Behind the Scenes of Issue 34

Behind the Scenes: Split database - permanent links to filtered lists. Issue 33 follow-up. Top 5 posts. Future plans / priority list.

Just an idea

In a few weeks I'll be on my summer holiday and won't be able to devote the usual 10-20 hours to putting together a whole issue. However, I thought I could rework the front page to display the newest entries without grouping them into issues.

This way I'll be able to add new entries, one at a time, and you won't need to wait until the next publication day or for a full issue.

Such an approach would better fit periods when there are less projects published.

(This isn't done yet but don't be surprised.)

Developments

Some small tweaks on the back-end..

[…]

Keyberon-f4

Keyberon, a handwired unibody with parametric case by TeXitoi rediscovered.

Git: https://github.com/TeXitoi/keyberon-f4

That's keyberon-f4, a handwired keyboard with a 3D printed case (totally parametric), using a rust firmware on a WeAct MiniF4 dev board (STM32F401, USB-C).

GameBuddy

Custom made 3D-printed open-source gamebuddy by _vastrox_.

A left-hand gaming keypad with a 3D printed case.

Git repo: https://github.com/kb-elmo/GameHand

Designed it myself as a fun little side project. The board has a custom designed PCB with an Atmega32u2 inside and runs QMK/VIA. The wrist rest is a simple 5mm foam pad.

Froggy75

A 75% hotswap PCB through-hole style that utilises two EC-11 rotary encoders and an Elite-C daughterboard – by flehrad.

Talking in this week's episode of The Board [from 12:11] podcast Don introduced Froggy75, a layout (concept sketch) by Lara Rath and PCB designed by Don Chiou (u/flehrad) himself.

This board is a 75% hotswap through-hole style that utilises an Elite-C daughterboard and two EC-11 rotary encoders – in the position of eyes. The source files are available on Github.

The QMK for this board is currently undeveloped, however the schematic is provided in this repository for firmware development.

Please note that to fit the board layout and unique encoder pins, a duplexed matrix was utilised to conserve sufficient pins for the 24-pin limit on the Elite-C.

This gerber is open source for use, please attribute/acknowledge accordingly if used.

This PCB is UNTESTED and not yet confirmed to work correctly, produce at your own risk.

Analog macropad and encoder

News from riskable: a handwired analog macropad and analog encoder.

The macropad uses the author's Analog Keyboard Unit PCBs which are similar to the Amoeba PCBs.

Being analog means it has a configurable actuation point! Set it to whatever you want or set up multiple points of actuation per switch!

The macro pad also features an Analog Rotary Encoder PCB that lets you do the same thing with a rotary encoder: you can set the number of "steps" per rotation to whatever you want.

I haven't done a full test of the sensitivity yet but with a 5V source (sharing the same power as the RGB LED) I can reliably get about ~80 steps per rotation. 120 if you don't mind the occasional mistake :D – riskable.

There are six magnets arranged in a (3D printed) ring. That ring goes below a (3D printed) platform and as you rotate the knob there are two analog hall effect sensors that will generate sine waves that are slightly offset from each other, allowing you to detect the direction of rotation as well as allow for configurable resolution.

Giga40 with cartridge

Giga40 progress. Cartridge implemented by mujimanic.

GIGA40 is a mechanical keyboard system where a "brainless" physical key interface console is powered by a microcontroller located on a cartridge. For the keyboard to function, both a cartridge and a console must be connected.

This project was already featured in KBD #9 – with renders. After a long silence, it works now!

An AT90USB microprocessor on the cart now expands the keyboard to 126 unique inputs.

The Giga idea was born from breaking an assumption of "one keyboard, one microcontroller". I would argue this is more than just a "vanity" concept for those who know how and wish to expand on the idea. Of course I'm no mega corporation, so it's not my intention to corner the market on this form factor. My hope is to open source the general schematic for people to use as a launching point – mujimanic.

Dragon keyboard

Dragon keyboard by ManufacturedAcumen.

More pics: https://imgur.com/a/QV8KpND

Wireless semi-handwired (with Amoebas).

Wanted to try the Amoeba PCB, but it was probably more work than a normal hand wire. The metallic red PLA looks far more impressive in real life than in the pictures.

Dactyl Stabilized

Dactyl Stabilized by brucedjones - wireless with reworked thumb cluster.

Thumb cluster totally reworked so I have 4 super comfy buttons that are easy to hit (instead of 3 + 3 awkward ones with the manuform thumb cluster). The 1u keys have separate z offsets so I can hit them without interfering with the other keys.

