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# Darknight: DIY 60% Split Keyboard
[Ergonomic Design](#ergonomic-design) -
[Layout](#layout) -
[Parts](#parts) -
[Tools](#tools) -
[Construction](#construction) -
[Updates](#updates)
## Ergonomic Design
* 60% keyboard for programmers, especially vim users
* Symmetric ortholinear / matrix layout
* Split and tentable
* Tenting angle quickly adjustable by moving the tenting racks inwards or outwards
* Mild contour to adapt to finger lengths, with z-staggering and cherry-profile keycaps
## Layout
* Fn key is at the home position of left thumb, which makes cursor moving keys on the right half easily accessible.
* Ctrl and Fn keys are dual-role modifiers. When tapped, they produce Escape, Enter and Backspace instead. The only downside is that they can’t auto-repeat because they are modifiers when pressed and held. (Hint: Use Ctrl-Backspace to delete words.)
* Left-click and right-click are at the bottom row of the left half. One can move the mouse with right hand and click on the keyboard with left hand.
* Brackets and Backslash are at the bottom row of the right half. Single-quote is right above Enter. These changes allow the right half to have only 6 columns and mirror the left half.
* The blue keys are the home keys of fingers at rest.
## Parts
* 6 3D-printed case pieces and 2 tenting racks
* Front piece, back piece and chip cover for each case
* 8 M2x16 screws and 8 M2 nuts for assembling the cases
* 60 ~~Gateron Red~~ Cherry MX Silent Red switches (or any Cherry MX compatible switches), plate mounted
* 60 Blank PBT keycaps from a 120-piece set
* 60 O-rings for dampening
* One Teensy 3.2 or Teensy LC as controller
* For handwired matrix
* 22 AWG 6-color stranded hook-up wires
* One 0.25mm copper sheet, 6x6 inches
* 60 1N4148 diodes
* One USB-C gen 2 cable (with plugs cut off) for connecting halves.
See [issue #1](https://github.com/macroxue/keyboard-diy/issues/1).
* One USB mini cable for connecting the keyboard to computer
## Tools
* 3D printer
* Soldering iron
* Tweezers
* Wire stripper
* Heavy duty scissors
* Knife
* Nails and hammer
* Filer
* Multimeter
## Construction
### Printing cases and tenting racks: 17 hours
* Print cases: 16 hours with PLA and 12 hours with ABS
* Print tenting racks: 2 hours with PLA and 1.5 hours with ABS
* Print chip covers: 10 minutes
3D models in STL format as well as the OpenSCAD file producing them are in [models](https://github.com/macroxue/keyboard-diy/tree/master/models) directory. I use FlashPrint for FlashForge Creator Pro to convert STL files to X3G files before printing them from a SD card.
There are three choices of racks. [rack-rigid.stl](https://github.com/macroxue/keyboard-diy/tree/master/models/rack-rigid.stl) is quick to print and rigid for high tenting angle. [rack-curvy.stl](https://github.com/macroxue/keyboard-diy/tree/master/models/rack-curvy.stl) is good looking but not rigid. [rack-blend.stl](https://github.com/macroxue/keyboard-diy/tree/master/models/rack-blend.stl) is good looking and rigid.
### Installing switches and keycaps: 20 minutes
* Install switches: 10 minutes
* Orient switches: pins are at the top half
* Install O-rings and keycaps: 10 minutes <img src=https://github.com/macroxue/keyboard-diy/blob/master/images/O-ring.jpg width=200>
### Wiring diagrams
* Use any of the digital pins except pin 13 (LED)
* Feel free to use pins different than what are in the diagrams
### Wiring switch columns: 2 hours, 1 for each split
<img src=https://github.com/macroxue/keyboard-diy/blob/master/images/Soldering%20column.jpg width=600>
* Mark on stranded wire where column pins are
* Use wire stripper to cut at each mark and 5mm to the right of the mark, i.e. two horizontal cuts 5mm apart at each mark
* Make a vertical cut between the two horizontal cuts with a knife and remove the insulation to expose the strands
* Split strands into two parts so a column pin can get through
* Solder the wire to the pins
### Wiring switch rows and diodes: 4 hours, 2 for each split
* Cut 3~4mm wide stripe off copper sheet with heavy-duty scissors
* Mark positions of row pins on the stripe
* Drill small holes (D~=1mm) at the marks and an extra hole at the end toward the center for wiring the row to the controller
* Use hammer and nail if no drill at hand
* Diodes with black terminal oriented downward
* The black terminal is inserted into a hole on the stripe and bent upward
* The other terminal is wrapped around a row pin for at least one complete circle <img src=https://github.com/macroxue/keyboard-diy/blob/master/images/Soldering%20diode.jpg width=200>
* Make sure the stripe doesn’t touch any exposed part of column wires
* Solder diodes to row pins
* Solder diodes to copper stripe. When solder is applied with the side (not the tip) of the iron touching the stripe, a small “flooding” area of solder creates a strong solder joint. <img src=https://github.com/macroxue/keyboard-diy/blob/master/images/Soldering%20row.jpg width=200>
* Cut off extra length of diode terminals
### Testing and fixing: 20 minutes
* Use a multimeter. Turn the dial to diode sign.
