Simple KiCad For Simple Vintage Computer Hobbyists: Part 7b (Keyboard Design 2) [TCE #0622]
19Thanks to #PCBWAY for their ongoing support! https://www.pcbway.com/
Let's finish off the keyboard for the Cambridge Computer Z88 by deciding on how big the PCB will be and where we'll position the mounting holes and connectors. We also modify the layout so that we have a proper inverted-T cursor arrangement (thanks for the idea @alexquant1335!)
And, of course, routing all the tracks and generating the fabrication (Gerber) files.
The design can be found on my Github:
https://github.com/0ddjob/Sinclair/tree/main/Z88_Mechanical_Keyboard
00:00 ... Intro
06:20 ... PCB size
07:05 ... Connectors & mounting holes
10:30 ... Stabilisers (for 2u & 7u)
23:40 ... 3D view of keyboard with stabilisers
24:30 ... Auto-routing won't work
26:35 ... Manual routing
29:38 ... Inverted-T cursor layout!
39:00 ... Using vias
41:55 ... Routing is finished!
43:40 ... Generating fabrication (Gerber) files
44:50 ... Rounded corners! (I hate sharp PCB corners)
45:38 ... Final layout check with paper PCB
47:39 ... Channel thanks & outro
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From Part 1:
Let's see if we can design a replacement mechanical keyboard for the 1987 Cambridge Computer Z88 using Gateron KS-33 low profile key switches. The rubber keyboard (Sir Clive special!) doesn't seem to work too well on my machine so maybe a mechanical one would be nice.
Maybe ... maybe not, but let's give it a try and see how it turns out.
This video covers how to use some tools to quickly layout a keyboard for a vintage computer.
Relevant links:
[1] Gateron KS-33 footprint for KiCad:
https://github.com/siderakb/key-switches.pretty
[2] Keyboard Layout Editor
https://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/
[3] Plate Builder
http://builder.swillkb.com/
[4] Thin film connector
TE Connectivity/AMP part 5-520314-8
KiCad files from Mouser
[5] Gateron 3D model
https://www.gateron.com/pages/3d
Disclaimer: I'm not a Kicad super-user, I'm not a circuit design guru, I'm just a simple vintage computer hobbyist who needs simple PCBs from time to time. And yes, this sort of thing has probably been designed a dozen times before, but there's no harm in trying to learn how it's done is there?
I'm using Kicad 9.0 on a 2022 MacBook Air (M2 with 24GB RAM) running macOS 15.5.
Application: KiCad arm64 on arm64
Version: 9.0.0, release build
Platform: macOS Sequoia Version 15.5 (Build 24F74)
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Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio
https://karlcasey.bandcamp.com/
/ @whitebataudio