Workshop, Threads Of Interest

[matt3o]

This is my attempt at indexing the most interesting and inspirational threads in the workshop. It's hard to catch all the amazing things that are happening in this section and it's frustrating when you can't find back that great post you read 2 months ago. I hope this thread could help you out. It's not extensive and still a work in progress, but a good starting point I thing.

Rules to end up here:
- the post has some educational or inspirational value
- it must be a completed project/tutorial/thing , no work in progress
- no e-penis posts, the project must be good for the community not for the poster
- no or very little broken images
- the project must reside here on deskthority (no link to other forums/websites)

Help me finding the small gems around, if this could be pinned it would be great, or make me forum master for one day and I'll do it myself. Or well otherwise just bookmark this page.

Custom Keyboards

• BrownFox step by step, step by step tutorial to custom hand-wired keyboards
• Building a custom keyboard from the ground up, introduction to custom keyboard building
• HHFox (aka: DIY PCB), home made PCB
• MeC64 Keyboard, MeC64 is a mechanical replacement keyboard for the Commodore 64
• Tutorial - Rebuilding And Designing Thinkpad Keyboard, another hand wired custom keyboard
• OneHand - 20% Keyboard, tiny one hand keyboard
• THKB - Tiny Hacking Keyboard - 40%, a really small custom keyboard

Keyboard Modifications/Restorations

• Cherry G80-1501 SSK (in progress), converting a Cherry G80-1501 into a tenkeyless keyboard
• Filco Majestouch height chop, modding a Filco case
• HHKB Pro JP - Variable force & Silencing mods, HHKB Pro JP modding, interesting to see a topre keyboard internals
• ISO to ANSI?, convert a ANSI keyboard to ISO
• MOD - use a MX-Lock as Caps lock switch., mod to a Pure keyboard
• Mrinterface Tutorial #4 : From Dell AT101W to Matias!, how to replace old ALPS switches with new Matias' ones.
• The Apple M0110 Today, hand wired M0110 with teensy controller
• XT/AT/PS2/Terminal to USB Converter with NKRO, Teensy-based project which adapts XT, AT and some 122 key terminal keyboards to USB
• Experimental Keyboard: Variable Force Cherry MX Blue, modded Deck 82-key keyboard to use variable-force Cherry MX blue
• Restoring my first SSK, inside a SSK
• Beamspring USB controller, converting a beamspring boards 5251 to USB

Keycaps

• Dyeing PBT caps with Dylon: some experiments and Dylon dyeing of PBT caps; more experiments, coloring PBT caps at home
• Hardware dvorak HHKB, replace HHKB controller
• Experiments in making keycaps at home, fun project well documented

Software

• How to build your very own keyboard firmware, how to customize Hasu's firmware
• Soarer's Keyboard Controller firmware, firmware for custom keyboards
• TMK keyboard firmware collection, Hasu's famous firmware for Teensies

Misc Guides/Howtos

• I did a guide of how to open Cherry switches..., various techniques for opening mounted cherry switches
• Retr0bright, remove yellowing from old keyboards
• Custom Trackball, DIY trackball
• Reversing a keyboard matrix, how to reverse engineer a keyboard matrix
• How to repair a model m membrane

Inspiration/Discussion/Reference material

• Teensy 2.0 alternatives, ATmega32U4, ditto
• My DIY keyboard collection ( or how I became a KB-geek...), impressive collection of ergonomic DIY keyboards
• Toaster SMD re-flow oven, soldering SMD components at home

[matt3o]

Added:

• Experimental Keyboard: Variable Force Cherry MX Blue, modded Deck 82-key keyboard to use variable-force Cherry MX blue
• Reversing a keyboard matrix, how to reverse engineer a keyboard matrix

[matt3o]

Added:

• Cherry G80-1501 SSK (in progress), converting a Cherry G80-1501 into a tenkeyless keyboard
• Dyeing PBT caps with Dylon: some experiments and Dylon dyeing of PBT caps; more experiments, coloring PBT caps at home
• Experiments in making keycaps at home, fun project well documented
• MeC64 Keyboard, MeC64 is a mechanical replacement keyboard for the Commodore 64
• The Apple M0110 Today, hand wired M0110 with teensy controller

[theGagne]

This post has been very inspirational to me:
http://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/my-d ... t2534.html

[matt3o]

Thanks! I thought nobody cared about this thread.

