These days you can't escape Rust even in the non-programming articles.
Yes, it's great to see the adoption increase!
Building my first mechanical keyboard
31–40 of 114 posts
Re: Building my first mechanical keyboard
#32If anyone here also has a keyboard of this size, I would be interested to know how you access the tilde key. I’ve bound mine to Fn-Esc but it feels unsatisfactory as a solution.
I have a 65% where I map the escape key to tilde and caps lock to escape. It has been a comfortable setup alongside VS Code.
Re: Building my first mechanical keyboard
#33Great intro. One thing I don't understand about the mechanical keyboard community is how the vast majority (like well over 95%) are not split keyboards. You'd think keyboard enthusiasts that sweat the details would also be obsessed with ergonomics. But no, I suspect that they are more concerned with aesthetics, which are arguably worse with a split keyboard.
> I suspect that they are more concerned with aesthetics, which are arguably worse with a split keyboard.
Undoubtedly many must be - although I personally really like the ability to take my keyboard easily with me in a bag, like working on a smaller keyboard to reduce finger travel, like how my mouse can be close to my keyboard and I can work in a small space, and I'm lucky enough to not really experience strain, so a 60% keyboard is perfect for me.
Also, although this is aesthetic related, I don't really want to be the person with a keyboard that looks too crazy in the office. I don't need it to look awesome, but I also don't want it to look outwardly-weird (this also means no crazy flashing RGB!).
Took a bit of time to get used to a 60%, but now I have finished the learning curve it would be really difficult to go back (muscle memory is both a blessing and a curse!).
Re: Building my first mechanical keyboard
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
I bought a split keyboard last year and I honestly don’t think I could go back. My shoulder/chest pain went away. The layers let me almost never leave the home row and I miss it every time I use my laptop keyboard. > I suspect that they are more concerned with aesthetics, which are arguably worse with a split keyboard. Yeah, mine has lots of wires and I miss the minimalistic aesthetic of wireless mini keyboards.
Does it feel intuitive? I'm worried about learning a typing paradigm that isn't accessible everywhere (for eg can't hit both G and H with index if they're in diff sides)
[deleted]
Re: Building my first mechanical keyboard
#35Two notes from someone who has been using many keyboards for many years now:
* ABS vs PBT keycaps: I disagree with the author. PBT is not obviously better. I prefer ABS keycaps, because most PBT keycaps have an aggressive texture, which is unpleasant to my fingers. Mind you, it's something I notice after days/weeks of constant use, not after a minute or two.
* Switches: as I discovered, even the "same" type of switch might have a different feel to it. As an example, Kailh brown switches come in opaque and clear varieties and have a different feel. I really prefer the opaque ones.
Re: Building my first mechanical keyboard
#36If anyone here also has a keyboard of this size, I would be interested to know how you access the tilde key. I’ve bound mine to Fn-Esc but it feels unsatisfactory as a solution.
I dont have that kb, you could keep that top left key mapped to tilde and move escape somewhere else. I put escape on the caps lock as its used a lot for vim/emacsevil.
Caps lock is used a lot less so could be candidate for adding in to a layer.Re: Building my first mechanical keyboard
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's a trap for sure. I built two 45%s and one 120% in the past year or two. Already planning the next one...
Do you do your own designs? While I'm not exactly sure what a 120% is (macro keys?) I've been looking for something like a gaming model with macro buttons on the left and / or on top, but otherwise 75%. Ideally split but single piece. Think MS Sculpt with extra buttons on the left. Haven't found one. So I was contemplating building one, but I'd have no idea where to start. I've quickly browsed the reddit page, but in…
I would start with http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/ to generate a layout that you want. Then there are a few tools [0] to take that layout and generate a plate based off that layout. You can then either 3d print, or laser cut it yourself, or send it off a shop to do it for you.
I don't know PCB design, so I think handwiring is the best bet for a first build. QMK has a handwire [1] guide, and I also use them for the microcontroller software.
Though for the build I'm working on now, I wanted a few extra features that would be hard to do purely handwiring (per-key RGB LED and hotswap), so I use a PCB designed to hold a single key [2]. It allows me to do custom layouts without learning PCB design, but it is a lot more work than handwiring. You would still have to build the matrix yourself like a handwire.
[1] https://docs.qmk.fm/#/hand_wire?id=hand-wiring-guide
[2] https://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=11420&start=
Re: Building my first mechanical keyboard
#38Great intro. One thing I don't understand about the mechanical keyboard community is how the vast majority (like well over 95%) are not split keyboards. You'd think keyboard enthusiasts that sweat the details would also be obsessed with ergonomics. But no, I suspect that they are more concerned with aesthetics, which are arguably worse with a split keyboard.
Many definitely are obsessed only with aesthetics, and it's especially sickening when you look at the subgroup of rare-overpriced keyboards. But split is not the single most important ergonomics aspect IMO. A planck-like ortholinear keeb is more ergonomic than those "alice" splits that have staggered-row-layout, for me at least.
There is nothing sickening about people liking aesthetic keyboards.
Re: Building my first mechanical keyboard
#39Great intro. One thing I don't understand about the mechanical keyboard community is how the vast majority (like well over 95%) are not split keyboards. You'd think keyboard enthusiasts that sweat the details would also be obsessed with ergonomics. But no, I suspect that they are more concerned with aesthetics, which are arguably worse with a split keyboard.
>they are more concerned with aesthetics, Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner! Mechanical keyboard communities are 110% all about aesthetics. For most it is far more important how the keyboard looks than anything else, the comes how it feels and sounds and somewhere very far comes actual functionality and even further ergonomics. Obviously there is nothing wrong with this, but it makes sourcing split mechanical keyboa…
Here's my objection to putting it this way, especially the hyperbolic 110% thing.
With one exception, every split key you can buy or make right now is a product of the mechanical keyboard community's enthusiasm. I'm referring to the Kinesis Advantage of course, which is a wonderful device but not my choice.
So yeah, there's a whole subsection in the hobby which makes like 30 key hello-kitty-themed clickbait (look maybe someone actually uses the really minimalist layouts but I roll to doubt), and I don't begrudge them at all, because it's the same hobby that develops things like the Dactyl Manuform, which is going to be my next keyboard some time after I get my filament printer set up in my new home.
In other words, if you think sourcing split mechanical keyboards is hard now, you should have tried to do it before the mechanical keyboard hobby invented them.
Re: Building my first mechanical keyboard
#40Careful, like all good hobbies it's incredibly addictive. I'm building my 8th keyboard this calendar year alone.
Why are people using "building" while all they do is merely assembling?