AEK mini - Wireless 60-percent Alps

[YALE70]

Not much of a build log but I just wanted to show off the very first custom keyboard I've ever made.

I had a random desire for a wireless, office friendly 60-percent Alps SKCM keyboard and after stumbling upon the Alps variant of 4pplet's cyber60 PCB (ZMK with Bluetooth), I figured it was feasible enough to take a stab at it myself.

For the donor board, I selected an AEK II since it was a cheap way to get a mounting plate, stabilizers, keycaps and switches in one go. But for me, the switches were the real driving reason since they were dampened tactile SKCM Ivory. I hoped they would quiet this thing down enough to where it wouldn't piss off my co-workers.

It also gave me an idea on how I wanted the case to look. I did not want to make yet another non-descript 60-percent slab, so I looked at the AEK II case and thought "why not this, but smaller?"

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Turns out someone already beat me to the punch making a tray mount 60-percent AEK II clone. The design from skatardude10 on Thingiverse was absolutely perfect down to the last detail - but it was still too big for my needs, nor did it have space for a battery. I trimmed down the sides and back, removed the support ribs, adjusted the depth of the tray to clear the cyber60's passives, and added a wide indentation that should support flat LiPos up to 6mm thick. I used a 605080 LiPo with the cyber60's optional JST PH connector.

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My printer isn't that big so I had to slice the case down the middle and add pegs to aid with assembly. I glued the two halves, sanded, used glazing putty to fill in the gaps, and sanded again. I then filler primed it, used a charcoal gray color coat... and then the nozzle on my brand new can of semi-gloss clear coat snapped off so I just left it unsealed for the time being.

I hand cut the mounting plate using a Dremel and a cutoff wheel, which was a PITA but it got the job done well enough. The plate was pretty rusty so I stripped it down with a wire wheel and repainted it to match the case. Also, since my cuts intersected the holes for the space bar's stabilizer clips; I had to glue those in place and trim them back slightly so the finished assembly would still fit.

And the finished product...

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For my first time doing something like this, I kept my expectations pretty low - but it turned out better than I was expecting. Not perfect mind you; the finish could be better, I still need to lube the switches and I kind of wish I used a higher infill percentage on the case because it's not quite as solid feeling as I would've liked.

But in terms of looks and feel? Pretty darned happy with it. The switches are typical, hefty tactile Alps but I find they aren't much louder than something like a Type-S HHKB, which is right about perfect for me. And the PCB is just the icing on the cake: it does everything I was hoping it would regarding wireless operation and customization.

I published the case design if any of you guys are interested in making one for yourself:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:7335133