Are You Unhappy with Your Keyboard? Then Build Your Own!

For those of us who write lots of words, the keyboard we choose type on is an important and deeply personal decision. A bad keyboard will…

Cameron Coward
6 years ago

For those of us who write lots of words, the keyboard we choose type on is an important and deeply personal decision. A bad keyboard will hurt your typing speed and accuracy, while simultaneously wreaking havoc on your wrists—and even your back and neck. One solution is to buy a decent ergonomic mechanical keyboard, but you could also follow Redditor Ziptyze’s lead and build your own.

Ziptyze already had some strong opinions about keyboards, and was using a compact Planck-style mechanical keyboard. Unlike most keyboards that stagger the rows of keys, Planck keyboards are laid out in what is essentially a grid. The layout is more space-efficient, but requires a different typing style that uses your thumbs, which can be difficult to learn.

To get the best of both worlds, Ziptyze built a completely custom keyboard that is very compact, yet which retains a staggered layout that’s easier for traditional typists to use. Like a Planck keyboard, all of the keys are a uniform size, which means standard Planck keycaps can be used.

The frame of the keyboard was designed in Autodesk Fusion 360, and 3D-printed. The key switches were then fit into the frame, and hand-wired together in an admirably tidy fashion. Finally, an Arduino Pro Micro was used to take connect the switches, and setup to show up as a HID device on the computer it’s connected to.

Cameron Coward
Writer for Hackster News. Proud husband and dog dad. Maker and serial hobbyist.
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