Journal

Information

Title: MacroBoard
Author: An. D. (its_kronos)
Description: The MacroBoard is an extension of a much smaller macropad featuring a full TKL layout with a rotary encoder for volume and a whopping total of 22 macro keys (10 macrokeys physically and 12 more due to the fn keys being on another layer).
Creation Date: 6/8/2025
Total Time (before building):39 hours 10 minutes

6/8/2025

I started the general planning for the design criteria and also started sourcing some of the parts needed to create the keyboard. This took a lot longer than I expected, and I didn't realise how much actually had to go to making a full-sized keyboard, even after making a macropad before this.

No images yet as it has mainly been a lot of researching and writing ideas, but here is what I have so far:

TKL layout (87 keys)
One rotary Encoder with button (1 key, 2 additional GPIO)
10 macro buttons (10 keys)
Total keys: 98
Matrix size: 17x6
total gpio for input keys (disregarding matrix): 10
total gpio for input keys (regarding matrix): 23
total gpio for input:25
gpio for output: 2
minimum gpio: 27
USBC connectivity (JLCPCB part C2988369, costing 0.08)
Cherry MX speed silver switches (switches) (for 47.67)
white to light blue gradient keycaps (keycaps) (for 20.22)
Diodes (JLC part C2099, costing 0.01 each), probable ordering via aliexpress (name: 1N4148W)

Anyways, here are some goals that I have for the next session!!
- Figure out a specific MCU to use and read the datasheets as well as sourcing all the parts required in this step - Source some stabs - Source a rotary encoder switch - learn a bit more about a usb protection IC, should I get one, and if so, source it

Session length: 1 hour (ish probably a couple minutes more excluding this journal entry)

6/9/2025

Did a lot more research and sourced a LOT of components, and found out what remaining components i have to source before i can jump in (why is reading documentation so time consuming)

PCB mounted stabs stabs (for 5.26 total)
EC11 rotary encoder switch rot (for 1.42)
RP2040, costing 1.11 on JLC (part number: C2040)
ESD protection costing 0.11 on JLC (part number:C7519)
ordering diodes via jlc with pcba since i'm VERY new to soldering
must source voltage converter from 5v to 3v3
100nF capacitors required for power pins, SHOULD be close to the power pins (one per power) (9 needed)
1 uF capacitors required for internal voltage pin, SHOULD be close to respective pins (two needed)
remaining for this stuff added to the to source list below
Flash memory: JLC part C97521 for 0.77
Crystal oscillator: JLC part C20625731 for 0.38
Voltage converter: JLC part C26537 for 0.26
Oh yeah I also just learned about basic vs extended parts and now am double checking to see if i can find basic for anything that I didn't already
Using JLC part C2128 for diodes instead of other one as previous listed

TO SOURCE: * 100nF * 1 uF * 1x2 pin header * 1k ohm * 15 pF * 27.4 ohm * 10uF

GOALS * source stuff * start wiring and pcb making so i can actually give some pictures!!!

Session length: 1 hour 30 minutes

6/11/2025

Started this session with sourcing the parts as my goal was from last session

100nF - C1525
1 uF - C1848
1x2 pin header - headers (for 1.44)
1k ohm - C85373
15 pF - C1548
27.4 ohm - C31439
10uF - C13585
5.1k - C23186

Yeah it became pretty easy for me to source parts after having done it for two days already, but at least i can now focus on the actual hardware!

Finding information about the USB receptacle was pretty difficulty, and when I did it was pretty hard to digest, but I eventually figured it out (I needed a 5.1k ohm resistor pulled down to the cc pins)

I was able to finish routing the usbc receptacle as well as the accompanying voltage convertor to the pi2040, but I still have to wire up the data and power lines to the pi before starting my key matrix

routing progress:

GOALS:

finish routing RPI
Finish key grid

Session length: 1 hour 15 minutes

6/12/2025

Started off this session with finishing up the wiring for the pi completely, and I eventually realized that I needed a 10K ohm resistor to be able to reset the mcu into BOOTSEL should I need to reflash it.

10k ohm - C25744
usb protection IC replaced to C7419953 because it has a recommended usb layout in datasheet
Switching USBC connector to C165948 because it has a footprint that is easier to recreate

The wiring was pretty simple since this was the second time reading the rp2040 hardware documentation (first time to source parts), so I pretty much just followed that to result in the following:

Afterwards, I worked on my switch matrix, which honestly took more time than I thought it would. Understanding the logic behind a switch matrix compared to just directly wiring distinct switches to a controller took quite a while and gave me a few mistakes when I made my first draft, but eventually I ended up with:

Matrix

After making the matrix, I decided that the keyboard would look better with the encoder on the right side of the macro keys, so I just switched it in the schematic sheet.

