APACHE-2.0 License
A keyboard personalized for myself, designed in KiCad, with custom firmware written in Rust.
The story behind this board can be found in this reddit post.
I also gave a (time-constrained) talk on making this keyboard which you can view here. Sadly I didn't get to cover everything I wanted to talk about when it comes to embedded Rust, but I hope you find it entertaining.
v0.3.1 PCBWay Production Files
Version v0.3.1 adds an ESD protector on the USB connector, and was kindly sponsored and manufactured by PCBWay.
Version 0.3 adds some iterative hardware improvements over v0.2:
Version 0.2 improves upon some of the issues in v0.1, with some intentional choices that could be seen as a downgrade:
Version 0.1 works but there are some issues:
Version 0.1 uses Kailh hotswap sockets. Combined with the top plate, this is good for trying out different switches, but adds complexity in the build process. It requires more parts, and I had to 3D print 3.4mm M2 spacers.
For every PCB fabrication order, I make a github release and upload the files I used to make the order.
You can see a list of releases here.
For most PCB fabrication shops, they expect gerber files, which are essentially files that describe the layout of pads/traces/geometry for each layer in a PCB. They also contain the drill locations if your PCB has any holes. All these layers should be placed in a directory and compressed to a zip file for uploading.
To create a gerber zip in KiCAD:
File
-> Plot
gerber
(this is just convention, any name will do)Plot
Generate Drill Files
with an Excellon
drill file format, and a Gerber
map file formatDrill Units
are in Millimeters
Generate Drill File
gerber
directory into a gerber.zip
file and it's ready to upload!Note: Check the PCB vendor's website for special KiCAD instructions, as they sometimes prefer certain settings when exporting.
OSHPark can directly accept *.kicad_pcb
files so you don't need to export gerbers when ordering there.
From the schematic viewer:
bom_csv_grouped_by_value_with_fp
.csv
extension, so add itModify the CSV file:
Ref
-> Designator
Qnty
-> Quantity
Cmp name
Description
Vendor
LCSC Part #
jlcpcb.com/parts
and copy over both the footprint and the LCSC part number into their respective columnsIn general, try to use as many "basic parts" as you can from JLCPCB. Each "extended part" costs an extra 300 yen per board.
From KiCad's PCB design tool:
File
-> Fabrication Outputs
-> Footprint Position (.pos) File
Format
: CSV
Units
: Millimeters
Files
: Single file for board
Include footprints with SMD pads even if not marked Surface Mount
: checked
Generate Position File
Modify the CSV file:
Ref
-> Designator
Qnty
-> Quantity
Val
-> Value
PosX
-> Mid X
PosY
-> Mid Y
Rot
-> Rotation
Side
-> Layer
When uploading to JLCPCB, you may need to modify the rotation values. It will show you red dots on pin 1 for the relevant components, as well as a red +
for components with polarity, so double check against your silkscreen and placement. Positive rotation goes counter-clockwise, so if you need to rotate a part counter-clockwise one turn, add 90 degrees. Subtract 90 to rotate one turn clockwise, and modulo 360 degrees to keep the overall rotation value positive.
Set the DEFMT_LOG
environment variable.