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General configuration options

Each heading in this document represents a recognized configuration key in YAML files for the DMOTE application.

Other documents cover special sections of this one in more detail.

Table of contents

Section keys

Keys, that is keycaps and electrical switches, are not the main focus of this application, but they influence the shape of the case.

Parameter preview

If true, include models of the keycaps in place on the keyboard. This is intended for illustration as you work on a design, not for printing.

Freely keyed section styles

Here you name all the styles of keys on the keyboard and describe each style using parameters to the keycap function of the dmote-keycap library.

Key styles determine the size of key mounting plates on the keyboard and what kind of holes are cut into those plates for the switches to fit inside. Negative space is also reserved above the plate for the movement of the keycap: A function of switch height, switch travel, and keycap shape.

switch-type, where you name a type of electromechanical switch, is one aspect of key style. The DMOTE application supports a superset of dmote-keycap’s switch types, because the added types differ only in the shape of the hole that goes through the mounting plate: Differences which are irrelevant to keycaps. The following options are thus recognized for switch-type in a key style:

  • alps: ALPS-style, including Matias.
  • kailh-pg1511: Cherry MX style except that there are no recesses in the lower body of the switch; this is true of Kailh PG1511 series switches, including KT and KS sub-series.
  • mx: Full Cherry MX style with lateral recesses in the lower body of the switch.

In options by key, documented here, you specify which style of key is used for each position on the keyboard.

Freely keyed section key-clusters

This section describes the general size, shape and position of the clusters of keys on the keyboard, each in its own subsection. It is documented in detail here.

Special section by-key

This section contains a nested structure of parameters. Each level within controls a smaller part of the keyboard, eventually reaching the level of specific sides of individual keys. It’s all documented here.

Parameter secondaries

A map where each item provides a name for a position in space. Such positions exist in relation to other named features of the keyboard and their names can in turn be used as anchors, most typically as supplementary targets for tweaks (see below). The concept of anchoring is explained here, along with the parameters available in this section.

An example:

  s0:
    anchoring:
      anchor: f0
      side: SE
    override [null, null, 2]
    size: 4

This example gives the name s0 to a point near some feature named f0. Populated coordinates in override replace corresponding coordinates given by the anchor, so in the example, s0 is 2 mm above the floor and any distance down from the southeast corner of f0 in a straight vertical line. In other words, the position of that corner of f0 is projected onto the global xy plane at z = 2 to make s0.

The size parameter is relevant only as a fallback for tweaks that target the position and do not specify a size in turn. If both are omitted, tweaks fall back still further, to a tiny point.

All of these properties are optional.

Section main-body

The main body of the keyboard is the main output of this application. It may be the only body. Much of this part of the case is generated from the wall parameters described here. This section deals with lesser features of the main body.

Parameter reflect

If true, mirror the main body, producing one version for the right hand and another for the left. The two halves will be almost identical: Only chiral parts, such as threaded holes, are exempt from mirroring with main-body → reflect.

You can use this option to make a ‘split’ keyboard, though the two halves are typically connected by a signalling cable, by a rigid central-housing, or by one or more rods anchored to some feature such as rear-housing or back-plate.

Section rear-housing

The furthest row of a key cluster can be extended into a rear housing for the MCU and various other features.

Parameter include

If true, add a rear housing to the main body.

Section anchoring

Where to place the middle of the rear housing. The concept of anchoring is explained here, along with the parameters available in this section.

Parameter size

The exterior measurements of the rear housing, in mm.

Section bevel

The rear housing can be bevelled.

Parameter exterior

Insets from the specified size in mm for the exterior of the housing.

Parameter interior

Insets from the specified size, minus thickness, in mm, for the interior of the housing.

This is separate from the exterior bevel parameter because it can help with DFM. A higher setting here can reduce the need for internal print supports.

Section thickness

The thickness of the rear housing does not influence its external dimensions. It grows inward.

Parameter walls

The horizontal thickness in mm of the walls.

