Transcription

Have you ever had an idea get stuck in your head? I've never made anything this complicated. And you're not sure if the idea is good or bad. Yeah, this is gonna be a disaster. But for some reason, the idea is stuck in your head and you just have to do it. Did this, did it actually work? This is a project I like to call the screen board. It's the first custom keyboard project that I designed and 3D printed myself. And when I started this project, I had no idea what I was doing. And yes, the screen board is one of those ideas that has been stuck in my head for years and I wanted to make it real. But is this strange keyboard even useful? And how much did it cost me to build? Was this project actually a good idea? Well, I'll let you be the judge of that. All I can do is show you how I built this thing and how I've been using it in my desk setup. This is work from hype. The first step was to find a keyboard to base this whole project around. Originally, I wanted to do everything from scratch. Get a PCB, add some custom switches and keycaps and build everything myself. But then I realized mechanical keyboard kits are actually really expensive. And if I just used a pre-built keyboard, the entire project would be a lot more affordable and also more accessible to anyone else watching who wants to replicate a project like this on their own. And after a bit of clicking around, this is what I got. This is a 60% or 68 key mechanical keyboard from a brand called Mage G. I think it's Mage G. Look, I know nothing about this brand, but it was only 30 US dollars and it had a four and a half star rating with like 8,000 reviews. So this will be the keyboard that I use to base the rest of the project around. I am going to have to do something about these keycaps, though. They're not bad, but they're not what I'm going for. For this project, I was also inspired by vintage keyboards from the 1980s and 90s. These keyboards had thick plastic cases and I know they're kind of ugly, but for some reason I'm really into how these chunky vintage keyboards look. So I want the keyboard and the rest of this project to fit that chunky plastic 1980s vibe. And the second component for this project is, of course, the screen. And luckily, I already had one. This is a 7.4 inch widescreen display. And yes, it's the same model I used for my last mini monitor video way back in 2023, which is good for me, but bad for anyone following along at home because that video was popular enough that viewers of this channel somehow bought all of them. And as of recording this video, that monitor is actually still sold out. But there are other displays that are almost identical to this model available on Amazon. And if you're interested, I'll put a link in the description below. The screen resolution is 1920 by 480. It's like an ultra wide monitor, but tiny. And that ultra wide form factor keeps the screen from being too tall and blocking part of my main monitor. The next step was to design the 3D printed enclosure that would hold all of these components together. When I started, I tried a few different programs. I started with a tool called Tinkercad. And this is basically a 3D modeling program for children. Literally. Tinkercad was made for educators to teach school kids about 3D modeling. And it's definitely the easiest program to start with. But once you get beyond basic shapes, the interface becomes a bit too limited to handle everything. And so I started looking for something a bit more powerful. Next, I tried learning Fusion 360, which is an industry standard tool for 3D modeling and it's powerful software. And if I'm being honest, it's probably a bit too powerful for a beginner like me, which is why I kept testing with different modeling programs and eventually found a tool called Shapr3D. Shapr3D is also a fully featured 3D modeling platform. But in my opinion, the workflow is a bit more beginner friendly than Fusion 360. I'm by no means an expert. The training wheels are still on and there's a lot I need to learn. But with Shapr3D, I was finally starting to feel comfortable and I got to work designing the first prototypes for the screen board. And honestly, anyone could replicate my design process. It was very simple. I just measured the dimensions of the keyboard and the screen and then started sculpting shapes around them. Anyone with a tape measure and a keyboard that they want to customize could build a case like this. And while this guy works on his silly little 3D model, let's check on those keycaps I mentioned earlier. So I knew the stock keycaps had to be replaced and I picked up a set of PBT keycaps on Amazon. And I chose this specific set because they have that rounded off, chunky, retro, futuristic vibe that I'm going for with this build. And I like everything about these keycaps except for the enter key. Don't know what was up with the font choice for that specific key, but otherwise, it's a pretty clean looking set. And back at the desk, I was finally done designing the full 3D model for the screen board, which means it's time to send this to my 3D printer. And as luck would have it, I just got a very nice, nice little box of 3D printed 3D models. And as luck would have it, I just got a very important package in the mail that should make printing this model a lot easier. This is the Elegoo Neptune 4 Max. It's an FDM 3D printer and it's the largest printer in their lineup. To give you an idea, here's the print bed from my first 3D printer. And yeah, the Neptune is almost four times larger. And now I can create my screen board in a single 3D print. I do want to be clear, this video is not sponsored by Elegoo. I'm not being paid and they have no say in this video, but they did send me this printer. So what you're about to see is my honest experience using