Keyboard Builders' Digest
15% off the breathtaking GravaStar keyboards!
Keyboard Builders' Digest / Projects

Redpoll

Azel's Redpoll, a low-pro unibody keyboard, is made out of plywood.

KBD.news
Published January 18, 2024
Creators! Feel free to tip me off about your keyboard related projects to bring them to 140K readers.

Azel (aka Azel4231) from Germany shared this handwired monoblock board: the Redpoll.

Beside making keyboards, in this hobby you constantly study either languages (mostly Japanese) or biology. This time we are back to ornithology:

The name is derived from the bird species called common redpoll.

The case was designed with Clojure and OpenScad, much like the Dactyl/Manuform projects.

Specs

  • 46 keys (basically 6x3+1, with four thumb keys per half)
  • unibody split, 36 degrees opening angle
  • low-profile, Choc spacing
  • wireless, powered by a nice!nano v2 running ZMK
  • case made out of laser cut birch plywood
  • handwired

Obviously, the most interesting part of the board is the use of wood for the case, more precisely plywood: five layers of 1.5 mm birch plywood (1/16″) totaling 8 mm (1/3″) in height. The top cutout is for the controller, the bottom one for the battery.

Pic:

Redpoll, birch. So I don't leave you without a new foreign word to learn, here is today's trivia:

The redpoll’s life is closely connected to birches. So close in fact, that the German name is derived from it („Birkenzeisig“) – Azel.

Resources

Do you like this post? Share, donate, subscribe, tip me off!

Published on Thu 18th Jan 2024. Featured in KBD #151 (source).


Related

PCB 68 keyboard

A bluetooth PCB via SuperMini in a wooden case: PCB 68 keyboard by alan0ford.

Akko MU01 Mountain Seclusion review

In this review I write about yet another Akko masterpiece: the MU01 Mountain Seclusion, a 65% wireless keyboard in a gorgeous walnut case.

Handwired build

A handwired build by scissor_rock_paper featuring an IO port expander.

Wooden, handwired

A wooden, handwired keyboard project by ketcha_.

Skateboard keyboard

A wooden keyboard case made out of old skateboard decks – by u/ansedehenle.

Giant macropad

A wooden macropad for NovelKeys Big Switches with pen tray. Committed by AuthenticDanger.

×
top