Behind the scenes #170

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

Hey, what's up everyone!

Welcome back for another weekly recap and behind-the-scenes write-up.

If you are new to kbd.news, you can read how this started out and what this is all about nowadays. If you like what you see, subscribe to the newsletter (free) and donate some bucks to keep this otherwise free and ad-free project alive.

Some posts worth sharing

• I tested Wind Studio's WIND X80, a visually clean yet very refined F13 TKL keyboard kit with endless customization options.
• Rafael Romão shared his Diamond, a 24-key handwired Dactyl-like board.

• Gleb is back with a classy one-handed chording keyboard: the 10-key Sexy Artsey.
• LeBallz is a Le Chiffre variant by Protieusz – with a 25mm trackball and an optional EC11 encoder.

• The Kingslayer 28 is a custom gaming keypad designed by Ognjen Bjeletic.
• A stunning unibody split with optional encoder: Ashwing66 by James Gzowski.

• A hybrid wired no-stabs 1800 keyboard: N3v4 by wjrii.
• CrackerBot's Crowkb_46 is a split 3x6 with low placed thumb clusters.

• A handwired split ortho by Joe Scotto: ScottoHazard.
• A 18-key unibody split: Smiler18 designed by weykn.

• The footprint and 3D CAD file of the PG1316S (and PG1316M) keycap and switch, as used in the mikefive, was shared by dynam1keNL (source). These are the original files he received from Kailh.

• Joe released V2 of ScottoModules (STM32F072CBT6).

• The Alpinist, published by Ben Hastings, is a tool generating parametric keyboards with arbitrary numbers of keys on each row – using Python's cadquery.

• Shay (saysub) added a trackpad to his HillSideView.

Some closed-source and WIP projects:

• A pivoting unibody split with adjustable angle. Designed by szakacsz.

• Keyboard Marine V1 by win_detto. A stacked acrylic one, the PCB is one of the layers.

• A nice one-handed keyboard/macropad by pabloescobyte.

• A 75% row-staggered split by Scale0.

• I don't have 20 mins to watch this video by Christian Selig, but it was recommended so here it is. I see it's a split project mentioning Ergogen. May make a post later. Anyway:

Keyboard art

• Wow. Some classy use of wood: Mode X Mod Musings Encore. Flex by Sterlingandcophoto. ;)

• Wooden art deco wrist rest with brass inlay. Posted by UsernameEtymologist.

• Meanwhile at Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center in Denver, CO (posted by mathinpenn). Yep, that's a wall map made of keycaps. Here is a video.

• exen904 remixed the Cornehole Case.

• Almost everything is 3D printed here, designed by Cup_0_Tea.

• Pikatea Long Boi (short version, there's a 7 foot one too).

• This packaging of the HMX film switches deserves a feature too (photo by eddiez87):

Kbd.news to the rescue

This blog has about 2,400 entries at the moment, and I'm always glad when people discover old write-ups every now and then. LHF, a Chinese collector of vintage test equipment & computer related stuff contacted me this week. He sourced a Philips P817 terminal recently, with its original keyboard – cable cut off. The Philips PMDS article helped to breath life into his keyboard!

[…] I almost started reverse engineering the circuit. But after I searched on google using the picture of my keyboard, I found your article, even coming with the picture inside the connector housing, which clearly shows how the colored cables should be connected. That was exactly what I needed! After some dirty temporary soldering, I managed to connect the keyboard to the terminal and what a surprise, it worked! Your single picture just saved me tons of time and probing! – LHF.

Cleanup

Speaking of vintage terminals, my wife asked me to clean up the terrace which has become another storage area for my vintage stuff recently. So I was cleaning some keyboards this week.

E.g. this Videoton terminal keyboard manufactured in 1977.

Top switch compilation – hopefully back

Inspired by a recent conversation and request, I'm in the midst of resurrecting the monthly switch top list, originally done in collab with Milktooth's Kevin.

This month I reached out to a lot of vendors and manufacturers, still waiting for some feedback, but have already a handful of individual top10 lists. I'm really interested in the best-selling switches of various regions and niches.