At this point, my goal was to completely finish what I would have to do in the schematic side of things, so I could start the PCB, and the final step was to assign footprints.
Assigning footprints to almost everything was a breeze, and locating which keys needed different sizings was pretty tedious, but when I tried to find a footprint for the USBC connection, I struggled.

I spent a pretty long time researching to no avail, and eventually decided that my best option would be to just remake it in KiCad (which I decided to save for another time)

(Note that the other time could be the same day, since these this process took 4.5 continuous hours)

GOALS: - Custom footprint for usbc receptacle - Double check the footprints for all components - Start working on the PCB layout, start wiring if time permits

session time 4:30

Alright next session of the same day!

Made a footprint for the usbc receptacle!!! Took way too long to learn how to make my own footprint and match it exactly to the documentation (please add dimensioning kicad I'm begging you)

GOALS: - Add and create the custom schematic diagram for the usbc receptacle - double check footprints for all components

session time: 1:30

6/13/2025

remade pi2040 shape to include all power pins for decoupling I was pretty surprised that the base shape for the pi2040 didn't include all the power pins, as this is a pretty important detail since each power pin requires decoupling capacitors. However, I easily fixed this by just making the pins visible in the editor.

made usbc shape This was overall pretty easy and didn't require much effort.

labeling key names I decided that labeling every key and diode would make placing parts exponentially faster (it did), but it was pretty tedious and time-consuming.

triple checked all footprints and parts Another big time dump was double checking all the footprints, but I did realize that some of my footprints for the cherry switches (like for the key for \\) weren't the proper U sizing.
started placing switches onto the pcb, but difficulty finding distance between the function keys
used: https://keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/ to find distance in a standard layout
finished placing every switch
finished placing every diode This by far was the most annoying part of the process, due to there being about 100 diodes to place. At least watching the switches line up so perfectly was pretty nice to watch.

GOALS: - Place other components for PCB - Start routing

Session time 3:40

Session Two: - Placed all of the other components - replacing 1uF with C52923 for smaller footprint

Attemped to route but failed horribly with the differential pair

GOALS: - Change up the part layout - replace data line protection part so I don't have to use vias

Session Length: 1:30 (most of the time was spent on trying to make sure there's enough space, but I severely underestimated the size traces are)

6/14/2025

Created a running list of all the parts used so far
placed all of the parts again in a more organized way
Tried to do differential pair routing but got confused with the wiring of the ESD protection, wondering if the impedence should be split among both sides.
After quite a bit of research I realized that they are internally connected and was able to successfully route it
Had some power symbols with 3v3 and 3.3 which made the nets slightly wrong
wired all the rows and columns (but not to the chip)
wired most (if not all) of the stuff for the chip

GOALS: - double check the list for all running parts - finish the routing and pcb

time: 3 hours

6/16/2025

routed most of the rows and colums as well as rearranging the crystal so it can have a ground plane
This was overall pretty easy, but sometimes the routing was a bit difficult, and I had to rearrange things so that the traces could fit properly
I also sometimes had to think for a bit of a way to connect two tracks without boxing myself in for the other rows and columns.

learned about length matching for the USB port and did a bit of research about it as well as implementing it

GOALS: - Finish the routing of the PCB - Double check the list for all running parts

TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes

Next session:

Completed the entire routing and ground planes for the PCB, and it looks pretty good in my opinion

GOALS: - Find and add 3d models for some of the footprints (key switches, ec11, stabs, usbc connector, etc.) - Double check running list of parts (i'm too lazy to go back and read every journal entry again, but i'll have to do it before adding 3d models 😭 so I don't position the wrong one)

TIME: 1 hour 45 minutes

6/17/2025

checked running list and footprints
added 3d components
wondered if the metal piece between stabs needed holes in the plate, so I researched about that using previous submissions for highway, but this wasn't enough so I researched more
Found a youtube video showcases the removal of stabs from a plate, and found that it was mainly just for allowing easy of removal from plate-mount stabs, but since i'm using plate mount, it would be better to include them
decided to include hotswap sockets from kailh in the build, and sourcing them here (they are the cheapest among amazon and aliexpress): amazon hotswap
added footprints for hotswap
sadly have to reroute pretty much every single row and column due to having slightly different plated through hole sizing (and underside pad/component placement)!

