ErgoMechKeyboards

I finally finished writing a build guide for my Mantis keyboard and taking all the pictures to make it easy to follow. Hope it helps someone ...

Over the last couple months I've been working on the next version of Bad Wings, the board I've been daily driving for over a year now. Using the stm32f072 onboard and has cirque support (which wasn't working until a couple hours ago - thanks GeorgeN!). I've been using it for two weeks now and I'm happy.

Now that the cirque is working, I need to design a new case.

Just, you know, hanging and drinking cider at the arcade bar with the latest Wylderbuilds keyboard.

Another jumbo build, a full row 6x7 Dactyl Manuform with dual trackballs. It's got 88 keys total, like a grand piano, so if you're layer-averse, this one's for you.

It's got a gorgeous dark navy gray resin case with a matte acrylic finish and shiny black trackballs. If you squint a little, it might tingle your spidey-sense. It's a beautiful build and a real joy to type on.

And it's that time of year when we celebrate all things Ireland! Which is nice!

But, I have to ask, what about poor Iceland? Doesn't Iceland deserve some love, too?

Bjordagur, Beer Day, was on March 1st, but let's go with that! From now until midnight of March 18, the day after St. Patrick's Day, we're celebrating beer in general with 15% off all orders over $100 at Wylderbuilds! Just use code BEER_BEER_BEER at checkout!

Full Dactyl Manuform Builds (wired and wireless) https://wylderbuilds.com/shop/p/dactyl-manuform-build

DIY Dactyl Manuform Build Kit https://wylderbuilds.com/shop/p/manuform-diy-kit

Resin Dactyl Manuform Case Prints https://wylderbuilds.com/shop/p/dactyl-manuform-resin-print

PLA Dactyl Manuform Case Prints https://wylderbuilds.com/shop/p/made-to-order-dactyl-manuform-cases

If you'd like to try a Dactyl Manuform case on for size, we sell "sizing prints" of our C stock keyboard cases so you can actually try a case in hand to gauge how it feels.

https://wylderbuilds.com/shop/p/hand-size-print

Skál!

Andy @ Wylderbuilds

I've been looking around for one; search (in my Lemmy client) doesn't find one, and while there seems to be at least one in Reddit, the only communities listed on qmk.fm are Reddit and Discord.

Is there a good place to ask questions in the Fediverse?

I've been busy building a few Mantis v0.3.3 builds for friends and family. It took me way longer to build these than I had planned, and I still have a few more builds to go before I work on the next version of the design. But I'm getting better at this, and very happy with how these turned out. It's nice to try out different switches. On these boards I used Choc Sunset, Pro Red and Pink switches. They all work great with the sculpted key caps.

The two keyboards in the front use clear acrylic case plates and key caps made of two different resin materials to highlight the home keys. They are translucent enough for the backlight. The one in the back is made with birch plywood plates, painted with 3 coats of shellac to bring out the wood grain and lightly sanded for a matte finish. The key caps are grey nylon. The small holes in the skirts work great for letting the backlight shine through those opaque keys.

I used KB2040 controllers from Adafruit for all these builds and loving the extra space for building the firmware with Vial support. My old v0.3 prototype with a ProMicro also works with Vial, but I had to disable some features and lighting effects to squeeze it in.

And then I moved colon and semicolon to layers and re-assigned that outer pinky key to my rarely used AltGr key.

Hello to all keyboard enthusiast here on the Fédiverse.

For the longest time, I have used a TypeMatrix 2030 as my daily driver, most of which was spent daydreaming of finding a close approximation that would be mechanical. Failing to find one, I procrastinated in researching how I could build my own, which was an error.

Now, my good old TypeMatrix is showing signs of dying, and I still don’t have even started on its mechanical replacement. So, I would like help and counsel on how to make one.

I don’t need it to be identical, (I don’t need the rightmost column on the actual TypeMatrix, for example) but I DO need the middle column with “del”, “backspace” and “enter” keys.

Would anyone be willing to help me, please?

I have been using a piantor built for me by beekeeb.com, and am enjoying the more agressive stagger than my previous Ergodox. However, my typing experience is being spoiled by how tight the key spacing is. I have large hands, and can span an octave on a full-size piano; the Piantor is downright cramped.

In looking for a possible replacement (the Kyria was my primary option, but I guess splitkb.com has entirely given up on selling pre-builts, and I don't solder), what should I be looking at for specs to get some wider spacing on the keys? Is it simply "key spacing?"

