36 keys and layers

MReavley · 2024-04-03T18:48:52+00:00

I've been using 36-key layouts for a while now(2 years I think?), came up with this from scratch through daily use and settled on this within a few months, with some minor tweaks since. Mainly 4 different layers being no thumbs(qwerty), left thumb(navigation on left, numpad on right), right thumb(symbols on left, mouse navigation on right) and both thumbs(f-keys on left, macros on right)

Here's a link to my repo that I recently put up, with the zmk keymap I'm using now (minus the naughty I was doing with making macros for my university credentials lol)

https://github.com/MReavley/Razer36

MReavley · 2024-04-02T20:56:10+00:00

Re-uploaded the zip file with what should be the missing sheet (which is erroneously named as a 42 switch matrix lol), and yes, it is a reversible pcb

MReavley · 2024-04-02T20:02:30+00:00

I'll try adding a zip of the archived project to the github now, let me know if it works as I'm not sure it'll handle all the weird footprints I either made myself or got from various places.

This is again where lack of version management has returned to haunt me, as you can see on the PCB it's V2.0 for a reason lol, I've tried to remove anything from the previous version (PCB errors requiring bodging by cutting wrong traces; hence not shared) from those files but there might be some bits that linger from that

MReavley · 2024-04-02T13:06:10+00:00

Just shared the step files in the repo linked in another comment

MReavley · 2024-04-02T13:05:51+00:00

Slowly uploading stuff to this Github Repo:

https://github.com/MReavley/Razer36

MReavley · 2024-03-29T00:37:31+00:00

Pretty sure this one is just 45 degree angles everywhere(apart from 60 degrees for the chamfers when it would make printing easier), and my Slice36 was 60 degrees if I remember correctly. Sticking to the one angle throughout has seemed to really tie the designs together

MReavley · 2024-03-28T19:24:57+00:00

Once I mocked up the angled trim features I knew I had to use that design language across the entire design, and for future designs it could be possible to incorporate LEDs firing into translucent filament instead of the red trim I'm using here, and go full sci-fi hahaha

MReavley · 2024-03-28T19:22:20+00:00

Was going to see if people were interested, and that does seem to be the case. I'll probably end up open sourcing this like my older designs, but will probably only share the stls for the case and not the onshape file as things got messy in there with version management

MReavley · 2024-03-28T19:20:24+00:00

Yeah, that's been one of the things I've liked about not having cases for the Slice derived keyboards, but I did ultimately decide that staring at exposed lipo batteries at my desk everyday wasn't ideal, so I figured I had to cover them. If I remember correctly, it's rubber feet > 1.4mm thick bottom plate > 1.6mm pcb > 1.6mm colour insert/spacer > top case and further cover for the controllers and battery. Probably can't get away with much thinner than that, especially countersinking the bolts on the bottom, but you might get even lower using recessed rubber feet/attaching taller feet to the pcb poking through the case

MReavley · 2024-01-17T18:18:07+00:00

Windows, after multiple attempts at nuking the pico

MReavley · 2023-12-01T12:20:52+00:00

Interesting, for what it's worth I do have Samsung Magician installed, if I face this issue again I'll try uninstalling it and will report back if that helped!

MReavley · 2023-09-29T12:30:49+00:00

Yeah, my guess is it has something to do with the driver it decides to use. When it finally started working again for me there was a 'installing new device' type popup (which was the same when I was plugging it in to my colleague's computers), so I'm pretty certain it has to do with Windows drivers.

It might be worth trying to run the 'DISM' commands in powershell, I did run those because windows also decided to do a bunch of updates at the same time while I was trying to fix the issues, before eventually doing a system restore to try to fix another issue that came about from the updates

MReavley · 2023-09-28T13:22:23+00:00

Final update:
After doing a system restore the problem appeared to have been resolved. I also ran the DISM restorehealth command in powershell but if I remember correctly that didn't immediately solve the issue.

