Engikeeb is an experimental ultra-low-cost approach to keyboard design – by customMK.
KBD.news Published January 29, 2023
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David Hoelscher of customMK published an ultra-low-cost keyboard concept and WIP keyboard PCB dubbed Engikeeb.
What makes this approach very affordable is the single-PCB structure:
While thinking of ways to make mechanical keyboards more affordable, I had an idea for a "Single Board Keyboard" (SBKB): a single PCB intended to be the entirety of the keyboard. No case required. No switch plate required. Minimal soldering required – David Hoelscher.
In the author's opinion such a PCB would have:
holes for low-cost rubber feet providing adjustable typing angles
a footprint for Pro Micro-compatible microcontroller boards
inexpensive surface mount diodes pre-installed per-switch to reduce assembly time (and potential error)
other inexpensive support parts pre-installed, like a reset button, a slide switch, a JST connector for batteries, shift registers (to simplify the switch matrix), and status lights.
support for multiple layouts, with each switch location marked to indicate the intended key size
the option to add displays and/or an encoder
The target cost for the PCB would be around $10 or less.