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Keyboards Hand wired

Ant_Shrew

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So everyone else has some kind of build log and since I never get anything done here is mine.
Hopefully this will be an ongoing thing and not just once off.

Over the past while I have gathered some old components and picked up a few new ones from people over the past while so I can "build" and hand wire my own keyboards
By the end I am hoping to create a custom minimalistic board with custom pcb, case and keycaps.
For now though I am Stealing everything I can from other boards and making a Frankenstein board out of the graveyard that is growing in my room.

Day 1:
Desoldering a old Razer board to steal the keycaps and switches. (Yes I forgot to take more and better Quality pictures)
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If anyone is going to do this in the future make sure you have everything you need first.

Day 2: (YES I WILL CLEAN THEM SOON)
Use another 10 keyless board I have lying around and destroy it!!!
In sort cut the F row and arrows off and made a 60% keyboard.
Making a huge mess everywhere and not cutting very straight decided to paint it black quickly add some switches use some really dirty keycaps and other doubleshot caps and I am left with this:
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Since Razer doesnt seem to conform to standards none of the caps or stabilizers are interchangeable I am Stuck stealing some keycaps from my Ducky Keyboard (Ie space and purple keys) to get everything to work. Thus there are funny gaps and a missing Alt. (Not that I am wanting to use the alt but it now annoys me that there is a gap in the spacing now)

Hopefully soon I can start wiring!!! :D
 
Day 3:
Soldering all the 1N4148 diodes.
Yes I suck at soldering but I am still getting the hang of it. If anyone whats to give some tips please do so.
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Damn that is some shoddy soldering
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Got a little better by the end.

Next need to do the column wiring.
 
Doubt I am going to have time this weekend to have a look at this unless I find time tomorrow

Helped out with fixing another keyboard first.
1) some broken traces that I just hardwired.
2) A dead switch the I replace the housing with another switch
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Not the wire I should use but its what I had on hand at the time. Again some shoddy solders :'(

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Now one by working keyboard

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Day 4:

Fixing up the ugly brown wires
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Secondly wiring up the columns.
far right lots of little sections.
left single line with sections of the wore stripped
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Definitely like the stripped wire rather than the sections.
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Nearly half way. Time to get some other things done.
Also need to go back and clean up the ugly solder points
 
Day 5:

Finishing up wiring the columns of the switches. Every thing looks so neat
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Then I finally realised that I was an idiot again. the micro controller on has 18 pins that I can use. The keyboard in this layout needs 19pins. some very messy fixing and I finally ended up with:
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Looks messy but it should work.
Lastly was wiring up the micro controller
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I forgot to take a final picture. but everything is wired up. Now to get to some programming.
 

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Still dont like that the bottom row of keycaps dont fit but have other I will try.

After the programming need to try figure out a good way to build a case around it
 
Welcome to the rabbit-hole. Once you start on custom layouts and layers, there's no going back. I assume you are on geekhack?
 
Welcome to the rabbit-hole. Once you start on custom layouts and layers, there's no going back. I assume you are on geekhack?
Wouldnt say im on GeekHack but been wondering through the forums
 

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