Had high hopes initially to be able to automate this process, but most stores use Shopify, and the public best-seller pages of Shopify stores show lifetime stats, unfortunately. And not many folks would like to give me access to their live sales stats, obviously :) – which means I won't be able to fetch this data automatically and will have to rely on shop runners' reports.

Anyway, it will be a lot of work but I hope this will work on the long run and you will find it useful.

Donations

• No new donor this time. Instead, PayPal started acting weirdly again.
• As always, many thanks to my awesome regular supporters and everyone who helped this project thus far.

For all the donation options check out the donation page!

In the mailbox

OK, I'm officially overwhelmed. 6 boards waiting for review, no idea how I'll manage this.

• Joe Scotto's ScottoWing kit
• Wind Studio X80 – the launching date yesterday gave me a little motivation to build it.
• Moeetech's Glitter65 R2 (not R1v2 but R2!) arrived in a gorgeous color. I left it in my office so photos later. Sales only start in a month, so I still have time for this.
• a Hexgears gamer board with display – finally a pre-built one! :)
• Wind/DaringRun Flip 6P
• and I'd like to cover (and use!) the Mantis too!

Because of the many barebone kits arriving, I ordered a heap of stabs. Got tired of eviscerating previous builds.

Meetup database

Upcoming meetups:

• Natinal Keyboard Meetup Day 2024, with events like:
• SFxMK NorCal Meetup, July 27, San Jose, CA, US
• NYC Mechanical Keyboard Meetup, July 27, New York, NY, US
• Northern Virginia Meetup, July 27, Arlington, VA, US

As always, this meetup database is both a calendar and an archive so feel free to send me upcoming events or even ones from the recent past to make this collection as comprehensive as possible.

Vendors & Discounts

Feel free to use the KBDNEWS discount code at 157 keyboard shops! And do not hesitate to report any issues. I know, I know. Some reports are still pending. I'll get there eventually, thanks.

• ButterBoard offered you a 5% discount. The code is "BB5" at the moment, but I asked Gergő to update it to KBDNEWS.
• Last days of Modern Coup Design Studio's July offer: 10% discount off all their nice keyboard sleeves. Use the KBDNEWS coupon code.

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That's all for today. Thanks for checking by. As always: Keep learning and building!

Until next time,
Tamás

WIND X80 review

Wind Studio's WIND X80 is a visually clean yet very refined F13 TKL keyboard kit with endless customization options.

Today's review unit, a WIND X80 prototype by Wind Studio, is a visually simple yet attractive TKL keyboard kit in a nice aluminum case – with an intimidatingly wide range of customization options: colors, materials, mounting styles, etc.

Some key features: F13 key, cool decoration light, VIA/Vial support, WKL and wireless versions.

Yep, the WIND X80 is available as a group buy. While I very rarely cover GBs here on kbd.news, not to mention featuring one, I received and tested a review unit a month ahead of the GB start. This means that the X80 is not a concept or render but an existing product already, so I hope there will be no problems or delays with the delivery. The often criticized group buy model makes sense in this case because of the large number of customization options you can choose from.

Disclaimer

Just like earlier with the DaringRun DR-70F, I received this sample from Wind Studio with the help of Divinikey's Carl, the US vendor of this group buy. (Thank you guys!) Divinikey has been selected by Wind Studio to run the X80 and they were looking for reviewers for this project.

As always: I received the review unit for free which may introduce all kinds of bias – both negative and positive in my experience.

Since the prototype was shipped to me weeks ago, I was told that the team already made some fixes to the final design based on reviewer feedback. That's another reason to take everything I write with a grain of salt.

Variants

I'm pretty overwhelmed by the sheer number of options:

• WK or winkeyless 6063alu case,
• wired soldered, hotswap or tri-mode wireless hotswap PCB,
• PCB gasket mount, plate gasket mount or sandwich mount structure
• 9 11 case colors (it's hard to keep up with all the options…),
• 8 accent/weight/middle frame colors and materials from anodized to mirrored and brass,
• 4 plate materials (PP, FR4, PC or alu),
• brass, copper or black mirrored stainless steel decoration weight bar.

