Amiga 1200 mech keyboard - open source, boards available

[ExtremeWays]

I can get a working A600 motherboard to you aberbach.

I've got 3 working units up here in Queensland.

PM me your details and I'll post it down to you.

[aeberbach]

ExtremeWays, fantastic. Thanks! PM sent.

[SpocksBeer]

Project complete! Well, mostly. Still need a case badge, install the LED board and get a Gotek.

It looks and feels very nice, I think. The 3D printed mounting brackets (thanks aeberbach!) fit well, though with a couple of caveats. I found the M3 screw head interfered with the spacebar stabiliser, so I had to sub in an M2 screw with washers either side. This fixed that problem.

I used 8mm M3 bolts on the bottom part (except as noted), and 6mm M3s on the sides. Any longer than 6mm and the bolt clashed with the Kipper2k side-mount CompactFlash adaptor that is on this board. 6mm was just a little too short for the bottom - perhaps the 3D printed part could be modified to recess the nut to solve this. This was one area where Bunnings did not have stock of useful parts, so I sourced them from RS Components instead.

The aluminium bar for board stiffness seems to do its job very well. The keyboard feels very nice to type on. I had envisioned more of a leg-in-the-middle kind of support system being necessary, but this works fine it seems.

I do have a DCS profile 9U spacebar from Signature Plastics, but I've not had a chance to make a 9U stabiliser for it yet. I may not, either. The colour is wrong (kind of beige) and the profile doesn't match the rest of the DSA keycaps. I suppose I could make a 3D printed keycap mount for the holes around the spacebar, but they honestly don't look that bad to me.

A very fun project indeed!

[aeberbach]

Nice job!

(I wish I could get back to mine but we have a guest staying in my office, which is where all my Amiga and computer stuff lives.)

[Acill]

Can someone show a picture of the bar you are using? I can't get it in my mind how this looks and installs.

[aeberbach]

I am disappointed with the stabilisers I got from AliExpress. They are very loose and fiddly to fit and add the wire to - will look harder for some screw-ins next time. Anyway - a bicycle spoke is the perfect substitute for the key stab wire! I had a disused wheel made with DT Swiss spokes, double-butted 2.0/1.8/2.0 - by snipping off the 2.0 section on the outside of the old spokes I found 1.8 is perfect. With some careful bending a 9U space bar from Signature Plastics is working very nicely.

Sorry I do not have a photo right now - maybe later tonight when I get the chance to sit down with the Amiga.

[aeberbach]

Two updates:

- I got some genuine Cherry screw-in stabilisers from Novelkeys LLC. The difference is night and day, now it feels like a mechanical keyboard should.

- I revised the PCB slightly, in case you were interested in having any made, as a couple of people have asked about it. The big return key footprint surprised me by including a LED, so in the old version of the PCB files two tracks are shorted by this LED symbol. The PCB people I use were good enough to modify the Gerber fab files for me so manufacturing turned out OK. I have now updated the PCB layout on GitHub and the Gerber files so if you send them off to get a PCB made exactly as they are then all should be well. HOWEVER don't do that! At the very least load KiCad yourself, generate your own Gerbers, check them carefully, and be sure that what you are paying money to receive is right.

Github: https://github.com/aeberbach/A1200KB

[GearCross]

I think this might be a much more viable option than trying to get new keycaps, having missed the kickstarter...

But I got a small question.

I don't know how good it'll look or how doable it is, but would it be possible to add configurable size blanks with actual non connected switches on either side to fill the blanks and accommodate more common spacebar lengths like 6.25~7U?


Cheers!

[aeberbach]

Definitely, in fact there is no reason not to add switches in those positions either side of the space bar and to figure out unused connections in the keyboard matrix. Unknown key scan codes received by the OS are likely ignored. Or these new scan codes could be used by a programmer.

It’s easy for me (but a little late) to think of these things once the design is done and boards made. I ended up getting a 9U space bar (SA profile) from signature plastics and it looks and works well! Originally though I thought of just getting key blank plates as several manufacturers sell, and just epoxying them in at the right height.

I am working on the A600 keyboard now. It will have dual layout with stabiliser positions for 7U or 9U, but also MX positions either side of the space in case you choose 7U. Next A1200 revision will do this too.

[Krashan]

Originally Posted by aeberbach

to figure out unused connections in the keyboard matrix. Unknown key scan codes received by the OS are likely ignored.

In case of A1200 there is only one free connection in the matrix (matrix is 15 columns by 6 rows). However it seems the MPU does not generate any code for it.

[oggie]

Would it be possible to reuse a1200 keys by creating an adapter to go between the original keys and the new switches? Like they did on the mechboard64 project here :https://www.breadbox64.com/blog/the-mechboard64/ ?

[Jope]

Yes, but it will add height and be rather wobbly, as in the mechboard.

The Amiga's keyboard is much lower profile than the C64's, so the keycap bottoms might not line up with the edge of the case any more.

[madmungo]

Wow, Signature Plastics just quoted me USD850 for a one off DCS Sublimated keycap set using my layout from here http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.co...6a28a9860ee096.

Worked out if I was to just select blank keycaps and have them printed it would cost under USD200 easy. Probably closer to USD120.

Just shot the an email response with some suggestions using alternate prebuilt sets, waiting for a reply.

Have a set of generic keycaps with support set coming from china as backup.

