Behind the scenes #198

Keyboard Builders’ Digest / Editorial

Behind the scenes #198

Nonetheless below assault, August’s best-selling switches, Cornix evaluate, Banana keyboard, initiatives, ideas, keyboard artwork, meetups, new distributors and reductions.

dovenyi
Printed September 10, 2025

Hey, what’s up everybody!

This can be a content-heavy weekly/fortnightly editorial put up for individuals who do not wish to verify the location each day. So welcome again for an additional recap and behind-the-scenes write-up – with some cool initiatives from the DIY keyboard scene, but in addition promising closed-source initiatives and even prototypes.

In case you are new to kbd.information, you possibly can learn how this began out and what that is all about these days. Should you like what you see, subscribe to the e-newsletter (free) and donate some bucks to maintain this in any other case free and ad-free undertaking alive.

PSA: The assaults by botnets are persevering with. This may occasionally nonetheless impression your expertise regardless of banning large IP ranges, implementing new safety measures, and optimizing slower scripts by way of caching or utterly recoding elements. So in the event you sometimes see “useful resource restrict reached” errors, that is why it occurs. Just too many concurrent request.

Some posts value sharing

• On this most up-to-date overview of your favourite mechanical switches, listed here are August’s prime picks, primarily based on actual gross sales knowledge supplied by 18 distributors and producers – representing 1 million switches bought.

• Assessment: The Cornix is an superior prebuilt Corne-derivative, designed for the lots by Jezail Funder Studio: wi-fi, CNC alu case, cool tenting, nice sound and really feel. I like it! (Yep, it grew to become my each day driver.) The KBDNEWS coupon is value a visual low cost, however just for the first 100 purchases.

• RGBKB shared the majestic Banana keyboard, a cool break up not just for monkeys. This promising unibody keyboard is open {hardware}, however US of us should buy it too [GB]. Assist Legonut‘s work in the event you can!

• A low-profile, minimalistic 40-key break up keyboard designed for simplicity by Lucas Merritt: Aurora40.

• The up to date Tempest by Oliver Thurley encompasses a snap-off pinky key.

• A 42-key low-profile wi-fi break up keyboard: Corneucopia by DynamicWhiteHat.

• Chalk is a 42-key ultra-low profile keyboard with PG1316s switches, shared by eqlair.

• Maksim Esyunin‘s Keyatura is a 36-key ergo monoblock break up keyboard with Choc/MX swap help.

• The Leptosis by Cheyao is a 7.5 mm ultra-low profile wi-fi break up keyboard with PG1316 switches.

• Weekly typing observe: ZippyWords is a burst typing coach by FroyoAbject. Get one phrase at a time, prep, then hit it as quick as you possibly can. Increase your typing velocity, accuracy, and rhythm with fast observe classes. Really, I like this lots.

• Shift methods. A thread with plenty of good recommendation. I am nonetheless combating a correct Shift implementation although… 🙂

• Simon’s Afterburner format encompasses a magic key (plus skip magic key) to drastically scale back samefinger keypresses.

• Recent images for the exploding keyboards put up. Swollen battery of a Keychron K2 – utilized in wi-fi mode(!) for about 3 years. Epicguru wrote up a information for you about find out how to substitute the battery.

Closed-source, business, WIP, and so forth.

• These horizontal curler encoders make a lot extra sense than the basic vertical knob. Easy 75 by Astro. Now $20 off with the KBDNEWS coupon code.

• Weekly wooden: NULL65 by Null Design Co.

• JokerPad by Rain2. (I can not embed the video, test it out within the authentic put up.)

• I am not an enormous fan of gamer caps with the attribute translucent legends, however I virtually like this font featured on the Neo65 Sonic He+. Significantly better.

• Keyformers. An ergo break up constituted of a dissected normal keyboard. We have already seen one thing comparable, however this one has thumb buttons on the opposit facet as properly.

• Hehe. A Cherry catalogue and coupon for a swap pattern from 1976 – pre-MX instances. Shared by TheAwesomeTrain.

