Mastodawn

I've been designing my own keyboard for the first time

https://sh.itjust.works/post/5960557

I've been designing my own keyboard for the first time - sh.itjust.works

[https://sh.itjust.works/pictrs/image/077798ee-8f76-403c-993e-e87ee1f674d8.webp] I’ve bought the idea of getting an ergo keyboard for work, but it’s too expensive to buy one from where I live, so the last days I’ve been learning and designing my own. I know it won’t be as good as a manufactured one but I really want to see how the result will be

bloopernova Sep 26, 2023

First thought was that it looks similar to a Keyboardio model 100: shop.keyboard.io/products/model-100

The Model 100

gusVLZ Sep 27, 2023

It was an inspiration, the model 100 and also the moonlander

HamBrick Sep 27, 2023

I’m of the opinion that if it’s cheaper with the same or more functionality than a consumer grade option, it’s superior. Bravo

gusVLZ Sep 27, 2023

Great line of thought

pca006132 Sep 27, 2023

I think you should probably use a CAD instead of graphics software to design…

humanplayer2 Sep 27, 2023

Depends on what they want. Inkscape is perfectly fine for plate design, which you can then lift using standoffs, like the Steel Tormentor.

Golem keyboard project

Resources for keyboard builders: guides, tutorials, PCB source files. Home of the Keyboard Builders' Digest.

golem.hu

gusVLZ Sep 27, 2023

I probably should but I’d have to learn it first and I’m going to use laser cut acrylic so any 2d design should be fine for now, maybe in the future I’ll 3d print a case, if so I’ll try to use fusion 360 to do it

humanplayer2 Sep 27, 2023

Nice! If you haven’t bumped into it, then the build log of the Steel Tormentor and it’s cardboard prototype have been really illuminating for me.

Golem keyboard project

Resources for keyboard builders: guides, tutorials, PCB source files. Home of the Keyboard Builders' Digest.

golem.hu

gusVLZ Sep 27, 2023

Wow, great content, it will definitely be helpful once I start building the keyboard, my father in law works with laser cutting and acrylic so I’m planning on using it for the case/board

About the inkscape tip, I’m doing this, helped a lot because I could fine tune the angles and offsets pretty quickly

humanplayer2 Sep 28, 2023

I just did an MDF and acrylic build. I’m still to write something up about it, though. In short, I used a 1,5 mm acrylic bottom cover, on to of that 2x 3mm MDF as “case”, the top one mimicking the plate, but with larger wholes (acting as support), 1,5mm acrylic plate, and finally another MDF layer on top of the plate, outlining the keys, for aesthetics and rigidity.

gusVLZ Sep 28, 2023

It’s sexy and looks comfortable, do you enjoy the MDF board?

humanplayer2 Sep 28, 2023

Thanks :)

Yes, I do! I enjoyed a cardboard prototype before, and only just finished this. I really like it. The fit is great, and I like the sound. I gave it some small feet in the back (some 3mm foam tape) to lift it a bit from the table/deskmat, to get some more sound out - there’s zero space between the switches and bottom plate… And I like the sound.

Switching to the prototype, I switched to Colemak, too. I’m still learning that. So I’m by no means a fast typist on it yet. But I already know better where the keys are on Colemak than I did on QWERTY, and I think the symmetric, column-staggered layout helped a lot with that.

gusVLZ Sep 29, 2023

I did a prototype using cardboard today to test how typing would feel, I loved the column staggered layout, feels way better than the default, I might give a try one day to colemak, but I’ll try not to change radically now, once I get used to the split keyboard I’ll try other things too

humanplayer2 Sep 29, 2023

Yes, column stagger is amazing! Congrats on the prototype! I ended up using mine a bit over a month before getting a nicer, revised version cut. I learned from that. Removed some keys, moved some a bit.

I’ve read elsewhere that switching to a new layout is easier at the same time as changing to ergo, instead of later. I’ve had some time off, that’s why I did it now. If I had been busy, I’d rather have started using my new board and the old layout.

excitingburp Oct 3, 2023

CAD (cardboard aided design) is really powerful. You get to fail fast: figuring out things don’t work before more expensive manufacturing steps (such as laser cutting).

Polyester6435 Sep 30, 2023

Shift not on thumbs with that many thumb keys?

gusVLZ Oct 1, 2023

There’s two shifts, one of them in the thumbs