Phantom Custom Keyboard Group Buy (CLOSED)

[maoiste]

For those who don't visit geekhack, there is already some work beeing done on the firmware:
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=26742.0

The results can be found on:

https://github.com/BathroomEpiphanies/AVR-Keyboard

https://github.com/Tranquilite0/Teensy-Keyboard

There is also the firmware from dox that has alot of nice features already implemented like layers, mousekeys and nkro. If someone wants to look into his git to get some inspiration:

https://github.com/doxkb/tmk_keyboard

[damorgue]

• Media keys and others, the available inputs are very limited atm
• NKRO over USB
• BIOS compatibility support
• Reset via key combo instead of hitting the switch on teensy physically
• layers, lots of layers
• Aikon-like remapping client
• possibly .hex level compatibility with Dox and Ergo Dox so we can share tools and features

Remapping client is being made by alaricljs at GH
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=35322.msg657282

I also added media keys to the list.

[webwit]

Can someone add those links to the Phantom wiki article here?

[bpiphany]

BTW, there are QR codes etched into the circuit board, all covered by black solder mask... Very hard to read. Want to disclose what they are for? ;)

Nope ;D

Wohoo, I finally got mine =D They really are black! And yes, the QR codes are pretty well hidden. A flatbed scanner and some image processing should make them readable I suppose. QR codes contain a lot of redundancy, Reed-Solomon magic FTW. Remember, open source tools is the key to all problems.

For those who don't visit geekhack, there is already some work beeing done on the firmware:
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=26742.0

The results can be found on:

https://github.com/BathroomEpiphanies/AVR-Keyboard

https://github.com/Tranquilite0/Teensy-Keyboard

There is also the firmware from dox that has alot of nice features already implemented like layers, mousekeys and nkro. If someone wants to look into his git to get some inspiration:

https://github.com/doxkb/tmk_keyboard

I would suggest my new, more general, better organized https://github.com/BathroomEpiphanies/AVR-Keyboard instead. Software reboot was quick to add.

Tranquilite0 is probably going to be doing more features than I though.

[litster]

the firmware links have been added to the wiki http://deskthority.net/wiki/Phantom_instruction_guide

IMO it is best to have just one source tree to incorporate all features in one place.

[fruktstund]

To all you Swedes: do you know if there's any good laser/water cutting companies somewhere in this country that could cut me a Phantom plate? There's probably some place in my town that could do it, but I know nothing about cutting aluminium whatsoever.

(The easiest would just be if I could find a ANSI150 plate somewhere, but that doesn't seem to be possible.)

[Swede]

Any watercutter/lasercutter can make this part. But since it's only one part, quite complex and you're not a company, prices go up fast, unless you have connections. (I don't have any, payed 2000sek for my prototype parts)

Buy one if you can get one, will save you quite a lot of money!

[fruktstund]

I had a feeling it could become expensive. One could say I'm a company though, but in my case it wouldn't really make it any cheaper.

I guess I'll just have to start trying to buy someone else's.

[damorgue]

Any watercutter/lasercutter can make this part.

Not true. Most if not all laser cutters can. I have never heard of a water jet exact enough for this however.

But yes, the price is quite high for single plates. One of my better offers was at 20pcs in stainless steel where they would be approx 45$ each.

[phetto]

Hoping for a deep thread on swec with photos etc

[Findecanor]

You mean that we should impress the kids over on SweClockers?

[bpiphany]

Any watercutter/lasercutter can make this part.

Not true. Most if not all laser cutters can. I have never heard of a water jet exact enough for this however.

But yes, the price is quite high for single plates. One of my better offers was at 20pcs in stainless steel where they would be approx 45$ each.

I had plates for my symmetric keyboard cut at PÅ Vattenskärning in Vallentuna. Their narrowest jet was 0.8 mm wide, which is a bit larger radius than the Cherry datasheet specifies. All Cherry parts went in just fine though. The Costar stabilizers needed some convincing.

[Swede]

Hmm, got my lubrication for the costar stabilators. Still not working as it should.

So I checked the difference between my filco costars and the ones I recieved. The Filco is 8mm wide. Mine is 6.5mm..

Is it a matter of breaking them in? If so I have to lift all my keys with stabilators after pressing them down, that's a bit tedious...

[litster]

This may help:

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=267 ... #msg648008

[gimpster]

+1 to what litster said. When I installed my Costar mounts, they needed to be forced into place a little bit. I posted this above as well but I'll summarize here. There are 2 notches on the clip, one of them is designed as a sort of "spring", start with this one. Seat it fully, then push the stabilizer in until the second one appears to be seated. Once you have that, then put your finger on the underside of the Costar stabilizer and push up gently, you should hear it *snap* into place. After that you should be able to push on it with a fair amount of force without it coming out. If it pops out, then you know you didn't seat it properly.

[Half-Saint]

Just got the board and I'm confused. I only got the stabilizer wires but no stabilizers. I thought that we were ordering both.

Can I use Cherry stabilizers and Costar wires? Why is it neccessary to file the stabilizer holes and are there any instructions? I though the plate was designed with those in mind so we didn't have to mod the plate.

[dirge]

i dont think you need to file the plate, that was just litsters beta plate.