X80 review unit

I received a green WK case with ano grey weight block and accent piece, copper decoration weight bar, hotswap PCB and alu+PC plates, plus an extra middle frame piece for the sandwich design.

While the green color is not anodized but spray-coated, it's actually very nice. I'm sure it works well with a lot of working environments. The case feels a bit rougher to the touch, at least compared to anodized versions, but it has an important advantage: absolutely no fingerprints.

First impressions, design language

I'm not sure why I'm blown away by heavy alu cases and fancy materials in general, but the quality is impressive and clearly visible and tangible in the choice of materials and design of the WIND X80.

Wind x80 is the fourth project under our X series. It still continues the consistent design language of the X series, a minimalist concept that is simple and attractive, and is given new elements and designs to make every line of the keyboard simple but not simple and more personalized – Wind Studio.

The best example for the minimalist approach is the branding, or the lack thereof: a restrained "X80" engraving is hidden in one of the back corners, and the "X80 BY WIND DESIGN" on the bottom is so small that it's barely visible on the decoration weight bar. A much more appealing approach than a huge logo on the front.

The white hard-shell case is also noteworthy, probably the nicest I've ever seen. Sure, there are very similar cases out there, but I especially love this white one with its smooth surface.

Specs

• Layout: 80% F13 TKL, WK/WKL
• Typing angle: 7 degrees
• Dimensions: 364.6mm x 140mm x 34.6mm (the final size of the GB item is different from the prototype size)
• Material: 6063 aluminum case,
• brass/aluminum/mirror stainless steel PVD weight block and front accent piece,
• brass/copper/mirror stainless steel PVD weight bar.
• Mount: PCB Gasket Mount, Plate Gasket Mount, sandwich mount
• Gasket mount plate: 1.5mm, FR4, PC, ALU, PP
• Sandwich mount plate: Aluminum, 1.5mm, 8 colors available.
• Case material: 6063 aluminum
• PCB: Non flex cut, 1.6mm thickness, wired hotswap, tri-mode hotswap (4400mAh battery, 2.4g/bluetooth/wired) or soldered PCB
• Polling rate: Wired 1000Hz, Tri-mode (1000HZ in 2.4G and wired, 125HZ in bluetooth)
• Software support: wired on VIAL, tri-mode on VIA

Unboxing & Contents

As already mentioned, the hard-shell case is pretty sick. I love it.

In the gorgeous white case came the kit: a green spray-painted case with the gasket middle piece already mounted, wired hotswap PCB, PC and alu plates, sandwich middle piece, an extra USB daughterboard (one was already mounted), foam kit, silicon gaskets and bumpons. No caps, switches or stabilizers of course, since this is a barebone kit. But no cable, tools, quickstart guide or any documentation either. This may be due to the fact that I received this way ahead of the group buy, so the final contents of the package may change.

Layout

The layout is 80% F13 TKL this time, either WK or WKL. As the fourth model in Wind Studio's X series, X80 follows the FKL Wind X, the X65 and the 1800-ish X98.

The proven tenkeyless design is popular among typers, coders and gamers alike. If you are new to the scene and are not familiar with the TKL layout: Basically chop off the numpad for more desk space. In addition, the extra F13 key is such a nice touch! Other than functionality, this makes a lot of sense visually too, making the function row symmetric: the offset F13 key rhymes with Esc, as this shot hopefully shows with the accented Esc and F13:

The X80 supports both ANSI and ISO, plus multiple bottom rows are another customization option, depending on your taste – and WK/WKL case are available too.

Build quality, structure

The case I received is simply perfect. Pretty impressive given we are talking about a prototype. As already mentioned, the spray-coated finishing feels a bit rougher, but very nice anyway. Fingerprints on the first touch, a frequent experience e.g. with black anodized boards, can drive me crazy so I'm not just content with this green one but in fact prefer anything fingerprint-resistant over something which may be considered a more fancier finishing.

