this post was submitted on 21 Jun 2023
55 points (98.2% liked)

ErgoMechKeyboards

5836 readers
2 users here now

Ergonomic, split and other weird keyboards

Rules

Keep it ergo

Posts must be of/about keyboards that have a clear delineation between the left and right halves of the keyboard, column stagger, or both. This includes one-handed (one half doesn't exist, what clearer delineation is that!?)

i.e. no regular non-split¹ row-stagger and no non-split¹ ortholinear²

¹ split meaning a separation of the halves, whether fixed in place or entirely separate, both are fine.
² ortholinear meaning keys layed out in a grid

No Spam

No excessive posting/"shilling" for commercial purposes. Vendors are permitted to promote their products/services but keep it to a minimum and use the [vendor] flair. Posts that appear to be marketing without being transparent about it will be removed.

No Buy/Sell/Trade

This subreddit is not a marketplace, please post on r/mechmarket or other relevant marketplace.

Some useful links

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

I wanted to build a split Ergo from scratch, with a slightly more aggressive stagger than the Lily58 style board I had previously built. I also wanted to have a stabilized 2U spacebar and some RGB. The part that was most time-consuming was definitely designing the case in CAD and getting the switches and stabilizers to fit properly. Fortunately, it's all pretty well documented so there wasn't too much trial and error involved. Overall, it turned out pretty well!

top 20 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

The internals

[–] sarchar 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is really, really cool. I would love to do this one day. How does it feel to type on? Any reason you didn't make a PCB? They're really cheap these days

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

It feels pretty good and the sound is actually okay too. Maybe next time I'll try it with a PCB. One advantage of hand wiring is that the RGB also shows through the top. That wasn't really intentional, but it looks nice. A PCB would have blocked the light and I would need to add per key LEDs for the same effect.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Great job! Reminds me of the Apple M0110.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's so beautiful, I want them! haha

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thanks! I can give you the files so you can print it yourself 😉

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Do you have a link you can share? I'd love to build an ergo one of these days, and your design is simply beautiful 😍

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Very nice design, I like it very much. The connection cable is self-made?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Thanks. Yep, cable is DIY

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

This is VERY nice.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

This is absolutely gorgeous!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Isn't it great to make your own design that has the features you want in it. I found myself wanting a lot more aggressive stagger from what is common (my 'Q' is a full key-length down from where 'E' is. I mostly came up with by just looking at my fingers.

To mirror another commenter, perhaps consider doing a PCB next time. I did it after my first build, and am very happy with the result.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What processor did you use?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I am using Elite Pi microcontrollers (RP2040)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Nice! I've been doing a lot of learning of the ESP32 world for IoT stuff. It has built-in Bluetooth! Looks like that one is pretty similar!

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This has such a nice finish, you really went above and beyond to get it looking good.

I don’t know much about 3D printing, how did you get the outer surfaces looking so clean?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Either he used ironing or an resin printer. I don't know if you can get such a smooth surface with just ironing.

He could also sanded it

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

That is super slick