing it !

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4 hours ago, LukeSavenije said:

just one quick suggestion... can't help you with the exact details, but maybe consider to do some position links so people can click them and go to that specific section?

Looked a little bit into it. Internal links to a thread would require some custom BBCode that I don't think is integrated into this forum?

 

Thank you for the suggestion, though! I'd use it in the guide if I could. 👍

I've tried to work around this with the Table of Contents and by adding section numbers to the beginning of each section, which should be search-able with CTRL-F. 😅

 

3 hours ago, wkdpaul said:

Done, I added a hardware section and added a few links in there.

 

As for the pin, we're discussing it !

Fast Parrot *excite excite* Fast Parrot

 

Also thank you for adding this guide to the Tutorials & Guides Catalog!

 

*happiness noises*

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2 hours ago, Eschew said:

Looked a little bit into it. Internal links to a thread would require some custom BBCode that I don't think is integrated into this forum?

from what I know the forum handles bbcode poorly, but if you want to find the best way... have a talk with Mortis (I won't tag him here, you know where to find him)

 

and if you ever need help with something, feel free to ask (maybe add a creative commons?)

Edited by LukeSavenije
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Cool article. You skipped point to point hand wiring of the switches. Some people do this skipping the switch matrix pcb part. They often solder the hand wired matrix directly to something like an Arduino board.

Use the quote function when answering! Mark people directly if you want an answer from them!

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1 hour ago, bowrilla said:

Cool article. You skipped point to point hand wiring of the switches. Some people do this skipping the switch matrix pcb part. They often solder the hand wired matrix directly to something like an Arduino board.

Ah. Hadn't heard of hand wiring before until you mentioned it.

 

I did try to read up on it, however, and it looks to me like it might be more relevant in a guide to custom PCBs or to building a custom keyboard from scratch. Unfortunately, I have zero experience with custom PCBs, from-scratch keyboards, or hand wiring, and I feel that the topic deserves detail and coverage that is a little out of my element. 😅

 

I'll update Section 7.3 (Auto-Rejected Suggestions) to better communicate my stance on the topic.

 

Thank you for your input, though! Much appreciated. 👍

正直に生きる、一度きりの人生だから

Keeb Weeb LinksCustom Mechanical Keyboards | #KeebWeebClub

'Chew Builds: Hoshī (PC) | Okashī (PC) | K-4398 (Keeb) | Eighty #391 (Keeb) | R2-968 (Keeb) | MGK64 (Keeb)

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33 minutes ago, Eschew said:

Ah. Hadn't heard of hand wiring before until you mentioned it.

 

I did try to read up on it, however, and it looks to me like it might be more relevant in a guide to custom PCBs or to building a custom keyboard from scratch. Unfortunately, I have zero experience with custom PCBs, from-scratch keyboards, or hand wiring, and I feel that the topic deserves detail and coverage that is a little out of my element. 😅

 

I'll update Section 7.3 (Auto-Rejected Suggestions) to better communicate my stance on the topic.

 

Thank you for your input, though! Much appreciated. 👍

Fair point. Maybe I'll get to the PCB part. I'm in no way an electrical engineer but I have a project in the making that splits the PCBs and makes it modular. Learning a lot about electronics and PCB design in the meantime. 

 

Another point: you might want to add QWERTZ to your list as a variant of QWERTY. AZERTY is the French layout, QWERTZ is the German layout. Basically 

Use the quote function when answering! Mark people directly if you want an answer from them!

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22 hours ago, Eschew said:

1800-Compact

spacer.png

  • 104 Keys (ANSI), 105 Keys (ISO)

🤔 Unless I counted wrong, the one on the picture has 98 keys. Missing right control, print screen, scroll lock, pause break, delete and end, maybe something more.

22 hours ago, Eschew said:

[4.3] Assembly

-snip-

1. PCB and Stabilizers

  • Align the stabilizer prongs with the holes in the PC

It might not always be obvious which holes to use. E.g. the DZ60 has a few layout options

 

 

22 hours ago, Eschew said:

Clicky: Switches that lack the wings on the stem altogether. Instead, the wings are found on the clickbar, a separate piece that is connected to the stem. In its default position, the wings of the clickbar rest against the leaf. When the switch is pressed, the stem pushes down on the clickbar and the clickbar shoots straight down, resulting in a sharp typing sensation and an audible click.

I think you are talking about the click jacket? Clickbar is more commonly used for the clicking thing in clicky Kailh Box switches, I think?

22 hours ago, Eschew said:

[5.2] Parts

Could add a short thing on switch films, since you're mentioning lube

22 hours ago, Eschew said:

Vendors

Optic Boards has some items. Most notably the Ghost Switch, for which you can buy extras

https://www.opticboards.com/

 

Mekanisk's Norwegian-only store is a thing now. They are going to be the Norwegian vendor for at least a couple of keycap GBs, and they also have a couple of other parts

https://mekanisktastatur.no/

 

 

 

^^Me just nitpicking here. Good job :D

:)

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Really nice write up. Thanks for taking the time.  All you really need to know to get started right there!! 
 

sticky?? 😁

Bleigh!  Ever hear of AC series? 

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Good job. Reminds me that I still have to do my PCB thread. But this is very good. Almost makes me want to do a vint board thread although mine won't be nearly as good as this.

Quote me to see my reply!

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/8/2020 at 6:34 AM, gloop said:

Just gonna leave a message here, considering it’s such a good guide for newbies!

Agreed ! I've added it to my sig to help with visibility ;) (it won't get pinned for now)

 

BTW, I hope you don't mind, I removed my reaction from your reply ... still doing my best to help! :D (I'm spreading my non reaction diet to all, not just @Den-Fi)

Edited by wkdpaul

If you need help with your forum account, please use the Forum Support form !

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6 minutes ago, wkdpaul said:

Agreed ! I've added it to my sig to help with visibility ;) (it won't get pinned for now)

 

BTW, I hope you don't mind, I removed my reaction from your reply ... still doing my best to help! :D (I'm spreading my non reaction diet to all, not just @Den-Fi)

Hopefully you use this time to heal.

We can only #savewkdpaul if wkdpaul wants to be saved.

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Daaang 'chew, this is awesome!


But y'all need to stop getting me into expensive hobbies!

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As someone who's about to build their first modular keyboard this is exactly what I needed. Even the parts which aren't applicable to me (right now), like the DIY bits, were a very interesting read. Very insightful, great job @Eschew

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