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I've seen scripts that can take a keyboard layout from http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/ http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/ and turn it into a PCB, how

I've seen scripts that can take a keyboard layout from http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/ http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/ and turn it into a PCB, how realistic is it to get a working PCB generated by code?

sokoloff 9y ago
For a constrained problem like that, it's certainly possible for someone to have fully automated the PCB design. (I think it's unlikely to be commercially viable to create that automation, but there's a lot of excellent hobbyist work out there.) There's still a time-intensive series of steps for one-off production from "finished PCB gerbers" to "finished PCB with all components installed, all mechanical holes in exactly the right place, microcontroller firmware written and programmed, and the whole thing tested". If the scripts exist, there's probably forum discussions about people's experiences trying that path.
- matte_black 9y ago
  I know at least one example where someone made something like this before (http://kalerator.clueboard.co/ http://kalerator.clueboard.co/), but I have no idea if what I'm looking at is viable or how to evaluate it. I would love a solution where I could simply have a PCB made based on parameters but I guess it's not happening any time soon. Still requires specialized knowledge.
  - sokoloff 9y ago
    I poked around some web searching, and it seems viable. From what I read, it does schematic and layout, using Eagle (which means you need the paid version of Eagle if your board is over 10cm in either direction). It doesn't do column wiring [based on a web post, not first-hand experience], but it gets close enough that you could probably finish by hand or with help on a forum or reddit. There were a few posts where people proposed porting it to produce KiCAD or other EDA tool output, but I didn't readily find any "I'm finished; here it is" posts along those development lines. You still need to buy the parts and solder everything up, but for one-off, that's mostly a bit tedium, so this seems doable if you're somewhat dedicated and the type to find a way around or over small obstacles. The microcontroller and firmware for something constrained like this is almost assuredly a solved problem, so I wouldn't worry much about that [though it's something you need to chase down, of course]. But you're right, there's still enough specialized knowledge that there's no real "thingiverse equivalent" (of similar community size) for PCBs.

sokoloff 9y ago

For a constrained problem like that, it's certainly possible for someone to have fully automated the PCB design. (I think it's unlikely to be commercially viable to create that automation, but there's a lot of excellent hobbyist work out there.) There's still a time-intensive series of steps for one-off production from "finished PCB gerbers" to "finished PCB with all components installed, all mechanical holes in exactly the right place, microcontroller firmware written and programmed, and the whole thing tested". If the scripts exist, there's probably forum discussions about people's experiences trying that path.

matte_black 9y ago
I know at least one example where someone made something like this before (http://kalerator.clueboard.co/ http://kalerator.clueboard.co/), but I have no idea if what I'm looking at is viable or how to evaluate it. I would love a solution where I could simply have a PCB made based on parameters but I guess it's not happening any time soon. Still requires specialized knowledge.
- sokoloff 9y ago
  I poked around some web searching, and it seems viable. From what I read, it does schematic and layout, using Eagle (which means you need the paid version of Eagle if your board is over 10cm in either direction). It doesn't do column wiring [based on a web post, not first-hand experience], but it gets close enough that you could probably finish by hand or with help on a forum or reddit. There were a few posts where people proposed porting it to produce KiCAD or other EDA tool output, but I didn't readily find any "I'm finished; here it is" posts along those development lines. You still need to buy the parts and solder everything up, but for one-off, that's mostly a bit tedium, so this seems doable if you're somewhat dedicated and the type to find a way around or over small obstacles. The microcontroller and firmware for something constrained like this is almost assuredly a solved problem, so I wouldn't worry much about that [though it's something you need to chase down, of course]. But you're right, there's still enough specialized knowledge that there's no real "thingiverse equivalent" (of similar community size) for PCBs.