add keyboard post

content/blog/04_keyboad_en.md

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+title: keyboard with track point
+date: 2018-09-20
+author: Philipp Schönberger
+tags: keyboard, track point, TMK, teensy2.0
+category: projects
+
+I am a software programmer so the main part of the workday I am typing on my keyboard.
+At work unfortunately the only provide the cheapest HP keyboard you could image.
+It is a nightmare. After 3 months typing on these I bought me an keyboard myself.
+
+Since I am used to a track point from my x230 notebook I searched for a keyboard which
+had also a track point for the desktop.
+
+[lightgallery
+    /images/keyboard/thinkpad_usb.jpg, ThinkPad USB keyboard with the old leptop stle (pre x230);
+lightgalleryend]
+
+Sadly these kind of keyboards are rare. Since I where a student at this time I ordered me an
+IBM keyboard. The feeling was nice and I like the track point feature of it.
+However after 1 year of using this keyboard I broke it at multiple keys.
+These keys stopped working and the overall feeling was not the same like a new keyboard.
+This is a cause of the membrane keyboard type.
+They age quite fast if used extensively. Also the pressure point of the activation changes.
+
+Therefore I searched for an alternative with mechanical switches. They shall last much longer
+and in case they are broken I could exchange them by soldering new one in.
+
+Therefore I ordered the CM Storm Rapid-I with red key switches.
+The red cherry switches where linear and do not have a feedback bump.
+The overall feeling of these keys where nice but after a time I disliked the missing feedback.
+Also I missed a track point on these keyboard.
+
+Therefore I started a project to integrate a tracepoint into the keyboard, which was not available
+any where else except the old IBM keyboard  which only had an English key layout.
+
+[lightgallery
+    /images/keyboard/old_ibm_keyboard.jpg, Old IBM keyboard with trackpoint;
+lightgalleryend]
+
+I disassembled the keyboard and did take a look at the PCB. On close look between the keys `g` and `h`
+the PCB only had a ground plane but not real signal traces going around.
+Therefore I thought of drilling through the PCB and place a long stem with a track point underneath.
+I disassembled an old keyboard from an T40 and recycled the track point from it.
+The tack point itself is just a small PCB with a cross shaped cutout and some glued strain gauge in the
+4 directions. The secondary PCB is just a fast ADC and a 3 button input converter to a PS2 interface.
+
+Therefore I just had to connect some additional mechanical switches to the secondary PCB and connect it to
+a pc. Unfortunately the PC's nowadays do not have a PS2 so common any more therefore I wanted a PS2 to USB converter.
+After short research I found the Teensy2.0 which was capable to emulate a USB device and also is capable to run TMK software
+which is capable of PS2 reading.
+
+The first test assembling I tried the whole system and it worked like a charm.
+[lightgallery
+    /images/keyboard/keyboard_v0.jpg, first assembly with the teensy and a trakpoint;
+    /images/keyboard/keyboard_v0_1.jpg, closer look with the keycaps dremeled in order to fit the trackpoint stem;
+    /images/keyboard/keyboard_v0_2.jpg, view on the keyboard with the steel cheat;
+    /images/keyboard/keyboard_v0_3.jpg, view on the first assembly wireing
+lightgalleryend]
+
+Now I got the best of both worlds a track point and also a full mechanical keyboard.
+The last thing missing was the feedback. So I resolved my wrong order by soldering brown Gatheron which are
+close to the Cherry brown.
+
+I took it a work and I was happy with it. Unfortunately my office partner not :D
+So I tried to silence the hell out of my keyboard. I ordered zeal silencer clips and added 2 O-rings.
+Also I replaced the keycaps with PBT which are much harder plastic and do not wear out or get shiny like the ABS ones.
+Also I replaced the keyboard case with an aluminum CNC case.
+This mad the keyboard much heavier which dampened the noise from the desk, removed any vibrations.
+Also from esthetic's point of view the keyboard looked and felt much sturdier and from high quality.
+
+To round up the feeling I added some lube to each switch and tada the sound and feeling of the keyboard was a dream.
+Since I have now 2 USB devices in on (Teensy and the original CM Strom) I replaced the USB cable with a own 8 pol cable with
+two USB plugs and a textile sleeve to get a awesome optic.
+
+[lightgallery
+    /images/keyboard/keyboard_v1.jpg, Final assembly of my keyboard with trackpoint;
+lightgalleryend]
+
+
+