Parameter roof

The vertical thickness in mm of the flat top, inside the insets for bevels.

Section fasteners

Threaded bolts can run through the roof of the rear housing, making it a hardpoint for attachments like a stabilizer to connect the two halves of a split keyboard.

Parameter bolt-properties

This parameter describes the properties of a screw or bolt. It takes a mapping appropriate for the bolt function in the scad-klupe.iso library.

The following describes only a subset of what you can include here:

  • m-diameter: The ISO metric diameter of a bolt, e.g. 6 for M6.
  • head-type: A keyword describing the head of the bolt, such as hex or countersunk.
  • total-length: The length of the threaded part of the bolt, in mm.

The DMOTE application provides some parameters that differ from the default values in scad-klupe itself, in the following ways:

  • negative: The DMOTE application automatically sets this to true for bolt models that represent negative space.
  • compensator: The application automatically injects a DFM function.
  • include-threading: This is true by default in scad-klupe and false by default in the DMOTE application. The main reason for this difference is the general pattern of defaulting to false in the application for predictability. Secondary reasons are rendering performance, the option of tapping threads after printing, and the uselessness of threads in combination with heat-set inserts.
Parameter bosses

If true, add nut bosses to the ceiling of the rear housing for each fastener. Space permitting, these bosses will have some play on the north-south axis, to permit adjustment of the angle of the keyboard halves under a stabilizer.

Section sides

Analogous but independent parameters for the west and east sides.

Section W

The west: A fastener on the inward-facing end of the rear housing.

Parameter include at level 7

If true, include this fastener.

Parameter offset at level 7

A one-dimensional offset in mm from the inward edge of the rear housing to the fastener. You probably want a negative number if any.

Section E

The east: A fastener on the outward-facing end of the rear housing.

Parameter include at level 7
Parameter offset at level 7

Section back-plate

Given that independent movement of each half of a split keyboard is not useful, each half can include a mounting plate for a stabilizing rod. That is a straight piece of wood, aluminium, rigid plastic etc. to connect the two halves mechanically and possibly carry the wire that connects them electrically.

This option is similar to rear housing, but the back plate block provides no interior space for an MCU etc. It is solid, with holes for threaded fasteners including the option of nut bosses. Its footprint is not part of a bottom-plate.

Parameter include

If true, include a back plate block. This is not contingent upon reflect.

Parameter beam-height

The nominal vertical extent of the back plate in mm. Because the plate is bottom-hulled to the floor, the effect of this setting is on the area of the plate above its holes.

Section fasteners

Two threaded bolts run through the back plate.

Parameter bolt-properties

This parameter describes the properties of a screw or bolt. It takes a mapping appropriate for the bolt function in the scad-klupe.iso library.

The following describes only a subset of what you can include here:

  • m-diameter: The ISO metric diameter of a bolt, e.g. 6 for M6.
  • head-type: A keyword describing the head of the bolt, such as hex or countersunk.
  • total-length: The length of the threaded part of the bolt, in mm.

The DMOTE application provides some parameters that differ from the default values in scad-klupe itself, in the following ways:

  • negative: The DMOTE application automatically sets this to true for bolt models that represent negative space.
  • compensator: The application automatically injects a DFM function.
  • include-threading: This is true by default in scad-klupe and false by default in the DMOTE application. The main reason for this difference is the general pattern of defaulting to false in the application for predictability. Secondary reasons are rendering performance, the option of tapping threads after printing, and the uselessness of threads in combination with heat-set inserts.
Parameter distance

The horizontal distance between the bolts.

Parameter bosses

If true, cut nut bosses into the inside wall of the block.

Section anchoring

Where to place the middle of the back plate. The concept of anchoring is explained here, along with the parameters available in this section.

Section bottom-plate

Plating underneath the main body. See the top-level bottom-plates section for shared properties of bottom plates.

Parameter include

If true, include a bottom plate for this body.

Section leds

Support for light-emitting diodes in the case walls.