Most commercial keyboards are fine; my prior was an Ergodox and the spacing was fine. The Piantor supplies that - it might even be a touch too much, but it's still better than the tepid stagger on the Ergos.

What was your beginner keyboard and which keyboard are you using now? It seems, that a lot of people tend to prefer smaller keyboards with layers. I myself am a bit intimidated by them, and would much prefer a somewhat more traditional number of keys, like the Lili58 or the Sofel has (as for now, I think I will get a Lili58).

Do you "regret" buying your first keyboard and would have preferred to start directly with your current keyboard (e.g. for saving money), or do you think that your beginner keyboard was necessary/important for you, to get into Spit-Ortho keyboards?

I want to get a corne keyboard, but I have a few questions, before I dare to dig deeper into the topic.

1. Can I use the keyboard wired and wireless? Meaning, when I plug in a cable, that it (turns of its wireless connection and) uses the cable connection?
2. Can I also just use one site at a time, meaning that the other side is turned off/unplugged?
3. Which version (corne-classic, corne-cherry or corne-chocolate) should I use when I want to use Gateron Hot-Swap Switches (not low-profile)?
4. Do I have to pay attention when buying keycaps, e.g. to also get special sized caps?

Is it Godzilla?? An active volcano?? A runaway nuclear reactor??

Well, no, clearly not.

But it IS a brooding 6x7 Dactyl Manuform keyboard build with a dark navy gray resin case and RGB underglow LEDs. Add a purple trackball, dual OLEDs, and dual rotary encoders, and you've got an (ergonomic!) weapon of ginormous productive power.

It's running QMK firmware with all the whistles and bells. Full Vial support so you can easily tinker with your keymaps, monkey around with macros, and choreograph your tap-dances.

We also offer fully wireless builds running ZMK firmware with all of its whistles and bells! Just be prepared to carry around a car battery if you want ALL the features.

There's only a week left to our WINTER DOLDRUMS sale! Get 10% off any order of $100 or more with discount code DOLDRUMS_2024! Sale ends at midnight, February 29th.

Full Dactyl Manuform Builds (wired and wireless) https://wylderbuilds.com/shop/p/dactyl-manuform-build

DIY Build Kit https://wylderbuilds.com/shop/p/manuform-diy-kit

Resin Case Prints https://wylderbuilds.com/shop/p/dactyl-manuform-resin-print

PLA Case Prints https://wylderbuilds.com/shop/p/made-to-order-dactyl-manuform-cases

If you'd like to try a Dactyl Manuform case on for size, we sell "sizing prints" of our C stock keyboard cases so you can actually try a case in hand to gauge how it feels.

https://wylderbuilds.com/shop/p/hand-size-print

Cheers!

Andy @ Wylderbuilds

Hi all!

I just recently got a keyboard programmable via QMK with two screens on the keyboard. I wanted one of those screens to show the time. Simple right? Well, surprisingly, I haven't been able to find any previously written code to do that. The problem being of course, that the keyboard doesn't have a battery, and so can't keep track of the time itself. Instead, the connected PC has to send the time to it. So, like any programmer would do, I spent way too much time making a program that does just that!

In case anyone else wants this, or comes looking for this in the future, I've provided the necessary code and instructions in the Github repo - send-time-to-hid-keyboard. It's my first ever program written in Rust, so suggestions are welcome but don't be too harsh.

I've only tested the program so far on Windows, so if anyone does try it out and then runs into any problems, do open an issue on GitHub and I'll resolve it ASAP.

Switched back to my moonlander for a bit and out the stock caps back on. With this track ball I'm getting some pleasingly retro vibes.

I made a wireless 34 keyboard that is not dissimilar in thumb placement to the voyager. it's got no real redeeming features, and i find the thumb placement really strange, but it was cheaper way to find out.

Hey all, working on a Corne Choc, and having issues flashing the right half of the board with QMK Toolbox.

I am getting a validating error with:

822 invalid byte in program region, 0 outside region

This is the second controller as I had the same error on the first and assumed I ruined it when I was troubleshooting it and desoldering.

Ordered a new board and same issue.

I've cleared the EEPROM, there are not shorts or bad solder on the headers. This is a completely separate PCB.

