Keyboard Builders' Digest / Editorial
Behind the scenes #173
Keyboard projects, quick news, in the mailbox, meetups, new vendors and discount codes!
Published August 30, 2024
Would you like to contribute to this year's MK Advent Calendar? Here are the guidelines for authors, along with last year's edition for reference.
Hey, what's up everyone!
Welcome back for another behind-the-scenes write-up.
If you are new to kbd.news, you can read how this started out and what this is all about nowadays. If you like what you see, subscribe to the newsletter (free) and donate some bucks to keep this otherwise free and ad-free project alive.
Some posts worth sharing
- GravaStar is launching the crazy Mercury K1 Pro with alien legs, a 75% wireless gaming keyboard that's almost too good for gamers. ;) With recurring sci-fi motifs, great typing experience, and so much more! Check out my review.
GravaStar Mercury K1 Pro review
- Another review, another gaming board, but with a more classic look: The Immersion A3 by Hexgears is a brand-new wireless low-profile TKL keyboard with color display and a classy brushed aluminum top plate.
Hexgears Immersion A3 review
- A nice low-pro Hummingbird-like monoblock split by Reeve: ‘Ākohekohe.
‘Ākohekohe
- A hotswap ortho with trackpad: Explorer Keyboard by DreaM117er.
Explorer Keyboard Blank
- A 56-key split keyboard that uses normal mods: Doro56 by Gehennakid.
Doro56
- A 32-key ergo split keyboard using Seeed Xiao BLE: NostrumX by Bennytrouser.
NostrumX
- CrackerRobot's crowkb_38 is a low-pro ergo split with splay and a lower-positioned thumb cluster.
crowkb_38
Tips
- Stanislav Markin came up with a new approach to fix Home Row Mods.
- Keyboarddweebs' Alex introduced an improved Japanese duplex matrix, adding pull-up resistors to the columns. Testing environment: QMK and RP2040.
- Easy and cheap DIY PBT dye-sub keycap legends – a post by SorcererSypha.
- Steimo is a modular physical layout concept for ortho arrangements with offset halves: with various external and internal components.
Closed-source, WIP, inspiration, etc.
- Lilin – a 20% split macropad by KBDCraft. Yep, Kickstarter, but I do think that BoyU is trustworthy enough to mention this project. In addition, review units are being sent out, so this is an existing product, not a vaporware.
- A 69-key split by penkia with magnetic closure.
Just finished a 69-key split keyboard build. It uses a TRRS cable and the full duplex USART driver. I embedded some magnets in the case, so the halves snap together satisfyingly when I'm done using it. (Super handy for keeping things tidy on my desk :-) – penkia.
- @mikekoma from twitter: SSSM.NarrowCorsa REV.E v7b.
- A keyboard case for the Basketweave, shared by Keen.
- MexPayneDive20's Dactyl Orca features a levered thumb (fin) button that uses a standard mouse microswitch.
- A handwired board by wjrii, with custom DIY legends, done by laser.
- Kunsteak announced his Trinity, three nice boards but without design files – Bar, End45, Flight.
The Flight
Keyboard art
- Bin50 build by haunterloo92.
- The pinnacle of cuteness: UnicornCat artisans by ACkeys:
- Dragon Gate Teapot keycaps by Asian Joy Co.
- Pizza macropad by @ataruno_key.
- "Animated" keycaps by Anki Studio's telybelly.
- Senko60 by SilvaKb.
Twin "双生" split keyboard by rain2. Tai Chi, mortise and tenon joints, and cats.
Donations
- A new donation from khor.store's Matteo, and an anonymous one too. Thanks guys!
- As always, many thanks to my awesome regular supporters too, and everyone who helped this project thus far.
For all the donation options check out the donation page!
Meetup database
Upcoming meetups
- Keeblife 2024, August 31, Pasadena, CA, US
Keeblife 2024
Recently added
- Montreal Mechanical Keyboard Meetup, September 14, Montreal, Canada
- Keycon 2025 (details pending), June 14, 2025, Washington DC, DC., US
As always, this meetup database serves as both a calendar and an archive, so feel free to send me upcoming events or even ones from the recent past to make this collection as comprehensive as possible.
Vendors & Discounts
Feel free to use the KBDNEWS discount code at 159 keyboard shops! And do not hesitate to report any issues.
New shops and updates to the database of keyboard vendors this past two weeks:
- Hexgears discount: 15% with the KBDNEWS coupon code.
- GravaStar added, another 15% discount (keyboards only).
- DIYKEY added, use the KBDNEWS coupon code for a 10% discount. While it's not indicated anywhere explicitly, this is a new site by Kailh. I was told they have some difficulties with kailswitch.net.
- Mechboards: the 5% discount is back. Use the KBDNEWS coupon code.
- Pwnage added. The r/mk week of giveaways caught me off-guard again. What I like the most in this event is that I can discover new vendors. This time this gaming brand.
- The Flow Shop added. Another r/mk giveaway post find.
---
That's all for today. Thanks for checking by. As always: Keep learning and building!
Until next time,
Tamás
Published on Fri 30th Aug 2024. Featured in KBD #173.
Related
Behind the Scenes of Issue 72
April 1st keyboard projects, new wave of supporters, a new acquisition from the besieged Kyiv, March stats, etc.
Behind the Scenes of Issue 115
Update on the status of the newsletter, deinfluencing, new shops, 100+ discounts reached, K:02, Philips investigation, meetups, etc.
Behind the Scenes of Issue 25
Issue 25, personal favorites, new domain coming soon, performance tweaks, issue 24 follow-up, new supporters and subscriber record.
Behind the Scenes of Issue 107
Giveaway & advent calendar follow-up, vendor & discount updates, small developments, dark mode test, etc.
Behind the Scenes of Issue 99
Quick news, Issue 98 follow-up, new shops, new donor, meetup database update, etc.