Planck RGB sub PCB

WS2812B PCB for Planck

• 0.6mm thick PCB
• 144per meter WS2812B LED strip cut into individual pieces
• Holes in PCB for the posts in the OLKB Planck milled bottom
• 17 (MIT) or 18 (GRID) LEDs
• Works with Zealio, Translucent Gateron or Matias clear switches

I had previously used a piece of cardstock with the 12x4 grid printed on it. Stuck the self adhesive LEDs to the card and used wire to connect the LEDs back into a strip. This PCB just makes things neater and easier to repair when one of the LEDs die. You can print your own paper grid from this.

It fits in the current version milled bottom and the previous. It also fits in the formed metal bottom.

Unfortunately there is not enough depth in the milled bottom to assemble this with a stock plate. I have a custom 3mm acrylic plate that raises it 1.5mm higher than the stock steel plate. This is enough for the LEDs to fit underneath. The formed metal bottom has lots of space without modification.

The USB port makes it difficult to get the plate into the base. You have to angle the board and hook the USB port into the cutout. The posts/cutouts in the PCB catch on each other with the thicker plate. I had to grind down a little of the Planck PCB to make it fit.

Using a 1.5mm spacer with the stock plate works, but there is the problem that the screw posts now do not reach the bottom of the plate. If you screw them down too hard you will probably warp the plate. I tried using washers on top of the posts to fill the gap but they were impossible to keep in place.

You can't go thicker than 1.5mm. The USB connector hits the top of the cutout in the base.

Matias and Zealio switches work the best since they have clear plastic bodies. The translucent white Gaterons work ok, but not nearly as bright.