Today I published the first batch of PCBs on Github which I designed while working on the Ganymede. These breakout board PCBs helped me as a novice in electronics with the development of my split keyboard.
Included in this batch are:
- a breakout board for choc switches. It’s a 2x2 column-to-row matrix, with sockets for hot swapping. This is very useful for debugging one other breakout boards as it’s easy to connect some buttons. I used it also to find the right spacing between switches I like for my choc version.
- a breakout board for x switches. It’s a 2x2 column-to-row matrix, but for Kailh X-Switches. I have yet to release a X-Switch version of the Ganymede; however I used this to ensure the spacing of the switches is right.
- a breakout board for the PCA9617A i2c buffer. It’s an buffer capable of supporting I2C at 1Mhz and I ended up using in the Ganymede between each sides. The buffer supports different setups, and having a breakout board helped me quickly prototype the different versions to see what works, and what doesn’t.
- a breakout board for the PCA9675, an I/O expander. It’s a I2C I/O expander capable of up to 1Mhz, with a very simple interface, hence the integration in the Ganymede.
This is the basic setup you need to build a custom split keyboard using e.g. a STM Nucleo board. I also designed a couple of breakout boards for the STM32F303, STM32G431 and IS31FL3733, but I’ll save those for the next batch.