I`m still waiting for wasd costars to arrive. You can use cherry but if you change your mind you`ll need to desolder the lot.

[Half-Saint]

Does anyone know, if we can use Cherry G81 stabilizers?

[dirge]

http://deskthority.net/wiki/Cherry_MY

The stabilizers are different for MX and MY switches. On MY switches, the stabilizer bar is attached to the switch and the keycap, while MX each switch has a pair of individual stabilizer mounts.
On more recent boards, made after 2001, all keys with stabilizers, including the space bar, Enter, Backspace, numpad-Enter etc. are therefore normally not compatible with Cherry MX switches.
A stabilized MY keycaps has legs. It will not even mount onto a MX switch if there is a mounting plate or stabilizer mounts are present. However, in the very rare case that a wide MX key is PCB-mounted and does not have any stabilizer mount then the legs on the keycap could provide more stability when bottoming out.

[Half-Saint]

OK, stupid idea, never mind

[telge]

6. It is *very* important that all diodes are soldered in the same direction, or your keyboard's matrix would be broken. There is a black band on every diode. Orient the diode so that the black band on the diode is closer to the square soldering pad on the PCB. Most diode soldering pads have the square pads below the round pads. VERY IMPORTANT, for some switch locations, the square soldering pad is above the round pads. Pay attention!

I am confused, can someone clarify for a stupid enthusiast? I see the black band on the diodes, but I do not understand what way to have them, upwards or downwards? Thanks in advance!

(Do not know what the "square soldering pad on the PCB" is...)

[litster]

See attached pictures for the orange high-lighted diode location examples. You see a square pad and a round pad. The black band on the diode should be on the square pad side.

phantomPCB_HightlightedSmall-diode_locations.jpg (868.13 KiB) Viewed 5678 times

[telge]

ah, now I got it!
Thanks a lot litster!

[Half-Saint]

Well.. time estimates on the instructions page are really off at least as far as the diodes are concerned. The author didn't take into account the fact that you have to prep all the diodes before you can insert them (bending the legs at a 90 degree angle) and that you have to cut off the diode legs. Unless you're a robot, all of this takes time. Took me nearly 2 hours to do 70 diodes! I reckon I'm gonna need another 30 minutes for the rest and I'm far from being a noob at soldering.

[litster]

haha, I thought my estimate was too high. I can do it at least at half the time. I padded the numbers already in case people are slower than me.

What I do is, I hold a diode with two fingers in one hand, and use two fingers with the other hand to bend the legs 90 degrees at the same time (it doesn't have to precise), and then insert them to the holes. I can do 8 to 10 a minute at a leisurely pace.

I recommend people to trim the legs first before soldering to minimize solder fracture. But I actually solder first then trim the legs later. Also, it helps if you have two pieces of something to lift the PCB off your work surface so you can insert the legs into the PCB without the legs pushing up the PCB away from your work surface.

[agor]

Which type of Diodes are to be used? Cannot find in instructions, how many Volts and Amperes, which Construction Type?

[litster]

Diodes:
Mouser: http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDet ... y78-1N4148
digikey: http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/e ... -ND/458603

[Half-Saint]

haha, I thought my estimate was too high. I can do it at least at half the time. I padded the numbers already in case people are slower than me.

What I do is, I hold a diode with two fingers in one hand, and use two fingers with the other hand to bend the legs 90 degrees at the same time (it doesn't have to precise), and then insert them to the holes. I can do 8 to 10 a minute at a leisurely pace.

You can insert & solder all the diodes in 30 minutes? I'm sorry but I find that hard to believe. Even if you do shave a few seconds off the total by bending both legs at the same time, you'd have to be a robot.

I bend each leg individualy with the held of an exacto knife so that the angle is really 90 degrees and not just an ugly curve which I have to push through the PCB so that it fits. Still takes me about 5 seconds per diode plus the time needed to actually pick one up and place back on the table

I'll use a stopwatch to see how much time I spend on the rest of the diodes and get back to you.

EDIT:
Just finished - took me 15 minutes to prep, solder and trim some 25 diodes. I tried your approach of bending both pins at the same time. While it's much faster, I sometimes found it harder to insert the diode due to the large bends that you create. All in all, maybe I didn't look at the clock quite right last night

[bpiphany]

I hold the diode between the thick part of my tweezers and simply bend both leads at the same time. Imagine one of these http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZsuJTxYX_Q Well I guess SMD is the future anyway...

The danger in cutting the leads after soldering may be exaggerated, but it is at least a good idea to use a flush cutting cutter, and to be a bit careful not to pull the lead while cutting. And never cut more than one lead at a time.

[Half-Saint]

I hold the diode between the thick part of my tweezers and simply bend both leads at the same time. Imagine one of these http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZsuJTxYX_Q Well I guess SMD is the future anyway...

The danger in cutting the leads after soldering may be exaggerated, but it is at least a good idea to use a flush cutting cutter, and to be a bit careful not to pull the lead while cutting. And never cut more than one lead at a time.

Good idea! I have to try that one. The machine is a bit of an overkill

I always trim the legs after soldering and never had a problem. I use a special cutting tool that lets me cut as close to the PCB as possible and makes a straight cut.