Andromeda Build Guide

• Part 1 - Begin here
• Part 2 - Pre-build preparations
• Part 3 - Preparing the case
• Part 4 - Assembling the internals
• Part 5 - Putting it all together
• Part 6 - Keymap editing and final notes

Part 1 - Begin here

Thank you for your purchase!

We’ve done our best to put in everything we know into this board.
To get the best out of it, it is important to assemble it correctly.
This build guide outlines the exact steps to take to get it built.

Warning: Damage, imperfections, etc. due to disregarding the build guide instructions cannot be accounted for. We won’t be able to refund or replace parts if you decide to build it by gut instinct and mess up somewhere.

 

What’s in the box 

• The Andromeda case, plate, and PCB,
• Sets of long gaskets, short gaskets, and small rectangular gaskets,
• The foam layers, one for above the PCB and two for below the PCB,
• An extra foam piece for the spacebar area,
• A wafer of stabilizer shims,
• A large Torx key and a small Torx key (T10 and T6 respectively),
• Some rubber feet,
• The USB daughterboard and cable,
• The carrying case (if that's considered within the box), 
• The piece of paper warning everyone to read the build guide.

If anything is missing, please let us know immediately and we'll supply it as soon as possible.

 

Parts and tools necessary for building

• Enough switches to cover your preferred layout, likely lubed and tuned,
• Stabilizers for all the larger keys of your preferred layout,
• Keycaps of your choice,
• A USB-C cable which follows USB spec,
• Soldering equipment.

 

Tools that aren’t required but are useful

• A pair of tweezers,
• Some sort of desoldering equipment in case mistakes happen.

 

Before we begin

Just a few quick notices regarding some important tidbits.

• Refrain from wiping down the board with strong chemicals such as 90+% isopropyl alcohol, especially for the weight. This will ruin the matte coat and leave you with a semi-glossy tacky mess.
  The weight can handle a lighter alcohol mix for cleaning off the surface out of the box; however, please don't do this at too high of a frequency or with too strong of a chemical for the risk of coating damage.
  
  
• The daughterboard has extensive ESD protection circuitry onboard; however, they are not fail-safes (e.g. it isn't ideal to set a house on fire even if it has a powerful sprinkler system). Take care to discharge any excess static buildup before use, especially during building or disassembling when the PCB circuitry is exposed and unprotected. An ESD discharging keychain is highly recommended for removing static buildup before use.
  
  
• Do not overtighten the screws. Simply stop when the screws want to stop; overtightening risks destroying the board as well as ruining acoustics with issues such as excessive pinging and resonance.
  
  
• In addition, we recommend avoiding the use of third party screwdrivers, for they risk being oversized for the task and scratching up the case parts. If using your own drivers, triple-check that the bit-size is correct and that it can be used safely near the walls of the case.
  
  
• Read through the build guide once before actually carrying through with it, so you have a good idea of what’s upcoming at the next step. You can navigate the book using the panel on the left (large screens), in the info tab (mobile), or with the links at the very bottom of the page.
  
  
• Even the outer box and foam that protects the carrying case is very useful for storing the board. If disposing of it, please recycle them according to your local regulations for the sake of the planet.

 

Part 2 - Pre-build preparations

Before assembling the board, there are a few things to check.

1. Check for any major external flaws that would disqualify the board as an A-stock unit (if you have purchased a regular unit rather than B-stock).
   
   If you have any major flaws on the case that require a replacement, do not continue further and contact the vendor you purchased from immediately. We can't handle RMA units if the board has been built, so keep everything unused.
   
   
2. If not already done, double-check that all the contents of the package listed in part 1 are actually included in the box. It's a nightmare if you get partway through the build and realize a part is missing.
   
   
3. Verify that the PCB functions.
   
   1. First, unbox the PCB, USB daugherboard, and connection cable.
   2. Gently connect the cable into the main PCB (connector is at the "crossroads" between the function keys, alphanumerics, and TKL clusters.)
      To avoid destroying the connector, verify the orientation of the connector on the PCB and cable, align them together, and gently latch them together while holding the connector on the PCB side. Forcefully shoving the cable in risks shearing the connector off the main PCB.
      

      

   3. Connect the other end of the cable into the connector on the USB daughterboard, again verifying orientation and taking care not to damage the parts.
   4. Plug in a USB cable into the USB daughterboard, and connect it to a computer. The PCB should appear in device manager or similar.

These steps are important because replacements for the parts or board are difficult after the board has exited unbuilt condition; if you spot any issues, please contact us for a replacement before building the board. 

Part 3 - Preparing the case

 

1. Remove the components from the box if not already done.
   
   
2. Of the two supplied hex keys, use the smaller one to unscrew the case screws.
   

   

3. Remove the top case half, and flip it upside down.
   

   

4. Unscrew and remove the temporary plate screws.
   

   
   
   

5. Remove the plate from the case top half.

   
   
   

6. At this point, the case should be disassembled enough for switch installation.
   Prepare the plate and adhesive gaskets.
   

   
   
   

7. Carefully place 6 of the long gaskets onto the plate, one per tab.
   Note: For those who are planning on using aftermarket custom plates, install these gaskets on the case area where the plate tabs overlap; this applies to all gasket steps. For specific warnings and instructions, see here.
   

   

   
   
   

8. Repeat on the underside; there should be 12 gaskets installed at the end of this step.

   
   
   

9. Now prepare the sheet of shorter gaskets.
   Carefully place 5 of these on the marked tabs.
   

   
   
   

10. Repeat the process on the underside; there should be 22 total gaskets installed at the end of this step.

    
    
    

11. Set the completed plate aside.
    Prepare the case top half and the small rectangular gaskets.
    

    
    
    

12. Place a rectangular gasket horizontally between the marked indents on the side as shown.
    Repeat on both sides.
    

    

    
    
    

13. Install four more of these rectangular gaskets in the corner wells as shown, one per corner.
    

    

    

    By the end of this step, the top case half is complete and ready for assembly.
    Set the top half aside.
    
