Mechanical Keys
DIY Keyboard Construction
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DIY Keyboard Construction Tutorials

Tutorial on soldering, wiring, and micro-controller programming.

3D Printed Keyboard Cases

Purchase 3D printed keyboard cases from our Etsy shop.

Keyboard Print Files

Download 3d printable files from thingiverse.

Keyboards

Visit our shop!

Etsy Shop

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Mech-104

Full Size 100% Keyboard

Mechagodzilla

Keyboard Without Numpad and Function Row

MECH-60 & MECH-GH60

60% Keyboard and the GH60 Compatible Version (Coming Soon)

MECK-TKL

Keyboard without Numpad (Coming Soon)

MECK-40

Tiny Form Factor Keyboard; No Numpad, Function Row or Number Row (Coming Soon)

MECK-66

Based Off Leopold FC660 (Coming Soon)

MECK-75

Based Off Satisfaction 75 (Coming Soon)

LEAGUE-Board

Half-Keyboard for Playing League of Legends (Coming Soon)

MECK-Planch

Ortholinear Board Based of Planch (Coming Soon)

MECH-Hacker

Based off Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional 2 (HHKB) (Coming Soon)

Tutorial

Quick Overview on How to Build a Keyboard

  • Step 1

    Buy

    The following materials need to be acquired:

    Keyboard Case

    Keyboard Switches

    Keycaps

    Diodes

    Stabilizers

    Teensy 2.0 ++ micro-controller

    USB Cable

    3M x 8mm Hex Screws

    Optional:

    Rubber Feet

    Soldering Iron

    60-40 Rosin Core Solder

    Solder Sucker

  • Step 2

    Case Options

    A few options Exist:

    1. 3D Print

    If you have access to a 3D printer, this may be the best option.

    2. Purchase Plastic Case

    Case + mounting plate can be purchased through AliExpress, Banggood, or Amazon.

    Fully 3D printed case + mounting plate can also be purchased from my etsy shop:

    Visit Our Etsy Shop

    3. More Expensive Options:

    Find small batch runs such as clueboard or Keycult.

  • Step 3

    Soldering

    Soldering Tutorial:

    Hand-wired mechanical keyboard inside a 3d printed case by Matt3o

    How to Solder:

    1. Heat up iron to highest setting ~450 degrees.

    2. Place tip or iron so it touches both joints that need to be soldered.

    3. Press 60/40 solder wire to point where iron and joints meet, solder should melt.

    4. Remove iron and solder wire, let joint harden.

  • Step 4

    Program Micro-Controller

    A few options Exist:

    1. QMK Toolbox + Teensy 2.0

    Wiring is specific to keyboard, most keyboard layouts exist on it.

    QMK Toolbox Download Windows

    2. Easy AVR + Teensy 2.0

    Can create new keyboard layouts, a little more difficult to upload to board.

    Easy AVR Download Windows Example Wiring Diagram Tada68

    3. Teensyduino + Any Teensy

    Requires you to hand code board, most control but also most work. Also requires working knowledge of how a keyboard grid system works.

    Arduino Download

    ---

    Teensyduino Download

  • Start
    Typing!
    Boomer

Useful Links

Thingiverse

Thingiverse is a website dedicated to the sharing of user-created digital design files.

Thingiverse.com

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Keyboard Layout Editor

Keyboard-layout-editor.com is a web application that enables the editing of keyboard-layouts, i.e., the position and appearance of each physical key.

keyboard-layout-editor.com

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Keyboard Firmware Builder

Upload Keyboard Firmware Builder configuration. Upload. Or import from keyboard-layout-editor.com. Import. Or choose a preset layout.

kbfirmware.com

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QMK Toolbox

QMK Toolbox. This is a collection of flashing tools packaged into one app. It supports auto-detection and auto-flashing of firmware to keyboards.

qmk.fm/toolbox

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Easy AVR

EasyAVR is a keyboard firmware and keymapper GUI for custom keyboards based on USB AVRs. It is powerful but also really easy to use.

github.com/dhowland/EasyAVR

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Teensy Docs

USB: Keyboard. This code implements a USB keyboard, which you can use to control almost any PC or Mac software.

www.pjrc.com/teensy/usb_keyboard.html

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QMK Hand Soldering Guide

The collapsible section below covers why keyboards are wired the way they are, as outlined in this guide. It isn't required reading to make your own hand wired keyboard, but provides background information.

Hand Wiring Guide

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QMK Keyboard Configurator/

QMK Configurator is an online tool used for easily creating firmware files for keyboards supported in qmk_firmware.

config.qmk.fm

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How to build a custom keyboard: an introduction

This series of tutorials are intended for makers. We will cover some theory but you’ll learn mostly by getting your hands dirty. After a few introductory chapters we’ll jump right into keyboard modding and building.

matt3o.com/book

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"There’s a fundamental connection between seeming and being. We understand how dangerous a mask can be. We all become what we pretend to be... It’s like everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story..." -Patrick Rothfuss, Name of the Wind