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Dodo keyboard

gorbit99·dodo-keyboard

Dodo keyboard PCB layout, top view — open source Nordic nRF board by gorbit99

About the Dodo keyboard PCB

Dodo keyboard is an open source Nordic nRF PCB design by gorbit99, published on GitHub. It is a 2-layer board measuring 161.9 × 120.5 mm, with 112 components from 17 distinct parts.

Its main chip is the XIAO_NRF52840, from the Nordic nRF family. Other key parts include the MCP23S17_SS and NICE_VIEW. By type, the board carries 61 diodes, 33 switches, 5 resistors, 4 jumpers, 3 ICs and 3 transistors.

It belongs with the keyboards, iot & wireless and displays & leds designs in this gallery.

From the project

60% split wireless keyboard

Dodo is a 60%, low-profile, wireless mechanical keyboard with per-key RGB backlighting a display and a rotary encoder.

To build the PCB, you will need the following components for each side (so make sure to get double of each):

All links are examples, I recommend looking around for better orders, and especially switches that you like

1: The following components can be omitted, if you don't want RGB: SK6812 MINI-E, 1xAO3401A, 2N7002, 2x10k resistor, 1x560R resistor

Dodo keyboard, from the project README
From the project README

Main components on the Dodo keyboard

XIAO_NRF52840MCP23S17_SSNICE_VIEW

Dodo keyboard bill of materials (BOM)

112 components, 17 distinct parts — part numbers from the project's BOM.

QtyPartRefs
1
XIAO_NRF52840
XIAO_nRF52840
U1
1
MCP23S17_SS
U2
1
NICE_VIEW
U3
2
AO3401A
Q1, Q4
1
2N7002
Q3
1
AUDIOJACK4
AudioJack4
J1
1
CONN_01X02_SOCKET
Conn_01x02_Socket
J2
1
Battery_Cell
BT1
4
SOLDERJUMPER_3_OPEN
SolderJumper_3_Open
JP1, JP2, JP3, JP4
2
SW_Push
SW1, SW2
1
RotaryEncoder_Switch
SW3
30
SW_Push
SW4, SW5, SW6, SW7, SW8, SW9, SW10, SW11 +22
1
D_Schottky
D1
30
SK6812MINI-E
D2, D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, D14, D16 +22
30
1N4148
D3, D5, D7, D9, D11, D13, D15, D17 +22
3
10K
10k
R1, R3, R4
2
560R
R2, R5

Dodo keyboard design files

The KiCad project lives in the gorbit99/dodo-keyboard repository on GitHub; these links point at the commit this page was built from.

Dodo keyboard: common questions

What microcontroller does the Dodo keyboard use?

The Dodo keyboard is built around the XIAO_NRF52840, from the Nordic nRF family.

How big is the Dodo keyboard PCB?

The Dodo keyboard measures 161.9 × 120.5 mm, has 2 copper layers and is 1.6 mm thick.

How many components are on the Dodo keyboard?

112 components, from 17 distinct parts, with part numbers taken from the project's own BOM. The full bill of materials is listed on this page.

Where can I download the Dodo keyboard design files?

From the gorbit99/dodo-keyboard repository on GitHub, which has the KiCad layout, the schematic and the BOM; the links under Design files point to each one.

Can I use the Dodo keyboard design in my own project?

The repository has no license, so all rights stay with gorbit99. Use it as a reference, and ask the author before reusing the design.

Can I test firmware for the Dodo keyboard without the hardware?

Yes. HardLabs builds a simulation of the board from its netlist and BOM, so you can run and debug Nordic nRF firmware against it before you order a PCB.

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