Tried using QMK MSYS to reflash ISP (not sure I got that right, don't really understand it).

Get a blue led indicating power, reset button works to put it into bootloader mode, still nothing will flash on it.

Unfortunately on the first go round I had soldered headers to swap but was too tall for me, desoldered the boards and went directly to the PCB, as mentioned this is a new board on a new PCB, did not program prior to soldering.

I am in the market for a new keyboard. I really want something that is backlit, has a volume control and has the full layout with numpad. If I can't find something with those 3 features I'll just keep fighting with my shitty half working one because it's not that bad and there not being a better option will just motivate me into finding some new way to fix it probably. I kind of don't care if it's membrane or not, as long as it's not expensive. In my experience membrane keyboards last longer anyway.

There's a few cheapo options on Amazon that look promising but beyond that they only come with 2 out of 3 of the features I need. That's why I came here for advice.

I have a g910 thats old and starting to get all kinds of key bounce issues. I've replaced most of the switches and it's still doing it so it's either a circuit board issue or a chip issue.

Also, it's fucking bullshit that there's not a backlit mod for the ibm model m.

This was my first time soldering and it went pretty well. On booting it up the LEDs weren't working on one side and one key wasn't registering, a quick hit with the iron got it going fine.

Hi everyone, we have been asked by our customers for a carrying case for our keyboards, but we haven't been able to offer that until now. I would like introduce you guys our new product:

https://ergomech.store/shop/leather-carrying-case-66

• Handcrafted in our workshop by skilled artisans. Outstanding attention to detail and premium materials makes it a unique piece.
• A personalized genuine leather case for your Ergonomic Keyboard, an ideal solution for securely transporting and safeguarding your keyboard. It is an excellent gift for co-workers, friends, or even yourself for any occasion.
• Case size: 14 х 19 x 8.5 cm
• Fit for: Sofle v2, Sofle RGB, Sofle Choc
• Materials: Real Leather Case - Epsom Leather
• Available Color: Navy
• Made of highest quality genuine cowhides, which will last for years to come, and will stands up to heavy use.

Please check it out here: https://ergomech.store/shop/leather-carrying-case-66

We're currently running a discount event, all keyboard products are 20% off, Also we're having 5 free carrying case for 5 order larger than $300.

Been daily driving low-profile Gateron switches for a while but wanted to give MX another shot. Mostly so I can use my nice keycaps again. I didn't buy this filament specifically for this build but I think it works really nicely.

Switches are Ergo Clears, lubed and filmed with (IIRC) 45g springs. They were previously on an Ergodox and barely got any use as I switched to smaller boards shortly after modding them and wasn't comfortable with desoldering yet, so I'm happy to have finally found a new home for them.

Caps are MT3 Godspeed, case is Overture Matte PLA (light blue and white), printed on the Sovol SV06 Plus.

I have a Lily58, but I would love having two thumb buttons and overall 2-4 buttons more. The Sofle V2 seems like a really good choice, but I have no use for the rotaries. Is there a way to replace the rotaries with normal switches or are there other spilt keyboards similar to the Sofle V2, but without rotary encoders?

Thanks for any suggestions!

Working as a developer, I spend quite some time in front of my keyboard. So after years of lurking and checking out keebs, I am finally typing these sentences on my first mechanical keyboard - a Mistel Barocco MD770 RGB BT Glaze Blue ANSI. I want to use this post to share some of my thoughts and experienc, to maybe help others along their path.

Layout:

• being from Europe, I am used to ISO layouts (ISO-DE to be precise). The reason I went for ANSI is the general availability of keebs and caps + the layout might be nice for developing. And so far I love it! Apart from the Umlauts, everything feels nicer to reach and within 1-2 weeks I managed to get somewhat used to it (for the Umlauts I use a custom MacOS layout, which makes them available via Alt combinations). Might never be as fast on normal german text, but spamming CTRL+Z with one hand already makes up for that.
• split is awesome! No regrets here, although it had me work on my touchtyping again!
• TKL is not a problem so far, although I don’t do much number stuff

Keyboard itself:

• love the clean look and everything feels pretty solid
• I am missing a tilt option. The keyboard comes with some feet you can screw on, but e.g. Keychron flip out feet look way nicer an easier to use
• wristrest is a must for me! The one on the photo was made by myself (and yes, I made it symetric on the first try. Couldn’t bear it, so I had to saw it apart and re-glue it)
• there is no extra B. Before then, I didn’t know that I was using the wrong hand to type it.

