What CHEAP controller should I use for my handwired Zenith ZKB-7?

green-squid · 28 Mar 2018, 18:44

mike52787 wrote:
green-squid wrote: Is this how you do a matrix?
No, not at all

Thank you! You don't seem very happy with my beginerness, sorry dawg, still learning stuff!

mike52787 · 28 Mar 2018, 18:46

green-squid wrote:
mike52787 wrote:
green-squid wrote: My budget is $2.
Come on man... there has to be a way for you to make money.
There is. and that is selling keyboards for me. I was alerted of an AMAZING deal of 85 Alps SKCL/M yellow (or cream? Hopefully yellow) switches for $23 yesterday in the evening and I jumped on it! But now, I only have $2 left (all my money in that account was made selling keyboard related stuff, and I spent it on the Dell model M and these switches).

I may be able to tell my dad to be able to buy a Teensy++, hopefully. I'll ask him.

Also, FUCK! I'm desoldering the diodes and one of them Snapped in half when I was removing it God damn it. I thought I was gonna be able to desolder all of these little fuckers to use in that handwiring, but NO.

reselling keyboards is a good way to make money, that is how I built my collection and paid for all of my electronics/other hobbies. Great for people our age to make a few bucks.

mike52787 · 28 Mar 2018, 18:50

green-squid wrote:
mike52787 wrote:
green-squid wrote: Is this how you do a matrix?
No, not at all
Thank you! You don't seem very happy with my beginerness, sorry dawg, still learning stuff!

Its not that I'm unhappy, I want to help you. I have handwired a few boards myself with good success. I remember when I was in your place, doing my first hand wired board, and I dont want to see others make the same mistakes I did. I'm here to help if you want me to.

green-squid · 28 Mar 2018, 18:52

A-ha! I think it's easier now with closely looking at the images. I hope I don't get too lost because I won't be using ribbon connectors or anything like that.
I will use cabling off the cables from an ATX power supply (thinker than the teeny tiny wires others use)

God bless Deskthority and the users

Myoth · 28 Mar 2018, 18:53

green-squid wrote: There is. and that is selling keyboards for me.

I'm sure you would have sold your complete Zenith with the SKCL Green for more than you'll be able to resell your handwire job with SKCL Yellow ....

I know you told me that you needed the money to uy your M but why didn't you sell the whole keyboard ?

mike52787 · 28 Mar 2018, 18:56

green-squid wrote: A-ha! I think it's easier now with closely looking at the images. I hope I don't get too lost because I won't be using ribbon connectors or anything like that.
I will use cabling off the cables from an ATX power supply (thinker than the teeny tiny wires others use)

God bless Deskthority and the users

wow, power supply wire, that's hardcore as fuck, but probably incredibly hard to work with
since you have access to power supplies, I am sure you have access to other ancient computer parts. I suggest you use wire from ribbon cables such as ide/floppy cables. That will make it much easier than trying to deal with that giant ass wire.

green-squid · 28 Mar 2018, 18:57

Myoth wrote:
green-squid wrote: There is. and that is selling keyboards for me.
I'm sure you would have sold your complete Zenith with the SKCL Green for more than you'll be able to resell your handwire job with SKCL Yellow ....

I know you told me that you needed the money to buy your M but why didn't you sell the whole keyboard ?

For the record, won't resell this keyboard if I end up liking the end result. I probably will like it!

I didn't want to get rid of a chassis like this because I really like(d) it and I know these cost a fortune, and if you got rid of it and want something like that, tough luck!

green-squid · 28 Mar 2018, 19:01

mike52787 wrote:
green-squid wrote: A-ha! I think it's easier now with closely looking at the images. I hope I don't get too lost because I won't be using ribbon connectors or anything like that.
I will use cabling off the cables from an ATX power supply (thinker than the teeny tiny wires others use)

God bless Deskthority and the users
wow, power supply wire, that's hardcore as fuck, but probably incredibly hard to work with
since you have access to power supplies, I am sure you have access to other ancient computer parts. I suggest you use wire from ribbon cables such as ide/floppy cables. That will make it much easier than trying to deal with that giant ass wire.

IDE wires are INCREDIBLY tiny and I would not be able to splice it correctly any way.

Also, if the pins on the teensy are the size of Alps pins, then the ATX wite will fit just fine, I checked

mike52787 · 28 Mar 2018, 19:02

green-squid wrote:
mike52787 wrote:
green-squid wrote: A-ha! I think it's easier now with closely looking at the images. I hope I don't get too lost because I won't be using ribbon connectors or anything like that.
I will use cabling off the cables from an ATX power supply (thinker than the teeny tiny wires others use)

God bless Deskthority and the users
wow, power supply wire, that's hardcore as fuck, but probably incredibly hard to work with
since you have access to power supplies, I am sure you have access to other ancient computer parts. I suggest you use wire from ribbon cables such as ide/floppy cables. That will make it much easier than trying to deal with that giant ass wire.
IDE wires are INCREDIBLY tiny and I would not be able to splice it correctly any way.

