Re-using the keyboard's USB cable

[ecraven]

Very cool project, I'm looking forward to building at least 2-3 of these, I've been thinking about doing this for some time, but couldn't have managed as well as you did!

Do you have a good solution on how to use the original USB cable that comes with the keyboard, and connect it to the teensy internally? I have a couple of old Kinesis Advantage (1), it seems that the USB cable goes to a brown connector internally, could I somehow "forward" those wires into a micro-USB plug and plug that into the teensy?

Thanks for any help with this, I hope I didn't overlook an existing answer to this :-/

[stapelberg]

Hey, I’m glad my project is useful to you :)

Yep, re-using the USB cable is definitely a possibility!

Myself, I use this self-designed USB 2 hub:

• https://michael.stapelberg.ch/posts/2018-04-17-kinx-usb-hub/
• https://github.com/kinx-project/hub-hw

But before I had the hub (where the USB cable plugs into without any destruction), I just cut off the Kinesis USB cable and a micro USB cable, and soldered them together with the appropriate pinout (measure using the continuity probe of a multi meter).

I hope this helps you decide what sort of solution you want to target. If you’re interested in the hub, that might be cleanest, but also the most effort.

[ecraven]

It would be ideal to have a non-destructive solution, but no idea whether that would be possible. I'm guessing the built-in USB hub doesn't actually "forward" the USB pins to the existing atmel microcontroller? So I'll have to bypass that anyway?
Edit: there's a connector that connects the usb input and the rj25 (I think) to the usb pcb, I could probably look for a connector for that, but on the other hand, I'll have to rip out the glued-in board (destructively) anyway :)

[stapelberg]

For the minimal non-destructive solutions, I would recommend wiring up the connector (https://www.digikey.ch/product-detail/en/440054-7/A100039-ND/2077943/?itemSeq=336326000) to a USB plug (just cut a cable).

Depending on where you live and how much money you want to spend, you might also be able to just order one (or a few) replacement USB cables from Kinesis, and then do with them what you want :)

[Sanic]

Thanks for the pointer to the 440054-7 header @stapelberg !
I've used that connector and followed your suggestion of using a USB cable.
It worked perfectly on my KB500 👍

If somebody wants to replicate this, here are the relevant pins that you need to connect from the original USB cable connector:

Black: GND (-)
Green: USB D+
White: USB D-
RED: +

Not sure if every cable respects these color wires. But in my case they did 😃

[nputnam]

Be sure to check your connector before ordering! I had a 9 pin version, 440054-9 worked for me.

[stapelberg]

Be sure to check your connector before ordering! I had a 9 pin version, 440054-9 worked for me.

Could you share a photo? I haven’t seen the 9-pin version before. Thanks!

[nputnam]

Here is a file of my hacked together connector and the original board. The connector just aligned the colors, my camera makes the usb wire look blue when it's really green.

[theaquamarine]

I had a 9-pin connector too, in a KB600 with the same manufacture date on the PCB. I think the original part is a JST PH https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/jst-sales-america-inc/B9B-PH-K-S-LF-SN/926618 https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/jst-sales-america-inc/PHR-9/608601?s=N4IgTCBcDaIFYGcAuACADgCxQThAXQF8g

[danieldk]

A bought a JST connector and went for that approach first. But the pins are awfully close together, so I was a bit worried that after enough time/friction they may short even with plenty of glue. I now found a USB Micro-B mount that is a pretty good fit. It seems fairly generic, so you can probably find other brands with the same product.

This is the one that I got: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B08RSGYV1S/ref=pe_28126711_487805961_TE_item

[lread]

I now found a USB Micro-B mount that is a pretty good fit. It seems fairly generic, so you can probably find other brands with the same product.

@danieldk thanks so much for this clever tip! I bought and installed this equivalent:
https://www.amazon.ca/QIANRENON-Waterproof-Extension-Connector-Motorcycle/dp/B0BBQKGBQZ
Also: I found that using the included rubber washer on the outside made it grip more tightly.

[jtojnar]

I could not find a mount that I would like (USB C) when I was ordering the parts for kinT on DigiKey so I designed my own in OpenSCAD, using Adafruit USB C breakout board (if you use other board, make sure there are 5.1 KΩ pull-down resistors between GND and CC1 and CC2 pins for it to be a recognized as Upstream Facing Port) and some cheap micro USB cable soldered to it:

• GND – black
• VBUS – red
• D- – white
• D+ – green
• the extra shrinkwrap on SBU1 is just to protect from accidental contact from green wire, on which I accidentally burned the isolation

It was the first time I was doing anything 3D printed so the holes were too small and I had to use a drill to enlarge them. In case someone finds this a bit useful, here are the sad files:

kinesis-advantage2-usb-c.zip

[edmonds]

Like the commenter in #9 (comment) I used a 30 cm panel mount extension cable, but with a USB-C connector on the outside and a straight, non-angled Micro USB connector on the inside. These can be found on AliExpress if you search for something like "Micro USB M to USB Type-C panel mount".

[oneleaftea]

I have had some pretty bad luck with the USB panel mount extension cord idea. Bought two and they were both defective (couldn't pass power when testing it as an extension cord with known working cords and devices). One worked for an hour and then stopped working. I do admit this would have been the cleanest looking solution.

I ended up going the simple route of using a single cable going through the Kinesis case hole. However, I found these rubber grommets on Amazon that work pretty well. Many sellers sell them with multiple sizes, but the one that worked is the 5/8 in size (which fits the shorter dimension of the D-size hole). I tried the 3/4 inch one (which matches the outer dimension of the D-size, thinking I could wedge the rubber in) but it was too tight of a fit. For the 5/8 inch, the slits are big enough to fit the micro-USB end through. With a couple zip ties inside, it feels pretty secure.

[danieldk]

I have had some pretty bad luck with the USB panel mount extension cord idea. Bought two and they were both defective (couldn't pass power when testing it as an extension cord with known working cords and devices). One worked for an hour and then stopped working. I do admit this would have been the cleanest looking solution

Interesting, maybe you could provide brand names of the mounts that didn't work? I have by now used the Duttek Micro-B mounts and the Duttek Type-C mounts (for KinT Black Pill) on several Advantages and never had an issue.

[oneleaftea]

I have had some pretty bad luck with the USB panel mount extension cord idea. Bought two and they were both defective (couldn't pass power when testing it as an extension cord with known working cords and devices). One worked for an hour and then stopped working. I do admit this would have been the cleanest looking solution

Interesting, maybe you could provide brand names of the mounts that didn't work? I have by now used the Duttek Micro-B mounts and the Duttek Type-C mounts (for KinT Black Pill) on several Advantages and never had an issue.

Ah, I see the Duttek on Amazon. I should have tried that one. The one I recently tried was a USB-C version (I bought it for a RP2040 version of the Kint that I am going to try later this month), but it failed after an hour. The brand was GELRHONR, and it looked exactly like the Duttek. I also had a Micro-USB extension I used for a different project (different form factor) that was DOA. Probably just bad luck, but it made me explore direct cabling solutions, and I'm pretty happy with the gasket with slits I found.