Let's create the FSSK/FEXT = DONE !!!!

Techno Trousers · 12 Feb 2016, 15:59

Muirium wrote:How much is he selling his flippers for? Better not have cost you as much as a donor XT!

$.50 apiece. I think you'd have to get lucky these days to find an XT under $42.

scottc · 12 Feb 2016, 16:09

Well an XT would also have salvageable caps, barrels, etc.

Techno Trousers · 12 Feb 2016, 16:13

The XT barrels wouldn't work in an FSSK. Alpha caps might be useful if you're missing some, I guess, but most of the mods are useless.

Muirium · 12 Feb 2016, 16:32

Yeah, the mods are trouble. But XT alphas are great. So much better dyed than Model M caps. Let alone Unicomp's.

pcaro · 12 Feb 2016, 18:36

I am looking for a donor too but in Europe it's difficult to find it. I have ellipse as last option.

shreebles · 12 Feb 2016, 20:42

Yeah, I considered looking for a donor board, but most of them are from the US. When you take into account shipping and tax it just doesn't make sense.

When I get just the flippers in an envelope I can see customs perhaps letting it slip, as they are spare parts and don't look too expensive.

That said, I definitely wouldn't have ripped apart a working XT, so it would have to be a broken one. And I don't want to run the risk of having a few non-working flippers in there that don't register right on the PCB. So I hope I made the safe choice by ordering brand new ones, so they'll all be uniform across the board.

Madhias · 12 Feb 2016, 21:06

Maybe you could have used the ones from the Model F AT

kuato · 12 Feb 2016, 22:19

It's alive!

This was my first buckling spring board and it's bolt moded, so that made this process a lot easier. I got the flippers from a junked bigfoot, re-used the black rubber from the original membrane & isolated the metal plate with black industrial duct tape. Works great

chzel · 12 Feb 2016, 22:30

Oh nice!
I got my PCB today, so maybe I'll manage to get mine working over the weekend!

vivalarevolución · 13 Feb 2016, 02:41

kuato wrote: It's alive!

This was my first buckling spring board and it's bolt moded, so that made this process a lot easier. I got the flippers from a junked bigfoot, re-used the black rubber from the original membrane & isolated the metal plate with black industrial duct tape. Works great

Hubba hubba.

XMIT · 13 Feb 2016, 14:33

idollar wrote: Here are the very final files that I have sent to "pcbway".
I just hope that they used this version that I submitted via email after the order was made, I added some instructions in the bottom silk layer to clarify that the pads were only in the connector.

The zip contains the deltacad, diptrace and final gerber files.

The files are no longer here. What happened?

idollar · 20 Feb 2016, 22:18

kuato wrote: It's alive!

This was my first buckling spring board and it's bolt moded, so that made this process a lot easier. I got the flippers from a junked bigfoot, re-used the black rubber from the original membrane & isolated the metal plate with black industrial duct tape. Works great

Hey,

I could not connect during the last days, I had no internet access.

That's really great news !!!
I will check the FSSK registration thread

Cheers

idollar · 20 Feb 2016, 22:24

hammelgammler wrote:
XMIT wrote: hammelgammler, did you have any luck in getting your board to work?

idollar told me he is on vacation this month. We should see him again in March.
No I haven't as for now. I asked idollar what the problem might be, but it seems like I'm to stupid for it.

I have sent you a new PM with another possible solution

idollar · 20 Feb 2016, 22:31

Techno Trousers wrote:
Muirium wrote:How much is he selling his flippers for? Better not have cost you as much as a donor XT!
$.50 apiece. I think you'd have to get lucky these days to find an XT under $42.

It is possible, believe me. For this price you can get even three of them. Perhaps two of them are missing the cable.

The real problem is that if you have a spare XT cable and the boards are in such a good state that it would be a pity to sacrifice them.

idollar · 20 Feb 2016, 22:40

kuato wrote: It's alive!

This was my first buckling spring board and it's bolt moded, so that made this process a lot easier. I got the flippers from a junked bigfoot, re-used the black rubber from the original membrane & isolated the metal plate with black industrial duct tape. Works great

kuato,

You have bring to live the FSSK 0002 -> post280428.html#p280428

idollar · 20 Feb 2016, 22:56

Kuato,

I have a couple of questions for you. Actually five:

1) have you used a flat cable like the one that I used with a "connector" in the middle ?
2) have you used the xwhatsit configuration that I posted ?
3) what is the voltage threshold that you have configured ?
4) have you used the auto-threshold option in the controller ?
5) have you grounded the back plate ?

I have been thinking also that by inserting a very thin foam or even tape between the flippers and the pcb will reduce the click sound. I mean this type of foam

Do not get me wrong, I am not saying that I will like it, it was just an idea that I think is worth trying.

kuato · 21 Feb 2016, 00:45

1.No connector, individual cables.
2.Wasn't able to import it. Maybe it's a different firmware? I just mapped it.
3.155
4.Tried, but that set it over 1000 which doesn't work.
5.Not yet, but I will.

