32xe

I used this keyboard for almost a year. It works good, but its exploitation revealed a number of fields that need improvement.

• Layout.
• Solid single-part body.
• Built-in pointing device.
• Mechanical switches.

• Noisy Blue Cherry-MX switches.
• Long key travel (yes, I'm used to laptop keyboards). I'll try using ML switches.
• Keystrokes are detected (sent to computer) on release not on press, this is unusual and not comfortable. 32xe keys act both as shift-keys and as ordinary keys. I'll try moving shift keys to a separate row.
• Wireless (BT) interface needed.

• Replace trackball (that works good) with touch-pad. This makes mouse mode detection more intuitive.
• Split the uni-body design into separate units (left-right-thumbs-tracker) attached to the rigid chassis. This helps to experiment with different designs (ergonomic, compact, back-typer, with built-in laptop etc).

The accumulated improvements demands the complete redesign.
So it'l be the completely different new keyboard and the new project.

Key caps made flat

New keyboard look

I tested flat key caps for two months. For me it works pretty good. So it is the final look.

New STLs are uploaded to github.

It turns out that ADNS-9800 sensor has much wider view angle than I expected, so it didn't work well till I expanded the window from this:

to this size

Modified STLs were uploaded to github.

And finally I attached the bottom tray, so the keyboard body is considered finished.

Tray is just a flat plate glued to the main body.

Also the new STL can be found here: https://github.com/karol11/32xe.

First I tried to refine PLA printed parts:

• printed on slower speed
• sanded
• painted with XTC-3D coating.

And the same keycap using ABS and acetone bath

I tried many techniques, it turned out that the best one is the simplest one:

• Take a food box.
• Put the paper towel slightly wetened with acetone to the bottom of the box.
• Put a piece of aluminium foil atop of towel in its center.
• Put ABS parts on the foil.
• Close the box with hermetically fit cover.
• Wait 15 minutes.
• Profit.

Despite some curling, I chose ABS parts for their slick ivory look and feel:

So now my keyboard looks like this:

Keyboard part is almost ready, though mouse one still needs some work.

Main Layout

Numeric Layout

Arrows

Shift-keys

firmware: https://github.com/karol11/32xe

Done:

• key matrix scan
• USB HID connectivity
• trackball sensor reports x-y-deltas
• logic for shift-control-alt-win modifiers
• thumbs shift to numeric an navigation mode.

Todo:

• mouse mode
• wheel
  
• repeat
  
• num-lock mode
  
• game mode

Printed key caps (using keycaps.pk2):

If a 3D printer does not support multiple materials, the final model can be painted by permanent markers. I found that the Sharpie felt-tip pens are durable and well-adhesive to PLA.

The model texture is formed by parallel lines (at side surfaces) or cross-hatched pattern on top and bottom ones, and the ink flows in those micro cracks, thus spoiling the painted regions. So I performed a trick:

1. Made a model as if it is two-material.
2. Setup a slicer for two headed printer having zero offsets.
3. Removed all Tn commands in resulting G-Code text file.

Resulting model texture is having etched contours of inter-color borders, and the ink of different color don't intermix.

Keys "TGBYHN" are raised by 2 millimeters:

Here is the assembled keyboard from top (this time having full wiring):

Keyboard body has been printed as six pieces. I find out that the PLA plastic can be firmly glued by SCIGRIP 16 Acrylic Cement, maybe this helps someone.

Cherry switches fit well. Unfortunately I broke one during installation. Guess which one.

Loose wire soldering looks worse than it is:

Since this is just a early prototype, I decided to work without any PCB.

I decided to employ ADNS-9800 as a mouse sensor and Teensy 2.0 as the main controller board.

ADNS-9800 switched to 5 V.

Cherry MX keys (I've chosen Blue ones for its soft clicks) are mounted in the main body.

Keys are wired in 3 rows by 12 keys in each row. This occupies more pins but reduces the ghosting problem: a finger cannot press multiple keys of one grid column.

Thumb keys are wired to the middle row on their own columns.