Keyboard Builders' Digest / Projects
WeirdFlexButOk keyboard
Penk Chen's unibody ergo WeirdFlexButOk PCB has kerf bending cuts for tenting.
Published June 8, 2024
The WeirdFlexButOk is a hot-swappable unibody ergo split keyboard by Penk Chen. The PCB is thin enough so it can flex to follow the case’s contour, providing tilting and tenting.
I just finished another build / PCB design. Basically a 0.8mm FR4 PCB with built-in kerf bending cuts, so it flexes and bends for tenting – Penk.
The board was inspired by Joe Scotto's handwired ScottoErgo but opts for Choc spacing and hot-swap sockets, plus a super-bendy 0.8mm PCB with kerf bending cuts.
It provides a 15° tilt and 10° tent via a single FR4 PCB.
Specs
- monoblock split
- 36 keys (5x3+3)
- hotswap, Choc switches, Choc spacing
- flexible PCB
- RP2040-Zero controller
According to Sneftel, who used a similar approach on the thumb cluster for his Gull, 0.8mm FR4 can take a 60mm bend radius without breaking or buckling "if it’s treated carefully and you don’t give it weak points" – a real game changer for e.g. keywell designs.
Very long traces, but it works.
Resources
Published on Sat 8th Jun 2024. Featured in KBD #167 (source).
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