Journal – Building Keyverse 60 PCB

By CodewMilan | Part of the Highway Series

June 17, 2025

Hours spent: 2 hrs
Decided to go full send and build my own 60-key ortholinear keyboard PCB
Started bingeing YouTube vids on keyboard PCB design cuz I had no clue
Learned about matrix wiring, diode flow (why is that a thing), and how to not fry a Pro Micro
Installed KiCad, got overwhelmed, then started vibing with it
Sketched the 5×12 layout on paper and ngl it looked kinda clean

June 18, 2025

Hours spent: 2 hrs
Opened KiCad’s schematic editor and went to war
Dropped in the ATmega32u4 and 60 diodes like a machine
Wired up the row-column matrix, almost lost it halfway but survived
Cross-checked with QMK docs like my life depended on it
Cleaned up the mess and actually ended up with a decent schematic

June 19, 2025

Hours spent: 2 hrs
Jumped into PCB layout and instantly felt pain
Slapped down Kailh hotswap sockets in a perfect grid
Routed traces like it was a puzzle game on hard mode
Fixed DRC errors, shifted things like 100 times
Added USB-C Pro Micro footprint and called it a win

June 20, 2025

Hours spent: 2 hrs
Did some silkscreen drip with Keyverse 60 and Highway Series labels
Added test points for vibes and future-proofing
Exported the Gerber files like a pro
Threw it into EasyEDA to make ordering smooth
dropped it in the Highway Form just to flex a little

June 26, 2025

Hours spent: 2 hrs
Designed a new case with proper screw holes and USB cutout