TS65 Split Mechanical Keyboard Case (standard, flexible, and with trackpoint)

Note: A more-refined version of this case is available at this Thingiverse page.

I wanted to build a programmable mechanical keyboard without an unfamiliar layout requiring me to re-learn how to type all over again. There are a few commercial options thatalmost fit the bill, but the only fully-programmable one isn't quite yet available, and, making things is fun, so why not just do that? Luckily, somebody has already designed a PCB for such a keyboard, and if you have these PCBs fabbed, buy a handful of cheap parts online, solder a little bit, and print one of the versions of this case, you can have one, too.

Herein, you'll find three different case options:

• "Standard": This is a case layout matching the originally-designed case created by @MSBrett as closely as possible. The bottom rows are 1.25, 1.25, 1.25, 1.25, 2.25 on the left and 2.75, 1.25, 1.25, 1, 1, 1 on the right.
• "Flexible": This case layout leaves the keys unseparated on the bottom row allowing you to use one of the many bottom row layout options allowed by this PCB design.
• "Trackpoint": This case layout includes a mounting position for a trackpoint harvested from a Lenovo R61 keyboard. You can find used keyboards online for around $15, and harvesting the trackpoint from it requires just a couple minutes and a screwdriver.

Note that you'll need a couple parts to complete assembly:

• 94180A307 Heat-Set Inserts for Plastics M2 x 0.4 mm Thread Size, 2.9 mm
• 91294A009 Black-Oxide Alloy Steel Hex Drive Flat Head Screw M2 x 0.4 mm Thread, 12 mm Long

You can find other miscellaneous information about this keyboard in a variety of places including:

• @mohitg11's github repo for this keyboard: https://github.com/mohitg11/TS65AVR
• This long thread on Geekhack in which @mohitg11 (MOZ) talks through his design process for this board: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=79161.0
• A variety of pages on the internet you can find by searching for "TS65" including this Reddit thread that inspired me to build my keyboard: https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/6agkuu/ts65_split_65_keyboard

As mentioned briefly above, these are closely modeled after an existing case developed by Brett Wilson. Thanks, @MSBrett for making such a great case; it's the foundation of all of the work here.

Category: Electronics