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

[green-squid]

So my latest project will be handwiring a Zenith XT layout board with Alps yellows (HOPEFULLY not cream) from Taobao and I'm thinking about what controller should I use that has enough pins. My budget is $2.

I found this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Pro-Micro- ... SwMl9aVzad

Will it work? Should I go with something else (this is my first project like this)

[Myoth]

well you'll be missing a usb port .... and I don't think you'll find one for $2 /:

[green-squid]

well you'll be missing a usb port .... and I don't think you'll find one for $2 /:

If I can solder a cable in, it doesn't matter.

[green-squid]

is it possible to solder one on??

[hansichen]

Take a real pro micro with usb connector and don't bother with such crap. It's only less than 2$ price difference and not worth the trouble. Keep in mind that a pro micro only has a limited amount of pins, this may cause problems on bigger boards.

[green-squid]

Take a real pro micro with usb connector and don't bother with such crap. It's only less than 2$ price difference and not worth the trouble. Keep in mind that a pro micro only has a limited amount of pins, this may cause problems on bigger boards.

If I want to convert a fullsize XT, board, what controlles should I use (even if I have to spend more)?

[hansichen]

Teensy 2.0 has more pins. It depends on your matrix how many pins you'll need.

[scottc]

How many rows and how many columns? Add those, and you have the number of data pins that you need. You might even need a Teensy++ if there are many of them.

[green-squid]

Here is the matrix

[green-squid]

Is this how you do a matrix?

[kokokoy]

I used this on a TKL. 18 pins + 2 more if you use the ones on the onboard leds. A cheaper route but you need to plan out your wiring though.

https://www.banggood.com/Pro-Micro-5V-1 ... rehouse=CN

Btw in case you haven't seen this - workshop-f7/how-to-use-a-pro-micro-as-a ... t8448.html

[Anakey]

Is this how you do a matrix?

yes and you will need also a pin for each row, so you would need 24 pins (19 columns and 5 rows) on you controller board assuming no lock lights

[green-squid]

I used this on a TKL. 18 pins + 2 more if you use the ones on the onboard leds. A cheaper route but you need to plan out your wiring though.

https://www.banggood.com/Pro-Micro-5V-1 ... rehouse=CN

Btw in case you haven't seen this - workshop-f7/how-to-use-a-pro-micro-as-a ... t8448.html

Thank you! That link is not for handwiring though.

Matt3o made some handwiring tutorials, but he didn't go into great detail about how to really wire it up (if I recall correctly).

[green-squid]

Is this how you do a matrix?

yes and you will need also a pin for each row, so you would need 24 pins (19 columns and 5 rows) on you controller board assuming no lock lights

Thanks! I will have to wire up two LEDs because I like lighting up LEDs Is that possible somehow?

[Anakey]

LEDs would be possible, each LED would need its own pin assuming you want to run 2 separate LEDs so a total of 26 pins

[green-squid]

LEDs would be possible, each LED would need its own pin assuming you want to run 2 separate LEDs so a total of 26 pins

So it *could* fit on a small teensy like this, Right?

[scottc]

Matt3o does have a guide on hand-wiring too. Search for "very own firmware" for the TMK setup and "brownfox step by step" for the physical wiring.

[Anakey]

i don't think the normal teensy 2.0 has enough pins

has only 24 usable pins

[kokokoy]

Ah yeah that’s for the controller bit. Aside from matt3o here’s another one from GH https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=87689.0

What I did for my end, having 20 pin available, is a 10x9 (or was it 9x10 can’t recall) matrix. The extra pin is for caps lock led. The wiring is a mess since some row of the keyboard have to be assigned to 2 pins (i.e. F1-F9 on pin1, F10-Break on pin2) and that 2 columns of the keyboard share the same pin (i.e. F5,5,T,G,B,F6,6,Y,H,N on pin3). Didn’t go with a teensy since thats more expensive and I just want to see if I can do a handwore proj.

