I’ve been working on a design for a split keyboard that is a hybrid between a Corne and a Sofle.

So fair the electrical and software aspects work, I still need to sort out the chassis.

Some features:

  • Efficient backlight circuit (at 100% it uses 20mA)
  • Custom MBK Choc caps from fkcaps.com (the glow is awesome)
  • ~250mAh battery (still low profile as there’s a hole in the PCB for the battery)
  • Dual EVQ encoders
  • Fully wireless using Nice Nanos
  • The layout has MacOS and Windows modes
  • Choc spacing

Once I’ve got the chassis done and I’ve cleaned everything up a bit I’ll open source it.

Here’s a preview of the chassis design so far:

5 points

I love the cyberpunk look the have now tbh.

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6 points

Agreed - the minimal black frame makes the keycaps stand out, especially with that nice glow.

Being able to see the pins on the displays really adds to the aesthetic.

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2 points

It’d be pretty easy for someone to take the design and make a more typical “naked” base plate etc.

I am having trouble getting the chassis to a point that I’m happy with the appearance. I also made some mistakes in the PCB edge cuts that make it harder again. All part of the learning process I guess.

Either way, once done I’d like for this to be at least as robust as any commercial product so that I can put it in a backpack easily/safely

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3 points

Looking great! What are those displays?

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6 points

Nice!Views, they’re incredibly power efficient.

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3 points

OLED?

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5 points
*

Sharp memory display, it’s a bit like Epaper in terms of appearance. Most of the OLED panels I could find eat batteries.

More info here: https://nicekeyboards.com/nice-view/

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2 points

Jesus, you people are crazy, it looks so cool 🙃

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2 points

Thanks.

The time and cost exceeds any practical advantage, so, yeah, a little crazy is about right I guess.

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4 points

Not everything needs to be about practicality. Even tho I don’t really understand the world of “ergo mech keyboards” I deeply admire the passion and creativity flourishing from this community. Cheers to you!

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2 points

Beautiful design. I love the casing over the nice view and roller.

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2 points

Very nice indeed!

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ErgoMechKeyboards

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Ergonomic, split and other weird keyboards

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Posts must be of/about keyboards that have a clear delineation between the left and right halves of the keyboard, column stagger, or both. This includes one-handed (one half doesn’t exist, what clearer delineation is that!?)

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¹ split meaning a separation of the halves, whether fixed in place or entirely separate, both are fine.
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