Keyboard Builders' Digest / Projects

JB69

Jbam9 shared a case for the JB69, a handwired ortho with a solenoid.

KBD.news
Published November 2, 2023

Jbam9 aka Comfortable-Seat-470 shared the case of JB69, this handwired ortho built around a Teensy 4.0. The case is printed in four pieces, making it suitable for printers with print beds of only 220mm x 220mm.

I give you: JB69. It’s a handwired, 69 key ortho layout with RGB, a knob, and a solenoid. Running on custom C++ firmware on a Teensy 4.0 – Jbam9.

The board uses a simple transistor circuit to power the solenoid directly via USB power, and the encoder controls the RGB brightness.

With regards to typing speed vs solenoid behavior:

Right now it takes 20ms to activate and deactivate the solenoid, so you can do up to 3000 characters a min or about 600 wpm without missing a solenoid click. In the event that the solenoid doesn’t have time to activate, the keystroke is still sent – Jbam9.

Specs

• 69 keys, handwired
• Teensy 4.0 controller
• RGB
• encoder
• solenoid

Resources

• JB69 github repo

Published on Thu 2nd Nov 2023. Featured in KBD #142 (source).

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