Issue 161 / Week 14 / 2024

This is a hand-picked selection of last week's content from a keyboard enthusiast's perspective. Posts that may teach you something, make you think and contribute to the common knowledge of the DIY builder community.

There are 8+15 entries in this issue:

Editorial

• Keyboard projects, quick news, in the mailbox, meetups, new vendors and discount codes!

• The ErgoDox Hot Dox is another reinterpretation of a classic design by Alpaca Keyboards. What was once the go-to DIY split kit with a hallmark thumb cluster, comes now pre-built, in a refreshed hotswap version and in a stunning acrylic case.

• Chris Lo's rattlemebonez32 is a 32-key unibody pocket keyboard with minimal Choc spacing, CH552 MCU and FAK firmware. (source)
• MReavley's split Rzr36 is the BLE Choc version of his earlier Slice36. (source)
• Sneftel's Gull v1 is an ergo unibody split with keywell and unique thumb cluster. (source)
• Ascend is a cute split keyboard designed and shared by Kai H. Chang. (source)
• The Woodpecker by Özkan Çelik is a Lumberjack/Lumberelite variant with Cirque trackpad. (source)
• Dane Lipscombe's Tamatama is a 28-key Dactyl derivative with dual trackballs. (source)
• Twist40 by Rain2.
• I have only a youtube teaser (thanks Den!), but T-Keyboard seems something new. The concept is similar to GrabShell, but there are trackpads here, positioned quite interestingly.
• Macoy Madson ended up writing a custom firmware for his Dactyl, using the Pico C SDK and TinyUSB. And here is a blog post with a lot of info.
• Joe Scotto writes about Compiling QMK using Github Codespaces.
• DrZippit made a case for the Aurora Lily58 (printables, reddit).
• WIP: Spaceball42, trackball, wireless, and compatible with GH60 cases. And also a strange handwired one by reporepo344.
• ShelZuuz tested Greyhill 04A-K01 joysticks on a build: "Don't use them".
• This week was about the solar eclipse in the US, so here is a photo by Peppersheep: "Eclipse filtered through the blinds and projected straight onto the keeb…" (source)
• Stone-style keycaps by taneyats.
• MU01 Mountain Seclusion colorway – a wireless walnut keyboard by Akko. Not in mass production yet, but already teased at the 2024 Global Source Hong Kong Consumer Electronics Show.
• Shelves. Posted by icream4cookies.
• 40rmie LX build by Sofaking0.
• "Kunai" Corne build by mrusme.
• Starship Centurion with matching deskmat designed by Philip Lalonde aka jadepug (png images).
• Matrix Faukwaa posted by Ookad.

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