Software:

• no GUI/software for the computer. I am fine without, but would have been nice and easier to configure the board

All in all, I am happy to finally have made a move and I am looking forward to typing on the board every day. It is a very nice first keyboard to me, but looking at ortho layouts I am afraid it’s not the last.

Hi folks,

A while back, I released the flow MX36 and was working on a companion keyboard with choc keys. I've been using it for around 6 months but I haven't released it for a few reasons. I thought that I'd provide an update just for fun. Below are the outstanding errata items:

• in an effort to minimize finger movement, I jammed the keys as close as I could. As a result, unfortunately it only works with Asymplex ChicagoSteno's...which I love btw.
• after using it for a while, I want to squish the col-col spacing.I initially liked some space between the cols, but now I want to try a squished version.
• I haven't confirmed that both sides work with the choc amoebas. I've built up the trackball side with amoebas but I don't know if the other side works with amoebas, i.e. has no internal interference.

So why is it taking so long? Well, my personal motivation is taking a backseat for other aspects of life...namely my kids and reading books.

Anyway, below are some pics. Happy typing!

How it was: Outemu Mute Lime Tactile Switches + XDA Dye Sublimation Honey Milk Keycaps

How it now: TECSEE Medium Tactile Switches + XVX Horizon Low Profile Keycaps

Hello, all. Lots of stuff going on here.

These pictures aren't full builds, obviously. Rather, they're trial prints of some standard dactyl manuform models I plan to offer. They'll be available as kits and for full builds at a solidly lower price point than our fully custom builds. I want to make manuforms with a nice selection of bells and whistles more generally affordable.

So, I'd like to gauge the thoughts of folks on here and see what features as standard make the most sense.

That's a 6x7 in the main image, but I'm also planning a 3x6:

And a 5x6:

My current plan is that they include by default:

A. One trackball with regular pointer and dragscroll modes. Can choose left side or right side.

B. One rotary encoder above the trackball set as volume control and mute on base layer and page up/page down on other layers.

C. One OLED screen on the non-trackball side displaying current keymap layer, active mod keys, mouse mode, and words-per-minute.

D. Pi Pico or other rp2040 controllers.

E. USB-C cabling all around.

F. QMK firmware with Vial support for editing the keymaps, layers, and other features on the fly.

As a base set of features, how do those sound to folks?

Outstanding bits I'm still debating:

A. Are there other sizes missing here that you'd all rather see? 3x5? 4x6? 6x6?

B. Hot swap support always or hand-wired switches? If hard-wired, what selection of switches and keycaps would you like to see? I know that's an insane question as the options are endless. The point here is lower cost, though, not high end. I want to offer whole-package builds, ready to plug in and start typing, and forgoing hot swap would save on overall cost and build time.

C. Wireless? ZMK firmware is coming on strong and I'm doing quite a few wireless builds these days. It would add to price considerably, though.

D. Any other features? Other firmwares? Other controllers or hardware?

Would love to hear any and all thoughts.

And, of course, here's the plug for the store:

There's still slots to get a full build at 10% off! Just use discount code WYLD_BUNCH at checkout.

https://wylderbuilds.com/shop/p/dactyl-manuform-build

Also, I have DOZENS of old stock prints. Test prints. Prints with the wrong features or sizing. And, of course, prints with slight failures or cosmetic issues. Since dactyl manuforms are such a departure for most people, I'm offering these halves at five bucks a pop (plus shipping) so anyone curious can actually throw switches on and get their hands on one to see how it feels. It'll be a random side and size, just specify if you want left or right ($5 each) or both ($9). If you get both, just know they're unlikely to match if we don't have a matching pair.

Hand Sizing Prints https://wylderbuilds.com/shop/p/hand-size-print

Cheers, thanks for another great year, and keep typing like a God!

Andy @ Wylderbuilds

We in Vietnam celebrate the Lunar New Year and today mark the beginning of the last month of the year. To extend our gratitude towards the community, we'd like to offer 20% off for all keyboard orders. Also, we have 5 newly launched leather carrying bag for 5 order larger than $300 (first come first serve).

Please visit our website to check out: https://ergomech.store

Please note that your order will likely be shipped after the spring festival (approximately later half of February due to our leadtime as well as the holiday delay)