Home
Hillside is a split ergonomic keyboard with 3x6+4+2 choc-spaced keys with the Ferris' aggressive stagger, a longer thumb arc and a break-off pinky column. This wiki describes what you need to order and build your board.
Hillside is provided as gerber and KiCad files for ordering the PCB, build documentation, and QMK and ZMK firmware files. See the README for Hillside's features, firmware access, and rationale.
The dev branch has updates that migrate the project to KiCad 6 and some cleanups enabled by that. I'm not ready to cut a version number with the changes but will eventually and will add a new gerber release. Any move to KiCad 6 is a one-way transition because of its new file format.
The gerber and drill files to send to a manufacturer are here. If you would like to make changes, the KiCad 5.1.10 files are here. The latest KiCad, v5.1.12, loads the KiCad files and plots gerber files, though I have not manufactured and tested with that version.
To order, just upload to a PCB manufacturer the gerber file zip from the current release. I used JLCPCB for the final prototype and AllPCB for earlier ones with settings of: 10mil trace, 0.4mm min drill hole/via size, 2 layers, 1.6mm board, 1oz copper, and 98 x 137mm size.
The fabrication cost is around $11 plus $13 to $27 shipping (for five PCBs or two and a half keyboards) for a board with a simple solder mask and finish.
The Hillside through-hole parts are easy with good soldering technique. The SMT parts require a more careful touch but are larger and easier SMT sizes.
The below are good guides and examples of the technique to use and the results you are aiming for. Somewhat less pristine results than that will also work, provided you use flux first and heat the joints, not just the solder. I found the SOT23 diodes less work than through-hole or single SMT diodes, but any SMT requires a more delicate touch and thin solder if you want it looking very nice with minimal sloped sides. A bit clunkier of a job is not much different than good through-hole work.
A bit of magnification to see the details of the solder joint as it is being created is also helpful for those with more than 20 year old eyes.
Some introductory guides may help those who have not done small soldering.
- Adafruit: Guide To Excellent Soldering
- SparkFun:
These videos cover tools and through-hole and SMT soldering.
- BEST Norman Meir:
- Lead Free SOT23 Installation Shows soldering the diodes' SOT23 format using 0.5mm SAC305 solder and a conical tip.
- EEVblog:
- Soldering Tutorial Part 1 - Tools
- Soldering Tutorial Part 2 - Though Hole on flux and heating the pad and pin, bad joints, solder wick. For the sockets, TRRS and switches. Up to 25:20, plus end summary at 32:20.
- Soldering Tutorial Part 3 - Surface Mount Mostly up to 14:00 for basic tack and solder technique with 0.5 mm solder.
- Mr. SolderFix: (warning: load opening music) - How To Solder SMD Correctly - Part 1 /SMD Soldering Very precise technique, though with 0.25 mm solder for the later fine pitch stuff and I believe the SOT23 as well. Up to 4:30. - How To Use flux / When To Use Flux || Great Tips + Advice General techniques for fixing or cleaning up soldering.
A bad solder job will increase your frustration and likely require debugging. A good clean solder job is likely to lead to a trouble-free assembly.
To build your board, you need a temperature-controlled soldering iron. The core parts for the board are MCUs and sockets, diodes, TRRS jacks, switches and keys. See Tools and Parts for the details.
For options such as tenting, encoders, haptic feedback or a trackball, see Tenting and Optional Parts.
For a wireless Nice!nano build, you will also need a battery, power switch, and a capacitor; see Wireless Nicenano Parts.
It is highly recommended that you read this entire wiki before starting work.
The build links to the right will step you through constructing your board.
All components go on the top side of the board. (Well, you could put the diodes on the bottom instead, but on the top they are protected and hidden by the switches.)
The MCUs go with the side with the components face down. A sure way to check is to match up the pin labels on the MCU with the hole labels on the side of the board you are putting the MCU on, the current top side.