Keyboard Builders' Digest / Projects
Magnetic layout prototyping
Going low profile: adjustable keyboard with magnets by key-yack.
Published September 4, 2021
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This small experiment by key-yack was put together to try out low profile switches with different layouts:
- Split keyboard using ProMicros
- Head PCB with ProMicro is reusable for other projects
- Up to 7x4 choc switches (hot swap) on each side, 18x17mm spacing
- All the columns can be moved around freely, attached to a steel base using magnets
- Using ribbon cables to connect everything
First results and takeaway:
- Choc brown switches are surprisingly heavy
- gChoc switches can be triggered by looking at them too hard
- 18 mm horizontal spacing is too narrow for comfort, but low vertical spacing is nice!
The PCBs used were probably the low profile versions of these Zebras by nezumee:
https://github.com/nezumee/zebra
Another similar modular adjustable PCB project is the P4 by saoto28:
https://github.com/saoto28/pineapple60/tree/main/p4
And the SU120 by e3w2q:
https://github.com/e3w2q/su120-keyboard
Published on Sat 4th Sep 2021. Featured in KBD #42 (source).
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