Viper

Duck Viper v1 PCB - Open Source Upgrade

⚠️ Work in Progress - This project is currently under development

Inspired by Automated keyboard PCB design with ergogen and kbplacer by adamws & its dockerfile.

Overview

An open-source PCB design for the Duck Viper v1 keyboard with hardware upgrades. This project focuses on transparency and community collaboration while building upon existing open-source resources.

Disclaimer: I'm not an electrical engineer - this project represents my attempt at "putting the parts together" using available community resources, guides, and libraries. Community feedback and contributions are greatly appreciated!

(Planned *) Upgrades:

• USB-C Connector
• ESD
• Separate Caps Lock LED
• • RGB Underglow *
• • Additional switches for Split HHKB Bottom Row *
• • MXLockLed *

Design Philosophy

• Open Source First: All design files, schematics, and documentation will be freely available
• Community Driven: Built using existing open-source libraries and community knowledge
• Transparency: Design decisions and trade-offs documented for others to learn from

Current Status

Link to PDF

Design Questions (Help Needed!)

1. QFN vs QFP Package Decision

• QFN Pros: Required for split HHKB layout with IC positioned between Caps Lock and A (see Voyager60 reference)
• QFN Cons: Hand soldering difficulty increases prototype cost (~$20 per PCB for 5-unit orders with just an assembled QFN IC vs ~$10 for 5 PCBs ex. assembly)
• QFP: Easier to hand solder but may not fit desired layout constraints due to additional stabilizer requirements for split HHKB

QFN IC placement mock-up:

If going QFN route, schematic verification help would be greatly appreciated!

Supported Layouts

kbplacer can use via for switch placement & requires via for collapsing a KLE layout

VIA spec https://www.caniusevia.com/docs/layouts#overview uses KLE raw, but not kle.com's raw json VIA spec based on wt60_d

python -m kbplacer.kle_serial -in -in kle/keyboard-layout-via-10u.json -inform KLE_VIA -out keyboard-layout-collapsed.json -outform KLE_RAW -collapse

• Forked duck_viper

Split HHKB, 10u

KLE permalink

KLE permalink

Development Environment Setup

Hardware Design (KiCad)

Requirements:

• KiCad 9.0 or later
• Git for version control
• • python3
• • docker

Setup:

# Clone the repository
git clone [repository-url]
cd duck-viper-v1-pcb

# Open the project in KiCad
# File -> Open Project -> duck-viper-v1.kicad_pro

Setup for adamws/kbplacer:

# Clone the repository
git clone [repository-url]
cd duck-viper-v1-pcb
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
python3 -m pip install .

python -m kbplacer.kle_serial -in kle/keyboard-layout-via.json -inform KLE_VIA -out kle/keyboard-layout-collapsed.json -outform KLE_INTERNAL -collapse
python tools/layout2url.py -in keyboard-layout-collapsed.json|pbcopy

# Open the project in KiCad
# File -> Open Project -> duck-viper-v1.kicad_pro

linux

python3 -m venv .venv --system-site-packages
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install .

# test kicad
python -c "import pcbnew; print(pcbnew.Version())"

Libraries Used:

• AcheronProject/AlexandriaLibrary
• Community keyboard libraries (specific sources TBD)

Firmware Development

Detailed firmware setup instructions will be added as development progresses.

Manufacturing Files

Generation of Gerber files, pick-and-place files, and BOM will be documented once design is finalized.

Acknowledgments

This project builds upon the incredible work of the open-source keyboard community. Specific libraries, guides, and resources used will be documented as the project progresses.

Contributing

As a learning project, I welcome:

• Schematic reviews and feedback
• Design suggestions and improvements
• Documentation contributions
• Testing and validation help

Thanks yo

This project is inspired by Automated Keyboard PCB design with ergogen and kbplacer. Still, it's far from being fully automated.

• adamws/kicad-kbplacer
• https://github.com/ruiqimao/keyboard-pcb-guide
• https://wiki.ai03.com/books/pcb-design
• https://github.com/evyd13/plain60-b
• https://github.com/evyd13/plain60-c
• https://www.masterzen.fr/2020/05/03/designing-a-keyboard-part-1/

License

MIT

This project is a learning exercise in PCB design. Use at your own risk and always verify designs before manufacturing.