deskthority

I'm very sorry but I really don't understand, do you even use HID bluetooth profile?

No, I don't use bluetooth at all. At least not in the strict sense of the bluetooth standard. People often confuse bluetooth with any wireless device, but there is a difference. Every bluetooth device is wireless ...

Thanks for the info. It's very interesting. The only downside is that the backlighting adds to the price. I will definitely consider this one.

Thanks again!

I've been using SteelSeries keyboards for years, but recently I realized I need a more portable board. So I would like a little help from you guys to help with my search. These are my requirements:

Must have:

- Tenkeyless - with a standard cursor section
- Low profile - I have CTS, and tall ...

The best way to check for broken traces is to use a multimeter with continuity check.

If you don't have one, check if the blob of solder that the switch is soldered with, moves when you wiggle the switch a little. If you can see it move, it means the trace is broken.

But I don't think this is a ...

Just for laughs and because I want to see how the circuit behaves when the batteries are drained, I am now powering the controller from a CR2032 lithium coin cell. I wonder how long it will last. If it lasts more than a month, I will make another controller revision an add a CR2032 battery holder ...

Yes, it seems like it would be possible, but it would require a whole lot of work. Too much to be worth it, really.

Soldering those Seeed studio modules would be a very painful process. Pad pitch is 1.27mm, and from the pictures it looks like there are no pin holes, only flat pads. And they don't have the edges of the PCB plated so that you can solder the contact to the edge. And they cost $17 + shipping.

There ...

Any news on the delivery of the clear case switches? The estimate still says 09/2014, but I don't think that's accurate any more.

I'm also waiting for tech info about the case before I start designing my PCB. Sadly, SMD LED is not specific enough. There are many sizes and types of SMD LEDs... Wait & see, I guess

I don't know about PJE's board, but I think I have at least 5 blank PCBs left at home.

So kile wants to pass the Tour

Yes, I was forced to bail out of the tour because of things which were not in my control. Shipping to me at the moment would be problematic, and I also have problems with carpal tunnel syndrome which would mean I could not try the keyboard properly.

Sorry for the ...

It seems to be OK. The common way to connect VCC and GND to the schematic, or at least the way I do it is this:

kicadshot.png

But it should be OK the way you did it, too.

I suggest that you post the project files again when you have imported the netlist into the PCB and placed the components. I ...

The biggest reason is that nRF51822 is a mega-overkill for a keyboard. It's a 32bit ARM microcontroller, with 128KB or 256KB of flash and 16KB of RAM. My first two personal computers were less powerful than that MCU.

And with great power comes great responsibility :mrgreen: Writing firmwares for ...

matt3o wrote:teensy (I wanted to experiment with teensy 3 actually)

Are there any example keyboard firmwares for Teensy 3? I'd love too take a peek I've been wanting to get into ARM MCUs for a while, and it would be great if there's something usable to start with.

Have you ever lost a tooth over a keyboard?

Ah, I get it now, thanks. That would be a tall order to wire by hand, all right! And it requires a close attention to detail for a PCB design, too.

Yes, hand wiring is out of the question. But I don't think designing a PCB would be that difficult. You can draw the schematic in blocks with net ...

Here's an example:
charlieplex.png
The scanning goes like this: the MCU drives P0 high and configures P1 and P2 as inputs and with pull-downs. If SW1 is closed (key is pressed) P1 will be read as high by the MCU, and if SW3 is closed P2 will be read as high.

Then P0 is driven low, and P1 and P2 ...

Very impressive work kile! I'd love to try a wireless version of the OneHand...

Thank you. :) I think I'll start putting kits together during the weekend and I'm now taking orders.

Now, about those layers…!

Yes, that's certainly the next step.

Btw, I've just had an idea :evilgeek: These ...

The keyboard's put to sleep between matrix scans. So, the MCU will scan the matrix, then go to sleep in a loop. At first, the duration of the sleep is 6ms, but it will increase if no keys are pressed for some time. These times are configured in a "sleep schedule" list. Every member of this list ...

I've received the μCurrent and did the power optimizations I planned to do. So, now the MCU really draws about 4μA in sleep mode just like the datasheet claims. (technically, this sleep mode is called Register retention mode in the datasheet), I'm glad I actually waited for the μCurrent. When I ...

That's much better. Have you done a DRC (design rule check)? That might bring out a few potential problems.

It looks Ok to me.

I've never had a Teensy, so I can't be sure, but it looks Ok to me. Check out the OneHand thread, PJE mounts his Teensy in a similar way.

I would make the traces thicker. 0.016" is my favourite. Try to get the traces as far away from on another as possible. If there's space, try move the traces so ...

How's the wireless data transmission working out? Any data on battery life yet?

Wireless transmission's been working good for a while. I don't do frequency hopping or anything fancy like that. I just set it to a channel away from the WiFi range, and it seems to work just fine.

I still didn't ...

Rather smart. But you're going to want to so something about those loose wires, Mr. 2.4 GHz!

Yeah, I know. A wireless keyboard with wires sticking out of it :roll:

Anyway:

IMG_2357.jpg
IMG_2359.jpg
Happy now? :D

The white/blue wire will have to stay. That's the LED power cable, and I don ...

I had a prototype case made. I'm really happy with how it turned out. It's MDF and not real wood, but it's good enough for a prototype. I messed up a few spots for about 1mm, but overall - YESSSS!!!

I'm reluctant to try this... I'm really curious and I'm afraid I might like it, in which case I will have to buy one. But that price...

Oh, what the hell... sign me up.

Thank you!

Actually, I think this is possible with the small nRF24LE1 board I used for the PJE's OneHand wireless. It looks like the nRF board is just large enough to fit between the two rows of pins for the Teensy. So it should be possible to make a PCB that will plug into the place for the Teensy and accept ...

Now back to porting a 25,000 line industrial application over to a new graphics platform!

Do you use the OneHand for typing code at work? If you do, how long did it take you to get used to it?
I'm thinking about making a smaller board (TKL or less) with a custom layout and try to actually do my ...

As with anything, projects are the easiest way to justify buying tools you don't really need... :)

Some of the surface mount crystals and smaller CPU packages are difficult to hand solder. Also, my old temperature controlled iron bit the dust so I'm looking at the $65 dual hot air and iron combo ...

Wonder how much a "starter pack" would cost of all the appropriate bits (besides caps, stabs, LEDs and switches) as bundling saves on international postage…

Ok, the starter kit (prices in EUR):
nRFBurn programmer (special DT community price) 11.00
OneHand Wireless PCB 3.00
LED powering USB ...