* Red on column, black on row
* Press the key at the column-row. Multimeter should read current.
### Connecting the right matrix to controller: 2 hours
* Avoid *pin 13* which is for the built-in LED
* Figure out how to route the wires before soldering
* Rows are routed with fairly short wires so either solid or stranded wires work
* Columns are routed with stranded wires for flexibility
* The controller has its program/reset button facing down so it's accessible without opening the case
### Connecting the left matrix to USB-C: 1 hour
* Prepare USB-C cable
* Cut the plugs off
* Insert the cable into a few O-rings, which can act as stoppers
* Mark the length to reach the furthest column
* Make a round cut at the mark with a knife and remove the insulation
* Remove the silver-colored mesh and paper wrap to expose wires
* Observe 4 thin wires and 10 thick wires (2 from a twisted pair)
* Solder 4 thin wires into one
* Pin or tape USB-C cable so it doesn’t move around
* Decide which wire for which column/row
* Color coding helps, e.g. red USB-C wire to red column wire
* Cut wires to proper lengths
* Use soldering iron to remove insulation at the end of each wire
* Wrap strands around a soldering joint and solder
### Connecting left and right rows: 30 minutes
* Prepare USB-C cable to expose wires at the other end
* Pin or tape USB-C cable so it doesn’t move around
* Cut wires to proper lengths
* Use soldering iron to remove insulation at the end of each wire
* Wire rows of the left half to rows of the right half, so logically there are 5 rows.
### Connecting left columns to controller: 30 minutes
* Ground the silver-colored mesh to GND pin of the controller. Ghost keys can pop up without this.
* Wire columns of the left half to the controller
### Uploading firmware
* Note down which controller pin each row/column is wired to. There are 5 rows and 12 columns. Column 0 is where left shift is and column 11 is where right shift is.
* Plug in USB mini cable to the controller and connect the keyboard to a computer.
* Download [Teensyduino](https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/teensyduino.html) which extends Arduino to support Teensy controllers.
* Clone [firmware repo](https://github.com/macroxue/keyboard-firmware) on the computer.
* Update [keyboards/darknight/darknight.ino](https://github.com/macroxue/keyboard-firmware/blob/master/keyboards/darknight/darknight.ino) with above-noted row pins and column pins.
* Create a symbolic link in Arduino's libraries directory to the cloned firmware directory.
* Open `darknight.ino` in Arduino IDE.
* In the IDE, change "Tools > Board" setting to be "Teensy LC" or "Teensy 3.2/3.1" depending on the controller chip, and change "Tools > USB Type" setting to "Keyboard + Mouse + Joystick".
* Use "Sketch > Verify/Compile" to make sure the firmware compiles fine, then use "Sketch > Upload" to upload the firmare to the controller.
* Test the new keyboard!
It happened once that pressing any two keys among Q, W, E, R and T at the same time would also produce Tab. It was fixed by swapping the wires connecting to the first row and the second row. The exact cause is still unknown but a guess is along the line of induced current.
### Closing the cases: 10 minutes
* Make sure USB mini cable and USB C cable fit in the cable hole
* May need to enlarge the cable hole with a filer
* Insert screws and fasten the cases with nuts
### Installing tenting racks: 5 minutes
* Cut 8mm pieces from USB-C insulation and insert rack feet into the pieces to increase friction on surface <img src=https://github.com/macroxue/keyboard-diy/blob/master/images/Tenting%20rack.jpg width=400>
* Slide each case into a rack and adjust tenting angle
## Updates
### New build on 7/7/2019
Change of color scheme. Maybe call it WhiteKnight.
### New build on 12/30/2020
What else is better than building another keyboard in these holidays! I call this one RedBaron.
Now I have three such keyboards, Darknight trapped at work due to the pandemic, WhiteKnight for working at home and RedBaron for personal use.
For this build, I just used stranded wires for the matrix. It turns out to be simpler since the wires can be routed to the controller directly.
### High-angle tenting on 11/12/2021
A bridge connecting the two halves turns out to be a good solution for high-angle tenting. The bridge is simply the two tenting racks joined together, with small adjustments in size.
With a little more engineering, the entire structure can be locked by tension so it can be easily moved around.
### New build on 5/7/2023
Darknight is officially missing in the office during the COVID pandemic. Site maintenance
took it as a company equipment and recycled it. After nearly 4 years of heavy use, Gateron
Red linear switches in WhiteKnight begin to fail. Tangerine is the new replacement build.
One surprise is with the USB-C cable ordered from Amazon, which is thicker and has many
more ground wires than before. I just leave them unused.
### Foldable rack on 5/26/2026
I put my tented keyboard on a tray but the tray can't close because the
keyboard is too tall. If I just leave the setup that way after work, the next
day I will see the keyboard and the tray knocked off position by the cleaning
lady. I end up untenting the keyboard at the end of a day and tenting it the
next day. It takes 30 seconds for either step and it can be better.
Here is the
[new rack design](https://github.com/macroxue/keyboard-diy/blob/master/models/rack-fold.stl)
to enable 3-second tenting or untenting. I forgot to add supports for the print
but it turned out OK, not pretty but functional.
