Building my first mechanical keyboard
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Building my first mechanical keyboard
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Re: Building my first mechanical keyboard
#2Careful, like all good hobbies it's incredibly addictive. I'm building my 8th keyboard this calendar year alone.
Re: Building my first mechanical keyboard
#3Careful, like all good hobbies it's incredibly addictive. I'm building my 8th keyboard this calendar year alone.
I don't build em but I have 6 mech keyboard so far. Just been trying different switches over time per model.
65% gang
Re: Building my first mechanical keyboard
#4Careful, like all good hobbies it's incredibly addictive. I'm building my 8th keyboard this calendar year alone.
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...
Re: Building my first mechanical keyboard
#5Careful, like all good hobbies it's incredibly addictive. I'm building my 8th keyboard this calendar year alone.
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 those parts they seem much more interested in very compact models.
Re: Building my first mechanical keyboard
#6One rabbit-hole within the mechanical keyboard hobby is more niche layouts. e.g. you can get keyboards where the keys have a symmetrical layout, rather than the standard row stagger. And layouts which allow the thumb to press more keys than just the spacebar.
For developers, or vim/emacs users especially, I think a good keyboard is in the same direction as a power tool: it may take a bit more effort to use a non-standard layout, but it allows for more powerful use of the keyboard.
Re: Building my first mechanical keyboard
#7Earlier 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…
You could look at hand-wiring a keyboard. e.g. QMK have a handwiring guide https://docs.qmk.fm/#/hand_wire
Or, for a circuit board, it's probably easiest to find an open source design of a PCB, and figure out how you'd change it from there.
One thing you'd have to worry about is how to create a case for it. 3D print? Layer acrylic together? Re-use a standard size?
Re: Building my first mechanical keyboard
#8Great 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.
Re: Building my first mechanical keyboard
#9One rabbit-hole within the mechanical keyboard hobby is more niche layouts. e.g. you can get keyboards where the keys have a symmetrical layout, rather than the standard row stagger. And layouts which allow the thumb to press more keys than just the spacebar. For developers, or vim/emacs users especially, I think a good keyboard is in the same direction as a power tool: it may take a bit more effort to use a non-stan…
I’ve been using Kinesis keyboards for over two decades now. The thumb switches are indeed a significant improvement over “just the spacebar”.
Re: Building my first mechanical keyboard
#10Great 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 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.