TIME: 2 hours

session 2

even after removing all row and column tracks, all the pins for the switches are reversed, so I also have to redo all the diodes, which means that it would most likely be faster to reroute the entire board rather than taking the time to find each individual track connected to a diode and remove it, as well as reposition the diode

was able to route all the columns to eachother (not the pi)
moved each diode and connected it to each keyswitch
routed up all the stuff near the pi except for the crystal (routing heavily depends on how tightly i can route the columns and rows)

time: 1h15m

6/18/2025

finished rerouting the entire board
added courtyard to the usbc connector
added some stuff to the silkscreen

generated the plate with a keyboard layout, and it'd be too big for most household 3d printers, so I'm asking if I'd be allowed to use JLC3DP

had to scale down the plate since it was 10x bigger in fusion

time: 3.5 hours

session 2

after checking the parts, replacing old stabs with stabs because the old ones had pictures that didn't look like plate mount, but in the product here it clearly says plate mounted
Did some research on whether the pcb would need to be supported or not, but I decided it would be for the best if they were and found standoffs i could use standoffs
resized edge.cuts and adding mounting holes, and this part took way too long because theres no tool for distancing like there is in many cad programs, so I had to align everything perfect with the grids, which was pretty annoying (also had to reroute and reposition the USBC receptacle due to board resizing)

Setup wakatime for kicad and fusion

time 1h45m

6/19/2025

i'm pretty new to cad so making the case will take quite a bit
finished the bottom part of the case with holes for screws

added bigger holes at the bottom for the head, with the following sourced M3 screws: screws

will be adding the hole for the usbc connector last, so i can align everything in the assembly and put the cutout accurately

time: 45m

finished top part of the case, except for the spaces between escape and other keys, arrow keys, etc.
I'll add that part after finishing up with the assembly

full assembly before keycaps, stabilizers, colouring, and polishing

couldn't find a stabilizer model i could use, so i'm going without it
added all keycaps, but this took way too long since i was initially moving and copying them one by one before I learned I could use rectangular patterns

polished up the top part of the case so that the gaps are filled

time 3h15m

6/20/2025

redoing all the keycaps because it is the only way for me to unlink all of them so i can apply the custom colors
found different keycaps for all the u sizes after some searching
the new models for the keycaps were all scaled up and meshes, so i decided to find other ones since i couldn't convert them prismatically (fusion free version sob)

after doing some more digging i found different keycap models (we love reddit) which had everything for each row with the link and this included keycaps for different rows, so I decided to restart again for the next session

time:1h45m (mainly because I spent so much time restarting and searching)

turns out all the files i found before were just mesh-based too, which wasn't really helpful
learned that all STL files are meshed based, so I will download the STEP file from the github repo instead
Used the step file instead and it worked so much better, and i was able to get a lot of keys placed down, and the keyboard is starting to look really good

time: 45m

6/21/2025

finished putting all the keys and colouring, and imported my rotary encoder cap from another project (hackpad), but didn't know which ec11 rotary encoder type comes with hackpad, due to there being so many different variations, so I asked which specific type it is and tried to do some research
the type is the ec11e
since the 3d model on the pcb in the assembly is not an ec11e (and since I couldn't find an ec11e model, just one for a general ec11 encoder) i had to carefully go by the measurements on the datasheet to design my cap
spent quite a long time designing the hole for the USBC connector, making it pretty tight with some clearance just incase

time: 1h30m (excluding some time about asking details to improve my case)

sourced some gorilla superglue gel I would use for the standoffs in the plastic after doing some research about which glue works well with PLA
started splitting all the prints so they could be printed with printing legion

decided not to split the plate because splitting it would make it pretty difficult to print secure during shipping, so i'll probably use JLC3DP for this one part
discovered that JLC3DP PLA print has to have a minimum of 1cm height and their capabilities don't support 1.5mm height, but after some research I discovered that many people use FR4 as material for their plates, so I did a big brain move and exported the plate sketch as a DXF and imported it into kicad and just exported as gerber!

turns out that JLCPCB is pretty expensive for getting plates, so instead I decided to just get it via a resin print, which can support 1.5mm thick prints
replacing 1k ohm with C11702, since it's a basic part
turns out that no matter what I do the weight will be over 1.5 KG for the board alone, so I have to pay about 40 dollars shipping to the US, which means that the rest of the board is unfeasable to design
i will finish a draft of the code and create a BOM, but that's about it since I don't have the means to pay the exorbitant amount of money required

time: 30m

| Ok thanks to some ideas of @TheEternalComrade (fellow Hackclub member), I decided that after finishing a draft of the code and a BOM for this expensive version of the keyboard, I will use the grant to aquire the materials needed to handsolder the keyboard instead of paying 100 dollars for a PCB including shipping

6/22/2025

created a bom for the over-budget build
created a draft of code to use on the keyboard

sourced parts that would be needed for hand-wired keyboard
edited case to support a USBC breakout board instead of the over-priced PCB (lowered the hole)
editing plate to support thicker printing and better support so I can use printing legion instead
editing the plate is taking way too long due to fusion taking like 30 seconds to render a single constraint and up to two minutes if I misclick

time: 2 hours

found a cherry MX plate hole to EC11 rotary encoder by @Coloneljesus_13723 on printables.com, which would allow me to glue a rotary encoder to it and attach it securely to the plate without a PCB (pretty fire)
finished redesigning the plate to be thicker to allow for more security and smaller bed size required for printing (I wish fusion ran faster)

made bom and added it to readme
Created a readme and added almost everything that I need to

time: 2h30m

Keyboardv1