BDN9 Build Guide newbie pain points #45
Description
Hi folks,
I picked up a BDN9 kit for my first mech build, thinking it would be a great way to learn about building keyboards. As a newbie, I ran into some confusion with the build guide that could probably be easily avoided.
- Flashing the Pro Micro
Suggestion: Explain that after you reset the Pro Micro you only have 8 seconds to begin flashing it.
This information is buried in one of the linked guides (the Let's Split one) but it took me an hour of confusion and failed flashes to find it. I was worried about starting the flash too soon so I was always waiting too long to begin.
- Soldering the Pro Micro header pins
Suggestion: remove this sentence from the guide: "You can go with not soldering the header pins in, but it is recommended to do so anyway for a more secure fit."
Seeing this sentence I thought, "I'll leave this not soldered just in case the usb connector breaks or something." Once I finally finished the kit and tried to test it, half the keys didn't work and the LEDs twitched on and off. The confusion caused by my trouble flashing the Pro Micro caused me to think I had a bad Pro Micro. It took me a few hours of debugging to understand that it was just bad connections and this "recommendation" was really a requirement.
- LED Underglow strips
Suggestion: Include a photo of an LED strip mounted on the PCB as an example for those who choose to build that way instead of individual RGB LEDs.
The linked resources discuss other boards but don't help the user understand how to install in the BDN9.
Thanks for the great kit!