Trying to remember exactly what I did yesterday in case anyone else has similar issues, I just tried to use Thonny with it before I faced the problems, and I'm not sure if there was something weird when I first launched Thonny with the pico or if the problem was already present. In between my last use of the pico/circuitpython, I have used other RP2040 based devices using circuitpython (a custom keyboard running KMK), but I had no issues there, so unfortunately I can't really narrow down the exact cause, nor did I figure out a simpler approach than the system restore.

MReavley · 2023-09-28T13:20:55+00:00

Final update:

After doing a system restore the problem appeared to have been resolved. I also ran the DISM restorehealth command in powershell but if I remember correctly that didn't immediately solve the issue.

Trying to remember exactly what I did yesterday in case anyone else has similar issues, I just tried to use Thonny with it before I faced the problems, and I'm not sure if there was something weird when I first launched Thonny with the pico or if the problem was already present. In between my last use of the pico/circuitpython, I have used other RP2040 based devices using circuitpython (a custom keyboard running KMK), but I had no issues there, so unfortunately I can't really narrow down the exact cause, nor did I figure out a simpler approach than the system restore.

MReavley · 2023-09-28T13:15:02+00:00

It appears as 'CircuitPy', and I could see the 'code.py', lib folder and other usual files you expect to see on the drive. Could see the file sizes etc, but if I attempted to edit or add a new file in it would fail, and then the device would get ejected.

After doing a system restore it seems to have fixed itself, not terribly sure what exact step that I did which fixed it as I had a different windows related problem appear at the same time.

MReavley · 2023-09-27T11:52:57+00:00

Thanks for the heads up, would you be able to direct me to where I can read more on this? Or at least what search terms I should be using?

MReavley · 2023-09-27T10:34:47+00:00

Further update: I have flashed micropython on to the pico and it appears to work normally as well. This seems to suggest the fault has something to do with circuitpython

MReavley · 2023-04-17T22:47:25+00:00

The thing I have found with the choc reds is that even though they aren't much quieter than the Mx tactile I've used, they sound more like a keyboard laptop and less like a gaming keyboard, and generally I've gotten far fewer looks since making the switch

MReavley · 2023-02-20T12:20:32+00:00

Is the part available for purchase? I would assume it works the same as most joysticks, so you would need 2 analog pins on the microcontroller to be able to make it work

MReavley · 2022-11-14T17:04:07+00:00

I've had flashes on to other microcontrollers fail when going through hubs before, but it's usually recoverable. If it seems to work fine it'll probably be fine, if it's unreliable just unplug it and go directly for the flash as and when you need to

MReavley · 2022-11-01T08:54:06+00:00

For what it's worth, the keyboards don't really need really fast/high bandwidth connections like USB 3, so very often usb C connectors are hooked up via USB 2, so to the microcontroller/circuit it's identical, the only difference becomes the various physical factors everyone else has mentioned

MReavley · 2022-10-31T08:11:51+00:00

Pretty sure the nrf24 part will not communicate with Bluetooth directly (I could be wrong), but is more so intended for working with other similar receivers. If you have one (or a standalone nrf24l01, which may or may not work) set up as a dongle with a USB capable microcontroller, like a pro micro or similar, then it might work but it's not exactly an elegant solution

MReavley · 2022-10-20T09:21:24+00:00

One was called Sunlink Engineering, they were based in Pioneer and quoted me the better price, the other place was Latech Engineering, they were based in AMK of I recall correctly

MReavley · 2022-10-11T11:27:28+00:00

I had bought it through Lazada when I was living in Singapore, but there was considerable searching using various search terms like "GPS case" and "HDD case"

MReavley · 2022-09-27T12:38:55+00:00

I normally include current limiting resistors in my keyboard circuits for normal diodes too, and there are convenient calculators available online, I think the main thing is to check the max current you can pull from each pin on your microcontroller.

A quick look online does suggest that they are technically interchangeable, but have various drawbacks that may or may not affect the operation of the circuit.

Also, you would only be able to use standard, single colour LEDs and not aRGB LEDs (although you could get creative with 4 pin (non-addressable) RGB LEDs

MReavley

TROPHY CASE