Infinity ErgoDox Ergonomic Keyboard Kit Discussions | Drop

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Infinity ErgoDox Ergonomic Keyboard Kit

Mech Keys

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Vitrium

Apr 22, 2016

Planning on installing LED's on the Ergodox. The linked build guide didn't mention anything about soldering resistors alongside the installment of the LED's like you usually would on other custom keyboards. Are resistors not necessary?

Apr 22, 2016

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HaaTa

558

Input Club

Apr 22, 2016

VitriumResistors are not necessary :D We use a special type of LED driver that uses a single resistor for all the LEDs (which is already populated for you).

Apr 22, 2016

Bobby9265

Apr 22, 2016

HaaTaSo to add LEDs they just have to be sourced, fed through the holes in the switches then PCB, and soldered? The cherry switches and PCB are ready to accept them?

Apr 22, 2016

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dowlf

Apr 22, 2016

Bobby9265Yep!

Apr 22, 2016

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Bobby9265

Apr 22, 2016

dowlfAwesome! I just found that section in the build guide too. Thanks!

Apr 22, 2016

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Data

2004

Data

Apr 23, 2016

HaaTaThat's kind of amazing.

Apr 23, 2016

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dragon788

Apr 23, 2016

Bobby9265Bobby, if you aren't sure about your LED color choices you can also do the SIP Socket mod, that's on my list of things to do with my Infinity.

Apr 23, 2016

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Durvid

Apr 23, 2016

dragon788Do you know where I could purchase LED's for it and what type I should buy?

Apr 23, 2016

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Circularlogic54

Apr 23, 2016

DurvidI just finished assembling mine so my reccomendation should work for you. I believe that all you need are 3mm flangless LEDs. They should look like this http://www.amazon.com/Round-White-Light-Emitting-Diode/dp/B00NQ6SRIC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1461438576&sr=8-3&keywords=3mm+white+led. If what i said is incorrect, someone please correct me.

Apr 23, 2016

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dragon788

Apr 23, 2016

Circularlogic54 @Durvid @Circularlogic54 is exactly correct, 3mm flangeless is the best option. Depending on the keyswitches the 2x3x4 rectangular may fit, but those tend to be used less often. The SIP sockets you can get from any electrical supply shop (Mouser/Digikey/etc), but I got mine from Zealio because he has them pre-cut out of the plastic sheathing they usually come in. https://zealpc.net/products/led-sockets-for-removable-leds-mod-5

Apr 23, 2016

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Assblaster3000

Apr 23, 2016

dragon788I must say that I always prefer 2x3x4 rectangular LEDs over the standard 3mm ones for keyboards as they seem to result in a more evenly distributed lightning on the key cap. Btw, is there any documentation on the online configurator? It would be great if I didn't have to try out all those strange buttons like ひらがな or Inter6-9 myself.

Apr 23, 2016

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tacn

Apr 23, 2016

Durvid3mm round or 2x3x4 rectangle LEDs. you can find them on aliex or ebay.

Apr 23, 2016

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SamPittman

Apr 24, 2016

dragon788Regarding the SIP socket mod, I read this on the Zeal page: "Requires opening of MX/Gateron/Zealio Switch". How difficult is that for Cherry MX? What percentage of switches are likely to get broken?

Apr 24, 2016

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dragon788

Apr 24, 2016

SamPittmanWhen I ordered mine along with some lube Zeal sent along a plastic "pick" that helps with opening the switches. You can also make a switch opener pretty easily with a paperclip. As long as you don't heavily torque when opening, all you are really doing is popping the top off to allow access to the slot where the pins need to go. If you didn't want to open it you could also use a tiny drill bit the size of the SIP pins to drill out the slot in the switch case without opening them. What I've found is switches are <$1 a piece, sometimes down to $0.50, and the odds of me breaking more than 1 or 2 are slim, so I just get a couple spares and hope for the best. I've heard more horror stories of people having a hard time soldering and melting the switch cases than I have of people breaking switches by opening them.