this printer for the first time. And I know most people don't have access to a large 3D printer like this. So if you're interested in building your own custom case like I'm doing in this video, you should know that you don't have to own a 3D printer. I recommend using an online 3D printing service where you can upload your model, select a color, and you receive your 3D prints in the mail. I quickly realized this printer was way too heavy and powerful for this flimsy table in my office. I needed a more professional and sturdy workspace for my 3D printer. Yeah, I had this pool table in my basement that I got from a family member a little while ago, and it turns out it's the sturdiest table in my house. Now, this may be a horrible idea and ruin the pool table, but I was in too deep at this point. And after tossing a thin cover and a slab of wood on the pool table, I figured it was good enough to start printing. Before I printed the screen board, I wanted to do a few test prints just to make sure everything was calibrated. So I did what anyone who gets a new 3D printer does. I printed some sick ninja stuff. You know, like this butterfly knife, er, I mean, popsicle stick. It's a butterfly popsicle stick. I'm not printing any weapons here. YouTube, please don't demonetize me. And with the ninja out of my system, it was time to start printing the screen board. After I uploaded the model, I realized the print was going to take 18 hours to complete, which means it's time for, you guessed it, a sweet 3D printing time lapse. The next day, I got up early and headed down to the printer, expecting to see a mess of plastic. But to my surprise, it actually worked. Okay, that's not bad. The next step was to put some finishing touches on the screen board before I could actually use it. So I took a piece of paper, cut it out, put it on a piece of cardboard, and then I printed it out on a 3D printer. The next step was to put some finishing touches on the screen board before I could actually use it. This process included removing all of the plastic supports from the printing process, which was really difficult because I used the wrong settings on my printer and I stabbed my hand in the process. Then I made the terrible decision to try and sand and paint this model on the coldest day of the year. The cold temperatures prevented my paint from drying properly, and I almost ruined the entire build. So to save me from re-experiencing this pain, I'm going to fast forward to the final assembly. Keyboard going in. Nice. Fit it in. So the screen board is now complete. I figured before I break down the total cost, I should show you guys just how I've been using it at my desk. First off, my computer treats the screen board as it would any other monitor. And as you can see, I have my main monitor up top and the screen board is down below. Oh, and that third monitor off to the side is actually the frame TV I showed off in a previous video. But what I love about this setup is that my desk has that clean single monitor aesthetic, but I'm actually running triple monitors here. It's just the monitors are placed in more unique locations at the desk. When I turn on my computer, the screen board displays a dashboard. This dashboard gives me the time, a calendar, as well as system performance information. And on the far side of the screen is a little notepad for writing down notes throughout the day. This dashboard was made using Rainmeter, which is a program for creating custom widgets for your desktop. I created this 80s inspired wallpaper for the screen board. And when you combine the wallpaper with this Rainmeter dashboard, you get that retro look with a ton of useful information. Throughout my workday, I will pin windows to the screen board. Sometimes it's just my music so I can glance down and check the playlist without taking up space on my main screen. I also like putting my iCloud reminders on here because I can create reminders on my phone. And when I get back to my desk, they automatically appear on the screen board. Really, the screen board is just like my old mini monitor video from a few years ago. This little display is great for passive applications and just glancing at different sources of information throughout the day. But what exactly did this custom build cost and was it worth it? Let's break down the total cost. The keyboard was $30. The screen was another $60. The keycaps, while optional, really complete this build. And they were $26. I used about $18 worth of plastic filament to print the case. And the cable tubing cost me another $17. So the grand total is right around $150 US dollars. And for that price, I have a mechanical keyboard with an integrated display that looks like nothing else out there. I know $150 may sound insane to a normal person, but if you're like me and deep into the mechanical keyboard hobby, $150 is what you'd pay for a nice pre-built keyboard from a company like Keychron or other popular brands. So was it all worth it? Well, I think so. I really enjoy using the screen board at my desk. But it's not perfect. My 3D design skills could absolutely be improved. And while the keyboard looks really cool, you do get what you pay for. And those $30 switches are not my favorite to type on. But overall, I'm happy with how this project turned out. Plus, I learned a lot about 3D modeling and designing accessories for keyboards from this project. Which is why this video was the first in a series of design and build focused videos that I'm working on for this year. I have some builds coming up that I am very excited to share with you guys. And if you made it all the way to the end of this video, thank you so much for going on this ride with me. As always, my name is Nick Moe. Thank you for watching Work From Hype. And I will see you in the next one.