Case

The four-piece case is a sandwich of the top and bottom parts encompassing either of the two middle pieces: for gasket or sandwich mounting. The weight block is an integral part of the sandwich too, just like the weight bar which is hidden in this shot.

Typing angle: fixed 7 degrees (no adjustable feet).

Structure & Mounting

Either gasket or sandwich mounting.

Yep, the bundle comes with gaskets (either for the plate or PCB) for gasket mounting. As you probably know, this design allows for some flex and cushioning, which can result in a softer typing experience.

The tiny silicone gaskets need some extra room so you have to reverse the middle piece to swap between PCB or plate gasket mounting. The orientation is clearly indicated, as you can see in the photo above.

That said, the good old sandwich mounting is also supported via a different middle frame I received with the bundle.

PCB

The 1.6mm matte black PCB has no flex cuts and is MX compatible, supports screw-in stabs, and the wireless one wireless modes of course.

The PCB's copper layer is exposed in an X-shape, visible even through layers of foams and the plate:

No per-key RGB, just the cool accent light above the arrow cluster with nice diffusion.

Plate(s)

No flex cuts but plenty of options. I went with the PC plate but PCB gasket combo, so the plate is floating over the cutouts here:

If you opt for a wireless PCB, PC or PP plates make more sense (metal ones probably less).

Switch

This is a barebone kit with a hotswap PCB (soldered available too), so feel free to use your favorite switches.

I'm trying to resurrect my monthly switch overviews with a top list of community favorite switches, and just leaned that Akko's best-selling switch model this month is the V3 Cream Yellow Pro (US | EU). I had a set of those laying around so went with these nice 50gf linears.

Keycaps

Again, we are talking about a barebone kit, coming without keycaps.

With regards to keycap compatibity, the TKL layout should be widely supported, except maybe the F13 key.

You can use an artisan or pretty much any key there (luckily my huge Akko set came with an F13 key).

Weights

A big part of the X80's design language are the weights – shape, material and colors.

As an additional visual element, a quite nice one if you ask me, is the thin decoration weight bar coming in different materials.

Sound & Sound dampening

Plenty of foam: bottom poron + 2mm hotswap poron + 0.5mm IXPE + 3.5mm poron switch layer + battery foam.

I have no problem with the sound, but apparently some reviewers reported issues so Wind Studio already decided to alter the inner design to reduce ping and hollowness. Since I have the original prototype, I'm not in a position to comment on the final sound.

Obviously, because of the many mounting styles, plate materials and optional foam layers, it's pretty pointless to talk about the sound and feel: you can easily customize this board as you wish. Given the 5-pin switch footprint and thick switch foam you can even try a plateless build.

Lights

No per-key RGB, but a cool accent light:

Software

Software support: you can easily customize your keymap with Vial (wired) or VIA (tri-mode wireless). Yay! Being able to use these familiar interfaces and not having to install and rely on any custom firmware (often lacking essential features) is always good news.

SpaceFN test? Passed.

Wireless

According to specs, the X80 is a three-mode wireless board (Bluetooth5.0 / 2.4GHz / USB Type-C) with 4,000mAh battery. Polling rate: 1000Hz in wired and 2.4G mode, 125Hz in Bluetooth mode.

I received the wired PCB so can't test the wireless features.

Portability

Given the wireless PCB option, the X80 is portable for some degree – in theory. I personally would think twice before dropping a 2kg slab of aluminum into my backpack, but who am I to stop you? :) Basically it's just as portable as similar chunks of aluminum, e.g. the recently reviewed MoeeTech Glitter, Akko YoD, Whitefox Eclipse – literally about 2kg each.

The quality case may help:

That said, if you need something on the go, there are surely better options for you. The X80 definitely excels as a stationary device.

Ergonomics

This is a classic layout with row stagger, in a relatively high case with positive typing angle. If ergonomcs is your concern, you should probably look for something else: split and columnar. The X80 is just as ergonomic as its competitors in the same genre.

