Description

You provide:

• An MX-compatible KLE layout or completed 2D CAD drawing of a switchplate with no stabilizers. This generally means all keys are 1.75u or less, but you do you.  2.25u and 2.75u can be “keyswitch-stabilized” by mounting two lighter switches where the stab posts would go and they match the spacing of a pair of 1.25u keycaps, though not the default .25u alignment options for KLE or other design tools.  With this limitation in mind, one could make a standard 60% as long as it had a split space.
• A request for switches, or even sending them to me at your expense.
• Answers to my questions.
• The cost of switches, plus $1.50/key, with a minimum of $75 (not including switch cost).  Let’s talk before you order, though. Reach me at [email protected], or wjrii on most keeb-related social media.

You get:

• A USB-C keyboard made from a stack of laser-cut Masonite hardboard (top layer can be painted) and 3D-printed spacer and sidewall “case” that has the modest goal to look better than standoffs, but the idea here is to get your creation into the world. Masonite is strong in compression and takes paint so well it’s occasionally used by artists.  It is weak in torsion, hence the stack, and its edges can get dinged up, so the case will both conceal and protect the laser-cut edges.
• Handwired monoblock matrix (we can discuss a split, but I’ve never done a proper one, so let’s assume a single piece).
• Open source firmware running on an RP2040 based MCU dev board.  ZMK most likely, but we can discuss.
• CAD files and firmware.
• A keycap removal fork to brace the switch when you remove keycaps, so I don’t have to hot glue every switch. The plate holds with friction fit and works very well for daily use, but you must be careful when removing caps.

You don’t get:

• Keycaps. Plan ahead.
• Any guarantee the thing will work long term without maintenance.  I will test it before shipping, but you need to feel comfortable with touching up a joint that may get knocked loose over time if you use it for more than testing your concept. The curse of handwired electronics is durability; the benefit is repairability.

Important notes:

• This is pretty cheap for something fully custom, but obviously kinda pricey for non-premium materials and a DIY aesthetic.  Quite simply, you don’t want to use this for any commercially available layout, but if you just HAVE to get that weird thing you dreamed up onto your desk…
• Design is intended to be simple and flexible for whatever zany idea you come up with.  Expect visible hardware, simple feet, a “forehead” bezel to accommodate the MCU with wiring, and potentially a USB port that needs to be at 90 degrees, but there is some inherent flexibility to all these.
• If I can print the entire sidewall case on my printer, (Sovol SV08) then I will certainly consider it, but be prepared for multipart with visible seams.
• Width will top out at about 380mm, which is roughly TKL sized, though a compact 1800 style can be made to fit.  It’s a tooling limitation. Sorry.
• No wireless. No exceptions.