GetawayVan is a MiniVan-compatible PCB designed by community member Escabrera.
The board is in the late-IC/pre-group buy stage in the #getawayvan channel on the 40% Keyboards Discord server.
¶ Design
| Designer | Escabrera |
|---|---|
| Compatibility | MiniVan |
| Firmware | QMK source |
| VIAL source | |
| Layouts | KLE link |
| Switches | Soldered MX/Alps |
| LEDs | Per-key RGB |
| Addon RGB strip | |
| Connection | Integrated USB-C |
| Controller | STM32 |
Check the MiniVan Compatibility Matrix for case compatibility
GetawayVan is a drop-in replacement PCB for MiniVan cases. The board supports both MX and Alps style switches. All switches are oriented in the south-facing position with per-key addressable RGB LEDs. An ARM microcontroller is used to allow for more advanced RGB lighting effects. Three pins are broken out to through-hole pads on the right edge of the PCB for connecting additional accessories such as RGB LED strips. The board uses a USB-C connector to connect to the host. The port is located in the top-right to ensure compatibility with MiniVan cases.
The front of the PCB is covered in a beautiful piece of artwork featuring an orange Inkling girl from Splatoon loudly proclaiming "The real hobby is complaining", a reference to mechanical keyboard enthusiasts that seemingly always find something to criticize about any given project or product. The soldermask on the board was designed so exposed copper pour on the PCB comprises the hair of the Inkling. The name of the board is written vertically on the left side of the front of the PCB. The back of the board includes a tiled pattern of Splatoon Squids.
¶ Layout
GetawayVan supports a split-spacebar layout as well as two large spacebar layouts. The default split-spacebar layout uses 2.75u/2.25u bars (versus the 2.25u/2u bars on a standard MiniVan) with an additional 1.25u modifier and an arrow cluster on the right side with a small 0.25u gap between the spacebars+modifier and arrows. A 1.5u modifier can be swapped in for the 1.25u modifier to cover the gap. The 6.25u spacebar can be directly swapped in for the split spacebars and modifier, preserving the arrow cluster and gap. The 7u spacebar requires a different modifier arrangement to acccomidate the added length. Several WKL layouts not shown below can be made by mixing-and-matching different spacebar and modifier layouts.
¶ Revisions
¶ Rev 1.0
Version 1 PCBs have a small notch in the PCB under the USB C port. This notch recesses the connector a little over 1mm which can prevent a USB C cable from being fully inserted in some cases with tight USB cutouts.
¶ Rev 1.5
An updated "version 1.5" board was designed that removed the PCB notch under the USB port and restores full compatibility with MiniVan cases.
