ScreamingAtTheRadio

Thanks, I appreciate the pointers, but the keyboard is complete already:

Speaking of, here's a link to Rick's video:

In an ideal world, the vintage left shift would also use Durock v2 stabilizers, but unfortunately the design of the Atari key caps makes that impossible, there just isn't the clearance. That's why I ship Costar stabilizers, but those are awful to work with and the end result is unconvincing. On the keyboards that I build for my own usage, I don't even bother stabilizing left shift. It works fine for me, but I want to give all the options to users. Note that no matter what, if you want left shift stabilization, you need at least to bend your metal bars to fit around the switch. The Costars can also go upside down which works better for some variants of key caps that exist out there. Some caps also have little flaps to attach the bar that can be reversed, and that helps in some cases.

Aha... So the ribbon cable thing is interesting, I've been using two different brands, one being stiffer than the other. I'm guessing you have the stiff kind. Those cables are designed to be folded, you should be fine. Getting the cable to nicely avoid the neighboring plastic column can be tricky. I should probably add a photo to the docs. Also, I'm moving away from the adapter PCB in the next revision, replacing the whole adapter + FFC with a new flexible PCB that plug directly into the motherboard's connector. The adapter will still be available for those who prefer to replace the connector on their motherboard. Another similar issue I've seen is that some people have had height issues with the solder points coinciding with the case's two central pillars. This is also easily fixed by nipping those solder points to even the height. I should and will mention that in the documentation. Shielding or no shielding should be your choice, the keyboard is designed so the flat cable can make its way between the shielding and the case. Some people say they've had to remove the shield, I'm not sure why.

Sorry you've had those issues. On stability, it's not been an issue for me, but you're not the first one to mention it, so I'll try to find a way to print some additional parts to stabilize the assembly with the case. I also have an idea to further improve rigidity overall, although the plate should already be fulfilling that role. You don't need the original plate. As for your left shift issue, would you be able to PM me a photo of that?

Thanks @mattsoft for the nice review. I'll probably add some spacers in kits based on your feedback, and a hole in the space bar adapters. @bf2k+ the XL version is considerably more complex to design, mostly because of the split PCB and the way the keyboard is attached to the top of the case. But it's coming...

Sure is, although there's a delay to get the parts currently. PM me to set this up.

@ndary you can use your own caps if you order a vintage keyboard from me. See for details.

Quick FYI if you want to make an order at this date: my part inventory has been severely depleted following the @flashjazzcat video, and I currently have backorders on FFC cables, switches and adapters. I'll update this thread when those arrive. Since I started this thread, most orders have been for vintage kits, which is very different from previous trends which had mostly been for modern (graphite, then white) assembled keyboards. I'm adapting by adding more advance inventory on those parts.

@Mark2008 drop me a PM, issues like those can usually be easily diagnosed and fixed. There's only so many ways it can fail.

No idea what caused the brain fart.

Sure: Low Profile Switch Mechanical Keyboard | Kailh 1350 Chocolate Low Profile - Switch - Aliexpress Browns are tactile and reds are linear.

Also in plans, kinda, along with an XL model. Kinda, because I don't own a 800 at this point. I do own a 400 though, with the origianl, terrible membrane thing that I won't dignify by calling it a keyboard

Yes, absolutely, Chocs exist in linear, tactile, the whole gamut.

I made a new thread for orders, so it's easier for folks to find the info without having to dig through this thread: Also, @flashjazzcat released a new video featuring the modern Decent XE:

A while ago, I started on the path of building an open-source drop-in replacement mechanical keyboard for XE computers. All the details can be found in this thread: and on the GitHub repo for the project: 3d-junkyard/Atari130MX at main · bleroy/3d-junkyard · GitHub The interest and feedback from the community has been way beyond my expectations, and I'm thankful for that. A lot of people have expressed interest, reproduced the build, bought a kit or an assembled keyboard. I'm writing this post so it's easier to find how to buy one of those (if you prefer to build, follow the link above to the GitHub repo). There are 2 base versions of the keyboard: 1. Modern: this is a full recreation and doesn't require scavenging any parts from an existing Atari. Everything is included so you can unplug your old keyboard, plug this one in and have a mechanical XE running in minutes. It has a modernized layout with a narrower spacebar, control and break around space, caps moved to where control was, a large ISO return key and a large backspace key. The keys exist in three colors: white, beige and graphite. The console keys should be painted by the user for better integration. 2. Vintage: this enables mounting the original XE keycaps on modern switches. It comes without key caps, so you'll have to scavenge them from your existing Atari. By default, I'm making those with Kailh Box Pink clicky switches for the modern version and Kailh Robin low-profile clicky switches for the vintage. A choice of switches is highly personal, and I understand clicky switches are not for everyone, so you can specify what type of switch you'd like instead. All keyboards come with blue backlighting (intensity can be tweaked through the pot on the adapter). Let's talk about prices and delays. Those are expensive to make. They are made to order, by me alone (at least for now), from parts that I can't maintain a big inventory on, so expect 1-3 weeks between order and shipping. Also be aware that shipping can be expensive. I ship from the US. You may also have to pay taxes on arrival. Europeans, I feel your pain, the taxes can be very very high. By the way, if someone wants to build and sell those from a EU country, please contact me. - Decent XE modern keyboard: $299 + shipping - Decent XE vintage keyboard (bring your own caps): $179 + shipping - Decent XE modern keyboard kit: $240 + shipping - Decent XE vintage keyboard kit (bring your own caps): $120 + shipping If you'd like to order something, please PM me with your choice of cap color (white, beige or graphite) for modern keyboards, and your switch preference if you'd like something else than clickies. For vintage keyboards, please share the shape of the stems for key caps you have (square or circle, look under one cap to find out). I'll then send you payment information.