[green-squid]

Ah yeah that’s for the controller bit. Aside from matt3o here’s another one from GH https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=87689.0

What I did for my end, having 20 pin available, is a 10x9 (or was it 9x10 can’t recall) matrix. The extra pin is for caps lock led. The wiring is a mess since some row of the keyboard have to be assigned to 2 pins (i.e. F1-F9 on pin1, F10-Break on pin2) and that 2 columns of the keyboard share the same pin (i.e. F5,5,T,G,B,F6,6,Y,H,N on pin3). Didn’t go with a teensy since thats more expensive and I just want to see if I can do a handwore proj.

So gist of it is that you need to wire them somehow up and hope for the best?

[Myoth]

Ah yeah that’s for the controller bit. Aside from matt3o here’s another one from GH https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=87689.0

What I did for my end, having 20 pin available, is a 10x9 (or was it 9x10 can’t recall) matrix. The extra pin is for caps lock led. The wiring is a mess since some row of the keyboard have to be assigned to 2 pins (i.e. F1-F9 on pin1, F10-Break on pin2) and that 2 columns of the keyboard share the same pin (i.e. F5,5,T,G,B,F6,6,Y,H,N on pin3). Didn’t go with a teensy since thats more expensive and I just want to see if I can do a handwore proj.

So gist of it is that you need to wire them somehow up and hope for the best?

well you could convert it instead of handwiring it ... it would be easier too

[green-squid]

Ah yeah that’s for the controller bit. Aside from matt3o here’s another one from GH https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=87689.0

What I did for my end, having 20 pin available, is a 10x9 (or was it 9x10 can’t recall) matrix. The extra pin is for caps lock led. The wiring is a mess since some row of the keyboard have to be assigned to 2 pins (i.e. F1-F9 on pin1, F10-Break on pin2) and that 2 columns of the keyboard share the same pin (i.e. F5,5,T,G,B,F6,6,Y,H,N on pin3). Didn’t go with a teensy since thats more expensive and I just want to see if I can do a handwore proj.

So gist of it is that you need to wire them somehow up and hope for the best?

well you could convert it instead of handwiring it ... it would be easier too

But didn't you (and chyros) mention that it may not actually end up working?

And it's too late now, I'm close to desoldering all the diodes to reuse in the handwiring and I have lifted quite a few pads.

[mike52787]

My budget is $2.

Come on man... there has to be a way for you to make money.

[Myoth]

But didn't you (and chyros) mention that it may not actually end up working?

And it's too late now, I'm close to desoldering all the diodes to reuse in the handwiring and I have lifted quite a few pads.

I did, but that was (as you saw in chyros video) with regular converters, if you did yours it would have worked 100% if you did it right...

[kokokoy]

So gist of it is that you need to wire them somehow up and hope for the best?

Nope. As I said earlier you need to plan your wiring.

[green-squid]

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.

[green-squid]

But didn't you (and chyros) mention that it may not actually end up working?

And it's too late now, I'm close to desoldering all the diodes to reuse in the handwiring and I have lifted quite a few pads.

I did, but that was (as you saw in chyros video) with regular converters, if you did yours it would have worked 100% if you did it right...

oh well. It sounded like he said no conversion works (or I wasn't paying attention). This will make for a good way to leakn.

[green-squid]

So gist of it is that you need to wire them somehow up and hope for the best?

Nope. As I said earlier you need to plan your wiring.

Aah so you do it like:

Pin number 1: Matrix 1
Pin number 2: Matrix 2
Pin number 3: Matrix 3

[mike52787]

So gist of it is that you need to wire them somehow up and hope for the best?

Nope. As I said earlier you need to plan your wiring.

Aah so you do it like:

Pin number 1: Matrix 1
Pin number 2: Matrix 2
Pin number 3: Matrix 3

ummmm that isnt how it works... not at all.

read this. workshop-f7/brownfox-step-by-step-t6050.html

[mike52787]

Is this how you do a matrix?

No, not at all