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Plate layout advice

Posted: 30 Mar 2014, 09:14
by elmin
I'm trying to build a custom keyboard, and at this point I've got a layout I like and a DWG for the plate. I'm using costar (or costar-style) stabilizers, since I have some and I have no idea how to obtain cherry stabilizers.

People who have done this before: any advice on the layout of the holes? I've attached the DWG I have so far, but the information I have on how things must be aligned is based on lots of random information from various sources on the web. If someone were willing to take a quick look and see if something is obviously not going to work, I'd be very appreciative :)

For those who are curious about the layout, this is what it looks like:
IMAG0204.jpg
IMAG0204.jpg (551.37 KiB) Viewed 1635 times
I used a ruler to align the keycaps on my desk, so I could get a feel for how comfortable it would be.

Posted: 30 Mar 2014, 12:07
by Findecanor
I would recommend that you test your layout on graph paper, or in http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/
There you can check the dimensions more precisely.

Posted: 30 Mar 2014, 12:51
by matt3o
looks good to me, but I use metric system with slightly different measurements.

Posted: 30 Mar 2014, 12:56
by scottc
Findecanor wrote:I would recommend that you test your layout on graph paper, or in http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/
There you can check the dimensions more precisely.
Agreed. I've been printing my plate on paper and checking if everything lines up and it helps a lot.

Posted: 30 Mar 2014, 21:15
by elmin
Thanks for the recommendations. Now I'm even thinking about doing a prototype in cardboard or something once I get the switches. Then I can even get an idea if the stabilizers are positioned correctly.

Posted: 30 Mar 2014, 22:09
by scottc
I did that with cardboard and it was very useful. Don't be too picky about things being slightly off in the cardboard model because it's near impossible (from my experience) to actually get something to print in exact measurements from a DWG. Good luck anyway!

Posted: 30 Mar 2014, 23:34
by elmin
The layout editor is pretty cool! I was actually planning to write such a tool if it did not already exist.

http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/# ... e4c8d8a168