This feature of the application is poorly developed and may be removed in a future version. Consider using ports for greater freedom in the placement of LEDs.

Parameter include

If true, cut slots for LEDs out of the case wall, facing the space between the two halves.

Section position

Where to attach the LED strip.

Parameter cluster

The key cluster at which to anchor the strip.

Parameter amount

The number of LEDs.

Parameter housing-size

The length of the side on a square profile used to create negative space for the housings on a LED strip. This assumes the housings are squarish, as on a WS2818.

The negative space is not supposed to penetrate the wall, just make it easier to hold the LED strip in place with tape, and direct its light. With that in mind, feel free to exaggerate by 10%.

Parameter emitter-diameter

The diameter of a round hole for the light of an LED.

Parameter interval

The distance between LEDs on the strip. You may want to apply a setting slightly shorter than the real distance, since the algorithm carving the holes does not account for wall curvature.

Section central-housing

An optional body separate from the main body, located in between and connecting the two halves of a reflected main body. The central housing is documented in detail here.

Section wrist-rest

An optional extra body to support the user’s wrist.

Parameter include

If true, include a wrist rest with the keyboard.

Parameter style

The style of the wrist rest. Available styles are:

  • threaded: threaded fasteners connect the case and wrist rest.
  • solid: the case and wrist rest are joined together by tweaks as a single piece of plastic.

Parameter preview

Preview mode. If true, this puts a model of the wrist rest in the same OpenSCAD file as the case. That model is simplified, intended for gauging distance, not for printing.

Section anchoring

Where to place the wrist rest. The concept of anchoring is explained here, along with the parameters available in this section. For wrist rests, the vertical component of the anchor’s position is ignored, including any vertical offset.

Parameter plinth-height

The average height of the plastic plinth in mm, at its upper lip.

Section shape

The wrist rest needs to fit the user’s hand.

Section spline

The horizontal outline of the wrist rest is a closed spline.

Parameter main-points

A list of nameable points, in clockwise order. The spline will pass through all of these and then return to the first one. Each point can have two properties:

  • Mandatory: position. A pair of coordinates, in mm, relative to other points in the list.
  • Optional: alias. A name given to the specific point, for the purpose of placing yet more things in relation to it.
Parameter resolution

The amount of vertices per main point. The default is 1. If 1, only the main points themselves will be used, giving you full control. A higher number gives you smoother curves.

If you want the closing part of the curve to look smooth in high resolution, position your main points carefully.

Resolution parameters, including this one, can be disabled in the main resolution section.

Section lip

The lip is the uppermost part of the plinth, lining and supporting the edge of the pad. Its dimensions are described here in mm away from the pad.

Parameter height

The vertical extent of the lip.

Parameter width

The horizontal width of the lip at its top.

Parameter inset

The difference in width between the top and bottom of the lip. A small negative value will make the lip thicker at the bottom. This is recommended for fitting a silicone mould.

Section pad

The top of the wrist rest should be printed or cast in a soft material, such as silicone rubber.

Section surface

The upper surface of the pad, which will be in direct contact with the user’s palm or wrist.

Section edge

The edge of the pad can be rounded.

Parameter inset at level 7

The horizontal extent of softening. This cannot be more than half the width of the outline, as determined by main-points, at its narrowest part.

Parameter resolution at level 7

The number of faces on the edge between horizontal points.

Resolution parameters, including this one, can be disabled in the main resolution section.

Section heightmap

The surface can optionally be modified by the surface() function, which requires a heightmap file.

Parameter include at level 7

If true, use a heightmap. The map will intersect the basic pad polyhedron.

Parameter filepath at level 7

The file identified here should contain a heightmap in a format OpenSCAD can understand. The path should also be resolvable by OpenSCAD.

Section height

The piece of rubber extends a certain distance up into the air and down into the plinth. All measurements in mm.

Parameter surface-range

The vertical range of the upper surface. Whatever values are in a heightmap will be normalized to this scale.