Also, if the pins on the teensy are the size of Alps pins, then the ATX wite will fit just fine, I checked

the pins on the teensy are very small, no way you would get stranded 14 or 16 gauge wire as used on power supplies into them

green-squid · 28 Mar 2018, 19:03

Though I actually have smaller wire, but I want to use up some of that ATX wire I've had in my cable bin for a long time.

mike52787 · 28 Mar 2018, 19:07

here's a shot of a teensy, keyboard for scale.

pro micros and clones are roughly the same size.

green-squid · 28 Mar 2018, 19:08

That's TIIINY! I actually found better cables now.

mike52787 · 28 Mar 2018, 19:10

green-squid wrote: That's TIIINY! I actually found better cables now.

oh, I also find using stranded wire to be much more difficult to use than solid wire. If you have access to old solid speaker wire (around 26-28 awg) I suggest you use it.

green-squid · 28 Mar 2018, 19:14

mike52787 wrote:
green-squid wrote: That's TIIINY! I actually found better cables now.
oh, I also find using stranded wire to be much more difficult to use than solid wire. If you have access to old solid speaker wire (around 26-28 awg) I suggest you use it.

The one I'll go with will work fine, Cable is just pieces of aluminium or copper in a rubber cover.

Also, I'm still incredibly mad that that diode broke in half, now I'm forced to buy new ones

mike52787 · 28 Mar 2018, 19:15

green-squid wrote:
mike52787 wrote:
green-squid wrote: That's TIIINY! I actually found better cables now.
oh, I also find using stranded wire to be much more difficult to use than solid wire. If you have access to old solid speaker wire (around 26-28 awg) I suggest you use it.
The one I'll go with will work fine, Cable is just pieces of aluminium or copper in a rubber cover.

Also, I'm still incredibly mad that that diode broke in half, now I'm forced to buy new ones

diodes are cheap... but on a shoestring budget like you are on I don't know what to say lol

green-squid · 28 Mar 2018, 19:20

I found another diode in my parts bin, but I don't know if it's the one I'll need. Looks exactly the same, but the zenith ones say 148 while the one I have says 142. Only 6 numbers of difference, should work fine, right?

Blaise170 · 28 Mar 2018, 19:24

What do the lines show? They are color coded.

mike52787 · 28 Mar 2018, 19:24

green-squid wrote: I found another diode in my parts bin, but I don't know if it's the one I'll need. Looks exactly the same, but the zenith ones say 148 while the one I have says 142. Only 6 numbers of difference, should work fine, right?

it should work fine.

mike52787 · 28 Mar 2018, 19:25

Blaise170 wrote: What do the lines show? They are color coded.

diodes... not resistors.

Blaise170 · 28 Mar 2018, 19:26

mike52787 wrote:
Blaise170 wrote: What do the lines show? They are color coded.
diodes... not resistors.

Oops.

green-squid · 28 Mar 2018, 19:27

mike52787 wrote:
green-squid wrote: I found another diode in my parts bin, but I don't know if it's the one I'll need. Looks exactly the same, but the zenith ones say 148 while the one I have says 142. Only 6 numbers of difference, should work fine, right?
it should work fine.

Cool! Also, on some of the diodes, a very tiny bit of the tiny glass housing came off (screwdriver) The inside looks intact.

mike52787 · 28 Mar 2018, 19:32

green-squid wrote:
mike52787 wrote:
green-squid wrote: I found another diode in my parts bin, but I don't know if it's the one I'll need. Looks exactly the same, but the zenith ones say 148 while the one I have says 142. Only 6 numbers of difference, should work fine, right?
it should work fine.
Cool! Also, on some of the diodes, a very tiny bit of the tiny glass housing came off (screwdriver) The inside looks intact.

when in doubt, replace it.

green-squid · 28 Mar 2018, 19:41

mike52787 wrote: when in doubt, replace it.

I think it'll be okay.

Also, I found these resistors in a beyond repair APC keyboard that say
41
48

What does that mean?

mike52787 · 28 Mar 2018, 20:00

green-squid wrote:
mike52787 wrote: when in doubt, replace it.
I think it'll be okay.

Also, I found these resistors in a beyond repair APC keyboard that say
41
48

What does that mean?

surely you mean diodes. 1n4148 is a common diode part number used in keyboards. im sure that is it.

green-squid · 28 Mar 2018, 20:01

mike52787 wrote:
green-squid wrote:
mike52787 wrote: when in doubt, replace it.
I think it'll be okay.

Also, I found these resistors in a beyond repair APC keyboard that say
41
48

What does that mean?
surely you mean diodes. 1n4148 is a common diode part number used in keyboards. im sure that is it.

ooh so it's the type I need! Awesome! God bless you mike, you are a hero

mike52787 · 28 Mar 2018, 20:27

green-squid wrote:
ooh so it's the type I need! Awesome! God bless you mike, you are a hero

no problem

samuelcable · 28 Mar 2018, 22:21

green-squid wrote: That's TIIINY! I actually found better cables now.

i guess you could call it... teensy

green-squid · 28 Mar 2018, 22:25

samuelcable wrote:
green-squid wrote: That's TIIINY! I actually found better cables now.
i guess you could call it... teensy

Haha

Findecanor · 29 Mar 2018, 01:18

Notes:
* Beware that some Arduino boards AVR µC and USB port are not capable of USB HID protocol but have instead a serial-to-USB hardwired to the µC. The first Arduino talked RS-232 I believe.
* This is a good page about different ways of reading a key matrix. http://www.openmusiclabs.com/learning/d ... -scanning/
It is for musical keyboards but computer keyboards work by the same principle.

green-squid · 29 Mar 2018, 08:15

Findecanor wrote: Notes:
* Beware that some Arduino boards AVR µC and USB port are not capable of USB HID protocol but have instead a serial-to-USB hardwired to the µC. The first Arduino talked RS-232 I believe.
* This is a good page about different ways of reading a key matrix. http://www.openmusiclabs.com/learning/d ... -scanning/
It is for musical keyboards but computer keyboards work by the same principle.

Thank you for the heads up! I will be going the teensy route though.