Conclusion

Wind Studio's WIND X80 kit comes with a clean and simple design language which is simply beautiful imo. This very well built 80% TKL offers endless customization options, comes in a gorgeous hard-shell case, has a F13 key, and supports VIA/Vial. It may be a bit pricey, but given the plethora of options, even the most serious enthusiast can put together his/her dream setup for sure.

Pros

• Design language, build quality, lots of options, F13, VIA/Vial.

Cons

• Price?

Price & Availability

The X80 is available as a GB from 25th July to 8th August. Check out Wind Studio for the full list of regional vendors (e.g. Divinikey for the US.)

Because of the many options, the final price varies within a wide range: around $305-410 depending on your setup.

• Wind Studio WIND X80 GB at windstudio.store.
• WIND X80 at Divinikey (US vendor)
• WIND X80 IC on geekhack.

Diamond

Rafael Romão shared his Diamond, a 24-key handwired Dactyl-like board.

Diamond is a handwired board with keywell, designed by Rafael Romão. Inspired by boards like the Rommana, Piano and Cygnus.

This is my first original design, although heavily inspired by the Rommana (same keywells) and The Piano, and using the same switch holders from the Cygnus. Huge thanks to the giants who built and made these boards available for the community – rafaelromao.

Specs

Three-key columns for the individual fingers except the pinky which has only one key.

• 24 keys
• handwired with single-switch PCBs
• wireless via Supermini NRF52840 controllers
• 3D-printed case with keywell
• ZMK

Resources

• Diamond on github
• Diamond build photos

Sexy Artsey

Gleb is back with a classy one-handed chording keyboard: the 10-key Sexy Artsey.

It's been a while but Gleb Sabirzyanov aka zyumbik, creator of projects like e.g. the Deathpad, is back with Sexy Artsey, a cute one-handed keyboard. Wireless, sculpted, and comes with an encoder. Given the 10 keys, it's apparently meant for chording, more specifically for the Artsey layout.

To add to the board's cuteness, it comes with some add-ons:

I designed multiple items you can attach to it like a handle, a lightning badge, spikes and a toy construction brick attachment. There is also an alternative cute flower knob – Gleb.

It's easy to design your own accessories with the CAD files provided.

Specs

Three-key columns for the individual fingers except the pinky which has only one key.

• 10 keys
• handwired
• Seeed Studio Xiao (BLE or RP2040) and WaveShare RP2040 Zero controllers supported
• 3D-printed case with keywell
• cute add-ons

Resources

• Sexy Artsey splash page
• Sexy Artsey on gitlab
• Sexy Artsey Fusion360 files

LeBallz

LeBallz is a Le Chiffre variant by Protieusz – with a 25mm trackball and an optional EC11 encoder.

Protieusz shared the case and Gerbers of the LeBallz, a Le Chiffre derivative with a 25mm trackball, 34 or 35 keys, and an optional EC11 encoder.

Specs

• 34-35 keys (5x3+2 per half)
• MX, soldered
• 25mm trackball, PMW3360 sensor
• RP2040 Core A controller
• optional EC11 encoder

Changes

• The PCB DXF was extracted from sporkus's case step file. It uses MX and EC11 footprints and is powered by an RP2040 Core-A instead of STM32. Designed via EasyEDA.
• PMW3360 trackball sensor footprint added.
• Top case modded with a large circular cut-out for the 25mm trackball holder, friction fit sitting flush with the PCB with the sensor underneath it.
• Two top case variants: One for the extra MX key and another one for the EC11 in the center.
• Bottom case modded with MCU cut out so that the 3mm board doesn't rub the bottom case.

Resources

• https://github.com/protieusz/LeBallz

Kingslayer 28

The Kingslayer 28 is a custom gaming keypad designed by Ognjen Bjeletic.

Ognjen Bjeletic aka Pakleni shared Kingslayer 28', this custom hotswap gaming keypad with on-board controller and per-key RGB.

