Keyboard Builders' Digest / Projects
N3v4
A hybrid wired no-stabs 1800 keyboard: N3v4 by wjrii.
Published July 24, 2024
Would you like to contribute to this year's MK Advent Calendar? Here are the guidelines for authors, along with last year's edition for reference.
The N3v4 (aka Nostabs Numpad Navigator 4), designed by wjrii, is a 3D printed DIY 1800-ish keyboard without any stabilizers. Side profile inspired by beamsprings and Apple M0110.
This is a "hybrid wired" keyboard. The matrix is a PCB which is then hand-wired to any MCU with 23 or more GPIO pins.
The layout avoids stabilizers and has an unstaggered numrow that could also be set up as an F row.
This was a learning project and personal prototype, so it's generally half-baked as a reproducible project, but repository contains CAD (Alibre Design) and 3D printing files for the retro-inspired case, KiCAD gerber files for the PCB, and DXF files for the top and bottom plates and the cutout that any case would need to accommodate the keycaps – wjrii.
According to the author, the side profile is loosely based on certain beamspring boards that had a big flip-open manual compartment, and the corner blockers are obviously lifted from the HHKB/M0110 – wjrii.
Specs
- 85 keys
- MX, soldered
- no stabs
- controller-agnostic design
- 3D-printed case
- KMK via POG
Shout out to POG. It really sped up firmware creation – wjrii.
Resources
Published on Wed 24th Jul 2024. Featured in KBD #170 (source).
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