HyperMicro Development

[ne0phyte]

I'd be really interested to test your PCB as well

[snoopy]

The requirements are:
Build the keyboard and test if everything works as intended, ie all solder-points are connected and everything fits etc.

If this is the requirement... I have a lot of free time at weekends

[7bit]

Current ranking:

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  31|Muirium
  81|snoopy
 160|HzFaq
 202|sth
 552|suka
1200|ne0phyte

Just have to decide how many people will become testers ...

[sth]

Code: Select all

 420|sth

[suka]

Count me interested in a prototype:
* spare switches √
* free time √
* firmware experience √
* need nice macross board √
* will design case √

[Muirium]

Show off!

Oh yeah, who's working on the firmware for this thing?

[7bit]

The keyboard should be easy, but does someone have experience with the mouse part?

[HzFaq]

Hasu's firmware has trackpoint support IIRC.

edit - Oh, and suka knows his way around a trackpoint as well .

[Muirium]

Over USB?

I recall PS/2 mouse support. But my coding is atrocious. I'm likely just to use Soarer's Controller out of the box. Especially as I don't have mouse buttons to fit.

Edit to answer edit: Suka was the reason I mentioned this. Hopefully he has something in mind already, which will handle the track point too.

[7bit]

Hasu's firmware has trackpoint support IIRC.

edit - Oh, and suka knows his way around a trackpoint as well .

Does his firmware send signals for mouse and keyboard from one and the same Teensy-controller?


How to build your very own keyboard firmware

[matt3o]

if you still need testers, here I am, if you send me the PCB source I can even try to CNC it myself.

Hasu's firmware has trackpoint support IIRC.

edit - Oh, and suka knows his way around a trackpoint as well .

Does his firmware send signals for mouse and keyboard from one and the same Teensy-controller?

yes it supports both mouse and keyboard HID

PS: I know that tutorial if you need help with the software I can work on that too

[7bit]

I've put it there, so I find it easier.

So in fact I can use just one Teensy 2.0 and have mouse and keyboard in one?

Spoiler:

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  31|Muirium
  72|matt3o
  81|snoopy
 160|HzFaq
 202|sth
 552|suka
1200|ne0phyte

[matt3o]

So in fact I can use just one Teensy++ and have mouse and keyboard in one?

if you have enough pins, sure. I don't know what the wheel and trackpoiint output though. Do they have their own controller? (eg: for acceleration etc)

[7bit]

For the HyperMicro, there should be enough pins. Trackpoint would go separate, or would at least be soldered directly to the controller, because there are no tracks for it on the PCB. Mouse buttons and in case of the qHack a scroll-wheel are supported.

I always thought that we would need 2 controllers, nice to know it works with one.

[suka]

All you need is two pins for clock and data on the teensy to connect a PS/2 trackpoint, and optionally a reset one. Note that depending on the PS/2 implementation on the teensy the first two must be on pins that can have interrupts hooked up, but I'd have to check.

In any case, hooking up trackpoint, scrollwheel and/or extra physical mouse buttons to a HID mouse descriptor is rather simple.

[7bit]

Is it possible to make the mouse buttons part of the keyboard matrix?


This would ease things up hugely, becuase the matrix for the bottom row has enough spare-columns.


Please answer quick, so I can re-design the PCB!

[suka]

Sure, any button in the matrix works - just a matter of mapping their state to a mouse button in software, so if they fit in your matrix that is easiest

[7bit]

I don't mean to redesign the controller software, but the PCB.


Currently I have two different matrices on the PCB with 2 controllers, not only one is necessary and also only one matrix, so in fact not one extra pad is needed, that would have reduced the number of LEDs the controller can handle.

Thanks!

[mtl]

If you are using an IBM TrackPoint module, the buttons can wire up to the TP (instead of the kbd matrix), which will encode their state into the PS/2 mouse data that is passed to the keyboard controller via the data and clock lines suka mentioned.

[Muirium]

So we're talking about using a Teensy 2 to simultaneously decode PS/2 mouse data (from a salvaged TrackPoint module) and scan the keyboard matrix? Hope you didn't hook up more than a handful of LEDs for it to keep track of too!

[suka]

If you are using an IBM TrackPoint module, the buttons wire up to the TP (not the kbd matrix), which encodes them in the PS/2 mouse data that is passed to the keyboard controller via the data and clock lines suka mentioned.

That is of course another option, but requires 3 more wires to the trackpoint. And it makes reusing the buttons for anything else but mouse features harder to implement (moar thumb buttons anyone ? )

I'd agree with 7bit here that if the bottom row is currently populated sparse enough to hold the extra columns that would be the most beneficial solution, both hard- and softwarewise

[mtl]

Good point, that would give more flexibility and extra keys to non-TrackPoint keyboards. If needed you could have the firmware merge in the PS/2 button state to use TP features like press-to-select.

[skrsh3r]

one question, why don't you integrate teensy as onboard controller it's cheaper like that and takes a lot less space, you can get chips pre-programmed with halfkey bootloader for 8 dollars, and here's the schematic for it http://www.pjrc.com/teensy/schematic.html

[7bit]

I don't like it because if something goes wrong, the whole keyboard is trash and the switches and diodes must all be desoldered to be put on a new PCB.


The PCBs and switches might last forever, but the controller I'm not so sure. If it fails, just solder a new controller in.


BTW: I ordered 10 prototype PCBs. 2 are sold and 3 are reserved for testing. If you want to get a prototype PCB, only 5 are left!


To get one, you must send this to CherryMX:
HYPER/MICRO/PT 5
your e-mail address
ADDRESS
your shipping address


They will be available in 2-3 weeks.

[Muirium]

Hmm?

http://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/hype ... ml#p178496

[7bit]

The PCB-testers are:
matt3o
suka
Muirium

[aaron]

Also interested for the prototyping process:
* Can solder the PCB myself (SMD)
* Have done a lot of AVR related programming
* Studied Software Engineering, located in Germany

[Muirium]

Pro tip: increase your post count by grumbling about how I always remember to invite myself to a party.

Also: thanks!

[suka]

The PCB-testers are:
matt3o
suka
Muirium

Yay! Let me know what you're getting for the PCB, so I can finally remember to balance my account with you

[Muirium]

Is there SMD soldering required, by the way? And if so what's the fee for you to do it for us?