Using a CNC machine to make a keyboard enclosure

[Fictionvl]

Hello everyone, so I opened up my Blackwidow chroma today to clean it up, and I had this idea of what if I can instead of the enclosure that the blackwidow has, I can make my own with a CNC machine or even with hand work

 

so I'm here to ask if there are any programs that I can use to model a blackwidow chroma frame and make an enclosure so I can use it to plan it out. 

 

I really don't want to spend a 100$+ on a new mechanical keyboard, and I regret my blackwidow choice, it was what I could buy before knowing that my country has any online computer shops.

[Nonco]

Itd probably be just as pricy as buying a new keyboard.

[Fictionvl]

Itd probably be just as pricy as buying a new keyboard.

 

My uncle own a company which has CNC services, I'll get it for cheap

 

I just need a way to model my idea

[007agentHP]

probably uses solid works. learn it, buy it

[Nonco]

My uncle own a company which has CNC services, I'll get it for cheap

 

I just need a way to model my idea

 

Well CNC is mostly used for flat surface cutting it might be hard to CNC cut a keyboard enclosure. The best thing to do would be to sketch it and see if you can make it work

[AnonymousGuy]

When I did a Titan X backplate I did it in Solidworks.  Imported pictures I took of the PCB, set the scale to be accurate, and then I could build my model up off the pictures and know everything would have clearance.

 

Pictures, calipers were my tools of choice.

[Fictionvl]

Well CNC is mostly used for flat surface cutting it might be hard to CNC cut a keyboard enclosure. The best thing to do would be to sketch it and see if you can make it work

 

yeah I know, I'm going for a box-ish minimalist design, so its going to be fine

[Wolf_Lbh]

When I did a Titan X backplate I did it in Solidworks.  Imported pictures I took of the PCB, set the scale to be accurate, and then I could build my model up off the pictures and know everything would have clearance.

 

Pictures, calipers were my tools of choice.

Do you have pics of this/a link to the thread? Would love to see how it turned out.

 

yeah I know, I'm going for a box-ish minimalist design, so its going to be fine

As mentioned solid works is pretty much the go-to modeling program. They also have a huge database of stuff you can download as far as structures go. I wouldn't be surprised if a blackwidow keyboard was in the database as a result of some sims fanatic or something. As you only want it for 1 thing if there is a free trial or something you could probably get it done without needing to buy it. Also if you ever actually do any work I would love to see some pics!

[Fictionvl]

Do you have pics of this/a link to the thread? Would love to see how it turned out.

 

As mentioned solid works is pretty much the go-to modeling program. They also have a huge database of stuff you can download as far as structures go. I wouldn't be surprised if a blackwidow keyboard was in the database as a result of some sims fanatic or something. As you only want it for 1 thing if there is a free trial or something you could probably get it done without needing to buy it. Also if you ever actually do any work I would love to see some pics!

 

I think it has a demo that I can try.

 

if I get it done, i'll defo make a log! 

[boarder2k7]

Well CNC is mostly used for flat surface cutting it might be hard to CNC cut a keyboard enclosure. The best thing to do would be to sketch it and see if you can make it work

This http://youtu.be/LdCRCcwDeKQ and frankly the majority of the rest of the CNC machines out there, would disagree with you.

CNC is just "computer numerical control"

[AnonymousGuy]

Do you have pics of this/a link to the thread? Would love to see how it turned out.

 

As mentioned solid works is pretty much the go-to modeling program. They also have a huge database of stuff you can download as far as structures go. I wouldn't be surprised if a blackwidow keyboard was in the database as a result of some sims fanatic or something. As you only want it for 1 thing if there is a free trial or something you could probably get it done without needing to buy it. Also if you ever actually do any work I would love to see some pics!

Never manufactured it.  Would have cost something like $200 apiece to have it made cause CNC work is expensive even with a fully autonomous flow (where I submit the solidworks file and the tool selection and pathing is all done without human intervention).  I would have used ProtoLabs though...they're awesome and priced fairly for what they do.   They made this fixture for me (I designed it, they made it) to hold a Haswell-E part so the IHS could be machined:

 

 

Here was what the backplate looked like on top of my photo reference (to accurately set the scale, I used one of the memory chip widths which is a known-precise dimension...something like 20.00mmx25.00mm).  It took me about 2 days (not full days since this was just for fun) and 9 revisions to get it right.  Had to print it out 100% scale, cut out the holes, make sure it fit the card physically, do different design tweaks to bring the manufacturing cost down (small stuff like bigger chamfers can change the price in a significant way), etc:

 

post a picture

 

I ended up going with the EK Backplates which @EK Luc I think are a shitty design since they only use 6 of the screw holes to attach to the waterblock and don't create very good clamping pressure for the thermal pads (also makes the backplate warp/flex a lot too because it's flapping in the breeze for large lengths of it).  Swiftech's design which came later is far superior and more similar to what I did.  When I did my design the Titan X had just came out so no one had produced any backplates at all yet.

[ngaalex]

If I was machining a keyboard enclosure I'd probably do it in layers - like the Ergodox acrylic case - with a base layer/spacer layer/plate layer. That'd probably be the simplest and most affordable way to do it, depending on the machine. You could also do it like a box in two pieces - a top/bottom piece and another piece that has space for the PCB inside it. You'd definitely need to desolder all the switches on the Blackwidow unless you reused its plate and cut it to fit your new case, but if you did desolder the switches and used a two piece case that would be a really cool worklog that I'd love to see.