2023-06-08 (Th) KeyBoardolier Main keypads assembled

Moving the keyboard was tense because all the electronics were exposed, and the PCBs were dangling. I thought I would throw the case together to be safe and figured it would be quick, but I discovered a few things I disliked about my design. The biggest issue was that my IO expander and keyswitches were mounted on different plates. I could not fasten the PCB while the halves were separated, and I could not access it while the plates were sandwiched together. For now, the board is loose.

The microcontroller had a similar issue, but I needed that fastened, so I removed nine acorn nuts and three flanged bolts, then carefully opened the cover. It took an hour to connect four M2 bolts holding the controller steady and replace the frame hardware.

I added an 18650 rechargeable battery and wired it through the power switch. I was nervous about sealing it up without testing the battery because it would take another hour to swap it out, but I closed up the case and tried charging. It may not reach full capacity, but the first test showed the battery still had some life.

I installed some teal/rose keycaps I ordered for this project. They have legends on the sides instead of the top, so they are easy to read while the keyboard hangs at my waist, and they look blank from the front for a clean aesthetic.
Assembled keyboard

The rest of the posts for this project have been arranged by date.
First time here?

Completed projects from year 1
Completed projects from year 2
Completed projects from year 3
Completed projects from year 4
Completed projects from year 5
Completed projects from year 6
Completed projects from year 7
Completed projects from year 8

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2023-06-07

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