[XLV2K]

Would be interested in 2, maybe three of those PCBs. I have a QWERTZ Amiga 1200 I definitely wanna replace its KB, and another QWERTY one I would prefer a mech KB in it. Also, what are the chances of those KBs being modded to work with an Amiga 500? from what I see, the amiga 500 KB has some ribbon cables that then connect to the little KB Driver PCB, what kind of KB driver PCB mod would it take? Also, I am in Greece, I could , with some help defining the order properly, order a few of those PCBs and deliver them in EU, so people can avoid customs and VAT and all that, back and forth, from wherever aeberbach orders the PCB, paying VAT and customs to get them into Australia, then people paying again VAT and customs and import fees to get them into EU. Just saying, since I haven't seen any volunteers to deliver those PCBs inside EU.

[aeberbach]

Originally Posted by XLV2K

Would be interested in 2, maybe three of those PCBs. I have a QWERTZ Amiga 1200 I definitely wanna replace its KB, and another QWERTY one I would prefer a mech KB in it. Also, what are the chances of those KBs being modded to work with an Amiga 500? from what I see, the amiga 500 KB has some ribbon cables that then connect to the little KB Driver PCB, what kind of KB driver PCB mod would it take? Also, I am in Greece, I could , with some help defining the order properly, order a few of those PCBs and deliver them in EU, so people can avoid customs and VAT and all that, back and forth, from wherever aeberbach orders the PCB, paying VAT and customs to get them into Australia, then people paying again VAT and customs and import fees to get them into EU. Just saying, since I haven't seen any volunteers to deliver those PCBs inside EU.

I do have two three PCBs but right now I have run out of keyswitches. It should only be a week or so there is a big box on the way to me.

A500 compatibility is not likely to happen just because the A500 has the decoder hardware on the keyboard itself. If I was to make that work I would need to look at the difference between the A1200 and A500 circuits and build the A500 circuitry onto the right place on the board. Kipper2k did exactly this with the mech keyboards sold through Amiga on the Lake. Unfortunately I do not have an A500 (would love to have one of course) so I would not be able to design the physical side of things correctly.

A very good design (and I might do this _if_ I had an A500) would be an A500 keyboard with a breakout section that becomes an A1200 keyboard if it is not attached. Again, Kipper2k did exactly this. If AOTL could supply keyboards I would just stop doing this and tell people to buy his.

EU shipping is not terrible, for the A1200 KB that is in the 500g-1kg price bracket the cost is roughly AUD$38. By far the cheapest way of course is to go get the gerbers from my GitHub and have your own PCBs made.

[XLV2K]

Originally Posted by aeberbach

I do have two three PCBs but right now I have run out of keyswitches. It should only be a week or so there is a big box on the way to me.

A500 compatibility is not likely to happen just because the A500 has the decoder hardware on the keyboard itself. If I was to make that work I would need to look at the difference between the A1200 and A500 circuits and build the A500 circuitry onto the right place on the board. Kipper2k did exactly this with the mech keyboards sold through Amiga on the Lake. Unfortunately I do not have an A500 (would love to have one of course) so I would not be able to design the physical side of things correctly.

A very good design (and I might do this _if_ I had an A500) would be an A500 keyboard with a breakout section that becomes an A1200 keyboard if it is not attached. Again, Kipper2k did exactly this. If AOTL could supply keyboards I would just stop doing this and tell people to buy his.

EU shipping is not terrible, for the A1200 KB that is in the 500g-1kg price bracket the cost is roughly AUD$38. By far the cheapest way of course is to go get the gerbers from my GitHub and have your own PCBs made.

I'll try to order the PCBs from PCBWay with your gerbers and rest of info you have for the PCBs' characteristics you provide in the 1st post of this thread, if I get stuck, I will post here again for help. As for the A500 issue, well, its getting harder and harder ( and more expensive ) to find those space invaders KBs, it would be very nice if you could provide a way for a mech KB. Didn't know about Klipper's KBs at AOTL, I'll look for more info on them.

[kipper2k]

I actually did build a a500 keyboard controller board, for both cherry MX and regular a500 KB membrane types. it can double as regular or USB type.

I did actually post on this but it never received much attention so its buried in my files for the time being


http://www.kipper2k.com/a500controll...ontroller.html

Originally Posted by aeberbach

I do have two three PCBs but right now I have run out of keyswitches. It should only be a week or so there is a big box on the way to me.

A500 compatibility is not likely to happen just because the A500 has the decoder hardware on the keyboard itself. If I was to make that work I would need to look at the difference between the A1200 and A500 circuits and build the A500 circuitry onto the right place on the board. Kipper2k did exactly this with the mech keyboards sold through Amiga on the Lake. Unfortunately I do not have an A500 (would love to have one of course) so I would not be able to design the physical side of things correctly.

A very good design (and I might do this _if_ I had an A500) would be an A500 keyboard with a breakout section that becomes an A1200 keyboard if it is not attached. Again, Kipper2k did exactly this. If AOTL could supply keyboards I would just stop doing this and tell people to buy his.

EU shipping is not terrible, for the A1200 KB that is in the 500g-1kg price bracket the cost is roughly AUD$38. By far the cheapest way of course is to go get the gerbers from my GitHub and have your own PCBs made.

[katarakt]

This looks excellent and i'm sure that many many people want this...but...it received not much attention, because people know that it will take years to find a release if at all.