New QMK-compatible PCB for Model M

Found this on Reddit earlier today.

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Cool project !

I would love a MX switches PCB + Plate to go inside a Model M case.

Love the keyboard, love bucking, can’t use it in office or at home because of the noise, so a silent mx version would be bomb

I may be wrong but I think the plate is curved, doing the same may prove to be difficult.
The PCB could be manufactured with thin FR4 substrate (like 0.8mm) in order to be able to bend it.

A solution would be a complete redesign of a full size keyboard case inspired by IBM model M aestetics.

You are correct. All Model M keyboards have a curved backplate.

Someone sufficiently motivated could indeed come up with a new case design that uses one PCB per row of keys, and have the case mounting points for these rows staggered/angled to produce the same key curve as on the original Model M (and I think I’ve even seen some cheap non-mechanical keyboards that pulled this, from Keytronic IIRC?)

But I wouldn’t hold my breath :slight_smile:

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Wouldn’t it work to just daisy chain 2to6 PCB’s for each row and a 3d printed thingy for mounting? :thinking:

This is pretty awesome; replacing the controller, making a buckling-spring keyboard USB compatible and with QMK to boot. Haa, now I want an original M even more than I already did!

maybe?

The QMK part is the real game-changer personally. There are a few things that stop me from being able to use my Model M boards these days, but the lack of layers is the biggest one for me by far.

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OP hasn’t updated in a long time so hopefully it’s not dead in the water.

I have hope since it is also listed as coming soon on TKC website.

https://thekey.company/collections/upcoming-releases/products/relic-ssk

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Thanks for the link!
I remembered having seem this but could not find it :wink:

Anyone heard anything from John Hawthorn lately? I remember somebody (can’t remember who) on here posted getting a controller from https://modelh.club/ in the mail. I’ve reached out via twitter/email to John but no response. I’d love to retrofit my Models M with these.

His Twitter was active as of a couple weeks ago, but I haven’t heard from him about this project since October 2020.