Keyboard Builders' Digest / Projects
Form Zero
Tien Pham's Form Zero is a gasket mounted hotswap ortholinear keyboard.
Published June 28, 2024
Tien Pham aka phamfoo shared a hotswap ortho board: the Form Zero. The project aimed to provide a keyboard that looks nice while also including some features that you'd find in custom mechanical keyboards: gasket-mounted, hotswap PCB, clean and minimal design.
I wanted to try an ortholinear board but couldn't find one I liked, so I made one – phamfoo.
The PCB supports 2 layouts. For the bottom row, you can either go with one or two 2u keys in the middle.
The top case covers most of the board, you can swap it out for a different color.
Specs
- 5x12 ortho (58-59 keys): 2x2u or 1u-2u-1u bottom
- hotswap (only)
- gasket mounted
- RP2040-Zero
- USB daughterboard
- Resin/FDM 3D printed case
To make this work with an off-the-shelf microcontroller (the RP2040 Zero), there's a carrier board connected to the main PCB with flat cables.
The plate, resin 3D printed case, and PCBs came from JLCPCB.
Resources
- Github repo: https://github.com/phamfoo/form-zero
- Sound test
- More photos
Published on Fri 28th Jun 2024. Featured in KBD #168 (source).
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