building - osiweb/unified_retro_keyboard GitHub Wiki

If you got the kit from ReActiveMicro, then your kit will include:

• A Keyboard PCB

• an aligner PCB

• an encoder PCB

• a bag of components and connectors

• a bag of #4 hardware to mount the aligner and encoder to the PCB

• a bag of #6 hardware to mount the keyboard to an Apple II case.

  

A few parts must be added to the PCB before attaching the aligner, because these parts will be difficult or impossible to add once the keyboard is assembled. Note: the keyboard is designed to accommodate SMT diodes and resistors. If you got your kit from me or from ReActiveMicro, the SMT components are already installed:

1. Solder the 40-pin header to the back side of the PCB. The connector should be opposite the silk-screen side, as illustrated:

   

2. Install the spacebar stabilizer hardware on the PCB. Make sure the metal stabilizer rod is properly installed. Both of the stabilizers should move freely, and should move together. (If you have the ReActiveMicro kit, the stabilizer hardware is included with the spacebar in the keycap set.)

   

   

3. Install the two encoder standoffs as shown: The nuts will be on the front of the keyboard (the silk screen side). No locknuts are necessary here.

   

   

The keyboard aligner not only ensures that the keys are properly aligned--it also forms a torsion box with the PCB to add stiffness to the completed assembly. Be sure not to leave out the lockwashers, as they help to stabilize the torsion-box structure, along with the soldered-in keyswitches.

1. Install the 7/16 machine screws, with a lockwasher for each screw, in the aligner. There will be five screws along the top and four along the bottom of the aligner, as shown. Once installed, secure the screws using masking tape or painters tape.

   

2. turn over the aligner, and slip a 1/8" plastic spacer over each screw.

   images/aligner-assembly-spacers.jpgaligner-assembly-spacers.jpg

3. Fit the upside-down PCB over the screws to complete the aligner-spacer-PCB sandwich.

   

4. Secure the screws by installing lockwashers and hex nuts on the back of the PCB. Tighten the hex nuts with sufficient torque to flatten and fully engage the lockwashers.

   

1. The Apple II layout has 53 keys. The classic keyboard can accommodate a larger layout and therefore has more keys than used by the Apple II configuration. If you need the Apple II layout in order to mount the keyboard in an Apple II case, then you will want to avoid placing keys outside the Apple II layout (and then having to desolder them). Therefore, I suggest first installing "boundary" keys for each row. Populate the following:

• The second key in the top row.
• The first key in each of the second, third, and fourth rows
• The third-to-last key in each row (the last two keys in each row will be unpopulated)
• The spacebar keyboard images/

2. Install the rest of the keys, filling in the rows between the "boundary" keys. images/

Notes:

• I like to solder the switches in one row at a time. That way, it's harder to miss a lead than if all the switches are installed before soldering.
• The switch leads are thin and fragile. Make sure the leads are straight before installing each switch.
• Before soldering a row of switches inspect the PCB visually and by feel to make sure both leads made it through the PCB for each switch.

An amber LED is included in the components kit, but feel free to choose any color you prefer.

If you plan on populating the full classic layout, you may also want to install an LED at the position marked "caps lock" on the PCB

As you can see, the classic keycap set includes additional keycaps beyond the Apple 2 keycap set, in case you should choose to populate the full classic layout. There are a few keycaps beyond the standard classic layout, to permit some flexibility in the layout, according to taste. Note that if you alter the layout, you may wish to make some changes to the keymaps in the firmware.