F104+SSK+122+62+77+50+Ergo orders now open! New Kishsaver+Industrial Model F Keyboards

[Ellipse]

Leyden Jar update and request for help:

So far over 130 F122's and their Leyden Jar controllers have shipped. After some firmware updates the reports are good so far!

Here are some plans for the Leyden Jar controller:

Need help - Split communication between halves, with one half powering the other (for future split ergonomic layouts):

"Well for the moment one half is working but I have trouble making the split feature work. I need time to understand what is wrong with my code: as I have a custom matrix scanning this looks to complicate stuff (all the project I have seen look to use standard QMK matrix scanning). I need to make split working and also try different settings like full duplex (testing half duplex at the moment), various detection of left and right parts"

Rico has kindly published this test code for split communication with the below link. If anyone can help it would be much appreciated to make these controllers even more powerful and useful with various keyboard projects. Rico confirms that the controllers work even with non-capacitive keyboards. https://github.com/mymakercorner/vial-q ... r_impostor

I would like to use a "USB C cable to connect the two ends instead of a TRRS cable" as the latter may result in accidental shorts if the keyboard is powered on during disconnection.

4 layer PCBs:
Using 4 layer PCBs as innovated by wcass to remove the trace area around the PCB, for a smaller PCB (better for the future compact designs mentioned in the Google form above.

PS/2 support:
Rico has started this but it is not yet working. If you'd like this feature and can help, please do! https://github.com/mymakercorner/Leyden_Jar

RedESC please see my previous F122 update post from a couple months ago (March?) regarding the queue and shipping timeline.

[wobbled]

Leyden Jar update and request for help:

So far over 130 F122's and their Leyden Jar controllers have shipped. After some firmware updates the reports are good so far!

Here are some plans for the Leyden Jar controller:

Need help - Split communication between halves, with one half powering the other (for future split ergonomic layouts):

"Well for the moment one half is working but I have trouble making the split feature work. I need time to understand what is wrong with my code: as I have a custom matrix scanning this looks to complicate stuff (all the project I have seen look to use standard QMK matrix scanning). I need to make split working and also try different settings like full duplex (testing half duplex at the moment), various detection of left and right parts"

Rico has kindly published this test code for split communication with the below link. If anyone can help it would be much appreciated to make these controllers even more powerful and useful with various keyboard projects. Rico confirms that the controllers work even with non-capacitive keyboards. https://github.com/mymakercorner/vial-q ... r_impostor

I would like to use a "USB C cable to connect the two ends instead of a TRRS cable" as the latter may result in accidental shorts if the keyboard is powered on during disconnection.

4 layer PCBs:
Using 4 layer PCBs as innovated by wcass to remove the trace area around the PCB, for a smaller PCB (better for the future compact designs mentioned in the Google form above.

PS/2 support:
Rico has started this but it is not yet working. If you'd like this feature and can help, please do! https://github.com/mymakercorner/Leyden_Jar

RedESC please see my previous F122 update post from a couple months ago (March?) regarding the queue and shipping timeline.

Have you ever considered paying people to help you with this shit considering you're the one profiting from everyone's work?

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Additional transparent relegendable template:

With permission I am reposting a transparent relegendable template:

credit to geekhack member Cyber_engineer – Twitter @Mates_ENGINEER

Very nice template!

[RedESC]

Ps2 daughterboard sounds neat. Great for hooking up to my retro systems.

[thrillscience]

I just got the Model F 122. (I already had a Model F 104 which I'm using right now and am very happy with it.)

I managed to get the two vertical stabilizers on the numpad in upside down (i.e., rotated 180) and can't pull them out with any method I've seen. (I tried the screw and paper method, the q-tip method, spring hooks, etc.) I don't want to break the cylinder that contains the stabailizer trying to pull these out so I guess I need to open the inner assembly to push them out from the botton.

Two questions:

1) In the video he cautions against having a gap between the tab and the bottom plate (https://youtu.be/zjik1eiOSlk?feature=shared&t=150) but I'm not sure which gap he's talking about. Is it the vertical gap because the horizontal surface of the tab isn't flush with the plate, or is it the horizontal gap because the bottom plate hasn't been slid over enough?

2) He mentions using 4-6 clamps to aid in putting it back together. I would love to see a picture of the use of these clamps. (He says they're needed for the bigger keyboards, which I assume the F122 may need it.) What exactly do I need to squeeze? I just don't want to break anything. (I already broke a key trying the "wiggle method" before I realized the stabalizer was rotated 180 degrees.)

[thrillscience]

my F122 arrived safely just earlier today, but with some minor easily fixable damage (bent pins on solenoid driver) to the accessories.
I took the inner assembly apart and modified the board by putting in basically as many flippers as I humanly could, aside from not splitting the enter key. put it back together with 3" C-clamps and some application of a hammer, installed the solenoid and driver and flashed the new firmware. this thing is working amazingly, and I somehow didn't have to redo a single part of this. I can confirm that the solenoid is deafeningly loud. it's the type of noise I'd expect from an airgun being fired

I need to open up my new F122 (I inserted the two vertical stabalizers rotated 180 degress and need to push them out from the bottom because all other methods of extracting them failed.)

I've never done this before (I have an F104 that I've never had to take apart) and want to be very careful. Where, exactly, did you clamp it? How do you know how tight you need? I presume these are to get the bottom tabs in place? Did you take a picture of it clamped?

[ms264556]

Update: the F122 orders have started shipping out this week. A lot of folks like the transparent relegendables with these keyboards. Please do share photos of how you have customized your transparent relegendable Model F / M keys, whether new or original, as I have not seen too many such photos. Any advice for how to use these keys?

I used the packing tape transfer method to label mine. It's a shame about these having random colours - for transparent inserts, it'd be much nicer if I could have an entire set of pearl or pebble keys (or at least no black keys).

20250529_154752.jpg (1.6 MiB) Viewed 1474 times

[thrillscience]

I've never done this before (I have an F104 that I've never had to take apart) and want to be very careful. Where, exactly, did you clamp it? How do you know how tight you need? I presume these are to get the bottom tabs in place? Did you take a picture of it clamped?

Ok! I never did this before, but I got the inner assembly taken apart and put together again. I needed to use 6 clamps on this F122. Most of the "clamping" procedure became obvious once I started to actually do the work. (I regret not videoing the entire process so other noobs can see how it's done.)

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With permission I am sharing the first photo of the Hebrew English key set on the new F122!

There are a couple dozen available key sets and it is nice to see photos of some of the rarer key sets.

Hebrew English.jpg (610.52 KiB) Viewed 760 times

thrillscience kindly see my replies below:

1. The issue is "the horizontal gap because the bottom plate hasn't been slid over enough" because the plates may not line up properly and could be more likely to separate. The plates should be able to slide so that they cannot travel any more and the sides of the tabs of the TIA make contact with the BIA cut out areas.

2. Yes, I'd like to take a photo one of these days showing the clamps, but feel free to search for "F122 model f clamps" to see how these larger keyboards are put together. It takes a few minutes with the right tools, or an hour otherwise! Some of the clamps should be inserted so that they are compressing the area between the function keys and top row of numbered keys, so that those TIA tabs rise enough above the BIA to clear it and allow the plates to slide together.



ms264556 the recommendation is to print out the templates on paper and cut out each one to fit the key. That way the legends can all have the same paper color, the key stem is no longer visible after the template is installed, and one can change the legend in the future. Unicomp provided the stems (they are regular Model M stems for two-piece keys) and noted that they are all assorted colors; no way to have all the same color.