    
    
14. Prepare the bottom case half.
    Install the provided rubber feet into the indents.
    

    

Part 4 - Assembling the internals

1. Prepare and tune the stabilizers needed for your preferred layout, if not done already.
   Prepare and lube the switches as well.
   
   
2. Mount the stabilizers onto the PCB using the provided shims to fill the gap on the thin PCB.
   The side with the copper artwork (logo) should face away from the PCB.
   
   An example of shim use is shown below; the shim goes on the bottomside of the PCB, with the hook of the stabilizer hooking both the shim and the PCB.
   Note: The pictured shim is an earlier revision; however, its usage remains the same.
   
   
   
   
   
3. If you plan to use the foam midlayer, install it above the PCB at this stage.
   Our personal recommendation is to install it if you prefer a calmer/more muted sound. For the opposite, it is recommended to leave it out.
   If using the midlayer, there is also an optional adhesive below-spacebar foam used to fill the gap below the spacebar. When installing this, align the foam to the case screw cutout and switch cutouts.
   

   

4. Install the corner switches onto the plate for alignment, then install the plate onto the PCB.
   

   

5. Flip this assembly upside-down, and lower it into the case top half. 
   Secure the plate against the top using the temporary plate retention screws.
   

   

6. Flip the assembly right-side up.
   Install the rest of the switches carefully in the following process:
   
   1. Double-check that the solder leads of the switches are straight; if they are not, bend them back into position.
   2. Fit the switch into the plate, and verify that the switch legs have successfully gone through the solder pads on the PCB.
   3. Double-check that the switch has fully clipped into the plate, and is making maximum contact with the PCB rather than floating.
      

      
      
      

7. Once all the switches are fitted and confirmed both clipped in and making firm contact against the PCB, solder each switch leg into place.
   Note: Having the PCB not fully secured against the switches can have detrimental effects for acoustics and typing feel.
   
   
8. Once the soldering is complete, remove the temporary plate retention screws.
   

   

   
   At the end of the steps, you should have a completed assembly of the top case half, switches, stabilizers, plate, and PCB joined together.
   

   
   
   

9. In the same manner as done with the out-of-box testing, temporarily connect the daughterboard and its cable into the main PCB and plug it into a computer.
   Use a key tester tool to verify that both the PCB functions properly and each key is successfully soldered. 

The structure is now ready for final installation. Disconnect the daughterboard cable on the main PCB side.

 

 

Part 5 - Putting it all together

1. Connect the daughterboard cable into the USB daughterboard if not already connected together.
   Insert the daughterboard-cable assembly into the area shown, and screw it into place using the four short daughterboard screws.
   Note: Due to limitations of the 3D model, the cable will not be displayed in the step diagrams.
   

   

   
   
   

2. Prepare the prepared top-plate-PCB-switch assembly from the end of the previous page.
   Double-check that the temporary plate retention screws have been removed.
   Place the two case halves rear-to-rear.
   

   

   
   
   
3. If you are planning on using the below-PCB foam layer, install it at this stage into the bottom case half.
   We recommend using it if you prefer a maximally muted/damped sound at the tradeoff of firmer typing feel; for a more expansive sound and/or softer typing feel, we recommend leaving it out.
   
   
4. Connect the daughterboard cable into the main PCB.
   You may have to reposition the halves for the cable to reach safely; be careful not to dent the two case halves together to avoid damage.
   

   

5. Flip the upper half right-side-up and close it onto the bottom case half.
   Take care to avoid straining the daughterboard cable as well as to avoid denting the two case halves together.
   

   

6. Install the case screws.
   

   

7. Install the keycaps of your choice, connect to a computer, and verify that it works.
   
   

Congratulations! You have fully assembled the Andromeda.
Now you are ready for the keymap editing and final steps.

Part 6 - Keymap editing and final notes

Keymap editing on the Andromeda is possible in just a few clicks.

• If you have a recent version of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or any browser that supports WebUSB/WebHID, Remap can be used to edit the keymap directly from your browser.
• If you prefer to use a local tool, the standalone Via Configurator can be installed.

Some useful keycodes for layer switching:

• MO(x) momentarily switches to a layer, similar to how holding shift allows for entering capital letters while it is held.
• TO(x) switches to a specific layer permanently. This may be useful for completely varying layers.

 

Carrying case conversion

To convert the carrying case from packaging mode to functional mode, do the following:

1. Remove the PCB tray from the case.
   

2. Move the accessories bin lid from the PCB tray to the main compartment.
   

   

When using the carrying case, make sure that the keyboard is securely installed via the velcro straps and that any loose items that can potentially damage the keyboard are secured.
If storing for extended amounts of time, it may be best to wrap the keyboard in a colorless plastic bag or similar to avoid color transfer from the foam or similar onto the case.

 

Closing words

Once again, thank you for your purchase, and we hope that Andromeda serves as a reliable keyboard for years to come.

If you ever need support, please contact us at the following:

• For logistical issues such as damage/loss during transit, incorrect order contents, etc., contact the vendor you purchased from.
  
  
• For assembly help regarding building and similar, first check the FAQ and drop by ai03’s Discord server for live community support. I won’t always be there to respond, but usually someone will know the answer to the question.
  
  
• If it gets to the point where nobody knows the solution, either ping @ai03#2725 in the Discord server, or contact me via my contact form.