Down the mechanical keyboard rabbit hole

• keymap

  1 0 3.1

I think for me 90% of the joy of a mechanical keyboard is customization.

- You get to chose the keycaps

- You get to chose the switch type

- With QMK/VIA you get to completely change the way your keyboard works (If I had this on a Apple Magic Keyboard I might have been happy with it)

I don't want some crappy software that achieves this, none ever work as good as a firmware solution. I plug my keyboard into any PC and only send the commands I want.

You can configure a mechanical keyboard to be even less silent than the Apple Magic Keyboard. I have some colleagues who really hammer down on those Magic Keyboards and they can get loud.

Also it sits good with me that I can have my keyboard layout in version control[1].

[1] https://github.com/gempir/keymap

• ErgoDash

  17 599 0.0

  keyboard

I started with an ErgoDash [1], purchased because my Microsoft/Logitech split keyboards had worn out, and at the time I couldn't find a replacement with normal (not low profile) keys. It has a few additional keys compared to the Iris. I have one at work and another at home, and to make them more similar to the broken keyboards I 3D printed angled bases. I use it for 99% of my typing.

I should probably have tried a Kinesis Advantage 2 first.

I'm partway through printing/assembling a Lagrange keyboard [2] (I'm currently stuck working out how to order the circuit boards), which is similar to the Dactyl. I will add the F1-F12 keys to my print, as they're the only thing I miss -- if a shortcut in my IDE is Ctrl+Shift+F10, it's nice for it to be that, not Ctrl+Shift+Fn+0.

I made [3] to help others see what's available.

[1] https://github.com/omkbd/ErgoDash/

[2] https://github.com/dpapavas/lagrange-keyboard

[3] https://aposymbiont.github.io/split-keyboards/

• InfluxDB

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• lagrange-keyboard

  23 124 0.0 Clojure

  A configurable, handwired, ergonomic keyboard

I started with an ErgoDash [1], purchased because my Microsoft/Logitech split keyboards had worn out, and at the time I couldn't find a replacement with normal (not low profile) keys. It has a few additional keys compared to the Iris. I have one at work and another at home, and to make them more similar to the broken keyboards I 3D printed angled bases. I use it for 99% of my typing.

I should probably have tried a Kinesis Advantage 2 first.

I'm partway through printing/assembling a Lagrange keyboard [2] (I'm currently stuck working out how to order the circuit boards), which is similar to the Dactyl. I will add the F1-F12 keys to my print, as they're the only thing I miss -- if a shortcut in my IDE is Ctrl+Shift+F10, it's nice for it to be that, not Ctrl+Shift+Fn+0.

I made [3] to help others see what's available.

[1] https://github.com/omkbd/ErgoDash/

[2] https://github.com/dpapavas/lagrange-keyboard

[3] https://aposymbiont.github.io/split-keyboards/

• void_switch

  26 669 0.0 OpenSCAD

  3D printable magnetic separation contactless key switch and stabilizers (OpenSCAD files)

This is a big reason why I invented my own 3D printable key switches and keyboards that use magnets instead of springs! Check it out: https://github.com/riskable/void_switch

In space, a spring could fly off who-knows-where and you can't change how strong it is--you need to use a different spring if you want that! With magnets, you can change how strongly they pull apart just by changing how far apart the magnets are at rest (aka "the void").

It's best not to rely on injection-moulded parts in space because it would be cost prohibitive to keep all those moulds on-hand on every ship/station. This is why 3D printable switches are ideal for use in space. 3D printers work great in zero G!

Then there's the fact that traditional switches don't really last very long... Their mechanical contact plates wear out and can even create small sparks which is a major problem in space! With magnets and hall effect sensors the entire keyboard can be contactless and basically air, water, and dust tight. The keyboard I'm typing on right now has all these features and more and the entire top plate can be taken off (e.g. for cleaning or using different switches/layouts):

https://gfycat.com/costlyglaringhyracotherium

• kmonad

  199 3,544 7.4 Haskell

  An advanced keyboard manager

  

• custom-topre-guide

  8 390 0.0

  Guidelines for designing a custom Topre keyboard

Came across this while combing through my comments and thought I'd already answered, so pardon the delay.

People have certainly tried [1][2], but the big issue in the design is that the switches don't operate as a standard on/off (trivial to detect), but are instead capacitive, in that the current passing through the electrocapacitive pad on the PCB is somewhere between 1 and 0 (exclusive bounds, iirc, and simplified) at all times, dependent on how far the 'switch' above it is being pressed. This old repo seems to explain it well: https://github.com/tomsmalley/custom-topre-guide

Price and marketability are also issues. Split keebs are niche, ortho keebs are niche, EC keebs are niche, and you're talking about fusing those three together. People would 100% buy in, but it would probably be a microscopic market, to the point where the project would be financially lossy, even if you were selling them for $400 apiece.

The closest you/one might get for now is by buying two of these[3], unless you're dedicated enough to DIY.

[1]: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=97975.0

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