Hey there, fellow keyboard enthusiasts! This is my first post in this amazing community, and I couldn’t be more excited to share some love and passion with all of you!
Let me take you on a quick recap of my keyboard journey and give you a sneak peek of a project that I’m incredibly proud of - the “Vesuveus.”
A project inspired by all of your amazing works, and I can’t wait to show you what I’ve been working on.
It’s name /vɛˈsuːviuəs/ is derived by the volcano Vesuvius at Naples 🍕🤏.
It all began with the Ferris Sweep, a keyboard that introduced me to the world of ergonomic mechanical keyboards. Then I moved on to the bgkeeb (bottom right corner), but the 34 keys didn’t quite match my workflow needs.
Next, I explored the Frame-48 layout and started designing some handwired boards. However, 48 keys felt like too many and didn’t align with the ergonomic keyboard concept that I had in mind.
After numerous tests (you can see them scattered all over the place), I finally found the sweet spot - the 40-key layout. The small white board you see in the picture represents the first prototype of my project. But even though it was a great start, the thumb cluster keys were too close, and the flat, low height didn’t quite fit the MCU.
So, I went back to the drawing board and made some crucial improvements. The red silhouette in the picture showcases the next version of Vesuveus. I spaced the thumb keys a bit and added a 3-degree angle to increase the height at the back, creating more room for the MCU and reducing the need for a wrist rest. And because I’m a bit of a madman, I even changed the radius of the angles because I wanted every detail to be just right.
I’m beyond thrilled to share this project with all of you, and I hope you’ll find it as exciting as I do! The “Vesuveus” is all about achieving that perfect balance between usability, comfort, and design, and I’m eager to see how it will find its place in the world of mechanical keyboards.
Stay tuned for more updates and a complete reveal of the “Vesuveus” coming soon. I’m looking forward to sharing this journey with all of you and being a part of this incredible community. Thank you for having me here, and let’s keep spreading the keyboard love together!
For more details and updates on the “Vesuveus” project, you can check out the GitHub repo. I’ve just updated the readme, and once the keyboard is ready, I’ll be uploading the STL files and more information about this exciting project.
!! UPDATE: Case and plate are ready !!
- fixed some little spacing issue on the thumb cluster, now everything clicks and clacks as should!
- added more vertical space for the MCU (tented the back with an 3° angle) -> reduces the need of a wrist rest!
To do:
- Firmware and layout testing!
- Build guide (video and text)
- Add latest build pics!
Wow, really cool :D I’m wondering why you went with a straight line for the thumb keys instead of going for a curve (which so see with a lot of ergo keyboards). Is there any general benefit or is it just more comfortable for your hands?
Thank you for the question, I tried a more circular low angled thumb cluster (you can see it on the top left plate) and it has its pros and cons:
As you stated the pro is the confort because our thumb movement are circular and not linear;
On the other hand the angled linear solution i found gave me the chance to fit a magnetic disc under the thumb cluster and felt more aesthetically pleasing, also because this keyboard is inspired by the little nine-nano by bsag (that has a linear thumbcluster)!
So i found that in good balance between confort, aestethic and functionality!
