HardLabs

Plasma

hridcode·plasma·source/pcb/plasma.kicad_pcb

Plasma PCB layout, top view — open source Nordic nRF board by hridcode

About the Plasma PCB

Plasma is an open source Nordic nRF PCB design by hridcode, published on GitHub. It is a 2-layer board measuring 125.4 × 109 mm, with 132 components from 7 distinct parts.

Its main chip is the XIAO-nRF52840-Plus-SMD, from the Nordic nRF family. By type, the board carries 62 switches, 60 diodes, 4 resistors, 2 ICs and 2 connectors.

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

From the project

Plasma is a split keyboard built off the Seeed Studio XIAO nRF52840+ microcontroller. It features a 6x5 key matrix with an ortholinear staggered layout and a thumb button for each side, as well as an OLED display and rotary encoder knob.

Plasma is an ortholinear staggered split keyboard that connects with BLE. It has an OLED display and rotary encoder as well for extra fun! With 6 columns and 5 rows, plus space keys right at the thumbs, what's not to love?

Plasma, from the project README
From the project README

Main components on the Plasma

XIAO-nRF52840-Plus-SMD

Plasma bill of materials (BOM)

132 components, 7 distinct parts — part numbers from the project's BOM.

QtyPartRefs
2
XIAO-nRF52840-Plus-SMD
U1, U2
2
Conn_01x02
J1, J2
2
~
O1, O2
62
SW_Push
SW1, SW2, SW3, SW4, SW5, SW6, SW7, SW8 +54
60
D
D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8 +52
2
55
R1, R3
2
22
R2, R4

Plasma design files

The KiCad project lives in the hridcode/plasma repository on GitHub; these links point at the commit this page was built from.

Plasma: common questions

What microcontroller does the Plasma use?

The Plasma is built around the XIAO-nRF52840-Plus-SMD, from the Nordic nRF family.

How big is the Plasma PCB?

The Plasma measures 125.4 × 109 mm, has 2 copper layers and is 1.6 mm thick.

How many components are on the Plasma?

132 components, from 7 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 Plasma design files?

From the hridcode/plasma 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 Plasma design in my own project?

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

Can I test firmware for the Plasma 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.

Similar boards