Micro Planck - Fully 3D Printable Low-Profile Mechanical Keyboard

I am a big fan of mechanical keyboards, the feel, the sound, the tactile nature. I thought it would great to design a custom, small size 3D printable keyboard which could be easily used when travelling whilst still providing the same level of functionality as a full scale mechanical keyboard.

The full build instructions and 3D files can exclusively be found on MakerWorld here

Features

• Small - 23cm Wide x 9.5cm Tall (8.3cm excluding the PCB head) x 2cm Deep
• Powerful - QMK firmware used for custom key layout, layers, LED control and much more
• Versatile - Customisable firmware layout, changeable keycap design, fits all 4 varients of Gateron KS-33 switches
• Custom PCB - Integrated microcontroller and all required components, only needs firmware to be flashed (can be done over USB)
• Beautiful - Choose your own look and colour schemes with the customisable frame, plate and keycaps

Parts

• 3D Printed Parts -
• Bottom Shell - holds the PCB with cutout space for components
• Plate - has perfectly measured offsets from the PCB to allow switches to easily click into place
• Clear Cover - printed in transparent PETG so you can see the custom PCB and LEDS (settings included for great quality finish)
• Top Shell - provides a clean finish and lets everything screw together
• Electronics -
• Custom PCB - designed to be manufactored with all components (except keyswitches)
• Gateron KS-33 - works with red, brown, blue or banana varients
• Sundries -
• 4 x M3x12mm Countersunk Screws
• 2 x M3x8mm Countersunk Screws

PCB

The PCB features the following:

• ATMega32U4 microcontroller and required passive components for full functionality
• USB C power and data transmittion
• 3 RGB addressable LEDs
• Diodes for all keyswitches
• Reset switch
• Asthetically laid out traces to make the design part of the style of the final product

Software

This project uses the very popular QMK Firmware to handle all of the keyboard controls, and the link provided will give plenty of information on the capabilties of the firmware along with how to use it if you want to make further customisations/alterations. In short you will want to download the following two utility programs from their website:

• QMK Toolbox
• QMK MSYS

To just use the version of the firmware which I have already built and compiled, simply download the micro_planck_default.hex. This file can then be flashed to the keyboard via USB using the QMK Toolbox utility program.

If you want to customise the design yourself (different layers, different use of the LEDs etc), then use the other files along with QMK MSYS to customise the keyboard to your hearts desire:

• keyboard.json - contains the parameters of the keyboard layout/microcontroller pinout
• keymap.c - contains the keymappings for my default layout

Closing summary

This is a fun project which can teach you a bit about electronics, and let you pull the curtain back a bit on how mechanical keyboards actually work! I would love to see some other people's designs, custom QMK approaches and bespoke keycaps. If ANYONE has any further ideas, suggestions, improvements or variations they would like to see, then I would love to hear about them, so please post them in the comments.