Issue 203 / Week 49 / 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 11+28 entries in this issue:
Editorial
Behind the scenes #203
Behind the scenes with the November best-seller switches, the Dry Studio Battleye review, plus open-source projects, keyboard art, meetups, vendors, discounts.
Switch trends
Best-selling keyboard switches of November 2025
Here are November’s top mechanical switches, the community’s favorites based on vendor sales data.
Review
Dry Studio Battleye 74.5 RT review
A head-turning 75%-ish Hall-effect board with circular display and knob: the Battleye 74.5 RT by Dry Studio – for sophisticated gamers.
Projects
Boardloaf
Yuburoll's Boardloaf is an open-source 36-key split keyboard with MX keys.
DYA Dash
The DYA Dash is a nice wireless split project by Cormoran: low-pro, touch sensors, trackball.
KaSe keyboard
An Atreus-inspired monoblock keyboard by Mae Pugin: the wireless KaSe with OLED.
ArcBoard mk20
The next iteration of Chris Trotter's ArcBoard is here. Mk20 comes with a lot of improvements.
Tentacle
Gareth Gummow's ortholinear Tentacle is using the author's SquidHID firmware.
Baikal
Vostok Labs' Baikal is a beginner-friendly, handwired, wireless Corne build with step-by-step instructions.
Suutari20
An RP2040-based modular macropad system by Juho T.: the Suutari20 using TRRS sockets and jacks.
Noname split
A clean and simple open-source split keyboard by Terence-1.
Quick news
Closed-source, commercial, WIP, etc.
Vulpes by ravnheim/ravnrev. A nice handwired split.
Parrot90 by haricane8133. A DIY TKL split with homemade circuit board, among other things.
A WIP angled unibody with joysticks. By signalsourcexy.
A WIP horizontally staggered split by kkooler.
Talon38 is a handwired wireless hotswap split by jrussellsmyth.
Another handwired one: Lobo by no-restarts/mentaldesk. A custom 3D-printed case for a Corne-ish split – with displays on the side for visibility when tented.
The all-screen keyboard by InkBox.
Typing, Keymap, Tips
- Naoki's Keyspec Generator. Generate custom keyboard spec badges. (Thanks for the heads-up, Micah!) It already covers many situations, though not all: break-off columns will give me some headaches. Still, I may borrow some ideas from this project.
Another recessed split keyboard by Peter Lyons.
Cheaper DIY Spacemouse alternative. Shared by hainguyenac.
Resin comparison for SLA printing keycaps – shared by humanplayer2.
Bskaplou's command line VIA/Vial protocol tool for keyboard configuration.
Wireless Corne 18650 case by Anton Duda. (Model also on github.)
Another code typing trainer: CodeSprint by Connor (cwklurks/Internal-Challenge54).
David Sifry's Glove80 keymap visualizer turns ZMK .keymap files into a PDF document.
History/Discovery
- Convergent Technology workstation beautifully restored by compu85.
1986 Sony SMC-210 Executive Workstation. Pic posted by prettybluefoxes.
Keyboard art
- An antique typesetter's tray repurposed into a wall-mounted keycap display – by aur4e.
Denali by HaiZeus. Photo by dakfu_.
Sweeeep posted by CaptLynx. In case you'd like some decoration but don't need an OLED.
New wooden keycaps by HNKBD.
Another custom YUZU keycap set, this time by Durburz_ with NASA-style fonts.
Skullytl is a Dactyl-like split with two skulls for tenting. Files on Printables.
Ouch. A cool QK65 Mk3 build. Photos by Sterlingandcophoto.
Hellfire patina by NyxKeys/samu-ra-9-i.
Lofree keycaps dyed by Suiriin.
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