Parameter lip-to-surface

The part of the rubber pad between the top of the lip and the point where the heightmap comes into effect. This is useful if your heightmap itself has very low values at the edges, such that moulding and casting it without a base would be difficult.

Parameter below-lip

The depth of the rubber wrist support, measured from the top of the lip, going down into the plinth. This part of the pad just keeps it in place.

Section rotation

The wrist rest can be rotated to align its pad with the user’s palm.

Parameter pitch

Tait-Bryan pitch.

Parameter roll

Tait-Bryan roll.

Special section mounts

A list of mounts for threaded fasteners. Each such mount will include at least one cuboid block for at least one screw that connects the wrist rest to the case. This section is used only with the threaded style of wrist rest.

Section sprues

Holes in the bottom of the plinth. You pour liquid rubber through these holes when you make the rubber pad. Sprues are optional, but the general recommendation is to have two of them if you’re going to be casting your own pads. That way, air can escape even if you accidentally block one sprue with a low-viscosity silicone.

Parameter include

If true, include sprues.

Parameter inset

The horizontal distance between the perimeter of the wrist rest and the default position of each sprue.

Parameter diameter

The diameter of each sprue.

Parameter positions

The positions of all sprues. This is a list where each item needs an anchor naming a main point in the spline. You can add an optional two-dimensional offset.

Section bottom-plate

Plating underneath the wrist rest. See the top-level bottom-plates section for shared properties of bottom plates.

Bottom plates for wrist rests have no ESDS electronics to protect but serve other purposes: Covering nut pockets, silicone mould-pour cavities, and plaster or other dense material poured into plinths printed without a bottom shell.

Parameter include

If true, include a bottom plate for this body.

Parameter mould-thickness

The thickness in mm of the walls and floor of the mould to be used for casting the rubber pad.

Section bottom-plates

A bottom plate can be added to each body of the keyboard, to close the case. This is useful mainly to simplify transportation.

Bottom plates are largely two-dimensional. The application builds most of each plate from a set of polygons, trying to match the perimeter of the case at the ground level (i.e. z = 0).

Specifically, there is one polygon per key cluster (limited to wall edges drawn to the floor), one polygon for each housing, and one set of polygons for each of the first-level case tweaks that use at-ground (or polyfill, details here), ignoring chunk size and almost ignoring tweaks nested within lists of tweaks.

This methodology is mentioned here because its results are not perfect. Pending future features in OpenSCAD, a future version may be based on a more exact projection of the case, but as of 2020, such a projection is hollow and cannot be convex-hulled without escaping the case, unless your case is convex to start with.

For this reason, while the polygons fill the interior, the perimeter of the bottom plate is extended by key walls and case tweaks as they would appear at the height of the bottom plate. Even this brutality is inadequate in a corner case when you have tweaks to-ground from below that should affect the bottom plate. If you require a more exact match, do a projection of the case without a bottom plate, save it as DXF/SVG etc. and post-process that file to fill the interior gap.

Parameter preview

Preview mode. If true, put a model of the plate in the same file as the body it closes. Not for printing.

Parameter combine

If true, combine bottom plates for as many bodies as possible.

This can be used with the solid style of wrist rest to get a plate that helps lock the wrist rest to the main body, and with a central housing to get a single, bilateral plate that extends from side to side. This larger plate can require a large build volume.

Parameter thickness

The thickness (i.e. height) in mm of all bottom plates you choose to include. This covers plates for the case and for the wrist rest.

The case will not be raised to compensate for this. Instead, the thickness of the bottom plate will be removed from the bottom of the main model.

Freely keyed section custom-bodies

Bodies in addition to those predefined by the application.

This feature is intended for dividing up a keyboard case into parts for easier printing and/or easier assembly. It is not intended for adding novel shapes, such as washable cup holders to fit into ports etc. Custom bodies can be combined with tweaks to add and separate shapes, but complex novel shapes should typically be designed separately from this application (see dmote-beam for an example), or else added as features of the application.