I got questions about kits, as opposed to the assembled prices I gave below, so here: - Decent XE modern keyboard kit: $240 + shipping - Decent XE vintage keyboard kit (bring your own caps): $120 + shipping - JoyKey Mini kit: $55 + shipping - JoyKey XL kit: $69 + shipping - Sidecar XE85 kit: $220 + shipping ... or you can use the BOM, order everything yourself and save even more. As usual, PM me if you want to order anything.

The problem would be the caps, as the original had a weird 3U vertical key for example that would be very difficult if not impossible to source. I guess you could go for printed caps but that's a whole different bag of worms. So short answer: no At least not right now.

OK, so I did the math... I have some prices for the Sidecar XE85 and for the USB keyboard and joystick adapter. The Sidecar is going to be an expensive piece of kit but keep in mind it has 70 parts, one hard to find chip, a large 3D printed case, custom key caps and quality switches. It's also a pain to assemble I had a lot of fun designing it, I think it's great to have the opportunity to do a modernized version of an old device, but I certainly don't expect to sell dozens of this. You'll also have to paint the 3D printed parts yourselves (case and F1-4 keys). And of course, this is open source as usual, so if you want to source your parts and build your own, you're more than welcome to do so (and share pictures here when you're done). I'll also put down the prices for the Decent keyboards and JoyKey controllers since I never shared that publicly... - Sidecar XE85: $249 + shipping - USB keyboard and joystick adapter: $25 + shipping - Decent XE modern keyboard: $299 + shipping - Decent XE vintage keyboard (bring your own caps): $179 + shipping - JoyKey Mini: $60 + shipping - JoyKey XL: $80 + shipping All those items are hand-made to order, so there will be a 1-3 week delay between order and shipping. Please PM me if you want to order anything.

Not with the current schematic. It's something I did in the JoyKey XL though (using the 7800 pattern), shouldn't be hard, I just went for simplicity.

The bottom part of the case came out great from the printer. The fit for the keyboard is perfect and very stable: There are a few minor issues for the control board's fit, that I'll fix in the model before I order from JLC, no new prototype necessary. Here's what the complete assembly prototype looks like: But of course, I know this is the shot you're waiting for:

Some Sidecar XE85 updates... I'm done designing the bottom of the case. Check this out: ... and here's what the full thing looks like: Here are links to the STL files if you want to look at it more interactively: https://github.com/bleroy/3d-junkyard/blob/main/SidecarXE85/Case/SidecarXE85-case-Bottom.stl https://github.com/bleroy/3d-junkyard/blob/main/SidecarXE85/Case/SidecarXE85-case-Top.stl https://github.com/bleroy/3d-junkyard/blob/main/SidecarXE85/Case/SidecarXE85-case-Full.stl I was A LOT of work, and I've developed a love/hate relationship with FreeCAD. Certainly learned a lot. I'm printing it right now, should take a while. Once I've verified everything fits nicely, I'll order a case from JLC, and should be able to figure out how much this thing is going to cost to build. In the meantime, I'll be working on the assembly language driver (all testing was done in BASIC so far).

It's a little unclear what you're referring to. In early stages of the project, you had to replace the stems of Kailh Box switches with 3D printed ones. This required disassembling every switch and gave results that were good but not perfect. Now, if you want to use vintage key caps, you should use adapters that sit between a low-profile switch and the key cap. Make sure to select the file corresponding to your low-profile switch type and key cap type nfrom this directory: 3d-junkyard/Atari130MX/Stems at main · bleroy/3d-junkyard · GitHub JLCPCB has very competitive prices on 3D printing now, especially if you use one of the STL files that put 10 parts in a single model. It's ~10c a part (plus shipping), so I wouldn't recommend anyone print those at home now, even if they have a 3D printer, it's just not worth the trouble. The readme for the project should already be giving all this information. If you already read that and felt something was unclear, please let me know and I'll do my best to improve it.

... and here it is. Just missing the bottom of the case and we'll have a complete prototype...

You can now see the 3D model here: https://github.com/bleroy/3d-junkyard/blob/main/SidecarXE85/Case/SidecarXE85-case-Top.stl I'm going to print it tomorrow, see how it fits, then I'll design the bottom part. All this should be mostly reusable for a full XE case, so that could follow relatively shortly.