SKCC Alps Project

[consideringquiet]

Would you happen to have any more information? I'm quite interested in adding a solenoid to one of my boards but I haven't been able to find any information about anyone adding a solenoid that wasn't from an IBM board.

I've seen a few on alliexpress, my trouble is finding one that i could somehow wire up to my board... No idea how haha

If you're planning on using a Teensy/Arduino as a controller for your board, it's not that difficult to add a 5V solenoid directly driven by the Teensy. Here are a link about making a driver circuit and a link with a source for 5V solenoids (I'm sure there are plenty of others).

Solenoid driver circuit: https://core-electronics.com.au/tutoria ... duino.html

5V solenoid: https://www.adafruit.com/product/2776



This was the driver I made for my Fluke 5V solenoid:

solenoidB.jpg

Link to my post: workshop-f7/scratchy-fluke-1720a-switches-t17428.html


Driving a larger solenoid would require some additional circuitry to step up the voltage or a secondary voltage supply, but I was able to get the simple 5V driver working without difficulty. Someone with some actual electronics experience could probably help if you wanted to make a driver for a larger solenoid.

Would it be possible to still do this with a PCB though? I have a KBDFans Daisy PCB. I might give up with that PCB and go for hand wiring, but I just wanted to know if it was possible

[macboarder]

If you're still looking for switches and/or caps, check your inbox

[consideringquiet]

If you're still looking for switches and/or caps, check your inbox

!!!

[consideringquiet]

Would you happen to have any more information? I'm quite interested in adding a solenoid to one of my boards but I haven't been able to find any information about anyone adding a solenoid that wasn't from an IBM board.

I've seen a few on alliexpress, my trouble is finding one that i could somehow wire up to my board... No idea how haha

If you're planning on using a Teensy/Arduino as a controller for your board, it's not that difficult to add a 5V solenoid directly driven by the Teensy. Here are a link about making a driver circuit and a link with a source for 5V solenoids (I'm sure there are plenty of others).

Solenoid driver circuit: https://core-electronics.com.au/tutoria ... duino.html

5V solenoid: https://www.adafruit.com/product/2776



This was the driver I made for my Fluke 5V solenoid:

solenoidB.jpg

Link to my post: workshop-f7/scratchy-fluke-1720a-switches-t17428.html


Driving a larger solenoid would require some additional circuitry to step up the voltage or a secondary voltage supply, but I was able to get the simple 5V driver working without difficulty. Someone with some actual electronics experience could probably help if you wanted to make a driver for a larger solenoid.

Thank you so much! I realize this is incredibly late. I likely will end up using something like that. Is there any means of toggling a solenoid? Or must it be powered at all times?

[consideringquiet]

Okay, so courtesy of Macboarder I ended up getting my hands on an NOS SKCC green PCB and plate combo, but I need help adapting it to usb. I know, I am a complete newbie to adapting projects like this, but I felt that it was a thousand times better than desoldering these switches from their steel plate and perfectly good PCB. Anyway, I hope to include a solenoid, as the I think the wooden case that will inevitably house this thing would make it sounds something special.

Anyhow, would anyone have an idea on how to adapt this guy? Should I just get an Arduino and solder the matrix onto the corresponding pins? If so, how can I tell which is which? Just follow the traces until I've found the row? in this case? To be perfecly honest, I'm somewhat stupefied at this task here which might not even be that hard to pull off. Anyhow, any help would be apprectiated.

[purdobol]

Anyhow, would anyone have an idea on how to adapt this guy? Should I just get an Arduino and solder the matrix onto the corresponding pins? If so, how can I tell which is which? Just follow the traces until I've found the row? in this case? To be perfecly honest, I'm somewhat stupefied at this task here which might not even be that hard to pull off. Anyhow, any help would be apprectiated.

You have to figure out the matrix first. Every button has two soldier joints that connect to top row "pins" lets say. On that board there's 12 on the left and 12 on the right, which may as well be rows and columns respectively.
So just number those pins from left to right and make a table, checking each button with multimeter.
For example "b" could be pin 3 and pin 16, "c" could be pin 4 and pin 13. Each button will have different combination. Modifier keys could be an exception with older boards.

If you do have the matrix than it's just a matter of connecting arduino board, and editing the firmware of choice to reflect said matrix.

Good luck with the project.

[Blaise170]

This is actually a project I've had for awhile too, for a few years in fact. I have some plates from the TI-99/4A which would work but I don't have any cases and haven't gotten around to designing my own. I do have some really cool red and black Cyrillic keycaps though.

[consideringquiet]

This is actually a project I've had for awhile too, for a few years in fact. I have some plates from the TI-99/4A which would work but I don't have any cases and haven't gotten around to designing my own. I do have some really cool red and black Cyrillic keycaps though.

It's definitely tricky. When I get time to myself this summer I'm going to be spending all of it trying to wire this puppy up just to get it to work. And it all has to be done before I go to college...