The structure of the custom-bodies section is a map of new body names to maps of the following parameters:

  • include: If true, and the parent body is also set to be included, make the custom body an output of the application, with its own SCAD file.
  • parent-body: The name of another body, into which the custom body fits. By default, the main body (main). auto cannot be used, but another custom body can be, so long as there is no loop of custom bodies being one another’s parents.
  • cut: Where the custom body fits into the parent body.

The name of a custom body cannot match that of a predefined body such as main.

cut takes a map of arbitrary shapes and ultimately describes the shape of the custom body. However, the combined shape of the cut is not the shape of the custom body itself. Those parts of the parent body that would normally have fallen within the area instead disappear from the parent body and constitute the entire custom body instead. What’s already inside the area effectively moves from one body to the other. This behaviour can be broken by preview settings, since they artificially extend bodies for purposes of visualization.

Here’s an example of a custom body named pet-flap, with a simple cut, arbitrarily named shape:

  pet-flap:
    include: true
    parent-body: central-housing
    cut:
      shape:
      - [origin, {size: 60}]

This example describes a cube-shaped area in the middle of the central housing. The wall there will gets its own SCAD file, so you can print it separately and then mount it on hinges for small animals to live in your keyboard.

If its parent body is governed by reflect, the custom body will also be reflected, appearing in left- and right-hand versions as separate outputs of the application.

Freely keyed section flanges

This section describes shapes connecting different bodies, with special features for connecting bottom plates to their parent bodies. Each flange gets its own subsection. Flanges are documented in detail here.

Freely keyed section tweaks

Additional shapes. This parameter is usually needed to bridge gaps between the walls of key clusters. The expected value here is a map of arbitrary shapes.

In the following example, A and B are key aliases that would be defined elsewhere.

  bridge-between-A-and-B:
    - chunk-size: 2
      hull-around:
      - [A, SE]
      - [B, NE]
      - [A, SSW, 0, 3]

The example is interpreted to mean that a plate should be created stretching from the southeast corner of A to the northeast corner of B. Due to chunk-size 2, that first plate will be joined to, but not fully hulled with, a second plate from B back to a different corner of A, with a longer stretch of wall segments (0 through 3 inclusive) running down the south-by-southwest corner of A.

In tweaks nodes, the body setting is meaningful, but should not refer to a custom body, because the shape of a custom body is always fully determined by its parent body and its cut. Tweaks are not applied to custom bodies as such.

Section mcu

MCU is short for ”micro-controller unit”. You need at least one of these, it’s assumed to be mounted on a PCB, and you typically want some support for it inside the case.

The total number of MCUs is governed by more than one setting, roughly in the following order:

  • If mcu → include is false, there is no MCU.
  • If mcu → include is true but main-body → reflect is false, there is one MCU.
  • If mcu → include and main-body → reflect and mcu → position → central are all true, there is (again) one MCU.
  • Otherwise, there are two MCUs: One in each half of the case, because of reflection.

Parameter include

If true, make space for at least one MCU PCBA.

Parameter preview

If true, render a visualization of the MCU PCBA. For use in development.

Parameter body

A code identifying the body that houses the MCU.

Parameter type

A code name for a form factor. The following values are supported, representing a selection of designs for commercial products from PJRC, SparkFun, the QMK team and others:

  • elite-c: Elite-C.
  • promicro: Pro Micro.
  • proton-c: Proton C.
  • rpi-pico: Raspberry Pi Pico.
  • teensy-l: Teensy++ 2.0.
  • teensy-m: Medium-size Teensy, 3.2 or LC.
  • teensy-s: Teensy 2.0.
  • teensy-xl: Extra large Teensy, 3.5 or 3.6.

Section anchoring

Where to place the middle of the back plate. The concept of anchoring is explained here, along with the parameters available in this section. The PCBA has its base point in the front and rotates around that point. By default, the PCBA appears lying flat, with the MCU side up and the connector end facing nominal north, away from the user.

