Keyboard Builders' Digest
Save 5% at Divinikey! Code: KBDNEWS
Keyboard Builders' Digest / Inspiration

32-key buckling spring keyboard

This 32-key IBM/QAZ buckling spring keyboard was committed by u/Pocketfullofbugs.

KBD.news
Published September 2, 2022

The lower case. Part IBM. Part QAZ. All killer, no filler. A 32 key buckling spring keyboard – Pocketfullofbugs.

After his QAZer Beam, a beamspring beast, Pocketfullofbugs came up with lower_case, a similar concept but without the hard-to-source beamspring switches:

This thing does what I wanted the QAZer Beam to do. Use the correct switch. The QAZer beam was awesome but I cannot get beamspring switches, so it boils down to an MX board hiding in a much cooler case. It felt like putting a Ferrari kit on a Kia. This though, this is real.

Solenoid noise is still integral part of the design – working title for the board was: "make them reinstate work from home".

If you are interested in this slightly masochistic/sadistic part of the hobby, check out Model D, this chopjob or ofc the QAZer Beam with case files.

Resources

Files on GitHub: https://github.com/ImYourHuckleberry/lower_case

Coffee Break Keyboards Discord server: https://discord.gg/HpC8UWW

We are doing a production run in the future – Pocketfullofbugs.
Do you like this post? Share, donate, subscribe, tip me off!

Published on Fri 2nd Sep 2022. Featured in KBD #93 (source).


Related

Beamspring spotting

A breathtaking photo of an IBM Beamspring 5251 shot by Bitteneite.

Model H

Model H is a USB controller for IBM Model M – by John Hawthorn.

IBM Model M5-2

An IBM Model M5-2 with a cute little trackball. Posted by opalinemoth.

Chonker

IBM Displaywriter 6580 spotted by madribby78.

Mod Mmm

Another project by Ming-Gih Lam: Mod Mmm PCB for the IBM Model M to turn it into a hotswap MX keyboard.

×
top