Added

• My DIY keyboard collection ( or how I became a KB-geek...), impressive collection of ergonomic DIY keyboards

[scottc]

Thanks! I thought nobody cared about this thread.

Oh no, definitely not! I've found it very useful and often refer to it when looking for other DIY threads, I just didn't have more URLs to contribute to the thread than you'd already found. Thanks matt3o!

[Broadmonkey]

This should be sticky!

[mtl]

This threads of interest is definitely of interest.

[HzFaq]

This threads of interest is definitely of interest.

This, inspirational juices are flowing all over the place over here.

[scottc]

This should be sticky!

+1 to this.

Edit: One small thing that I'd change -
"XT/AT/PS2/Terminal to USB Converter with NKRO, Teensy-based project which adapts XT, AT and some 122 key terminal keyboards to USB"
Maybe you could make reference the name "Soarer's Converter" here. It seems as if the project is a lot more well-known under that name, and it makes it a lot easier to find.

[Muirium]

Works for me. Best of Deskthority material.

[matt3o]

Added

• I did a guide of how to open Cherry switches..., various techniques for opening mounted cherry switches

[cookie]

Sticky plz!

[matt3o]

I need to put some rationale in that list... and keep post suggestions.

[matt3o]

Added Tutorial - Rebuilding And Designing Thinkpad Keyboard

[nourathar]

What is the reason xwhatsit's beamspring usb controller is not in this list ?
I would say it certainly fits all of your rules !

[Muirium]

Even robots make mistakes…

I'm hoping Xwhatsit's Model F controller succeeds and can also make the list.

[matt3o]

Make a suggestion and I'll add your link, I can't follow 100% of what is happening around here.

[nourathar]

ok, ofcourse, fair enough, I suggest to add this project:

http://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/beam ... t6044.html

[matt3o]

I took the time to categorize the links and added the followings:

• THKB - Tiny Hacking Keyboard - 40%, a really small custom keyboard
• Beamspring USB controller, converting a beamspring boards 5251 to USB

please let me know if I missed something

[idollar]

Hi,

May you help me to " market" of my thread i$k potential project http://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/i-k- ... t8995.html ?

Cheers

[Muirium]

Once it becomes a little bit more note worthy, it could always earn a place here. But it's early days yet. Seems a fine project, but this thread is a bit of a Hall of Fame, rather than a promotional spot.

[matt3o]

Once it becomes a little bit more note worthy, it could always earn a place here. But it's early days yet. Seems a fine project, but this thread is a bit of a Hall of Fame, rather than a promotional spot.

agreed

[matt3o]

added How to repair a model m membrane

[araif]

isn't this material/links better suited for a wiki? or maybe you should modify your first post (and add dates?), in this way it is easiest to read.

[Halvar]

Matt3o is modifying his first post.

Are you offering to transfer the know-how from the threads to the wiki? I'm sure that would be most welcome...

[araif]

damn, I've fallen for the trap!
Looking at the wiki I saw that the topics are a bit sparse in the sense of how this post groups them, it would be convenient not to split them and create a new category or put them where they belong in the wiki if not already there?

[matt3o]

they have better visibility on the forum

[Muirium]

Yup.

And as Halvar says, if you can imagine better, go make it yourself in the wiki. A finished solution is the best possible way to give feedback!

[JohnVenture]

I didn't know where to post this, I thought this might be of interest to builders: there's a kickstarter campaign for a circuit-board prototypes printing machine. It uses silver ink and can solder - but not drill holes: 1200$

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vo ... f=category