dometyl-keyboard VS MxLEDBitPCB

This is a 34 key choc dactyl https://github.com/geoffder/dometyl-keyboard/tree/main/things/dartyl_choc

If you are fishing for something weirder, but still Topre, the Dometyl is a Dactyl offshoot that uses rubreh domehs and sliders. I have not tried it myself.

You could use domes. https://github.com/geoffder/dometyl-keyboard/ offers some technical advice and links to some products. Complex, and also expensive.

You're totally not crazy... or at least not alone in this! You may want to have a look at https://github.com/geoffder/dometyl-keyboard/

Try "skeletal" designs such as those from bastardkb.com or one generated from dometyl.

Firstly, please consider a Skeletyl instead of a conventional Dactyl. Skeletyl has a lot less material and so is a lot faster to print. If you need more than 5x3+3 keys, you can customize your own Skeletyl style case as well: https://github.com/geoffder/dometyl-keyboard

I made this guy https://github.com/geoffder/dometyl-keyboard/tree/main/things/dartyl_choc

I've tried the MXLEDBitPCB personally for a dactyl and it worked great. (I used the "Container" variant). My dactyl case holes were a tiny bit too big, but once i got the hotswap sockets in, it held the keys well enough to stop the wiggle. My only complaint is that the 5x5 PCB layout made it a pain to break them apart, and it left little fiberglass nubs i had to sand down. The labeling was a bit easier to understand than the Amoebas, but it also not as fancy. The big advantage these have, is they support through-hole diodes, as opposed to tiny smd diodes.

dometyl can generate keywells with hotswap socket slots, you can hot-glue/crazy-glue them in place or just yolo them in place. I prefer to use 1u pcb's, since soldering wire to them is much easier. The MxLEDBitPCB atlanta support hotswap sockets and you can have many manufactured very cheaply by jlcpcb.com.

These PCBs: https://github.com/swanmatch/MxLEDBitPCB/tree/master/container

MxLEDBitPCBs have a Choc variant, too: https://kbd.news/MXLEDBitPCB-1060.html

Also worth noting that Amoeba Royale has very small LED solder pads compared to mxledbit's "container" ( https://github.com/swanmatch/MxLEDBitPCB/tree/master/container ) board.

. The trouble? I got the Altana board made which only supports sk6812 mini LEDs (for an underglow I suppose) and do NOT support the sk6812 mini *-e* LEDs which tend to be the first result that come up if you just search sk6812 mini. See this wonderful github thread of another fellow keyboard enthusiast making the same mistake. In fairness the support rubric is pretty clear so I was just being stupid/hasty/whatever.

I much preferred the idea of SK6812MINI-E LEDs, but couldn't source a PCB that worked with chocs and also the MINI-Es. I decided to try handwiring one, then found the MxLEDBitPCB: the choc version supports MINI-Es, and it looked as if it might make handwiring a little more straightforward for a relative newbie.

It's per-switch using PCBs from this repo: https://github.com/swanmatch/MxLEDBitPCB

Hey all! I'm trying to put together a handwired dactyl build with hotswap and RGBs in each switch using the MxLEDBitPCB Amoeba.

MxLEDBitPCB altana from jlcpcb $6 with shipping - you may want to choose the container version if you want backlighting but the wiring if more involved so I did not go this route