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2 layers318.5 × 126.5 mmKeyboard, the printed circuit board in 3D

This is a custom built mechanical keyboard. Everything except switches and keycaps are custom built including pcb and case!

Size
318.5 × 126.5 mm
Copper layers
2
Thickness
1.6 mm
Parts
179
Nets
119
Pads
661
Tracks, vias
832, 97
Routed
Yes
KiCad
KiCad 9.0 (file 20241229)
Created
1 Jun 2025
Updated
26 Jun 2025

Overview

Keyboard is an open-source printed circuit board by hjw1112, from the hjw1112/customboard repository on GitHub. It is a 2-layer board of 318.5 × 126.5 mm with 179 parts on 119 nets, routed with 832 tracks and 97 vias.

Its parts include 80 diodes, 12 switches, 5 resistors, 2 capacitors and 2 ICs. It belongs with the keyboards and input boards and the nRF52 and nRF5x boards of this library.

README

README.md

Customboard!

This is a custom built mechanical keyboard. Everything except switches and keycaps are custom built including pcb and case!

I always wanted to get a mechanical keyboard but It was to expensive to get. But, I learnt how to make simple macropad by hack club event "hackpad" and started working on this. Also, I liked the idea because everything was customizable including silkscreen on PCB and every behavior of keyboard.

You can work on the same project or benchmark this if you want to. I have all source file or link to source file of the project in this repo :)

PCB

PCB

Schematic

schematic

Case

case plate


BOM

Custom Keyboard BOM (Bill of Materials)

ComponentPrice (USD)Price (EUR)Source
Nice!nano compatible board$4.86€4.26Aliexpress
Kailh hotswap sockets$8.52€7.47Aliexpress
Akko V3 Pro Cream Switches$33.21€29.13Aliexpress
0.91 inch OLED$1.01€0.89Aliexpress
TCA9555 expansion board$3.52€3.09Aliexpress
Stabilizers$11.92€10.46Aliexpress
EC11 encoder$5.07€4.45Aliexpress
1N4148 Diodes$1.45€1.27Aliexpress
0603 SMD 1000nF capacitor$1.36€1.19Aliexpress
0603 SMD 4.7k resistor$1.12€0.98Aliexpress
M2.5 heatset insert$2.44€2.14Aliexpress
M2.5 screws$5.48€4.81Aliexpress
Foam$6.48€5.68Aliexpress
Keycaps$16.89€14.82Aliexpress
Standoff$3.23€2.83Aliexpress
Battery$6.50€5.70Aliexpress
JST PH2.0 male connector$1.87€1.64Aliexpress
Cable$11.92€10.46Aliexpress
PCB$19.80JLC PCB

Total: $146.65

Parts

179
QtyValueFootprintReferences
801N4148Diode_THT:D_DO-35_SOD27_P7.62mm_HorizontalD1, D2, D10, D11, D12, D13, D14, D15, D16, D17, D18, D19, D20, D21, D22, D23 +64
69SW_Push_45degcherry_hot:CherryMX_1.00u_KailhSocketSW/1, SW/left1, SW2/esc1, SW10/2, SW11/w1, SW12/s1, SW13/x1, SW14/f3, SW15/3, SW16/e1, SW17/d1, SW18/c1, SW19/f4, SW20/4, SW21/r1, SW22/f1 +53
54.7kResistor_SMD:R_0603_1608Metric_Pad0.98x0.95mm_HandSolderR1, R2, R3, R4, R5
3SW_Push_45degcherry_hot:CherryMX_1.25u_KailhSocketSW81/Lctrl1, SW82/win1, SW83/Lalt1
2C_SmallCapacitor_SMD:C_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.08x0.95mm_HandSolderC1, C2
2SW_Push_45degcherry_hot_stab:CherryMX_2.25u_KailhSocket_StabWireBottomSW61/Enter1, SW65/Lshift1
2SW_Push_45degcherry_hot:CherryMX_1.50u_KailhSocketSW33/Tab1, SW46/Backslash1
2SW_Push_45degcherry_hot:CherryMX_1.75u_KailhSocketSW49/capslock1, SW76Rshift1
1Conn_01x02Connector_JST:JST_PH_S2B-PH-K_1x02_P2.00mm_HorizontalJ2
1LOGOLOGOG***
1RotaryEncoder_SwitchRotary_Encoder:RotaryEncoder_Alps_EC11E-Switch_Vertical_H20mm_MountingHolesSW1
1SW_Push_45degcherry_hot_stab:CherryMX_6.25u_KailhSocket_StabWireBottomSW86/space1
1SW_Push_45degcherry_hot_stab:CherryMX_2.00u_KailhSocket_StabWireBottomSW30/backspace1
1TCA9555DBRPackage_SO:SSOP-24_5.3x8.2mm_P0.65mmU1
1nice_nano_v2Library:nice nano v2 finalU2
1~KiCad-SSD1306-0.91-OLED-4pin-128x32.pretty-master:SSD1306-0.91-OLED-4pin-128x32J1

The 173 most common of 179 parts.

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Questions

How big is the Keyboard PCB?

It measures 318.5 × 126.5 mm and has 2 copper layers, 1.6 mm thick.

What parts does the Keyboard use?

179 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 Keyboard KiCad files?

From the hjw1112/customboard repository on GitHub, at the commit this page was made from: the board is PCB/keyboard.kicad_pcb and its schematic PCB/keyboard.kicad_sch. PCBKit opens the board in the browser, with nothing to install.

Can I use the Keyboard design in my own project?

Its repository states no licence, so its author keeps all rights: ask hjw1112 before reusing the design.