Since I have now fully completed both projects for the Somei70 and the Fragaria27, which were both made possible thanks to PCBWay, I have decided to create a standalone post showcasing both products in their completed states.
The Somei70 was the work of both myself and one of my children, who wanted to have their own bespoke keyboard. The main differences, as seen, are the relocation of the return/enter key to mirror that of split ergonomic boards, where the thumbs serve the purpose of the spacebar and enter, as opposed to the pinky finger. The baseplate chosen is an acrylic pastel pink, with the PCB being a clean white with black silkscreen. The keycaps were chosen for their “girly” aesthetics.
As for the Fragaria27, this was a macropad project with the only drive being that it must fit into a phone case and have its own embedded microcontroller. While the keyboard did have its initial hiccups due to my own PCB design errors, these have now all been resolved in newer schematic designs. A special thanks here to mechboards.co.uk for providing me with a base plate for the Fragaria27, which was initially going to remain plateless.
One of the most seamless aspects of working with PCBWay was the smooth collaboration throughout the entire process. From the moment I submitted my designs, their engineers maintained consistent communication to ensure that everything was on track from the design of the PCB to ensuring that all the traces were connected properly. They made sure that the components I had selected for PCBA were appropriate for my needs and that all design requirements were met. PCBWay’s team of experts provided valuable feedback and advice and their attention to detail and dedication to ensuring the designs worked perfectly helped with the production.
While PCBWay may cost slightly more than some of the alternative services available, having the engineer expertise on hand makes all the more worth it.
I’m currently not working on new designs just yet, I do have some ideas, and bringing those ideas to life will be the next step. These include the inclusion of mouse trackpads/balls, game controllers, and streamer-specific devices.
Again, thanks to PCBWay for making these projects a possibility for me to produce, and thanks to mechboards.co.uk for being my supplier of components and acrylic plates.
Schematic designs for both can be found on my GitHub along with other designs: https://www.github.com/gzowski
PCB for the Somei70 can be purchased directly from PCBWay: PCBWay Projects Store, or my Etsy: Somei70 Etsy
