Creating a Keyboard PCB with Diodes (Kicad 6.0)
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- Опубліковано 14 бер 2023
- This is a walkthrough of creating a mechanical keyboard PCB with Cherry MX style switches, using a standard diode matrix and a Pro Micro controller.
Get KiCad at www.kicad.org/
In this video, I am using Kicad 6.0, and the marbastlib_mx and marbastlib_various Kicad libraries for symbols and footprints:
github.com/ebastler/marbastlib
Make your own layout mockups at:
www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/
Here is some info on how keyboard switch matrices work:
github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware/b... - Навчання та стиль
Mouse is broken, makes new keyboard. Great video!
This is just mesmerizing to watch! Very good explanations and love the small tips you provide along the way. Trying to build my own keyboard PCB with KiCad and this has been an excellent resource.
Thanks so much! Starting work on my first keyboard and this is exactly what I needed. I'll make sure to share a pic of the final product.
Thank you for this video, I think you do a good job of explaining this. This video has been one of the most helpful for me for trying to learn to make a keyboard PCB with a devboard type MCU.
Afew suggestions for helping a complete newbie out is a brief overview of what a symbol vs a footprint is, which libraries you are using, and how you add them to Kicad. It would also be great to see you doing a PCB order and showing the final product. I know some of these other facets are in other videos, but you've done such a good job explaining so much, it would be great to have it all in one place.
Thanks again and would love to see more from you!
I just ordered my first pcb! This video was a great reference, and it was surprisingly easy to follow with my own design
Awesome video, I'm an absolute beginner and it seems very understandable so far
Finally getting into PCB design, and I was watching your old video. Just out of curiosity I clicked on your channel and see an updated version much closer to the type of board I want to create! I can not thank you enough for this tutorial! Thank you thank you thank you!
This is exactly what I needed!
Thanks Bro!!!
Thank you for the tutorial! It's really helpful for someone who is just getting started.
Very cool! Thank you for the video, I'm planning on designing a similar PCB for a keyboard!
Thank you. For some of the explanations as you added features. I understand what a diode does, but I couldn’t understand its purpose in a mech keyboard. you explained it nicely. Ty. (
Thank you, your video helps me a lot. I am currently making my first split keyboard from scratch. And since I’m not good at English, the learning curve is very steep for me. Until I found your tutorial.
If I finish this project I may record a tutorial video in my language and will credit you.
This is so helpful. Hope that you will do a wireless pcb design with some module like e73 or ms88 someday.
Thank you for the video, you're great👍👍
Awesome video, the explanation was amazing. I would love it if you could make a video assembling your own PCB design and loading the software into it!
Thats a great idea! A quick firmware tutorial would be a great video
Nice video, well done, thanks for sharing :)
Good stuff, thanks!
I found it easier to draw the PCB outline with the box tool. You can then easily add the rounded corners using the “Fillet Lines” option in the right-click menu.
I consider, this way is the best when you already have the housing you want the PCB to fit inside. But, if you are to make everything anew, the order doesn't really matter: you can arrange all components and come up with borders of the new PCB, and then start designing the new enclosure
@@petergorelov418 I wasn’t commenting on the order of doing this, just that if you have a rectangular PCB then drawing a box is easier than drawing the individual lines. Actually, even if you do have a non-rectangular PCB it is easier to use “Fillet Lines” to make the corners.
Just a minor issue, the 100nF decoupling caps should be placed as close as possible to the processors supply pins...
While it will probably work as is, I would follow the datasheet recommendations... C4, 6 and 7 can be moved much closer with very little effort...
awesome, glad I found you on discord.
Excellent video all around, but I want to thank you specifically for calling out keyboard shortcuts while you work!
It's a really great guide. Although I have no experience, I was able to design a pcb thanks to you. It is now in the production phase, so I have a question to ask you. How should we install the stabilizers on the keyboard? Are the screws that come out of the PCB mount stabilizers suitable for use? Also, if we can adjust the plate, can we use the stabilizers attached to the plate?
PCB-mount stabilizers use the screws to screw into the PCB. Plate-mount stabilizers clip in to special cutouts on the switch plate
How do I install the symbols and footprints into Kicad? I've installed it with the Plugin and content manager but the symbols doesn't appear in the schematic
I love the video, but I have a quick question: When using soldered sockets do you not need to flip them on the PCB editor? I noticed in the macropod video you flipped the hot-swap sockets and just wanted to know what the correct orientation should be. Great helpful video otherwise
I don't know about KiCad, but usually socket PCB patterns are used exactly like the chips and should be flipped only when put on the flip side of the board (if the program doesn't tie those decisions together). Anyway, it is easier to manufacture boards with all parts on the same side, thus chips and diodes hiding in the gaps under or between moving keyd
Hi, I was wondering how can you put a potentiometer in there? What to do with the wires? Do i still put a diode in? What do I need to do?
Can you explain me a part where you make 3 stabilizers, please? It's for 3 different spacebars or just 2 or only 1 spacebar or it is about anything relate to the Stab style or anything.
the 3 stabs are for the ability to use two different layouts on the same board. if he puts in 2, he can have 2 space bars, or he can install the larger one for a single "full length" space bar
So is a keyboard with RGB circuitry next? Seems like it would be a bit step up in terms of complexity.
Would love to see one with RGB as well.
I will take this into consideration
the pro micro footprint are default in kicad's libraries?or I create on my own?
They come in the marbastlib libraries
So when attempting to do this, I had everything downloaded and it was all working completely fine until it came to assigning a footprint for the controller. The basic ‘ProMicro’ didn’t exist so I tried re-installing the marbastlib package and it still wasn’t there. The marbastlib-various library is there and full, but it doesn’t have the ProMicro.
Due to this I tried using the ‘various xp’ ‘promicro elite C’ (I have two elite C controllers as is) and this crashed KiCad, and when I tried to reopen it KICAD things the project is still open even though it isn’t. Help please if possible!
I believe that marbastib now has a promicro-ish library for these kinds of footprints
So if your KLE has rotation, is rotating on Kicad easy ?
Rotating in kicad is not hard, but it is tedious. I can go over that in a future video
@@noahkiser thx. I already learned how to rotate.
Where do you source the switches and caps ?
Mostly amazon. For the less common keycaps, like 1.25u A or 1.75u P, those are usually found in 40% keycap kits as Tab and Backspace, or as other keys from uniform profile keycap sets like DSA and XDA
hello i have a keyboard and the PCB is broken but i want to use the keyboard can you help me in this regard i am following you very much is it possible to help me photo of pcb I can send it by mail please help me please 🙏