Git repo: https://github.com/brucedjones/dactyl-stabilized

• Fully wireless (with nice!nanos)
• 2u keys on the thumb cluster have stabilizers
• Large battery should give 3+ months battery life
• Slimmed it down a bunch over the original dactyl manuform
• Chunky palm rests custom shaped to the author's hands

Story of the Neito keyboard

FiresStream writes about the experience of hosting a GB and creating a custom keyboard from scratch.

KBD.news is not the platform to advertise group buys, but this is something different.

u/FiresStream wrote an interesting blog post about the Neito keyboard.

Creating the Neito keyboard and running the GB was not quite as easy as planned. This is the story of how we created Neito and all the bumps we faced with the group buy – FiresStream.

Read the full story here.

Yasui Umo with DIP caps

A Yasui Umo build by kaz_shares featuring DIP caps by rutomoda.

It turns out DIP is an open source 3D-printable keycap profile by rutomoda.

The files are on his github and on thingiverse.

Designed for simple manufacturing from sheet metal in conjunction with a stud welder and a belt grinder, this is a keycap for Kailh Choc low profile switches. It can also be 3D printed with SLA printing.

His other keycap profile design is the PRINCE.

Inspired by low poly and princess cut diamonds, this is a keycap for Kailh Choc low profile switches. It is designed for SLA 3D printing.

Keyboard nirvana & split comparison

A blog post by jhelvy, author of the split comparison tool, on his journey down the path of building keyboards.

In his blog post by the title "In search of keyboard nirvana" jhelvy tells us about his journey to find a more ergonomic (and useful) keyboard.

Reading this write-up I realized his split comparison tool wasn't yet featured in KBD. (No wonder since it was published in early 2020, 9 months before KBD.news was started.)

The tool is available here: https://jhelvy.shinyapps.io/splitkbcompare/

And it's open source: https://github.com/jhelvy/splitKbCompare

All the basic information about each board is stored in a simple CSV file, and the switch plate images are all hand-aligned in one Illustrator file then batch exported as PNGs. So all the alignment is already done, the app is just overlaying different images.

1000+ switch collection

ThereminGoat celebrates passing the 1000 switch mark writing about the collection, the background behind some of the switches and his collecting history.

Read the article here.

I can’t wait to see what 1500 switches will look like and I promise I’ll try my hardest to get there soon – ThereminGoat.

Keycap dyeing with Rit DyeMore

Dye your keycaps with Rit DyeMore. A tutorial by CrowningKnight.

CrowningKnight tried his hand at dyeing keycaps using Rit DyeMore, and figured he'd post his method in case others wanted to give it a try.

My wife often dyes her clothes with Rit, and when I found out they have a version specifically for synthetic fabrics, I dug into it more – CrowningKnight.

More pics and info at https://imgur.com/a/bqw8mo9

Focus FK-5001

Focus FK-5001 with built-in calculator and other curiosities acquired by DrHERO1.

According to the Deskthority wiki entry, the Focus FK-5001, introduced in 1990, was the flagship of the Focus keyboards family. It featured a computer-independent built-in desktop calculator and programmable function (PF) keys.

Plus:

• Alps SKCM White switches
• Function keys arranged into groups of three instead of four
• extra F1–F12 keys along the left
• Cursor keys for all eight directions with a Turbo button in the middle (to set the key repeat rate)
• DIP switch underneath the logo

Intertype machine

An Intertype, a typecasting machine, spotted in the wild by mejicat.

Apparently, this one is not for your pegboards.

Founded in 1911, Intertype produced typcasting machines similar to Linotype.

By that time, most of the original patents for the Linotype had expired and so the basic works of the Intertype were essentially the same.

According to wikipedia, typecasting or "line casting" was a method to set type for newspapers, magazines, and posters from the late 19th century to the 1970s and 1980s.

The machine was a hot metal typesetting system that cast blocks of metal type for individual uses, a significant improvement over the manual, letter-by-letter typesetting using a composing stick.

Typecasting was replaced by phototypesetting and computer typesetting.

Cherry g80-11900

A Cherry g80-11900 spotted by Duy__Do.

Just a nice layout.

Motorized typing angle adjustment

The M-One from Besides Studios uses lifting motors to adjust typing angle.

No flipdown feet – that's for peasants now…

This is probably the first keyboard using lifting motors to adjust typing angle (from 3 to 7 degrees).

A fancy button next to the arrows will lower or raise the keyboard.

Necessary? Absolutely not. But it's fun…