Apr 24, 2016

Iaeen

277

Apr 24, 2016

SamPittmanIMO, it's not worth it. Maybe I got the wrong size sockets, but when installing it was difficult to get them lined up just right. Then they are a tight fit in the switch case, so sometimes when you are pulling caps that fit tightly you will pull the switch apart. Then the LEDs don't always fit tightly enough in the sockets, so when you flip your board over they fall out.
Then since I was in the first round of the drop, I had a USB port break. Massdrop sent a replacement board, so I had to de-solder everything. That is when I started damaging switches.
Also, if you think about it, you identify the LEDs polarity using the length of the leads, but you have to trim them down to fit the sockets. This means it is a lot harder to re-install the LEDs for a second time. Plus, just like some LEDs are too lose, some are also too tight and hard to remove.
Overall, I think you're better off investing in a de-soldering pump for the occasion you want to switch colors. De-soldering isn't much more difficult than dealing with tight SIP sockets, and the advantage of not having to deal with all the other downsides makes it worth it.

Apr 24, 2016

TerryMathews

Apr 24, 2016

IaeenI did mine as a bottom light setup and bent the LEDs out so that I could solder to the bottom instead of going through-hole and soldering to the top. I can open my switch tops without removing the LEDs, and I can replace the LEDs without having to desolder the switches - although I will have to desolder the LEDs.
Agree on your other comment - I finally invested in a desoldering station by AOYUE and it's the best investment I've ever made. Used it to desolder some switches from a custom I built where I wanted to change the modifier layout and it's the first time in my life where the solder was pulled completely clean to the point where the switch would pop out with no real application of force.
I hope and pray that lifted pads are a thing of the past for me.

Apr 24, 2016

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SamPittman

Apr 24, 2016

TerryMathewsInteresting. You attached the LEDs to the circuit board on the opposite side from the switches? Does that make it glow out of the sides because there is an acrylic case?

Apr 24, 2016

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TerryMathews

Apr 24, 2016

SamPittmanCorrect. I'll snap some pics if you'd like to see it. There's a row of LED points that can't be used in that fashion as they're too close to the edge of the PCB but it looks quite nice.

Apr 24, 2016

SamPittman

Apr 24, 2016

TerryMathewsYes, I'd like to see how the finished keyboard looks. Please don't disassemble anything for me.

Apr 24, 2016

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asiaprime

Apr 25, 2016

SamPittmanI did the sip mod to mx switches, it wasn't hard, a little tedious though. there are 4 tabs, 2 on each side. I used a binder clip and made a tool for easier removal. I had 100% success rate. same couldn't be said for the tester switches that were my guinea pigs. what was the easiest for me was: separate the top of the switch. pass through a pre-cut led in the led hole. and stuck 2 bare sip sockets to the end of the led, finally put the top of the switch back on. just be careful of the spring.

Apr 25, 2016

SamPittman

May 2, 2016

TerryMathewsAlso, did you only add LEDs on the periphery, or at all locations? It seems like it might be possible to use them only the periphery, since the light will have to come out from the sides anyway.

May 2, 2016

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pcallaghan

May 5, 2016

SamPittmanWhen I was adding LED's to mine, I did testing as I soldered batches of LEDs. It looks like not all LED will light independently. I had to complete the circuit before they would all work. I am not sure if just installing them on the periphery will work or not.

May 5, 2016

SamPittman

May 5, 2016

pcallaghanI don't have an Ergodox Infinity yet, so I have not tested anything here, but your news about the LEDs surprises me.
I just looked at the schematics on "https://github.com/kiibohd/pcb". It looks to me like each of the LEDs is supposed to be individually addressable by the circuit board. So, it seems like the LEDs could possibly work independently. However, the actual behavior of the LEDs will depend on what is running in the MCU.
I'll try to experiment with it when I get my kit in August. Thanks!

May 5, 2016

Yggdrasil42

May 5, 2016

Circularlogic54The ones you linked to are not actually flangeless, according to a comment by Amazon Support. If you look closely you can see the flanges in the picture too. So don't buy those specific ones. :)

May 5, 2016

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deletarus

May 8, 2016

pcallaghanI had the same issue with mine. I had to have all of the LEDs installed for them to all work. It seemed like many of them did work on their own, but there a few that were dependent on others to work properly.

May 8, 2016

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