41 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
41 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
Cheapino
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Probably one of the cheapest split keyboards you can build.
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This is the result of really enjoying building keyboards,
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but not wanting to spend that much money on it.
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The pcb is reversible, connected using rj45,
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and utilizes a japanese duplex matrix, so only one
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mcu is needed(in fact it only uses 7 of the rj45 wires to
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support 18 switches and an encoder on the right side).
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A qmk branch with support is located here:
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https://github.com/tompi/qmk_firmware/tree/cheapino
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To build it, you need:
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* PCBs (ca 20$ for 5 at JLCPCB)
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* RP2040-Zero (ca 4$ at AliExpress)
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* 38 diodes(both smb and throug hole are supported, ca 2$ for 100 at Ali)
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* 2 rj45 connector (ca 3.5$ for 10 at Ali)
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* 1 ec11 rotary encoder(optional, 2$ for 2 at Ali)
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All prices are including shipping to Norway.
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Pick up a used mechanical board for ~10$ and harvest switches and keycaps, and you have enough for more than 2 sets.
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You also need an rj45 cable and an usb c, but come on, these should be laying around anyway, right?
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So total for 2 sets should be less than 50$, meaning 25$ for one. Pretty sweet deal?
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If you are wondering if this is actually usable, Im writing this on it, and Im pretty happy with it.
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Drawbacks:
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* Without a plate, its pretty difficult to solder swithes straight. I made a small helper "fork" to hold each column in place when soldering.
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* RJ45 cables are a bit rigid, so they do not lay down on the table nicely like audio cables.
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* There is no official qmk support, you need to compile from my branch manually... Keymap can be edited in qmk configurator though.
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