| Component | Image | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1x Switch plate/PCB/back plate assembly |  |
|
| 1x Acrylic component shield |  |
|
| 1x Acrylic upper |  |
Peel the protective paper backing from the acrylic if present. Not all acrylic pieces across kits will have this backing. |
| 1x Acrylic lower |  |
As above. ^ |
| 1x Fastener set |  |
|
| 2x 2u Cherry stabilizers |  |
|
| 1x Rubber feet |  |
Rubber feet included for slanted or flat orientation. |
| Component | Image | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1x ATmega328P microcontroller |  |
|
| 1x 28-pin DIP socket |  |
|
| 2x 0.1 uF capacitors |  |
|
| 2x 22 pF capacitors |  |
These capacitors have a black marking on the reel tape for easy identification. |
| 1x 4.7 uF capacitor |  |
|
| 2x Zener diodes |  |
|
| 60x Diodes |  |
These are easy to confuse with the 2 zener diodes in the other component bag, so please keep these separate. |
| 1x 10k ohm resistor |  |
Brown Black Black Red Brown |
| 2x 75 ohm resistors |  |
Purple Green Black Gold Brown |
| 1x 1.5k ohm resistor |  |
Brown Green Black Brown Brown |
| 2x 5.1k ohm resistors |  |
Green Brown Black Brown Brown |
| 2x Tactile switches |  |
|
| 1x 16 MHz crystal |  |
|
| 1x USB C connector |  |
|
| 1x 6-pin header |  |
|
| 1x Rotary encoder |  |
|
| 62x Kailh hot-swap sockets |  |
| Component | Image | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Silicone plate damper (1.0 mm shown) |  |
Your damper may look different |
| Rotary encoder knob |  |
- Key switches (MX footprint)
- Key caps
- Rotary encoder knob
- Soldering iron
- Solder flux
- Solder
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Wire cutters
- Tape (to hold the components to the board while you solder)
- Pliers (to remove panelization tabs)
- Sandpaper or a nail file (to sand down panelization mouse bites)
- 1.3 mm hex key (for fasteners)
- 4 mm nut driver or wrench (for fasteners)
- 1/16 inch or 1.5 mm hex key (for knob set screw)
- Depanelize plates and PCB
- Solder R5, R6 (5.1k ohm resistors)
- Solder R2, R3 (75 ohm resistors)
- Solder D1, D2 (zener diodes)
- Solder D3 to D62 (diodes)
- Solder C2, C3 (0.1 uF capacitors)
- Solder C4, C5 (22 pF capacitors)
- Solder R1 (10k ohm resistor)
- Solder R4 (1.5k ohm resistor)
- Solder Y1 (crystal)
- Solder U1 (DIP socket)
- Solder C1 (4.7 uF capacitor)
- Solder SW1, SW2 (tactile switches)
- Solder J2 (USB C connector)
- Solder J1 (6-pin ISP header)
- Solder rotary encoder
- Solder Kailh hot-swap sockets
- Clean your PCB with alcohol
- Assemble and install stabilizers if desired
- Assemble keyboard
- Install switches and keycaps
Note: Please take care to make sure pins are straight (especially on the microcontroller and USB C connector) and that components are soldered flush and evenly on the board.
Snap off the individual panels by hand. You'll want to use pliers to break off the little tabs, then sand/file them flush with the panel/PCB.
I like to use tape to secure the components to the board to make sure they stay flat on the board as I'm soldering. You could also bend the legs to keep them in place as well.
R5 and R6 (5.1k ohm, Green Brown Black Brown Brown) have no polarity (can be installed in any direction, as with all other resistors).
After you solder components, snip off the excess lead with wire cutters (unless specific otherwise).
Install and solder R2 and R3 (75 ohm, Purple Green Black Gold Brown) the same way as the other resistors.
Install and solder D1 and D2 zener diodes. These components are polar and the black band on the zener diode should match the band on the silkscreen footprint.
(image to show orientation is from step 14, my fault for neglecting to photograph this step)
Install and solder the switch matrix diodes D3 to D54. You can install these in banks of five (or all at once if you desire). These components are polar and the black band on the diodes should match the band on the silkscreen footprint.
Of the two sets of ceramic capacitors, these are the ones WITHOUT the black marking on the reel tape. These can be installed and soldered in any direction.
Of the two sets of ceramic capacitors, these are the ones WITH the black marking on the reel tape. These can be installed and soldered in any direction.
R1 (10k ohm, Brown Black Black Red Brown) can be installed and soldered in any direction.
R4 (1.5k ohm, Brown Green Black Brown Brown) can be installed and soldered in any direction.
Y1 can be installed and soldered in any direction.
Take care to align the notch in the DIP socket with the notch on the silkscreen footprint. It's not necessary to trim the leads after soldering. Insert the ATmega328P IC (or do it later), making sure the notch on the chip matches the notch on the socket and silkscreen footprint.
C1 is polar. Align the white band of the capacitor with the filled hemisphere on the silkscreen footprint.
It's not necessary to trim the leads after soldering.
Warning: this is very tricky to solder due to the fine pitch! Please take care in soldering this connector.
Please refer to this video as an example.
Solder one mounting tab first and ensure that the connector is flat on the board and aligned straight. After its orientation looks correct, solder the other three mounting legs.
Use a generous amount of flux on the pins. Apply a little bit of solder to your soldering iron and "dab" the solder onto each individual pin. You can also drag your tinned soldering iron tip across the pins. Carefully inspect the solder joints to make sure there are no solder bridges. If there are any solder bridges, go back and reflow the solder joints to clear any potential short circuits.
It's not necessary to trim the leads after soldering.
It's not necessary to trim the leads after soldering.
After soldering: you can plug your keyboard into the computer. If you get an over-current warning, please go back and inspect your work. There is a short between two or more pins that is causing excess current to flow. This is usually at the USB C connector due to its fine pitch.
Your USB ports may not work after this is triggered. You will have to restart your computer to clear this error.
The Framework should be recognized by VIA. If it is not, please inspect your soldering to make sure there are no shorts and that all solder joints look good.
You should be able to turn the rotary encoder to change volume.
(my fault for not photographing rotary encoder)
It is recommended that you clean the flux residue with isopropyl alcohol.
If you intend to use 2u spacebars, install stabilizers according to the layout you plan to use. Pictured are the two 2u spacebar configurations.
Assemble the keyboard using the provided fasteners.
Peel off any protective layer from the acrylic if present. Also check to see if all of the holes in the acrylic are clear. You can poke out the holes with an allen key if they are not clear.
There are nine long screws that go through the plate from top to bottom (nut on the bottom).
There are five long screws that go through the component section into aluminum threaded spacers from bottom to top.
The acrylic component shield is fastened into the aluminum threaded spacers using the five short screws.
If using the supplied knob from group buy, use a 1/16 inch or 1.5 mm hex key to secure the knob onto the shaft of the rotary encoder.
Install the rubber feet on the bottom of the board. Rubber feet are supplied for flat or angled positions.
Enjoy!