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2 layers230.2 × 98 mmT rex, the printed circuit board in 3D

A 5x12 Ortholinear QMK and ZMK compatible Keyboard. The keyboard is designed to be easily ordered by anyone from a PCB manufacturer and assembled by yourself.

Size
230.2 × 98 mm
Copper layers
2
Thickness
1.6 mm
Parts
131
Nets
82
Pads
577
Tracks, vias
326, 1
Routed
Yes
KiCad
KiCad 7 (file 20221018)
Created
15 Nov 2022
Updated
23 Nov 2025

Overview

T rex is an open-source printed circuit board by SylivanKenobi, from the SylivanKenobi/t-rex repository on GitHub, published under the GPL-3.0 licence. It is a 2-layer board of 230.2 × 98 mm with 131 parts on 82 nets, routed with 326 tracks and 1 via.

Its parts include 61 switches, 60 diodes, 1 IC and 1 connector. It belongs with the keyboards and input boards and the AVR (ATmega, ATtiny) boards of this library.

README

README.md

T-Rex

A 5x12 Ortholinear QMK and ZMK compatible Keyboard. The keyboard is designed to be easily ordered by anyone from a PCB manufacturer and assembled by yourself. It is compatible with Pro Micro controllers and their derivatives. Additionally, it supports WS2812 LED strips as an extra feature. The keyboard comes with an assortment of 3D printable cases and can be assembled with easily available parts.

QMK Firmware is currently only on this fork of qmk.

The ZMK implementation supports Bluetooth and ZMK Studio with compatible controllers.

Example parts:

Assembly

PCB

  1. Solder diodes on top of board, orientation is marked by silkscreen
  2. Clip diode leftovers
  3. Solder controller headers and reset button
  4. Solder switches
  5. Solder controller
  6. Flash QMK
  7. Or ZMK - Download the .uf2 file, put the board into its bootloader by double tapping reset and copy the firmware file onto the controller.
  8. For wireless, solder a battery (3,7V LiIon) or battery connector and power switch to the battery pins on the nice!nano.

If you socket your controller, mount the controller before the switches and test the PCB.

Cases

Minimal Case
  1. Print case with 3d printer
  2. Mount standoffs with M2x5 from the top
  3. Mount case with M2x10 to standoffs
Closed Case
  1. Print the case, depending on printer size you can either use the regular or the split version of the case.(case files)
  2. Insert M2x4x3.5 Heat set inserts(exapmle)
  3. Mount pcb to case with M2x5 screws
Slab Case

image of keyboard

  1. Print the case, the .3mf file includes bodies for the lettering and Logo that can be colored for multicolor printing, removed for embossed text or ignored to fill the text in. Make sure the lid body sits flush on the build plate or print it separately. Only the main Tray area of the case needs support, the battery cover can be printed in place as built-in support and popped out.case file
  2. After printing remove the support and carefully break free the battery cover
  3. Fill the case with your Medium of choice. Sand with a grain size of <2mm is recommended, other options include cement and plaster. The internal volume of the case is rougly .7 liter. Glue the lid on top and make sure it's tight in case your medium could spill out.
  4. Mount 8mm standoffs to PCB with M2x5/6 from the top
  5. Mount case with M2x5/6 to standoffs, if applicable route the battery connector wire into the battery tray.

Plate

I would recommend using PCB-Mounted switches for this board. There is a 3d printable plate for the t-rex in this repo(file). The plate works but because it's 3d printed it's not that great.

Customizing Firmware

(ZMK Studio)[https://zmk.studio/] allows on the fly remapping of your keyboards keymap, similar to via/vial. For more in-depth configuration you can follow the (ZMK Customization Guide)[https://zmk.dev/docs/customization] to create your own config repo and add the (T-Rex Shield Module)[https://github.com/devilzmods/trex_shield_module]

Roadmap

  1. Merge firmware to QMK

image of keyboard image of keyboard backside

Parts

131
QtyValueFootprintReferences
601N4148Diode_THT:D_DO-35_SOD27_P7.62mm_HorizontalD0, D1, D2, D10, D11, D12, D13, D14, D15, D16, D17, D18, D19, D20, D21, D22 +44
60MXMX_Alps_Hybrid:MX-1U-NoLEDSW0, SW1, SW2, SW10, SW11, SW12, SW13, SW14, SW15, SW16, SW17, SW18, SW19, SW20, SW21, SW22 +44
6, , , , ,
2LOGOLOGOG***, G***
1Conn_01x03Connector_PinHeader_2.54mm:PinHeader_1x03_P2.54mm_VerticalJ0
1MXMolex-0548190589:PushButton_6x6mm_TH_PrettySW61
1Sparkfun_Pro_MicroKeebio-Parts:ArduinoProMicroU0

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Questions

How big is the T rex PCB?

It measures 230.2 × 98 mm and has 2 copper layers, 1.6 mm thick.

What parts does the T rex use?

131 parts. The full list of its parts is on this page, with links to each part's symbol and footprint where PCBKit's library has them.

Where can I download the T rex KiCad files?

From the SylivanKenobi/t-rex repository on GitHub, at the commit this page was made from: the board is kiCad/t-rex.kicad_pcb and its schematic kiCad/t-rex.kicad_sch. PCBKit opens the board in the browser, with nothing to install.

Can I use the T rex design in my own project?

Its repository publishes it under the GPL-3.0 licence: you may reuse it on that licence's terms (keep the author's notice, and for a copyleft licence share your changes alike).