FREEBOARD

Ningheim·FREEBOARD·FREEPCB/FREEBOARD.kicad_pcb

About the FREEBOARD PCB

FREEBOARD is an open source RP2040/RP2350 PCB design by Ningheim, published on GitHub under the MIT license. It is a 2-layer board measuring 314.3 × 161.9 mm, with 360 components from 17 distinct parts.

Its main chip is the C7203003, from the RP2040/RP2350 family. Other key parts include the MCP23017X-X-SP. By type, the board carries 172 diodes, 95 capacitors, 86 switches, 4 resistors, 1 IC and 1 module.

It belongs with the displays & leds, keyboards and dev boards & breakouts designs in this gallery.

From the project

A Low Profile 60% Keyboard with an OLED Display and Rotary Encoder. This is the first iteration of the FREEBOARD, I will make one that has space for a SoM carrier board to be placed inside the case, similar to a Raspberry Pi 500 where the entire computer is encapsulated in a keyboard body.

This keyboard is powered by an Orpheus/Raspberry Pi Pico and an additional MCP23017 for extra GPIO pins. The firmware is entirely coded in QMK and the case is a little wider than a Framework 13 for reference, at about 320x165mm it's made to be compact and accessible to be used alongside a laptop. I made this because I wanted to fix a lot of things with the layout of other wormier and logitech keyboards where the keys weren't as inline as I'd hoped whilst still including function keys and appealing RGB factors.

FREEBOARD, from the project README — From the project README

Main components on the FREEBOARD

MCP23017X-X-SP C7203003

FREEBOARD bill of materials (BOM)

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

Qty	Part	Footprint	Refs
1	MCP23017X-X-SP MCP23017x-x-SP	DIP-28_W7.62mm	U1
1	C7203003 RaspberryPi_Pico	RaspberryPi_Pico_Common_THT	A1
1	C160390 OLED_DISPLAY	JST_SH_BM04B-SRSS-TB_1x04-1MP_P1.00mm_Vertical	J1
1	MX_stab	STAB_MX_2u	S1
2	MX_stab	STAB_MX_2.25u	S2, S3
1	MX_stab	STAB_MX_6.25u	S4
81	SW_PUSH_45DEG SW_Push_45deg	SW_MX_1u	SW1, SW2, SW3, SW4, SW5, SW6, SW7, SW8 +73
1	C202365 RotaryEncoder_Switch	ROT_Alps_EC11E-Switch	SW82
81	1N4148	D_DO-35_SOD27_P7.62mm_Horizontal	D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8 +73
91	SK6812MINI-E	SK6812MINI-E_fixed	D82, D83, D84, D85, D86, D87, D88, D89 +83
2	0.1UF 0.1uF	C_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.08x0.95mm_HandSolder	C1, C2
1	10UF 10uF	C_0805_2012Metric_Pad1.18x1.45mm_HandSolder	C3
91	100NF 100nF	C_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.08x0.95mm_HandSolder	C4, C6, C7, C8, C9, C10, C11, C12 +83
1	470UF 470uF	CP_EIA-7343-31_Kemet-D_HandSolder	C5
1	10K 10k	R_0603_1608Metric_Pad0.98x0.95mm_HandSolder	R1
2	4.7K 4.7k	R_0603_1608Metric_Pad0.98x0.95mm_HandSolder	R2, R3
1	330 350	R_0603_1608Metric_Pad0.98x0.95mm_HandSolder	R4

FREEBOARD design files

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

FREEBOARD: common questions

What microcontroller does the FREEBOARD use?

The FREEBOARD is built around the C7203003, from the RP2040/RP2350 family.

How big is the FREEBOARD PCB?

The FREEBOARD measures 314.3 × 161.9 mm, has 2 copper layers and is 1.6 mm thick.

How many components are on the FREEBOARD?

360 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 FREEBOARD design files?

From the Ningheim/FREEBOARD 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 FREEBOARD design in my own project?

Yes, under the terms of its MIT license, which Ningheim chose for the repository.

Can I test firmware for the FREEBOARD without the hardware?

Yes. HardLabs builds a simulation of the board from its netlist and BOM, so you can run and debug RP2040/RP2350 firmware against it before you order a PCB.