dactyl-keyboard VS dactyl-keyboard

that's not entirely accurate. It is a derivation of the dactyl-manuform. I used the generator from this project to produce the case. https://github.com/ibnuda/dactyl-keyboard The earliest biuld of the dactyl-manuform that I can find is: https://github.com/abstracthat/dactyl-manuform

https://github.com/ibnuda/dactyl-keyboard/tree/hotswap/things This is where I pulled the stl from however it doesn't come with a base plate stl so I had to make that myself

What generator did you use? I’ve never been able to get this one to load: http://dactyl.siskam.link/

there used to be a generator at https://dactyl.siskam.link/ but is not loading now. (easily generated files from your input in a form) you could also have them built to order from https://ohkeycaps.com/products/built-to-order-dactyl-manuform-keyboard

There are external holders for pro micros and elite C under https://github.com/ibnuda/dactyl-keyboard/tree/refaktor/resources/public

Try this: https://dactyl.siskam.link

I'm happy to print the case for one for you for the cost of the filament, if you want (20EUR or so). Shipping to outside of europe might make local printers cheaper. There's a generator for custom shapes at https://dactyl.siskam.link

You can generate a custom one with https://dactyl.siskam.link/ (demo of how to use here: https://youtu.be/9nwXUfi49oU)

For a curved keyboard without a 3D printer and without a laser cutter... well, I've imagined something like origami, but never accomplished it.

My Dactyl Manuform is at https://github.com/jaredjennings/dactyl-keyboard/tree/tshort-plus-jared, including a shell that goes over top for protection in transit.

A common complaint with both the Ergodox and the original Dactyl is that it's only really easy to reach the innermost thumb key. On my tshort Dactyl Manuform I can only easily reach the innermost two thumb keys. There are many thumb layout variations, one of which you have pictured, as well as wider Dactyl variations.

For flat keyboards: I haven't seen anyone mention https://jhelvy.shinyapps.io/splitkbcompare/ yet, so I will. With a flat keyboard you can print out the layout on a sheet of paper to initially check it out. For curved keyboards I am not aware of a similar way to cheaply try them out.

If yours is the original tshort version, like mine, grab an STL! If you have modifications (e.g. different thumb cluster, changes to parameters, different ProMicro mounting, TRRS plugs), you'll need to muck about in the source to get it to generate a case for yours.

(I still want to be able to make paper models someday, though.)

In my design (don't print it just now, I experimented with the key placement and it is wrong and will hurt you), I added web-logs, which are like web-posts, but lying down parallel to the plane of the key, and used them to round off the sharp corners. Belatedly I realize I should have called them web-beams instead. Oh well.

you can go from the other end of the problem, (1) git clone https://github.com/jaredjennings/dactyl-keyboard jdactyl; (2) cd jdactyl; (3) git checkout tshort-plus-jared; (4) lein repl; (5) (load-file "src/dactyl_keyboard/dactyl.clj"). but this will get you a tshort dactyl manuform.

I made one, but I've never gone to the effort to post a picture of it. It's a shell that goes over each half. https://github.com/jaredjennings/dactyl-keyboard/commit/cd43dfd01e5847cc262664da073d67bb9cae5617.

That's why I mostly want to give people the benefit of the doubt about whether they should share their designs. Partly to try to avoid undercutting entrepreneurs, I've held off trying to develop PCBs for my Dactyl fork, since before this controversy came to light.