Section support

This section offers a couple of different, mutually compatible ways to hold an MCU PCBA in place. Without such support, the MCU will be rattling around inside the case.

Support is especially important if connector(s) on the PCBA will be exposed to animals, such as people. Take care that the user can plug in a USB cable, which requires a receptable to be both reachable through the case and held there firmly enough that the force of the user’s interaction will neither damage nor displace the board.

Despite the importance of support in most use cases, no MCU support is included by default. Instead of using the features offered in this section, consider using tweaks anchored to the PCBA instead.

Parameter preview

If true, render a visualization of the support in place. This applies only to those parts of the support that are not part of the case model.

Section shelf

The case can include a shelf for the MCU.

A shelf is the simplest type of MCU support, found on the original Dactyl-ManuForm. It provides very little mechanical support to hold the MCU itself in place, so it is not suitable for exposing a connector on the MCU PCBA through the case. Instead, it’s suitable for use together with a pigtail cable between the MCU and a secondary USB connector embedded in the case wall (see ports). It’s especially good with stiff single-strand wiring that will help keep the MCU in place without a lock or firm grip.

Parameter include

If true, include a shelf.

Parameter extra-space

Modifiers for the size of the PCB, on all three axes, in mm, for the purpose of determining the size of the shelf.

For example, the last term, for z, adds extra space between the component side of the PCBA up to the overhang on each side of the shelf, if any. The MCU will appear centered inside the available space, so this parameter can move the plane of the shelf itself.

Parameter thickness

The thickness of material in the shelf, below or behind the PCBA, in mm.

Parameter bevel

A map of cardinal compass points to angles in radians, whereby any and all sides of the shelf are turned away from the MCU PCBA. This feature is intended mainly for manufacturability, to reduce the need for supports in printing, but it can also add strength or help connect to other features.

Section rim

By default, a shelf includes raised edges to hold on to the PCBA. This is most useful when the shelf is rotated, following the MCU, out of the xy-plane.

Parameter lateral-thickness

The thickness of material to each side of the MCU, in mm.

Parameter overhang-thickness

The thickness of material in the outermost part on each side, in mm.

Parameter overhang-width

The extent to which each side extends out across the PCBA, in mm.

Parameter offsets

One or two lengthwise offsets in mm. When these are left at zero, the sides of the shelf will appear in full. A negative or positive offset shortens the corresponding side, towards or away from the connector side of the PCBA.

Section lock

An MCU lock is a support feature made up of three parts:

  • A fixture printed as part of the case. This fixture includes a plate for the PCB and a socket. The socket holds a USB connector on the PCB in place.
  • The bolt of the lock, printed separately.
  • A threaded fastener, not printed. The fastener connects the bolt to the fixture as the lock closes over the PCB. Confusingly, the fastener constitutes a bolt, in a different sense of that word.

A lock is most appropriate when the PCB aligns with a long, flat wall; typically the wall of a rear housing. It has the advantage that it can hug the connector on the PCB tightly from four sides, thus preventing a fragile surface-mounted connector from snapping off.

Parameter include

If true, include a lock.

Parameter width-factor

A multiplier for the width of the PCB. This determines the width of the parts touching the PCB in a lock: The plate and the base of the bolt.

Parameter fastener-properties

Like the various bolt-properties parameters elsewhere, this parameter describes a threaded fastener using the bolt function in the scad-klupe.iso library.

This particular set of fastener propertes should not include a total-length because the application will interpolate default values for both unthreaded-length and threaded-length based on other properties of the lock. A contradictory total-length is an error.

Section plate

In the lock, the MCU PCBA sits on a plate, as part of the fixture. This plate is named by analogy with a roughly corresponding part in a door lock. The plate actually looks like a bed for the PCB.

The plate is typically more narrow than the PCB, its width being determined by width-factor. Its total height is the sum of this section’s base-thickness and clearance.

Parameter alias

A name you can use to target the base of the plate for tweaks. This is useful mainly when there isn’t a flat wall behind the lock.