• Jeez. Splitty Kitty [GB] is a 6kg(!) aluminum break up. Eehh, ookaay… (the KBDNEWS coupon code ought to work and it is value a 7% low cost when you’ve got a penchant for unreasonably heavy cats)

• Stickerbombed mouse between Velvet halves. By IntelligentTruth96. It is all the time good to see kbd.information referenced. 😉

• That is the backside of a BGKeeb, was MX wi-fi by KaoticKalukumara. (Authentic art work: Gustave Doré illustrations from Divine Comedia.)

One thing is being delivered proper in these moments, however I am not but positive what. Keebmat stuff? We have been speaking a couple of care bundle with k33bs. The resin KiiBOOM Jade75? It was undoubtedly on its manner. However lately I’ve talked to Awekeys and MoErgo as properly, about some goodies: metallic keycaps and an excellent secret new undertaking, respectively. Moeetech is cooking up one thing new too.

UPDATE: Yeah, it was the Jade75:

Womier reached out to me to pick out one thing from their retailer for evaluate. Any requests? The ERA75 appears loopy, however which theme ought to I select? 🙂 Or are you extra within the SK75 with double-shot caps? SK65 with the quick-release ball-catch mechanism? RD75 Professional with the great hidden dongle storage?

Be happy to attain out to me along with your preferences.

Donations

• New donations got here from: Micah Alpern, Evan Hatch, Derek T., and Jannis L. Thanks a bunch! You. Are. Superior!!

For all of the donation choices try the donation web page.

Meetup database

As all the time, this meetup database serves as each a calendar and an archive, so be at liberty to ship me upcoming occasions and even ones from the latest previous to make this assortment as complete as doable.

Upcoming meetups

Not too long ago added

Suggestions

Distributors & Reductions

Be happy to make use of the KBDNEWS low cost code at 184 keyboard retailers! And don’t hesitate to report any points! 🙂

New retailers and updates to the database of keyboard distributors this previous two weeks:

• New RGBKB (US) low cost. Use the KBDNEWS coupon code for five% off the Banana. 🙂 Or the rest.
• Womier (CN) added. There’s the KBDNEWS coupon code, however they’ve a loopy Again to Faculty Sale till eleventh Sept: 20% sitewide low cost, purchase one get one free keycap set, and so forth. Take a look at the shop.
• Astro Keyboards (US) is transferring from providing keycaps to keyboards: beginning with the very promising Easy 75. Now $20 off with the KBDNEWS coupon code.
• Awekeys (US/CN), dwelling of some jaw-dropping metallic keycaps, supplied you a 5% low cost (coupon: KBDNEWS).
• CTRLshop (CZ) is increasing, transport additionally to Germany now.
• Nouvolo (Hong Kong) added.

Developments

Continued assaults, continued optimization, plus another tweaks.

• Caching weekly RSS, proper column, and so forth.
• The nonetheless very WIP swap comparability pages are actually cached too – this fashion it takes far more attackers to take down the location…
• Some key phrases like good!nano are robotically highlighted and linkified now. Much less scripting wanted.
• In a roundabout way seen, however I made some helpful extensions for the swap value and in-stock standing updater scripts operating within the background. Recognizing newly added switches in 30+ shops is way simpler now. This can assist lots when compiling the month-to-month swap overviews.
• Far more caching thus velocity increase on the best way.
• Some older concern leads up to date with some key phrases, upon reader request. Yep, the previous few dozens of posts had the identical lead, out of lazyness. Replace to be continued.
• Couple of fast information hyperlinks added to concern pages. The final time I did this was concern #174… To be continued as properly.

All in all, it has been a really productive week once more! As soon as some cloud providers act and the compromized accounts utilized by the botnets have been taken down, kbd.information ought to load a lot sooner and work far more effectively. 😉

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That is all for immediately. Thanks for checking by. As all the time: Continue learning and constructing!

Till subsequent time,
Tamás

Printed on Wed tenth Sep 2025. Featured in KBD #198.

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