Ask Lemmy

Around a year and a half ago I started making my own keyboards. Like, I still use normal switches, normal keycaps, and off-the-shelf microcontrollers & firmware, but the layout and the structure are my own design, mostly fabricated at home. After a few experiments (one ortho, one ergo, one macropad, and one gutting of a broken off-the-shelf to try something larger) , I had three keyboards' worth of aluminum plates made. One was pretty basic but has remained a favorite and another really hit my retro intent for the design, but the second was sort of an ignored middle-child because it wasn't as refined as the third, or as earnest and satisfying as the first. I fixed it by designing a wrap-around case for it, changing the keycaps, and adding a little solenoid so it sounds like a telegraph machine whenever I flip a little switch. I'm really pleased that I was able to retrofit it to make it stupidly fun to type on. My boards are not exactly the perfectly-finished CNC aluminum showpieces some enjoy, but it's deeply satisfying to go from a pile of electronic bits, some sheet goods, and a reel of printer filament, to a functioning piece of daily-use equipment.

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