I think the clicking sound comes from the top plate. I'll test adding some material between the top of the case and the black plastic plate. Maybe that will tighten things a little.

XMIT · 21 Feb 2016, 04:10

I'm still waiting with bated breath for some way for me to get my hands on an FSSK PCB.

idollar · 21 Feb 2016, 15:46

XMIT wrote: I'm still waiting with bated breath for some way for me to get my hands on an FSSK PCB.

For every problem, there is a solution

Check your PMs ...

XMIT · 21 Feb 2016, 17:07

Thanks idollar. For everyone else: we're working out something over PMs.

Halvar · 21 Feb 2016, 18:08

Oh, OK, I thought we need to wait for the final GB now... idollar, If you still have a PCB to spare, I'm interested too, but I ... won't hold my breath.

Techno Trousers · 21 Feb 2016, 19:03

Is wcass still working on an alternate xwhatsit controller that will work better for this project? Also, will the group buy version come with a connector on the PCB?

Big thanks to everyone for the hard work!

idollar · 21 Feb 2016, 20:02

Halvar wrote: Oh, OK, I thought we need to wait for the final GB now... idollar, If you still have a PCB to spare, I'm interested too, but I ... won't hold my breath.

Halvar,

I kept two prototype PCBs for myself, just in case that I would break one during the testing. This is the PCB that I have offered to XMIT. But do not worry, there will be a GB. Soon. I just need to find some time.

Compgeke · 21 Feb 2016, 21:27

If anyone wants, here're the label\badge designs I did. If you want to edit and do stuff yourself, have fun. If you want me to add your build information I can do that as well and upload a png.

FSSKLbls.zip: FSSK Labels; (2.64 MiB) Downloaded 245 times

The fonts used are Helvetica and a dot matrix font. The dot matrix font is included in the zip however the Helvetica is not. There're two Illustrator files, one with the Helvetica outlined and one that's left as editable text.

vivalarevolución · 23 Feb 2016, 04:40

idollar wrote:
Halvar wrote: Oh, OK, I thought we need to wait for the final GB now... idollar, If you still have a PCB to spare, I'm interested too, but I ... won't hold my breath.
Halvar,

I kept two prototype PCBs for myself, just in case that I would break one during the testing. This is the PCB that I have offered to XMIT. But do not worry, there will be a GB. Soon. I just need to find some time.

As stated before, I'm willing to help with any group buy matters this side of the Atlantic.

idollar · 28 Feb 2016, 06:19

Hello,

Today, and given my insomnia, I got my hands in the FSSK 0001 again.
I have made to changes that, from my point of view are definitive:

I have grounded the back plate.
- This has resolved all the problems that I had with the different levels of "1" and "u" that I reported before.
  It also made appear the "pressed" key that I set in the PCB for auto-calibration issues. This means, that after proper setting of the PRESSED and RELEASED keys, the auto-calibration has been successfully tested.. The grounding changed the threshold level from 150 to 124, but this is not relevant as I have set the keyboard up to auto-calibrate upon usb power up.
I have played with the black rubber as per the original M configuration
- Actually, reading kuato's post, he did the same:
  
  kuato wrote: .... re-used the black rubber from the original membrane & isolated the metal plate with black industrial duct tape. ....

I will test this configuration for a week. But after this success with the missing grounding of the back plate (Note 1) the group buy will start probable this week I am currently working in the FSSK 1.00 PCB version and the first draft of the FEXT that will prototype with this order.

Note 1 - The missing grounding of the back plane was a beginners mistake I must admit. When I cabled for the first time the keyboard I was so anxious to see the result that I did not do it. The PCB is so well designed

that that it demonstrated that it could just work even without it. In any case it is more stable with it. So do it !

Note 2 - Attached you can find the new version of controller configuration. This configuration works with the connector in the middle swapping the connections in pairs. You may need to adapt the key allocation.

idollar · 28 Feb 2016, 07:15

I have started the group buy also.

group-buys-f50/fssk-pcbs-t13042.html#p290276

idollar · 28 Feb 2016, 07:17

I have updated the initial post of this thread with a summary of the project. You will find lot of links to related post in it. You may want to read it.

Please, do not hesitate to comment as needed.

Hypersphere · 01 Mar 2016, 01:03

@idollar: I have placed an order for a tested PCB for the FSSK.

I have a source of XT flippers/springs, and I have an Xwhatsit controller and an SSK. I need to check to be sure I have the correct controller for a Model F rather than a beam spring, and I need to get the proper ribbon cables. i will also have to do a screw mod on the SSK. Probably I can get the project underway sometime this summer.

idollar · 01 Mar 2016, 13:57

Hypersphere wrote: @idollar: I have placed an order for a tested PCB for the FSSK.

I have a source of XT flippers/springs, and I have an Xwhatsit controller and an SSK. I need to check to be sure I have the correct controller for a Model F rather than a beam spring, and I need to get the proper ribbon cables. i will also have to do a screw mod on the SSK. Probably I can get the project underway sometime this summer.

Good !!! Do not hesitate to ask for help/questions/comments and criticise/correct any of the information posted in this thread when you do it.