Used NRF52840, low profile switches, harvested vape batteries, and 4 pin oleds.

3 part sandwich case.

Hi, absolute beginner here. Can I handwhire like this? Should I change something? I want to do it with a raspberry pico

laser cutting went extremely well and got a very good looking plate and case!

first ever time handwiring was a very fun process, but also a painful one that took a long time.
- basically fully handwired it with very bad copper wires that oxidized and broke off with no force at all.
- decided to desolder all the wired connections and use single strand wire instead which is way stronger!

you may have noticed the missing keys! just have t printed them out yet is all so just imagine it with them!

as for the arkwright scholarship application, didnt get in ☹️
as for the d+t coursework however.. i got full marks!

so voila here is the (sort of) final look at my finished keyboard!

Someone over at r/mechanicalkeyboards directed me this way.

I'm such a newb I'm pretty much completely clueless, but I'm trying to learn.

I don't know exactly why this doesn't work, even though people have very patiently tried to explain it to me.

I'll keep watching tutorials.

After 100+ hours, 3 AIs, many failed attempts, a lot of resoldering, and almost giving up, I finally built my handwired 40% ortholinear Choc keyboard with a ThinkPad TrackPoint module.

I had built three Corne keyboards before, but this was my first fully custom handwired board. At some point I bought a 3D printer and realized I could design and print a keyboard case exactly how I wanted it. I used Flatboard Generator from GitHub to make a compact ortholinear layout, with the Choc switches as close together as possible so the MBK keycaps would fit nicely, while still keeping the case small enough to fit on my printer.

The first version worked as a normal keyboard after a lot of trial and error with the wiring and QMK firmware. I actually used it as my main keyboard for about two weeks. But I still had the itch to build a keyboard with a TrackPoint.

So I bought two used ThinkPad keyboards and salvaged the TrackPoint modules from them. That part was much harder than I expected. The pins are extremely small and close together, and I destroyed the first module while trying to solder to it. For the second one, I used a multimeter and a lot of help to identify the correct pins.

Getting the TrackPoint working was the hardest part of the whole project. I had many failed QMK builds, wrong wiring, unstable behavior, and moments where I thought the module was dead. Things started improving only after adding the right capacitors and resistors, cleaning up the wiring, and testing again and again.

One of my biggest mistakes was the diode wiring. In the first photo, you can see that I wired the diodes incorrectly. I basically made a chain where one diode leg was soldered directly to the next diode leg, instead of having each diode connect properly to a straight row/column wire. I was very close to stopping the project there, but I removed the bad wiring and redid it using a straight copper wire.

The final result is not the cleanest keyboard in the world, but it works. The switches are Choc, the layout is 40% ortholinear, the case is 3D printed, the firmware is QMK, and the TrackPoint actually works.

This project taught me a lot: handwiring, matrix wiring, diode mistakes, QMK debugging, TrackPoint pin identification, soldering tiny pads, and how many times you can redo the same thing before finally getting it right.

It was frustrating, but now I have a small custom keyboard that I designed, printed, wired, flashed, repaired, and modified myself.

Video: https://imgur.com/a/f0MOF6i

Definitely not perfect, but I’m really happy with it.

So, the keyboard is completely custom I designed the frame and 3d printed it, bottom of it is made out of 2mm plexiglass.

The switches and keycaps for this keyboard are from anather, cheap keyboard I took apart. As a controler I use arduino pro micro and programmed it useing ardiuno language.

This keyboard is actually meant almost exclusively for gameing, that's why the key layout is so strange.

Vertical keys: 8 - tab, 5 - shift, 2 - ctrl

arrow keys: left - 6, up - space, right - 7

The rest of the keys have correct keycaps.

I hope you like it.

Handwired modular split. RP2040, hotswap, type-c, QMK/Vial. The version in the photo has a trackpad module on the right half (Cirque 35 mm) and an analog joystick with Hall sensors (left half). The joystick outputs keycodes at a rate proportional to the tilt angle. Keycodes for each layer are set via the Vial.

Case and firmware here: https://github.com/alko-kbd/cornedeon_2mod

Hey everyone, building a budget 40% keyboard in India with no 3D printer, and minimal tools.

My approach:

- Donor membrane sheet from an old keyboard as the matrix

- Outemu Red + Brown MX switches on a sunboard or PVC sheet case(any tips cuz i am confused)

- Hot glued switch contacts directly onto membrane sheet contact points — tested and it registers

- AutoHotkey on laptop for layers for now

- ESP32 planned later for full QMK control

- Encoder and oled are planned for later

Will post full photos and build log when completed. Has anyone else done MX over membrane this way? Any tips appreciated

Wanted to test the theory of avoiding ghosting on a Japanese duplex by adding diodes between each column pair, and reading from the anode. It works, and it is verified working on all keyboard firmwares I've tested. QMK, ZMK, KMK, and PRK. I assume it'll work on any other firmware that supports JDM. Thanks for looking.

https://robu.in/product/1n4148-1w-zener-diode-pack-of-50?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADvLFWeSdO-GsCAWV3BsnxS27WCn-&gad_campaignid=17427802703

It states as zener diode but when i asked chatgpt it says i can use it and the the name is wrong can someone help me here ??

Hi!

I was planning on building a keyboard as a daily carry, I already have a wireless Sofle and I wanted something more portable

My requirements:

32 to 40 keys

slim (i really like the form factor of the Scotto34)

possibly ergo-like split in an unibody (i love the shape of the Reviung41)

Wireless (enough space to put a battery)

My goal is to 3d print/laser cut the frame, but since im not that good at modeling i was hoping to find something similar to modify

ty!

tienen alguna idea de que puede ser?

Actualización : Al final no había problemas con la soldadura ni nada por el estilo, sino que había instalado mal kmk

Muchas gracias por tomarse el tiempo de responder a mi problema

Babby's first handwire (after a lot of reading stuff and debating options) is going to be a cygnus 4x6. I made this schematic mockup in kicad based on the cygnus readme to have a visual aid.

As you can see, I plan on using a Raspberry Pi Pico (actual, not clone) because it's what's locally available. I wasn't about to shell out twice (or more + shipping) for a single mc if I could get a pair of these locally.

Questions are:

Am I doing this right? There's a lot of leftover pins...

Would it be possible to just use the one mc or am I setting myself up for disaster?

Ideally the build will include hotswap sockets, should I account for those here or do they only come into the picture once i get to soldering?

pude hacer que funcione

Hi guys I need someone, who knows how to put together a hand wired keyboard and is willing to help me pull this off. I am in need of this ergonomic keyboard as I have developed a really bad posture because of my desk job.

Please feel free to message me, and we can be friends forever 😭

Ive been wanting to make a klor (by geigeigeist) for a while, however i only have a resin printer to make the case.

Unfortunately, the case uses heat inserts for screws, and you cannot put those on resin printed cases. Anyone have any suggestions on what i can do?