r/ErgoMechKeyboards • u/humanplayer2 trackpoint • 2d ago
[photo] cheapest split kb option: just saw a tkl
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u/iwasjusttwittering 1d ago
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u/humanplayer2 trackpoint 1d ago
Niiiice! Thank you for this! I love how much proper effort they put into it.
One thing that annoys me with what I've done here is the asymmetry of the two sides in their stager, inhereted from the asymmetry of the standard QWERTY layout.
Oobly avoids asymmetry by joining multiple pieces of the plate, allowing for the main pieces of the two halfs to be identical.
Mine are not: they point opposite ways on the original board. Else I couldn't align with the F-row used for the pinky.
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u/tadddahhh ckrbd 2d ago
That is so ghetto - I love it! 😄
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u/humanplayer2 trackpoint 2d ago
Thanks! More than once the thought crossed me of whether I could have done the build after the apocalypse.
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u/Funny_Research 2d ago
I was just thinking about this approach. I like the idea of using a single controller. Does the pink coating on the joints serve a purpose?
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u/humanplayer2 trackpoint 2d ago edited 2d ago
My wiring is quite unrefined, but it works fine :D
Yes, the pink acrylic paint is isolation so rows and columns don't short out all over the place.
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u/humanplayer2 trackpoint 2d ago edited 2d ago
@ u/haynesgt 's post with a wink, and the admission that this is likely to not be cheaper, given that controller, hotswap sockets, diodes, switches and keycaps are new. But I did just have them lying around.
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u/f1xx3rs 2d ago
Hotswap sockets are not strictly necessary, I assume. Diodes are dirt cheap, keycaps can be plundered from the donor keyboard.
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u/humanplayer2 trackpoint 2d ago
Not necessary at all, true! The TKL itself could have been used as donor for both switches and keycaps. I don't remember if the PCB had SMD diodes..
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u/arcsibo 2d ago
At first I said: "dude what?!", then I laughed, after I started thinking: "I'll have to do that"
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u/humanplayer2 trackpoint 1d ago
It was fun! I'm glad the board for which I messed up the chip had a thick enough plate for the switches to sit in well. And then the F-row aligned well enough.
Someone else commented with a link to a build from 2013 that also reuses a plate. Check that. That's a lot more proper than this :D
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u/BFB_Workshop 1d ago
Very nice! Wait till you discover the magic of TIG-welding. I've made a 40% plate once from, what can be considered, a numpad and two scores of fn keys =)
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u/humanplayer2 trackpoint 1d ago
Once at a bachelor party, we had the first hours at a blacksmith's with a welding station of some sort. We barbecued and made a 1.5m flamingo from spare pieces of ~1cm steel plates. That was such a fun and satisfying process. The groom still has the product in his yard.
I can imagine that having regular access to welding would be a lot of fun!
Do you have any photos of the build you made?
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u/BFB_Workshop 1d ago
I have had no access to my workshop since the full-scale invasion, so no welding for me since. I may not be able to weld flamingos, but the 1cm steel plates are now in high demand as shrapnel =D
Archive photos: https://imgur.com/a/SwGtGAx
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u/humanplayer2 trackpoint 1d ago
That is a beautiful reuse of materials! Bravo!
I'm sorry to hear that shrapnel is the more common demand for the steel these days. I sincerely hope that you'll get to return to you workshop soon.
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u/IsometricRain 1d ago
Love the resourcefulness. That first pic genuinely looks very clean, plus the column stagger is very usable, considering what you started with.
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u/humanplayer2 trackpoint 1d ago
Thank you! And yes, the stagger is quite good. The only thing that really bothers me is the asymmetry of the two sides, where one outer part is shifted 1/4u the other 3/4u. The pinky stagger is aggressive, but that fits me better than e.g. Corne.
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u/MobileHoney98 1d ago
hey man, crazy work, please consider making a step by step tutorial if possible, I'm not very familiar with stuff, would be very helpful for newbies like me, thanks!!
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u/humanplayer2 trackpoint 1d ago
Hey there!
There are excellent guides out there on handwiring boards for QMK. I don't think I'll manage to write a better one. I hope that once you understand the general process, photos will be enough for you to understand what I've done.
I have written up a few extra notes here:
https://github.com/humanplayer2/mkmods/tree/main/Scraps34
The firmware version I flashed is also on that repo, here:
https://github.com/humanplayer2/mkmods/tree/main/qmk_firmware/keyboards/humanplayer2/scraps34
Please do not hesitate with questions!
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u/timception 2d ago
100/10 for effort 💪🏻