Creating A Custom Keyboard

I decided to make my own keyboard after looking at some Google images of steampunk keyboards like Jake von Slatt's.

I am making this first one as a prototype for a wireless keyboard that I will make later to match the coffe table ,speaker stands and cabinet in my lounge room.(which I also made)

The reason I am going to make a prototype wired keyboard first is to see how labour intensive it is, and work out what I am capable of.

If I manage to finish this proto-type successfully It is my intention to sell it in order to buy more tools and pay for this websites hosting. The site is on a shared host and I need to move servers but money is tight at the moment. If you have only come here to look at this keyboard please take a look around. You might find the site useful, we need all the help, submissions, comments and input we can get.

The Design

Unlike many other keyboards this won't be a mod or a single plank of wood with a backing, I intend to build a full keyboard shell from several pieces of 10 - 20mm thick wood. Keys will be circular brass with a square brass stem. The only parts I intend to use from other keyboards will be the circuit-board and the attached printed switches (those two plastic sheets with little dots on them.)

It is going to be a slim board but with a full compliment of keys - numberpad and special keys included. The sides and leading edges will be rounded. Risers and other adornments will be brass.

I am not really going for a steampunk look , more of an executive or classic old furniture design.

Basic profile design, marvel at my photoshop prowess:

Update One:

OK , I made a proper template for the profile. I printed it up and marked out my wood in pencil.

I then used a drill to make holes around the basic marked out shape, this was done for two reasons.

• One and most importantly , I don't own a coping saw or a jig saw these are the tools I should have used.
• Two it cut away material and provided a guide for my standard saw. 

When you dont have the proper tools for the job you have to make do.

The next thing I did was to cut 3 lengths of wood at the width I wanted the keyboard to be ( minus the width of the sides ). On one of these pieces I cut the leading edge at an angle so that I can fix them both together in an approximate shape before I continue with the rough shaping process, it will cut down on a lot of work and allow me to maintain a uniform thickness to the keyboard.

The profile image below kind of explains the cuts and number of pieces I am using. The green dot indicates the angled cut of the woods leading edge. (through the blue piece)

Once that was done I fixed and clamped all of the wood and started to shape the keyboard.

This was mostly done with a powered belt sander finishing the delicate curves by hand.

After a bit of elbow grease I had a rough "blank keyboard shell". At this point I haven't refined the shape or added details because I am likely to dent, scratch and damage the shell durung the key making process - there are a lot of holes to drill.

Update Two:

Below is an image showing the current progress. You can see the first holes have been drilled, I still need to file them all square. I do that with a 6 mm rasp file and my dremmel. This is to stop the keys spinning and stablize the squared brass key stems. In this image you can also see the base plate is attached. I put it on so that it catches the sawdust . This way I can file the holes while watching a movie and not make to much of a mess.

Once all the holes are done I will attach a narrow edge to the main keyboard shell to give it more shape and hide the base plate.

This image shows the interior cavity, Though the wood is quite thick I still added a support in the centre because I am leaning on the case quite hard during the build process. I sometimes "punch" the square holes with a piece of brass to get me started.

Below you can see a test key in one of the holes, I use it to guage the size and angle of each hole. You can also see how much sanding is left to do by looking at the curved edge. The final shaping process will be done after all the keys are made, holes drilled and any adjustments to positions are performed. I intend to slightly curve the upper and lower edges of the keyboards sides and round off the legs slightly to a horned shape.

This shot is just to show the pretty grain of the wood., I am going to place the lights on the right hand side of the leading edge inside a piece of horizontal brass tube about 4 cm long . It will be raised on brass pegs. At this point half of the keys holes are done. There are 105 in all, plus shutdown, sleep and hubernate keys.

 Update Three:

I thought I would give you a shot of the parts involved in each key. They are pretty labour intensive to make but the appearance has turned out well for the test key.

I cut a length of brass for the stem, and tubing for the key itself. To ensure that the key is strong I insert the stem through the base (it is jammed in quite hard) then thread a bolt through the centre of the assembly after filling the top of the stem and key with a substance similar to epoxy.

The "B" key below is my test key.

It has a laquered paper cut-out fixed on top of the epoxy. After about a day the epoxy seemed to have cured enough for me to apply a clear resin to the top of the keys' surface. This forms a concave "glass" cover for the key. It seems quite strong and looks nice. Even after all of the drops, hammering and scratching the test key has endured during the hole cutting process it is still in quite good condition. The appearance of the brass and resin has an authentic antique look about it and the surface of the key feels nice too.

I was unsure if I should make the keys concaved or convex

After working on the keyboard for a while I realized how much work is involved - a lot .

Mostly constructing the keys and hole cutting. I looked at the prices for similar keyboards around the web, they were $800 - $1000 or more. I know that it is unlikely that many individuals will pay that amount and that those who would may not like my design, but I need to raise money for this site.

While I am working on the keyboard I am considering two options.

• Just sell it either to someone who contacts me or via e-bay
• Ask for $3 donations to support/keep the site alive. Each person who makes a donation will get an equal chance to receive the keyboard as a gift of thanks. I will write a script or something to choose an e-mail address at random. This would give people who are interested but couldn't otherwise afford it  a chance to own it. Who could complain about a $3 keyboard?

I am open to suggestions and I may still mess up the key placement (making the proto-type version useless for anything)

 Update 4:

Ok not much to report , I ran out of square brass rod and I am waiting for the local hobby shop to get resupplied.

Because of that there will probably be a considerable wait before this is updated again.

The progress so far:

• All the hoiles are cut and filed.
• 47 keys are in various stages of completion, still about 50 more keys left to do. (need the brass)

Here are some images.

This one shows the holder for the capslock, numlock and function LED lights found on most keyboards.

I will thread the wires through the mast and fit the LEDs where you see the black dots below . The mast will have its own square hole and raise the lights above the keyboard behind the numberpad.

That blured rod in the backgrounds is my rasp file.

This is a wider shot, the keys are just resting in the holes thats why they don't appear to be level or lined up yet.

The keys will be raised 5mm above the wood at its lowest point.

The function key row will not be angled but verticle and raised 10mm, as will the ESC key

My girl holding the keyboard up so you can see the basic layout. You can see the keys in various states of completeness.

The function keys have no bolt or resin yet. Again the keys are just hanging in the holes.

Alright thats it for now, the next update won't be for at the least 10 days to 2 weeks due to cost/ time/ lack of brass.

I will start a new page so you don't need to wait for my slow ass server to load all the images you have already seen.

To have your say about what I should do, or offer advice, design suggestions etc I have set up a form here that lets you give me some direct feedback.

Use our custom Google search by clicking the following link to find other relevant reviews or faults associated with the Gaming Keyboard.
(results are displayed within this site.)

Follow these links to find out the product features or to compare prices.