I've been working on this for about a year now. The case is SLA printed, with a detachable wrist rest (maaagnets). It has a stainless steel plate, QMK and VIA support – _pakleni_.

Specs

• 28 keys, row stagger
• MX, hotswap
• on-board STM32F303CCT7 controller
• Plate mount & screw-in stabilizer support
• Top mount design
• Per-key RGB, South-facing LEDs
• 5 degree positive tilt
• USB-C
• QMK support
• Wrist rest with magnetic attachment mechanism

Resources

• https://github.com/Pakleni/kingslayer-28-custom-gaming-keypad

Ashwing66

A stunning unibody split with optional encoder: Ashwing66 by James Gzowski.

James Gzowski aka Flexyjerkov shared his Ashwing66, a nice monoblock split with plenty of keys (e.g. number row), Pi Pico, and optional encoder.

My latest keyboard build, took some inspiration from the Lily58 which is my go to daily. Wanted a few extra keys and a rotary encoder while retaining the layout as closely as possible on a single PCB – James.

The PCB is both Choc v1/MX compatible and the rotary encoder can be swapped out for an additional switch. Decorative lighting on the top row and centre cluster of keys only, mapped out so QMK effects work nicely.

Specs

• 66-67 keys
• MX or Choc, soldered
• Pi Pico
• optional encoder or extra key
• Per-key RGB on top row and few center keys
• 15° angle
• QMK/VIA

Resources

• https://github.com/gzowski/Ashwing66
• https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1765077057/ashwing66-mechanical-keyboard-pcb

N3v4

A hybrid wired no-stabs 1800 keyboard: N3v4 by wjrii.

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

• https://github.com/wjrii/N3v4

Crowkb_46

CrackerBot's Crowkb is a split 3x6 with low placed thumb clusters.

The Crowkb_46, designed and shared by CrackerBot/c-botz, is a 3x6 split keyboard with some splay and thumb clusters set below the main level of other keys.

The crowkb is a split 3x6 staggered and splayed keyboard with 5 low placed thumbkeys. I designed it because I felt a lot of the keyboards in this space have an uncomfortable thumb placement for my size of hands – c-botz.

The PCB is reversible and wireless-ready.

Specs

• 46 keys (6x3+5 per half)
• low-pro Choc V1, soldered or hotswap
• reversible PCB
• wired or wireless (on/off switch + battery leads)
• tested with Pro Micro (QMK), nice!nano (ZMK), RP2040 (KMK)

Resources

• https://github.com/c-botz/crowkb

ScottoHazard

A handwired split ortho by Joe Scotto: ScottoHazard.

The ScottoHazard, designed by Joe Scotto, is a 4x5 (40-keys) or 4x6 (48-keys) split ortholinear keyboard that uses a TRRS cable for the interconnect.

It's my first "real" split keyboard as it uses two separate controllers unlike my first split, the ScottoSplit – Joe.

The keycaps are Joe's own design, printed on a Bambu Lab A1 in Bambu Matte Yellow and Galaxy Nebula filament. Each half uses a single RP2040 Pro Micro and then connects using TRRS connectors.

Specs

• 40/48 keys (4x5 or 4x6), ortho
• MX, soldered
• handwired
• RP2040 Pro Micro

Resources

• https://scottokeebs.com/blogs/keyboards/scottohazard-handwired-keyboard
• https://github.com/joe-scotto/scottokeebs/tree/main/ScottoHazard

Smiler18

A 18-key unibody split: Smiler18 designed by weykn.

The Smiler18 is a custom minimal unibody keyboard, designed by weykn/vswey.

This is my 18-key keyboard, I'm using a One-Shot-Layer as second Alpha. After 5 days of practice I'm getting a WPM of 30-45, I used QWERTY before – vswey.

The design was inspired by Ben Vallack's 16-key layout.

Specs

• 18 keys
• low-pro Choc, hotswap
• RP2040 Zero
• Vial or QMK firmware

Resources

• https://github.com/weykn/Smiler18