Keyboard Builders’ Digest / Editorial
Behind the scenes #185
Keyboard initiatives, opinions, fast information, within the mailbox, meetups, distributors, reductions.
dovenyi
Printed January 31, 2025
Hey, what’s up everybody!
Welcome again for one more weekly recap and behind-the-scenes write-up.
In case you are new to kbd.information, you possibly can learn how this began out and what that is all about these days. In case 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.
Some posts price sharing
- A Voyager-inspired price range unibody break up: Mantaray by Colton Hawkins.
Mantaray
- I’ve a heap of keyboards to evaluation, however I solely had time to check a mouse this week: the wi-fi GravaStar Mercury X Professional mouse, a cutting-edge precision software for aggressive players, overkill for anyone else. 😉 Cool sci-fi aesthetic, ultra-light magnesium body, fancy RGB mild.
GravaStar Mercury X Professional mouse evaluation
- Designed by Penk Chen, the Haori36-MX is a unibody ortho break up keyboard.
Haori36-MX
- A intelligent 3D-printed case for Keebio’s BDN9: Banchan from Capsule Deluxe.
Banchan
- Crosses is a modular ergonomic keyboard with trackball – shared by Vinnie Franco.
Crosses
- Designed by Ming Gih-Lam, TKLish is a sequence of PCBs that mimic the model of a TKL keyboard.
TKLish
- N36tsu by n1tsu. A low-profile break up with PG1316S switches.
n36tsu
- The Purple Cedar is a well-documented Dactyl-like break up by Tim Wenger – with PS2 buttons.
Purple Cedar break up
- Lio46 is a wi-fi, 46-key break up keyboard – designed by Liolaeus.
Lio46 V2
TIPS
- Ewen Cluney (weirdlittlekeebs) made metallic plate keycaps – an MX keycap mannequin to accommodate 1/2″, 17 gauge metallic discs glued to the highest.
I had an concept to make keycaps with metallic plates to permit for simply interchangeable legends, however it seems that 304 chrome steel does not actually work with magnets. I nonetheless actually like the feel and appear of the ensuing keycaps, so I printed and assembled sufficient to cowl a Reviung34 Break up – nekoewen.
- Keyboard Unchatter? Properly, a 8 years outdated software program resolution to a {hardware} difficulty, however some individuals could discover it helpful as grigby did.
Closed-source, WIP, and many others.
- Blashphemy by dohn-joh. An angled monoblock break up with customized keycaps: BLP aka Blasphemy Low Profile. A sculpted low-profile set with caps of many sizes, designed with row stagger and FDM printing in thoughts. Repo later.
- Oni is only a sweep36 with customized photos on the PCB (extra photographs). Posted by danihek.
- The Titus65 is a 65% concrete keyboard case.
- Hyperlink Break up Ergo (GB) – an upcoming keyboard undertaking from CannonKeys. PCB that includes an RP2040 with USB-C interconnectivity and excessive profile CNC aluminum case supporting an in-house tenting resolution (supply).
- Baaawbag‘s Magpie was impressed by the Voyager.
I’ve named it the Magpie as a result of it being based mostly on bits and items from numerous designs [Sofle Pico, ZSA Voyager] – baaawbag.
- A ten-key low-profile macropad: Palette by Escobyte/Trendy Coup‘s pabloescobyte.
- Kai-Pad v2 by Kai_. Angled thumbpad performing as tent.
- If I perceive appropriately, TLTB made a Sport Boy model outer shell for a Logitech keyboard: Key Field.
- macro 64 – a treatment retro-looking wi-fi macropad.
I actually just like the Commodore 64 pc design and I needed to seize it is allure in a macro pad. It makes use of mechanical keys and has bluetooth wi-fi connection – Fistful_industries.
- PetitSpatula teased a MNML (pronounced Minimal) prototype by Clickety Break up. A skinny model of Leeloo-Micro, with ultra-thin pocket book switches.
Historical past
On this part I characteristic retro stuff often, however let’s repurpose it for historical past being written: photographs of the California fireplace carnage – posted by Matte_Box.
Properly, in my second ever put up right here, I believed you may wish to see what stays. 20 keyboards a minimum of, plus an insane quantity of keycaps, switches, and many others (and by the way my total neighborhood) in Altadena, CA. Aluminum circumstances melted right into a shiny puddle, however brass and copper didn’t (like this QK65 v2 Basic weight), which implies it reached between 1,200 and 1,600 levels Fahrenheit. Plastic simply… Evaporated. I’m completely amazed PCBs didn’t soften. I managed to get out with a few my greatest boards! And we’re protected. That is only a microcosm of a historic, large tragedy, however I believed y’all may discover it attention-grabbing – Matte_Box.
Within the mailbox
GravaStar despatched me the Mercury X Professional 8K mouse (evaluation above), 3dkeycap despatched a bunch of cool keycaps. And a Lexicon from WeirdLittleKeebs simply arrived a couple of minutes in the past.
Together with two full break up units, Loïc of 3dkeycap.com was type sufficient to ship me a lot of single samples. Even a kbd.information cap!
I featured Ewen‘s Lexicon final summer time, and now I will evaluation this cool prebuilt board for writers – with a phrase layer proper out of the field.
Keyboard artwork
- MIDI88 is a 88-key MIDI piano controller, shared by BFB. 3D printed, powered by QMK.
The foolish factor is: I’ve by no means discovered piano (which stays considered one of my goals), or musical devices typically. Though, I appear to have an nearly excellent pitch and sing to myself very often. So the guidelines is as follows: V – Study programming V – Study soldering V – Study CAD V – Study 3D printing _ – Study piano – I am on my method =D – BFB_Workshop.
Weekly Diderot impact
Was a little bit of a problem to adapt the present stands to the ergo geometry, however I bought it to work – mar_mech.
Donations
- New donations got here from Joshua Congdon, SadWitch, and Stefan Schwarzer. Thanks everybody!
- And lots of due to my superior common supporters and everybody who helped this undertaking so far.
For all of the donation choices take a look at the donation web page!
Meetup database
It appears this is not essentially the most lively season for meetups.
As at all times, 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.
Distributors & Reductions
Be happy to make use of the KBDNEWS low cost code at 166 keyboard outlets! And don’t hesitate to report any points.
New outlets and updates to the database of keyboard distributors this previous two weeks:
- Vince is behind Ergokeyboards.com and the Crosses, and he supplied you a 15% low cost (code: KBDNEWS).
- Marmech (US) added. 5% off keyboard stands and trays with the KBDNEWS coupon code.
- Alohakb (CN) added.
- Escobyte Keyboards (CA) added. It is a new store of Trendy Coup’s (sleeves) Christian for keyboards.
- Shelter (Poland) added. Delivery to EU international locations.
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A number of totally different keycap samples from 3DKeycaps – Thanks!
That is all for at the moment. Thanks for checking by. As at all times: Continue to learn and constructing!
Till subsequent time,
Tamás
Printed on Fri thirty first Jan 2025. Featured in KBD #185.
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