The STL Files

This is information about STL Files you need to 3D print K80CS or K84CS keyboard case at home. They are optimized for 3D printing on FFF (RepRap) printers without heat chamber and with a build bed of at least 177 x 191 mm and build height of at least 32 mm. The files are licensed, not sold. You can look at the license here. The files are provided as they are without any warranty. The only thing you can assume is that there is a person which 3D printed a keyboard case from these files. The final K80CS keyboard case (defined by the STL files) is in red on the picture below.

Full K80CS keyboard case

Full K80CS keyboard case

The final K84CS keyboard case (defined by the STL files) is in blue on the picture below.

Full K84CS keyboard case

Full K84CS keyboard case

More technical information about the case and the keyboard as a whole can be found in this deskthority thread. This thread is also the best place to get additional technical information about the keyboard.

How to get the STL Files?

The STL Files are provided by HCK, s.r.o.. You can buy the license and also obtain the K84CS STL Files themselves through share-it. The price for one license is 14 € plus VAT, sales tax, or whatever other fees your local government imposes on you (if any). You can also get technical support about the keyboard case by writing an email to katy (at) hck (dot) sk but it is better to post a message to the deskthority thread. If you have questions about orders, payment and delivery then check out Customer Care Center.

The K80CS STL files can be downloaded for free here under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) lincense. You can always buy the K84CS files to support the project :)

How to print the keyboard case?

Each side of the case consists from 3 parts: the key part, the palm part, and the bottom. You need to 3D print these separately. Print them all with ABS and print them the way they are in the models except the palm parts. Print the palm part upside down (rotate them in your slicer by 180°). Print also the glueing template. It will help you to glue the key part together with the corresponding palm part.

Right hand side palm part has two versions in the STL files. One is with a hole for PDI connector and the other one is without the hole. Print only one of them. If you would like to debug the firmware then use the version with the PDI hole and use right angle pin header for the PDI footprint on the controller PCB. If you do not inted to have an easy access to the PDI debug port then print the version without the PDI hole and use a straigh pin header for the PDI port.

If you do not own an FFF 3D Printer (a RepRap) then you can ask somebody else to print the case. If you want to get the case as cheap as possible and are willing to postprocess the printed parts yourself then ask for delivery of the raw printouts (with all the support material still attached to the model). The material cost for the whole case is about 8 €. You should be able to talk somebody with an FFF 3D Printer to print it for you for a price in the range from 50 to 100 €. Maybe cheaper if you lucky.

Slicer settings

Notice that the proper slicer settings depend on the kind of 3D Printer used. To print the case successfully the important settings are the ones related to the support material. The support is required only for the key parts of the case. Here is an example of the support related settings you can try:

The model can be printed sparsely. It will be strong enough with low infills.

ABS-glue

You can make your own ABS-glue by melting the ABS plastics in acetone. You can use the scrap plastics from the support material and the adhesion pads of the raw printout of the keyboard case. Or you can use the filament you used to print the case.

Postprocessing the raw printouts

Acetone

Acetone painting is an alternative to acetone vapour bath when treating ABS printouts. Acetone painting is safer and easier to do but it comes with danger of white smudges. These happen because ABS melts in acetone and ABS natural color is white. The melted white ABS will stick to the brush and gets deposited on the surface of the part. The darker the ABS is the more these white smudges matter.

Acetone is available in shops which specialize in selling stuff for home builders or people who like to tinker or improve their homes (e.g. Baumax). It is sold as a solvent to aid removal of old (dry) paints or removal of cellulose based glues. It is often sold in volumes of about 0.4 l. You will need about 0.1 l for one case.

How to mitigate the white smudges

Safety considerations

Only the main points. This is not an exaustive list.

Have a luck with your own ergonomic keboard case!