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For Consumers
General keyboard info
For Designers
Info for making things happen
Other
Stuff that doesn't fit into other categories
PCB Design
The circuitry handbook.
The Wiki Itself
Contents that don't belong in any specific categories.
Case and Plate Design
Physical goodness.
Keyboard Firmware
All the code.
Keyset Design
Creating beautiful keycaps.
Packaging
The part no one talks about and everyone wonders how to do.
PCB Designer Guide
Learn how to make mech keyboard PCBs.
Advanced Info
The real work.
References
All the info in one place.
Lets talk
All the information you should every want to know before you design packaging.
Welcome
Welcome to the keyboard designer wiki @ ai03.com! Looking for the infobase with the FAQ, build guides, and general keyboard info? If so, visit info.ai03.com instead. If you wish to return to the main ai03 website, click here. For Contributors To reque...
Error-Checking
Produce functional PCBs the first time around. DRC Checks Begin here. Run a DRC. Does it report anything? Are there any errors aside from overlapping stabilizer/switch pads? Physical Checks These errors are easy to miss, since some are not scan...
Microcontroller Design
For successful and elegant controller circuitry. Microcontroller Basics Controller such as ATMEGA32U4 are often used as low-cost, low-power processing units for mechanical keyboard PCBs.They often require various components of their own in order to function ...
Matrices and Duplex Matrix
Improving upon their design. Maximizing the matrix For non-macropad keyboards, routing a matrix with one pin per row and column will almost always lead to inefficient results. With the same number of keys, a more "square" matrix will require less cols a...
List of KiCad Keyboard Parts Libraries
For all footprint needs. Library name Library description Author URL MX_Alps_Hybrid.pretty Combined MX-Alps hybrid footprints ai03 https://github.com/ai03-2725/MX_Alps_Hybrid.pretty keebs.pretty KiCAD library for hybrid MX/Alps footprints ...
Routing Techniques
Tips for a proper, organized PCB Good Routing Techniques Do not route traces close to the edge. Do not place EMI-emitting components, such as crystals, near a board edge. Surround pulsating traces with proper ground plane fill to reduce EMI. Vert...
Backlighting And RGB
Bling bling. QMK-Compatible LED backlighting This is one LED per switch. The structure is: . |- LED --- Resistor -| | | N-Channel 5V ---|- LED --- Resistor -|----- MOSFET ----- GND | | ...
USB Type-C
Make your keyboard future-proof and reversible Type-C USB Slightly wider than MicroUSB connectors. Keep in mind when designing PCBs to fit standard cases. Soldering is much more difficult. Mini/Micro-USB has 5 pins. Type-C has 24. Completely surfac...
Good USB Routing Practices
A quick summary of Good Usb Practices Trace length Matching Intel suggests that USB traces be matched to 150 mils within each other in length. Trace spacing is debated. Intel suggests 20 mils spacing between the USB traces. Texas Instruments suggest...
EMI Shielding and Reduction
Healthy PCB designing. Important to prevent a keyboard from malfunctioning from too much outside noise, and also to prevent a keyboard from wreaking havoc upon nearby devices such as pacemakers.Texas Instruments states that any frequency above 80 MHz is a con...
Kerf Settings for Various Services
Ponoko Acrylic: Thickness Kerf in mm 3mm 0.2 4.5mm 0.25 6mm 0.26 8mm 0.24 Lasergist Stainless Steel: Thickness Kerf in mm 1.5mm 0.15
Contributing
To request an account, send a direct message to ai03#2725 on Discord requesting an account on this wiki with an email address. For making edits, please follow this structure: Wiki Structure Books - Top level categories, i.e. PCB Design, Switch Selection Ch...
Switch Dimensions and Physical Specifications
For a list of all switch datasheets available on hand, please see the switch datasheets tab of ai03's designer resources spreadsheet.
Plate with ai03 Plate Generator
A quick and easy method that doesn't compromise. Tutorial Begin by making the layout in Keyboard Layout Editor.http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.comIf you need compatibility cutouts, overlay the various options. Copy the info from the Raw Data tab into ...
Using ai03 Plate Generator as a CLI tool
The ai03 plate generator doesn't have to be web-hosted. Requirements Python 3.7 or higher The files here Requirements in requirements.txt of the repository Usage python plategen.py -h for all arguments and their options cat kle-raw | python plate...
PCB Guide Part 1 - Preparations
This guide is intended as a direct replacement for the aging Ruiqi Mao's guide.Credits go to that guide for serving as a base for this writeup. If you spot any mistakes, please let me know either through Discord (ai03#2725) or email ([email protected]), a...
PCB Guide Part 2 - Beginning the project
By this point, you should have a repository readied for the project. Step 3. Creating the KiCad project The previous page's setup should have created a folder in your home/Documents/GitHub folder with the project name. We will be doing all work here. La...
PCB Guide Part 3 - Creating the MCU schematic
By this point, you should have installed the programs, created the repository, and added the local libraries. Step 5. Beginning the schematic The schematic is used to set up the electronics side of things. For this tutorial, we will be using the typical Atm...
PCB Guide Part 4 - The rest of the schematic
By this point, you should have the MCU schematic zone complete. Step 6. The rest of the schematic The rest of the schematic is not as difficult as the MCU.Let's power through it. USB circuitry Only typical Mini-B USB will be covered here for simplicity rea...
PCB Guide Part 5 - Creating the PCB
Now that the schematic is finished and footprint data has been exported, we can begin with the PCB. Step 8. Preparing the PCB From the KiCad menu, open the PCB file. First, let's adjust the grid so it's fine tuned for making keyboards. On the left pane, ...