Another Keyboard Builder

An exact mechanical keyboard plate creator that doesn't result in 13.99999mm cutouts

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This project is obsolete

This server-side plategen has been succeeded by a client-side revision.
The successor can be viewed here.
This project will be archived for the time being.

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Why?

• Alternate generators don't have either the features or exactness that designers need.
• This plate generator is designed to save keyboard designers significant amounts of time, while also providing top-notch accuracy required for designs costing hundreds of dollars.

Features

• Filleting. Fillet all corners during generation so Fusion 360 doesn't have to crash 50 times later attempting it.
• Exactness. No more 13.99999mm or 14.00001mm cutouts; this generator will always produce exact, accurate dimensions.
• A variety of cutout options based on actual production-use dimensions.

Usage

There are two methods of use: As a CLI tool, or as a web app.

Plategen as a standalone tool:

plategen.py [-h] [-ct CUTOUT_TYPE] [-cr CUTOUT_RADIUS] [-st STAB_TYPE]
                   [-sr STAB_RADIUS] [-at ACOUSTICS_TYPE]
                   [-ar ACOUSTICS_RADIUS] [-uw UNIT_WIDTH] [-uh UNIT_HEIGHT]
                   [--debug-log]

Run python plategen.py -h to see detailed information on each argument.

An example of generating based on raw data in a file:

cat kle-raw | python plategen.py > plate.dxf

To use the CLI tool, requirements from requirements.txt must be installed.

Hosting:

Simply run web.py with requirements from requirements-web.txt installed.

Additional Options

In addition to feeding in typical Keyboard-Layout-Editor data, custom fields may be added to fine-tune the outcomes:

• _rs: Rotate the stabilizer cutout independently from the key. (Idea from SwillKB Builder)

  For example, for bottom row flipped spacebars, a 6.25U spacebar may have the data field {w:6.25,_rs:180}.

• _rc: Similar, but for rotating the switch cutout independently of the key.

Requirements:

• Python 3.7
• Everything in requirements.txt (or requirements-web.txt if hosting web service)

Todo

• More stabilizer cutout options.
• More switch cutout options.
• Fix certain rotated switches dying. However, this is mostly due to awful KLE syntax, so I don't plan to repair it soon.