Building a keyboard

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_posts/2018-01-21-building-a-keyboard.markdown

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+---
+title: "Building a Keyboard"
+layout: post
+categories:
+- hardware
+- electronics
+- keyboards
+date: 2018-01-21T17:38:21+00:00
+---
+
+<figure>
+  {% picture full-width blog/building-a-keyboard/DSCF7141.jpg
+     alt="My custom keyboard" %}
+</figure>
+
+When I realised I'd be staying in the US, I realised it would be cheaper to sell
+my current mechanical keyboard to someone back in the UK and buy myself a new
+one here. It would also give me the opportunity to try something a bit
+different.
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+Since I bought my first mechanical keyboard the hobby has exploded, with many
+options available. The problem I started to notice is that it was possible to
+get anything you wanted provided it was in the US ANSI layout. Being a Brit and
+a Mac user, my choices were more limited. I decided that, since I had a lot of
+free time on my hands, I would build my own.
+
+This would give me a number of advantages over a pre-built keyboard. The first
+is that I get to choose exactly what switches I want. The second is that most
+PCB's available to self builders use firmware that allows the keyboard to be
+fully programmable. In other words, I would be able to make any key do whatever
+I wanted it to do. As you can imagine, this appealed!
+
+### Size and Layout
+
+There's a staggering number of choices when it comes to size and layout options,
+from full size and ten keyless to 60% and 40% size layouts, all the way to
+esoteric split designs and ortholinear layouts. I settled on 60% because
+I figured I could get by without function keys and I'm so used to Vim arrow keys
+that I could just map those keys to a function layer for use anywhere. There are
+also plenty of options when it comes to building 60% sized boards.
+
+### Switches
+
+After some research I decided that I wanted either Zealio or MOD switches, so
+I ordered a couple of switch testers from NovelKeys to try them out. I quickly
+decided that the Zealio switches were the way forward as they felt much smoother
+to me, with a longer, rounder tactile bump compared to the MODs.
+
+I ordered the switches directly from [ZealPC] and added Cherry stabilisers to
+the order.
+
+### PCB
+
+There are plenty of choices when it comes to 60% keyboard PCB's (GH60, Nerd60,
+FaceW, Satan, Zeal60, DZ60). The Zeal60 looked interesting at first--I felt it
+would be a good match for the Zealio switches--but I dismissed it early on due
+to it's price and the fact that I don't want RGB backlighting.
+
+I ended up going for the GH60 because it seemed like the most open option and
+had everything I needed. It's also nice to support open hardware where possible.
+
+I ordered the PCB in black from [Techkeys.us].
+
+### Plate
+
+It's not strictly necessary to have a plate, but it makes the keyboard feel more
+solid and better to type on. Surprisingly this was the hardest part to source as
+most pre cut plates are either ANSI layout or they are universal, meaning they
+have enough cut outs to support many different layouts, including ISO. The
+problem with these plates is that some of the switches are not held particularly
+securely due to the extra cut outs. After some fruitless searching I decided to
+get my own plate cut out of 1.5mm stainless steel. This was relatively
+expensive—about double a pre-cut plate—but it meant I got exactly what I wanted.
+
+The plate was cut by [Lasergist].
+
+### Keycaps
+
+Because I wanted full control over what was printed on the keycaps there was
+really only one option and that was to get them custom printed by [WASD
+Keyboards]. I had created a custom layout using their template for full size and
+TKL keyboards, so I took the same file and modified it for a [62 key layout].
+I got the modifiers in black and the alpha keys in dark grey for a Dolch style
+two tone look.
+
+### Case
+
+The last thing I needed was a case. I'd decided early on that I wanted a high
+profile, silver aluminium case that would match well with my MacBook Pro.
+I ended up picking [this case] from KBDFans. It was heavier than I expected,
+even without the added steel weight!
+
+<figure>
+  {% picture full-width blog/building-a-keyboard/DSCF7133.jpg
+     alt="The keyboard case." %}
+  <figcaption>The case. It's heavy!</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+### Building the board
+
+Before I started building the board I needed to test the PCB. The board arrived
+with no firmware installed so I flashed the default GH60 EasyAVR firmware to the
+board using `dfu-programmer`. Then I could test each switch location by bridging
+the pads on the PCB with a paperclip. Everything worked just fine so I started
+putting it all together.
+
+The first thing I needed to do was to clip and lube the stabilisers. Cherry
+stabilisers can feel mushy and change the feel of the keys unless they are
+modded by [clipping two little plastic parts off the bottom of the inserts].
+Lubricating them helps to reduce their influence on the key feel even more.
+I used some Krytox lube that I ordered from [Techkeys.us] for this, putting
+a thin coat on the stems and on the stabilising wires where they contact the
+plastic parts.
+
+Once the stabilisers were mounted onto the PCB I started placing the switches in
+the plate, starting with the four corners so I could get the plate and PCB
+aligned. Then I started fitting the rest of the switches, making sure they were
+seated fully into the PCB--the mounting legs fit tightly into the holes on the
+PCB.
+
+<figure>
+  {% picture full-width blog/building-a-keyboard/DSCF7125.jpg
+     alt="The plate with PCB and switches mounted." %}
+  <figcaption>The switches all in place.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+Once the switches were all fitted it was a simple matter of soldering all the
+legs to the pads on the PCB. I don't own a soldering iron myself so I used the
+services of the wonderful [Hack Manhattan] hack space. This was my first time
+doing through hole PCB soldering and I was a little nervous about messing it up
+so I was sure to read plenty of guidance on the Internet and watch a couple of
+Youtube videos. In the end it wasn't actually that tricky! The secret is using
+a temperature controlled iron and being sure to heat both the leg of the switch
+and the PCB pad at the same time. This is what makes the solder flow nicely and
+form a good connection.
+
+<figure>
+  {% picture full-width blog/building-a-keyboard/IMG_6757.jpg
+     alt="The back of the PCB with the switches soldered." %}
+  <figcaption>All soldered up.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+After I'd soldered each row I connected the keyboard to my computer to test all
+the switches I'd just soldered. I used a website called "Keyboard Tester" for
+this.
+
+<figure>
+  {% picture full-width blog/building-a-keyboard/IMG_6757.jpg
+     alt="The back of the PCB with the switches soldered." %}
+  <figcaption>All soldered up.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+With all the switches soldered into place and tested it was time to put the
+board into its case and fit the keycaps to the switches. The PCB and plate
+sandwich is mounted in the case using five screws through holes in the PCB. The
+screw layout follows the popular Pok3r layout which makes it compatible with
+many other 60% options.
+
+I started on the keycaps by fitting the large, stabilised keys first. The enter
+key, space key and right shift key. Then I just worked my way down row by row
+until I was all done.
+
+<figure>
+  {% picture full-width blog/building-a-keyboard/IMG_6758.jpg
+     alt="The keyboard hooked up to my laptop to test the switches." %}
+  <figcaption>Testing the switches.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+I'm super pleased with the finished board! It's a pleasure to type on although
+it took me a few days to get used to the 60% layout. I also made a bunch of
+tweaks to the key layout (now using the QMK firmware) which means the key
+legends no longer reflect what the keys do. I plan to get reprinted keycaps.
+
+<figure>
+  {% picture full-width blog/building-a-keyboard/DSCF7145.jpg
+     alt="The keyboard hooked up to my laptop." %}
+</figure>