[Coco] Mechanical keyboard upgrades for the CoCo

[Dave Philipsen]

The datasheet I'm looking at says they're .13" long so you could use a .125" PCB.  Even if the pins came out flush it would be doable as long as you're going to do a double-sided board with plate-through holes.  I once did a run of .125" boards for a backplane and they are super stiff!  

Have you seen any websites advertising group buys on keycaps?

Dave Philipsen

> On Aug 21, 2015, at 3:50 PM, Mark J. Blair <nf6x at nf6x.net> wrote:
> 
> 
>> On Aug 21, 2015, at 13:42 , Dave Philipsen <dave at davebiz.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Hey, Mark.  Do you really even need a metal support plate.  What about just using the PCB as the mounting?  Most board houses can do a board on material thicker than .0625 if you think a thicker board might be sturdier.  Just an idea....
> 
> I'll consider that, too. Maximum board thickness will be determined by the key switch pin length. I'll need to look at both approaches to see what offers the most practical solution. Given that injection molding a keyboard frame to support the PCB is out of the question, a sheet metal frame may or may not be the most practical way to get suitable stiffness using the existing keyboard mounts. And of course, I need to look inside all three of my CoCos to get an idea of the practicality of making a one size fits all solution.
> 
> I have an email off to a keycap manufacturer to see what CoCo MX keycaps would cost. I won't be at all surprised if it all turns out to be too expensive, as Boise already stated. But I'll be happy if it's cheaper than I expect.
> 
> I don't know how much time I'll spend on it this weekend, as I have a Timex Sinclair 2068 cartridge project that I've promised to work on this weekend. So Ed might end up making the keyboard, anyway. :)
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Mark J. Blair, NF6X <nf6x at nf6x.net>
> http://www.nf6x.net/
> 
> 
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