So I started working on my own mechanical keyboard after being inspired by the Mechboard64 by Mountain Buffalo. There was no way I could justify the cost of one so I decided, what the heck I wanted to learn how to design pcbs, lets give it a shot. This was way before he open sourced Mechboard64, which is really awesome but I was invested in the idea and wanted to finish it anyway. I worked my way through several programs, EasyEDA, PCB Web, Fritzing, EagleCAD and finally settled on KiCAD. Talk about a learning curve… The first two iterations of this board were produced with PCB Web, and it was really flakey on my home computer, though not at work, regardless traces were wacky on those two batches of boards. This version was created in Kicad and works just great.
A couple things I wanted to change from the Mechboard64 design was the metal frame and the shift lock circuit. I found a locking switch to replace the shift lock it comes in a couple different heights, looks like I’ll need to pick a shorter one for future revisions. It’s about an 1/8′ to 3/16″ proud of the Gateron switches I used in this prototype. As I was looking for ways to make a cable for the board I realized I could just use and 40-pin IDE cable to connect the keyboard to the motherboard. I already have an IDC crimper to make custom length cables so I made the Connection on the keyboard an IDE header.
Next up is creating a 3D printed frame for the keyboard that goes on the bottom only. I have a stem adapter drawn up that works but don’t really like it. I may try some others I’ve found around the internet.
The cost for what you see here was $22.02 for Gateron switches from Novel Keys, $0.50 for the IDE header, $1.27 for the locking switch and $6 for the PCB(if you divide the total cost plus shipping by the 5 boards I received.) For a total of Just under $30. I’ll probably use about $5 of PLA on the mount and stems so a new keyboard for about $35 isn’t to bad. Now for my Keycaps to arrive… Fingers crossed. To be continued…