Parameter base-thickness

The thickness of the base of the plate, in mm.

Parameter backing-thickness

The thickness of whatever is behind the plate, in mm. The only influence of this parameter is on the length and position of the fastener, which is extended this far away from the plate to penetrate its support.

Parameter clearance

The distance between the MCU PCB and the base of the plate, in mm.

Unlike the base of the plate, its clearance displaces the PCB and cannot be targeted by tweaks, but both parts of the plate have the same length and width.

The main use for clearance is to leave room between a wall supporting the lock and the PCB’s through-holes, so its height should be roughly matched to the length of wire overshoot through the PCB, with a safety margin for air.

Section socket

A housing around the USB connector on the MCU PCBA.

Parameter thickness

The wall thickness of the socket.

Section bolt

The bolt of the MCU lock, named by analogy with a regular door lock, is not to be confused with the threaded fastener holding it in place. The properties of the threaded fastener are set using fastener-properties above while the properties of the lock bolt are set here.

Parameter clearance

The distance of the bolt from the populated side of the PCB. This distance should be slightly greater than the height of the tallest component on the PCB.

Parameter overshoot

The distance across which the bolt will touch the PCB at the mount end. Take care that this distance is free of components on the PCB.

Parameter mount-length

The length of the base containing a threaded channel used to secure the bolt over the MCU. This is in addition to overshoot and goes in the opposite direction, away from the PCB.

Parameter mount-thickness

The thickness of the mount. This should have some rough correspondence to the threaded portion of your fastener, which should not have a shank.

Freely keyed section ports

This section describes ports, including sockets in the case walls to contain electronic receptacles for signalling connections and other interfaces. Each port gets its own subsection. Ports are documented in detail here.

Section resolution

Settings for the amount of detail on curved surfaces. More specific resolution parameters are available in other sections.

Parameter include

If true, apply resolution parameters found throughout the configuration. Otherwise, use defaults built into this application, its libraries and OpenSCAD. The defaults are generally conservative, providing quick renders for previews.

Parameter exclude-all-threading

If true, override all include-threading settings to exclude the detail of threading in all bolt holes etc.

Parameter minimum-facet-size

File-wide OpenSCAD minimum face size in mm.

Section dfm

Settings for design for manufacturability (DFM).

Parameter error-general

A measurement in mm of errors introduced to negative space in the xy plane by slicer software and the printer you will use.

The default value is zero. An appropriate value for a typical slicer and FDM printer with a 0.4 mm nozzle would be about -0.4 mm.

This application will try to compensate for the error, though only for certain sensitive inserts, not for the case as a whole.

Section keycaps

Measurements of error, in mm, for parts of keycap models. This is separate from error-general because it’s especially important to have a tight fit between switch sliders and cap stems, and the size of these details is usually comparable to an FDM printer nozzle.

If you will not be printing caps, ignore this section.

Parameter error-stem-positive

Error on the positive components of stems on keycaps, such as the entire stem on an ALPS-compatible cap.

Parameter error-stem-negative

Error on the negative components of stems on keycaps, such as the cross on an MX-compatible cap.

Section bottom-plate

DFM for bottom plates.

Parameter fastener-plate-offset

A vertical offset in mm for the placement of screw holes in bottom plates. Without a slight negative offset, slicers will tend to make the holes too wide for screw heads to grip the plate securely.

Notice this will not affect how screw holes are cut into the case.

Section mask

A box limits the entire shape, cutting off any projecting by-products of the algorithms. By resizing and moving this box, you can select a subsection for printing. You might want this while you are printing prototypes for a new style of switch, MCU support etc.

Parameter size

The size of the mask in mm. By default, a cube of 1 m³.

Parameter center

The position of the center point of the mask. By default, [0, 0, 500], which is supposed to mask out everything below ground level. If you include bottom plates, their thickness will automatically affect the placement of the mask beyond what you specify here.

⸻

This document was generated from the application CLI.