Issue 197 / Week 34 / 2025
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 10+32 entries in this issue:
Editorial
Behind the scenes #197
Under attack, KiiBOOM Phantom 81 review, Akko care package, keyboard projects, tips, keyboard art, Redragons in the mailbox, meetups, new vendors and discounts.
Review
KiiBOOM Phantom81 Lite review
I reviewed KiiBOOM's Phantom81 Lite, a cute wireless 75% keyboard with silly froggy keycap design – in a shiny molded ABS case.
Projects
Fifty
An open-source 50% keyboard with touchpad: Fifty by luteron6.
Split42
A split by Dominic Holifield: the Split42 with a single controller and I/O expanders.
Cata
Cata is a 34-key ortholinear keyboard with Gateron KS-33 switches – shared by skarmann.
Glyph
An open-source split with joysticks, shared by hex4: Glyph.
Ravensplit
FearlessSpiff shared the Ravensplit, the split version of his Raveniung.
Num64
Glitch860 teased a rather uncommon layout with the angled monoblock Num64.
Tiny18
A tiny wireless split by k3peta: Tiny18 – and yes, the name refers to the number of keys.
Mike Typeson
Stephan Møller came up with a nice open-source split and a cool keyboard name: Mike Typeson.
Quick news
Tip
Keyreative unveils double-shot legends on the side. These can be separetely dye-subbed in a later step for more colors.
Inpulib is a KiCad library for DIY mechanical keyboards, curated by miwayho. keyboard-kicad-lib is something similar by Eymeric65.
Vial 0.7.5 released – supporting .vil save and load in Vial Web.
Hedgehog v0.1.3 keycaps released by turtle_bazon. Different types for various spacings and stems.
A cute game console: the Attiny Arduino Keychain Game Console by ArmourGrade – with two Kailh Choc V1 switches.
Typing Tomes. Have I missed this one? I just can't find it anywere but the name rings a bell. Anyway, another typing practice app, this time using ePub books of your choice. With bigram and trigram stats, and also targeted drills.
Predictive tap-hold QMK community module for intuitive home-row mods by jgandert.
Retro-themed ZMK shield by Ziembski.
Closed-source, commercial, WIP, etc.
Corne Min by mechboards.co.uk – with Kailh ULP switches.
Prince42. A handwired wireless one by Weird_Spell.
The handwired Iridiumhawksplit by boring-beaver – with VGA connectors.
Ferris Sweep MX case by StormLuky.
Sora by EndMePlssssss.
Another handwired keyboard with some progress photos. By SfBattleBeagle.
Delta Omega prototype by unspecworks. More photos.
Wooden Corne – posted by Public_Bake1658.
Substantial_Fan's Aurora Corne with a custom CNC aluminum case (files).
Clavert V2.0 WIP by stvneads. A custom vertical split with keywell, and now nice!nanos.
Moketa a WIP wireless unibody keyboard.
Variable trackball angle. A short demo by BadDiscombobulated43.
PNCATEHO by miwayho and turtle_bazon. A creditcard-sized chording keyboard with PG1316S switches.
History/Discovery
A Soviet computer and keyboard from 1987.
A nice Alcatel workstation with strange layout from JaschaE's teacher's private "museum". Probably from the late 80s, early 90s.
Keyboard art
Stickerbombed Q65 by BradsCrazyTown.
Tail Whip by Rain2.
OK, the Cosmic Sans layout belongs to the art column. Posted by hauterloo92.
Mask Off keyboard (IC) – posted by MrSosaaa.
Wuque/GDK Lab DK1-60% with "marblano" – marble anodization.
Typewriter style ceramic caps by GlazedCaps.
Vaiiya keyboard. Posted by Patrick Pierre aka Patwwa.
Just some printed paper combined with relegendable keycaps – turned into art. Shared by Ok_Party.
Well, this is rather meme than art, and I probably shouldn't encourage this kind of layout. Anyway: 15U? spacebar by Bdeasyy.
splitkb.com, Upgrade Keyboards, Aiksplace, @keebio, Cyboard, Jacob Mikesell, KEEBD, Timo, littlemer-the-second, @kaleid1990, TALPKEYBOARD, Brendan P., ghsear.ch, u/motfalcon, Bob Cotton, FFKeebs, @therick0996, Christian Mladenov, BeaverKeys, Schnoor Typography, Daniel Nikolov, u/eighty58five, Caleb Rand, HLPlanet, James McCleese, Ben M, zzeneg, Spencer Dabell, Anatolii Smolianinov, Penk Chen, Stefan S., Clacky, Alex Miller, Trey Causey, Matthias Goffette, Dylan Ingham, Cloyce, Hana Lee, Gordon Diggs, Mario S., Duncan B., HubertTheMad, Hating TheFruit, Shnobble, Jesse L., Andres Sakk, Davidjohn Gerena, nutylabs, Ikasaya, drudru, Technofrikus, s_p_l_o_d_e, Dickiedyce, 0xcircuitbreaker, Filip S., TurkeyBoards
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