Keyboard Builders' Digest / Projects
Dactyl-Manuform-Gimbal
A remarkable Dactyl-Manuform with gimbals – open-sourced by u/sffubs.
Published January 29, 2022
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This is not the ordinary Dactyl but a warehouse of unique features and ideas. 5 months after starting the design, sffubs finally got his Dactyl-Manuform-Joystick working.
Why? I wanted to build something a bit different, something that I'd not seen before. I wondered what a keyboard would look like if I merged it with an RC controller, and tried using the RC gimbals as a mouse – sffubs.
GitHub repo: https://github.com/sffubs/dactyl_manuform_gimbal
Specs
- Two hall-effect FrSky gimbals (joysticks) (wiring)
- Per-key RGB LEDs using amoeba royale PCBs
- Haptic feedback using DRV2605L driver
- APDS9660 proximity sensors to tell when the joysticks are being used (and switch layer to provide mouse buttons)
- STM32F401 "blackpill" controllers
It has proximity sensors to detect when your hand is on the joystick, and turns some of the keys into mouse buttons. Haptic feedback helps to tell when you have switched layers, or long-pressed a key.
Published on Sat 29th Jan 2022. Featured in KBD #63 (source).
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