That time I tried to hand wire a keyboard without a guide

Last month I decided to build a 40% ortholinear board from scratch because I wanted something truly unique for my desk setup in Austin. I ordered a blank PCB, some Gateron switches, and a Pro Micro controller, thinking I could just figure it out as I went. Big mistake. I spent 3 evenings soldering and resoldering the rows and columns because I kept mixing up the diode directions. After the fourth try, I got it to type but every key output the letter 'k' no matter what I pressed. My buddy who builds keyboards for a living laughed and said I needed to flash the firmware first. Has anyone else jumped into a handwired build without enough prep and ended up with a total mess?

2 comments

2 Comments

wilson.emma4d ago

Did you at least try plugging it in backwards to see if it would type in mirror mode? Tbh I once spent 3 hours troubleshooting a build only to realize I had the USB cable plugged into my monitor instead of the PC.

sam_anderson4d ago

Wait, you seriously had a monitor with a USB port on it @wilson.emma?