Tiny Keyboard
Last updated: Jan 14, 2021
Preliminary Notes
I would like to make this keyboard ortholinear (non staggered, unlike my first build).
Project Status:
- Design Keyboard Layout
- Decide on switches
- PCB
- Design Case in CAD
- Fabricate Keyboard (In Progress)
Tools Required
Software:
Hardware:
Design Keyboard Layout
Since the keyboard would be ortholinear, and ideally small, it should have keys accessible with layered functionality. Everybody that is technologically literate already uses layered functionality in order to enter capital letters and punctuation into a computer by pressing the shift key, so more layers wouldn’t be a stretch to get accustomed to.
This keyboard would have a third layer that can only be access by pressing the Fn button on the right of the space bar. This will allow me to have all the keys accessible from a full keyboard, while retaining a small size. In other words, any function that is found on the bottom right of a given key can only be access when holding the Fn button.
![](/tinykeeb/Images/keyboardlayout_hu4979c82f1284a79f634aeb8cf1c82fb9_49214_800x0_resize_q99_box.jpg)
I plugged in the raw JSON of this layout into Plate Creator, and produced a 2d version of the file that will turn into my plate layer.
![](/tinykeeb/Images/2DCadSettings_hu829eb9f3253227fc1a77151462175969_33721_800x0_resize_box_2.png)
![](/tinykeeb/Images/2DCadOut_hu2eaf9c837dd862638b3e61622d6109bd_18689_800x0_resize_box_2.png)
CAD Design 1
My case will revolve around utilizing cherry switches, a metal 1.5 mm switch layer, and some sort of cable interface. For my cad modeling, I will be using drawings based on the layered json files, produced by Keyboard Layout Editor.
PCB
No matter what the CAD design will be, the PCB will only be dependent on the row/column size of the total keys. Using this constraint in mind, I designed a PCB in KiCad that represents the size and eletronics requirements needed
![](/tinykeeb/Images/pcb_hu2fd093c8828744e8d9129aee178194e3_13915_800x0_resize_box_2.png)
![](/tinykeeb/Images/PCB_V1_hu372ca66e3eddb878c66d76cbf7a523a6_31383_800x0_resize_box_2.png)
![](/tinykeeb/Images/PCB_V1_2_hu707edffefe7128501c30019367bbcd33_80525_800x0_resize_box_2.png)
Results
![](/tinykeeb/Images/PCBs_hubead38468221db65c698cd3a4e33202c_592427_800x0_resize_q99_box.jpg)
![](/tinykeeb/Images/POC_1_hue40bd4d4fe3a2ee1bf49fa80e208ebe5_378208_800x0_resize_q99_box.jpg)
![](/tinykeeb/Images/Keycaps_hubecae87832a0999f18591d322e04bcba_151076_800x0_resize_q99_box.jpg)
![](/tinykeeb/Images/Backplate_huea1f25fd7f293ad0856ff944d67bb9e1_489169_800x0_resize_q99_box.jpg)
DESIGN STILL IN PROGRESS. UPDATES WILL BE POSTED PERIODICALLY
Resources
My 3D assemblies included models from these resources: