Mechagrid Case

A case for 8x8 and 8x16 variants of the mechatrellis_grid by Denki Oto

• Mechagrid Case
  • DISCLAIMERS
  • Credits
  • BOM
    • 8x8 Parts
    • 8x16 Parts
  • Models & Printing
    • Part Matrix
    • Light Barrier
  • Assembly
    • 8x8 Assembly
    • 8x16 Assembly
      • 8x16 1 Part Case
      • 8x16 3 Part Case Assembly
      • 8x16 Board and Case Assembly
  • Norns Setup
  • Troubleshooting / FAQ

DISCLAIMERS

This not supported by Denki Oto and they are not responsible for assisting with assembly or troubleshooting.

THIS PROJECT IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION. Design and documentation is not finished and everything is subject to change.

Credits

Major shout out to Steve from Denki Oto for designing and building the mechatrellis boards!

Docs/FAQ/troubleshooting contributions:

• Appa
• EchoEs Bats
• okyeron

BOM

Boards are available at the Denki Oto Shop

Pictured grid assembled with Choc silver keyswitches and Chocfox CFX translucent caps.

8x8 Parts

• 1x assembled 8x8 mechatrellis board
• 1x dink-ii board
• 3x 4mm M2.5 bolts
• 3x M2.5 heat set inserts
• 4x 20mm x 2mm circular rubber feet
• 64x key switches
• 64x key switch caps

If using short key switches like chocs:

• 10x 8mm M2.5 bolts
• 4x 6mm M2.5 bolts

If using full size key switches:

• 14x 8mm M2.5 bolts

8x16 Parts

• 1x assembled 8x16 mechatrellis board
• 3x 4mm M2.5 bolts
• 6x 20mm x 2mm circular rubber feet
• 128x key switches
• 128x key switch caps

If using short key switches like chocs:

• 22x 8mm M2.5 bolts
• 8x 6mm M2.5 bolts

If using full size key switches:

• 30x 8mm M2.5 bolts

There are two ways to print the 8x16 case;

1 part case:

• 3x M2.5 heatset inserts

3 part case:

• 7x M2.5 heatset inserts
• 4x 4mm diameter 300mm long metal rods
• +4 8mm M2.5 bolts
• Optional: ESD Tape

Models & Printing

STLs made with love in Blender and CAD Sketcher.

gcode and prusa slicer files can be found in /prints, stls in /models. Tested with PLA on Prusa MK4 printers.

Part Matrix

There are a few variations of this case. To keep things as clear as possible, refer to the part matrix below:

Part	8x8 Case	8x16 3 Part Case	8x16 1 Part Case
8x8_case	x
8x8_light_barrier	x (optional)	x (optional)	x (optional)
8x16_case			x
8x16_case_left		x
8x16_case_middle		x
8x16_case_right		x
8x16_light_barrier		x (optional)	x (optional)

There are two variations of the light barriers. The short version is roughly 3.5mm tall, designed for choc switches, and the tall version is around 6mm tall, designed for full sized keys.

Light Barrier

While being entirely aestetic, there can be quite a bit of light bleed from key to key. Included are models for a light barrier that reduces bleed between keys.

Without	With

Assembly

It is recommended to read instructions all the way through before following along with your case assembly.

Make sure to test your mechatrellis board and driver before assembling with the case. Once the boards are assembled in the case, troubleshooting will require removing the mechatrellis boards from the case!

Be careful when dry fitting case parts (perticularly the metal rods), go slow, use small taps with a soft headed mallet if necessisary.

Any JST port can be used for connecting dink-ii to the mechatrellis boards however, when viewing from the back, these case designs use the top right most board to connect the mechatrellis and dink-ii boards.

8x8 Assembly 8x16 Assembly

8x8 Assembly

THIS ISN'T READY YET

1. Embed the 3 heat set inserts for dink-ii board. Locations noted below

2. Place the dink-ii board into the case and secure with 3x 4mm M2.5 bolts (If alignment isn't perfect, try lightly threading all three bolts before tightening until the dink-ii board doesn't move around.)

3. Set the mechagrid bord face down (Recommended to place pcba on a protective cloth.)
4. Connect the JST cable between dink-ii and mechagrid pcba.

5. (Optional: Connect the dink-ii to a norns via USB and load up a test script that uses grid. Make sure to follow the Norns Setup section.)
6. Insert and tighten 8mm M2.5 bolts (Only 1 per trellis board is required but it's recommended to use as many bolts as possible.)

8x16 Assembly

8x16 1 Part Case

1. Embed the 3 heatset inserts into the case.
2. Jump ahead to Board and Case Assembly

8x16 3 Part Case Assembly

1. Insert metal rods into each case part one at a time. The ideal fit for the rods are when they can't freely slide around but can be removed by bare hand.

If segments get stuck, use a hand clamp and twist the rod while pulling until the rod can be removed by hand.

1. Embed the 7 heatset inserts into the three case parts.

When add the two inserts next to the usb c port, some soldering irons will touch the edge of the wall. When fully assembled this blemish is almost entirely hidden.

3. Insert all 4 rods into 8x16_case_left or 8x16_case_right.

4. Ensure the middle is oriented correctly and slide it onto the metal rods.
5. Loosly insert a 8mm M2.5 bolt into one of the case connection holes.

6. Add the final case piece and carefuly ensure that there isn't a gap between the case parts.

If needed, use a soft mallet and a towel to gentily tap the case parts together. Make sure to tap the edge closer to the bottom of the case rather than the free floating wall, this will reduce the chance of accidentally cracking the side of the case.

Gap	No gap

1. Insert and tighten the remaining 8mm M2.5 bolts into the case.
2. (Optional: Cover case bolts with ESD tape.)

8x16 Board and Case Assembly

1. On the light barrier, note that the vertical bars are thicker than the horizontal ones. This alignment is important.

2. With the key switches facing up, attach the light barrier parts to the pcba using M2.5 bolts (8mm if using short_light_barrier, 10mm if using long_light_barrier.).

3. Place the dink-ii board into the case and secure with 3x 4mm M2.5 bolts (If alignment isn't perfect, try lightly threading all three bolts before tightening until the dink-ii board doesn't move around.)

4. Set the mechagrid bord face down (Recommended to place pcba on a protective cloth.)
5. Connect the JST cable between dink-ii and mechagrid pcba.

6. (Optional: Connect the dink-ii to a norns via USB and load up a test script that uses grid. Make sure to follow the Norns Setup section.)

7. (Optional: Apply kapton tape over the jumper boards that will sit above the case bolts. These shouldn't make contact with the jumper boards but if you want to be extra cautious, you can.)

8. Place case onto mechagrid pcba.
9. Align and secure the case with 8mm M2.5 bolts. (Not all bolts are required, only one bolt per 4x4 board is necessary but all 3 are recommended for a super secure connection.)

10. Apply rubber feet to the bottom.

Norns Setup

1. Navigate to System->Devices->Grid.
2. Select neo-monome-m{some set of numbers}. (If you compiled custom firmware, make sure this entry matches the firmware name.)
3. Load up a test script to make sure the grid is working.

Troubleshooting / FAQ

Please submit issues via github or message me on discord.