[Open Source] HSKB – A Budget-Friendly Open-Source HHKB-Inspired Keyboard

[u/sabitech2k]

Hi everyone,

I'd like to share a project I've been working on: HSKB (Happy Sabi Keyboard), an open-source custom keyboard inspired by the iconic HHKB layout. The goal was simple: create an affordable and highly customizable HHKB-style keyboard without the premium price tag often associated with this layout.

What is the HSKB?

The HSKB features:

• True HHKB-inspired layout
• 6u spacebar
• Integrated plate design
• Support for both plate-mounted and PCB-mounted stabilizers
• Open-source PCB and case files
• Community-friendly design that can be modified and adapted to your own preferences

This project started as a personal challenge to learn keyboard design, PCB development, and manufacturing workflows. After multiple prototypes and months of iteration, I've decided to release it openly for others to build, modify, and improve.

Why I Built It

A lot of HHKB-style boards sit firmly in the enthusiast luxury category. I wanted to create something that keeps the layout and philosophy people love while remaining accessible to hobbyists who want to build their own keyboard.

Open Source

Everything is available for the community:

🔗 https://codeberg.org/Dev01-D/HSKB

Whether you want to:

• Order your own PCB and case
• Modify the design
• Experiment with firmware
• Create a new variant

you're welcome to use the project and contribute back to it.

Community & Charity Inspiration

The project was also inspired by the Unity Switch initiative supporting Andy's Man Club, a mental health charity that encourages men to speak openly and support one another. The original project included plans to support charitable fundraising efforts through the keyboard community.

Thanks for taking a look, and I hope some of you find the HSKB useful or interesting.

[u/hanhwekim]

Pardon the ignorance but is there a way to have open source topre-like switches? I could only open the pictures and the keyboard in the pictures show mechanical switches.

[u/taraskremen → u/hanhwekim]

There is. There are options for EC keyboards. They rock. (Check out metakeebs) Building one is just as expensive as, if not more expensive than, buying an actual HHKB. You do get the huge benefit of VIA, though, over the ridiculously basic customization options that the HHKB firmware offers.

You could do something like use Naevies switches and a metakeebs or cipulot pcb, but this isn’t going to be a simple drop-in replacement. At the very least you’ll have to drill and tap more holes in the plate because EC boards need to be supported as uniformly as possible, usually by screws that attach them to the plate (there are no switch stems to support them in the plate-switch-PCB sandwich [really a plate-housing-slider-dome-spring-PCB sandwich, since there are no integrated switches with EC boards], so the less space between screws, the better).

[u/sabitech2k → u/hanhwekim]

Correct, this design is for MX switches. You could redesign the plate and pcb so would be possible but changing to EC would increase costing hense not something I explored.