@wjrii.bsky.social
Dipping my toes back into the "Forty percent" scene to see if "Alphastagger" works better for me than true ortholinear did. DIY #mechanicalkeyboard using Signature Plastics DCS keycaps from a grab bag, tactile switches, and an RP2040 MCU. Structural elements laser cut or 3D printed.
Wrote a blog post about creating for mechanical keyboard enthusiasts, Dungeons and Dragons players and Bluegrass communities. It also has a video of my keyboard setup if you're curious. www.davesnider.com/posts/workin...
Creating for a niche
The joys of a small, passionate audience
davesnider.com
Made a DIY no-stabs #mechanicalkeyboard from PCB 3 of 5 in my order from 2 years ago, & used some interesting "half-height" clicky switches. Pi Pico running ZMK, & (mostly) VSA keycaps sold on ebay as DSA, even though they are not. Bonus points for spotting the 2 keycaps I accidentally flipped!
Drop was selling ten buck aluminum cases in their close-out sale. I grabbed one and made it into a hand-wired #mechanicalkeyboard running ZMK.
Got a Primer61 PCB from Yushakobo in Tokyo! I designed a case, printed it in fun shiny filament, & ported it to use ZMK on a Nice!Nano clone. It's a Kishsaver homage that conveniently hides all my design sins. I'll leave it paired with my Mac Mini that runs all my local servers. #mechanicalkeyboard
Is Topre still a #mechanicalkeyboard? Souvenir Realforce 45g TKL from Leaderskey in Seoul, plus an accounting write-off reclamation project on the cut-cord Rollermouse from eBay.
An actual fancy #mechanicalkeyboard this time. I won a GDK Lab DK1-TKL and immediately put Box Navy switches on it. I ran with Unicorn Barf SA from a grab bag for a bit, but settled on KAM Superuser. This is a very pleasant metal rectangle.
My DSS Honeywell keycaps needed a home, so I made them one that was inspired by the original terminal keyboards that inspired them to begin with. The 3D-print is not quite perfect, but I like the overall effect very much, & the black switches on my custom PCB feel nice. QMK/VIAL firmware on RP2040.
In a departure from my usual mechanical keyboard projects, I designed & printed a simple slide-on HUNTRIX topper for those generic concert light sticks for my daughter. I liked the ones on Etsy that screwed into the base of one of these, but I couldn’t find STLs, so… #3Dprinting #kpopdemonhunters
This #mechanicalleyboard has a Meth button. A METH BUTTON! Also an internal PS/2 converter running VIAL and over half a pound of steel wheel weights stuck in the bottom because I thought a glorious board with a METH button (and a cocaine button, btw) deserved to feel a little more premium.
WILL I use my #mechanicalkeyboard and this Linux-converted ARM Chrometab with FocusWriter to write more? Unclear. COULD I? Yes.
Nothing makes you want to clean your #mechanicalkeyboard like talking a picture of it in bright sunlight, LOL. Fixed a bad solder joint and 3D-printed a “sidewall” case for this laser-cut Masonite board I made.
Made a couple of prototype #mechanicalkeyboard keycap nesting trays, one on the laser and one on the 3D printer. I definitely want to get my @signatureplastics.bsky.social caps out of the ziploc, I can't shake the feeling that I'm overthinking this. Anybody got a scalable & CHEAP DIY-ish solution?
Got a great deal on an aluminum #mechanicalkeyboard but it had issues. I laser cut a new plate so I could use the split-space hotswap sockets hiding on the PCB, changed the springs in the switches to be heavier, replaced the battery with extra weight, changed the keycaps, & flashed "real" QMK/VIAL.
Made some "Redneck Dye Sub" #mechanicalkeyboard keycap legends with Cricut markers and a diode laser. A little annoyed that some of them didn't come out great, but enough of them did that I'm pleased overall, including the #yallmeansall one.
I probably need a new plate frame, but the vinyl went on perfectly. #ihavefriendseverywhere, even in Texas. #starwars #andor
There are a million things I would change about this DIY Alps wooden keyboard, but overall it came out nice, and I learned a lot, including how to get VIAL running on a bespoke board.
The oil is drying on the walnut and pecan #mechanicalkeyboard case I (mostly) built this weekend for my bespoke Alps PCB. The strip of pecan was DEFINITELY on purpose and not to fix an oopsie. I swear!
Latest in progress #mechanicalkeyboard project: Alps white, Focus keycaps, M0110a-ish layout, 3D printed plate, deeply flawed PCB that I am MAKING work because I paid stupid tariffs, and QMK on RP2040. Still to do: hardwood case.
Next #mechanicalkeyboard is in progress. Trying to add to my skills, so this one will have a PCB with piggybacked RP2040 microcontroller, run QMK, have a wooden case, and reuse caps and Alps switches from a beat-up old Focus. After ordering the PCBs, I should have called it the Tariff 9000 :-)
It’s still #maythefourth in Denver and LA. Here’s my Yushakobo Primer79 with DIY case and plate, spring SA Tattooine keycaps. #mechanicalkeyboard
This #mechanicalkeyboard is one of a couple I keep coming back to. 3D-printed case, Masonite plate, PCB that handles the key matrix only (hand wired to the RP 2040 running KMK), Kailh Box Navy for moar clicky, Akko SAL keycaps, custom “no stabilizers” layout. The pink stripe makes it fast!
Believe it or not, but “file dividers on a slab of MDF chalkboard on top of the dog crate” it is actually a noticeable improvement in storage and display for (most of) my #mechanicalkeyboard collection. 😂
Made this hand-wired southpaw #mechanicalkeyboard a little while back. The cheap Cherry clones had enough keycaps to work, but it’s a bit more fun with some lasered legends and blanks on the two enter keys and the space bars, respectively.
Posted this #mechanicalkeyboard a while ago, but it soon started glitching. The old insulating tape on the back of the 1-sided PCB had degraded and some of its MANY jumper wires began shorting. I had to desolder the Alps switches to learn this, so I just hand-rewired it. RIP Focus Calculator. :-(
Part of the problem here is that we are on US Constitution version 2.27 (version 1 was a buggy mess and quickly re-written). Unfortunately, the v2 underlying engine was only built to be compliant with the “Democratic Republic 1787” set of standards.
Got some amazing #mechanicalkeyboard themed Valentine’s Day gifts! A framed print of a drawing from the original (US) patent for Topre, and a nice keeb-specific tool kit. I’m very lucky.
Not really of the faith myself, but happy 40s day to those who celebrate. The first hand-wire I made was a Planck with an extra column, which by the way solves several layout issues for people are coming from larger boards.
My GE Healthcare Model M buckling spring keyboard (and dusty deskmat). Electrically identical to any other Unicomp-made board of its era, but with cool keycaps and some sort of story to tell that I will likely never know.
