Prospector ZMK Dongle Photo Build Log & Firmware

Prospector is a desktop ZMK dongle with full color LCD screen designed by carrefinho. In this photo build log, I have included 2 different ways to build the Prospector.

The Prospector DIY kit is available in https://shop.beekeeb.com/products/zmk-wireless-dongle-prospector-diy-kit

ZMK Dongle - Prospector DIY Kitbeekeeb

The Handwired Way (Original)

The creator of Prospector has also created a beautiful and detail assembly manual in https://github.com/carrefinho/prospector/blob/main/docs/prospector_assembly_manual.jpg

The original way uses the cable provided in the Waveshare LCD Module.

Step 1: Use a micro nipper to remove the DuPont connectors.

Step 2: Solder the cables to the XIAO nRF52840 controller

Step 3: Insert the connector to the LCD screen

The Issues that I Ran Into

Directly soldering wires to a circuit board results in weak and unreliable connection. Although there is no pull stress, movement of wires can break the solder joints.

In my first build, I have been using the prospector ZMK dongle for a few days. Here is my first prospector build. One of the wires is slightly melt. One day, the dongle no longer works. One of the solder joints is broken inside the dongle. 😢

The Connector Board Way

After that, I put together a connector board using JST GH connectors. This small additional PCB should allow you to easily connect the 1.69-inch LCD display to the XIAO controller with appropriate connectors. Since I am not using the ambient sensor, I did not include the connection for the Adafruit APDS9960. Soldering the XIAO onto this PCB is generally simpler than soldering each wire individually. Below are some photos from the assembly process.

The Materials

All of them (excluding the screwdriver and tweezer) are included in the DIY kit. The connector board and a ribbon cable are added to the DIY kit.

Step 1: Soldering the controller to the connector board

Check if the orientation is correct before soldering.

Step 2: Prepare the top case

Assemble the screws to attach the 2 part of the case.

Step 3: Insert the connector of the ribbon cable to the LCD monitor

Step 4: Assemble the LCD monitor to the top case

Removing the protectors

The orientation

Tight the screws to secure the monitor to the case

Step 5: Insert the connector of the ribbon cable to the controller

Step 6 (The last step) - Assemble the bottom case

Insert the controller to the bottom case.

Because the cable is a long, we need to rotate the ribbon cable in order to store it inside the case.

Finally, insert the screws to secure the bottom case to the top case.

Done ☀️

Power the dongle by connecting it to the computer

The Prospector DIY kit can be found in https://shop.beekeeb.com/products/zmk-wireless-dongle-prospector-diy-kit . In case you don't have any soldering tools, the pre-soldered Prospector ZMK Dongle is also available in my store. Hope you like it 😄

ZMK Dongle - Prospector DIY Kitbeekeeb

Firmware

Please check the blog post below about How to add dongle and prospector support to ZMK keyboards

How to add dongle and prospector support to ZMK keyboardsbeekeeb.com