Journal – Building Keyverse 60 PCB

By CodewMilan | Part of the Highway Series

June 17, 2025 — learning( cus i didnt know lol)

• Decided to embark on designing a custom 60-key ortholinear keyboard PCB.
• Spent the day watching YouTube tutorials on PCB design for mechanical keyboards.
  • Topics covered: matrix wiring, diode placement, microcontroller pin assignments, and designing footprints.
• Installed KiCad and explored open-source keyboard projects for reference.
• Sketched the 5×12 ortholinear layout for the Keyverse 60.

June 18, 2025 — finished schematic

• Created the schematic in KiCad:
  • Added ATmega32u4 (Pro Micro) as the controller.
  • Added 60 diodes (1N4148) for per-key protection.
  • Laid out the row and column matrix for the ortholinear configuration.
• Verified connections by cross-checking with reference builds from QMK documentation.
• First draft of the schematic completed.

June 19 did the pcb layout

• Switched to PCB layout editor in KiCad.
• Arranged the key switch footprints in the 5×12 ortholinear grid.
• Added Kailh hot-swap socket footprints.
• Carefully routed traces for all rows and columns, ensuring no conflicts or overlaps.
• Verified DRC (Design Rule Check) for errors resolved a few minor net conflicts.
• Finalized USB-C footprint for the Pro Micro.

June 20 finally done !!!!

• Finalized silkscreen with the Keyverse 60 name and Highway Series branding.
• Exported Gerber files.
• imported it into easyeda to ease ordering process.
• Uploaded files to JLCPCB for manufacturing.
• Submitted the Keyverse 60 entry to the Highway Form for community showcase.
• Feeling proud of completing my first fully custom keyboard PCB design.