Keyboard Builders' Digest / Projects
Krtkus 62
The 5x12 ortholinear Krtkus 62 is a low-profile keyboard open sourced by Jan Bláha.
Published November 5, 2024
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Jan Bláha aka swift502 shared his Krtkus 62, an open-source ortho keyboard with, well, 61 keys. This low-profile board features an extended 5x12 keyboard with 2 extra keys, but because of the fixed 2U spacebar (without stabilizer btw) there's no 62nd key.
The design is intended for ortho layouts with a shifted number row, allowing for the placement of the delete and tilde keys above their usual spots. PCB is designed in Kicad. Case is designed in Blender – Jan.
Naming? Krtek (The Little Mole) is a household name and part of popular culture in Central and Eastern Europe, thanks to the Czech cartoon by Zdeněk Miler. Krtkus must be an affectionate form of "mole" and a nod to this well-loved character, as the silk screen of the PCB suggests.
Specs
- 61 keys (extended 12x5 ortho layout)
- low-profile Choc, soldered only
- Pro Micro footprint
- SMD diodes
- 7 degree tilt
- QMK/VIA
Resources
Published on Tue 5th Nov 2024. Featured in KBD #178 (source).
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