I hate everything about this keyboard. Starting with the relocating of esc and moving of ~
Thanks! LOL.
Those specific issues could be changed with software and a keycap puller in about 5 minutes. Obviously I can’t get ESC back exactly where it “should” be, but the idea with this layout was to look and feel a bit like old 8-bit computer keyboards without forcing a drastic departure from modern “ten-key-less” layouts.
More pics at geekhack, including its older siblings, which also have some 3D-printed parts, though nothing like this one.
I would’ve added some fillets especially on that front edge. Seems kind of sharp on the wrist.
There are some very small fillets that ease the edge just enough for when I do touch the front edge, but honestly that’s not too often. If anything, I may just need a wrist wrest, as I usually use lower boards.
While there are a lot of “happy accidents” in the design, being kind of flat-nosed was on purpose. The case’s design is meant to evoke the final (and largely unloved) iterations of the 8-bit Atari computers, the XE line. My first real computer (though I had no storage device) was the XEGS.
I had an Atari XE growing up, and I loved that thing! Nice job on the keyboard, what a splendid project.
Gorgeous build dude.
I have to ask, where on earth is your super key and why do you have two shift keys next to eachother?
Super key is the Win next to Right Shift. I may flip it with the Fn key on the bottom… not sure, but it’s a few keystrokes in the firmware, so I’ll see how it goes.
The double shift is because I got a little too cute when designing the layout. Every single button is completely reprogrammable, but ultimately I found that 30+ years of typing (poorly) on big American style left shifts has left me preferring a large landing spot.
So why not just have a bigger shift key?
Well, I didn’t fully realize the depth of my addiction when I ordered the aluminum plates with the switch holes cut into them. :-)
On one of the three keyboards I made, I cut out the aluminum between those two holes which allowed me to set the switches in so the bigger and smaller one are flipped, which is exactly what many European keyboards do in that corner, but actually cutting out the room to include the full size shift would mean a more extensive rework to accommodate stabilizers. I’d originally thought I was being cute and copying what the Commodore 64 did.
You live. You learn. You have three shift keys.
But how does it sound?
I’m hopeless with sound profiles, but it’s mostly not bad. Maybe on the line between poppy and thocky? Is that a thing, even?
In the end, we have heavy tactile switches (which I kinda like, despite being obvious knockoffs, but I’m usually team clicky), tall & reasonably beefy ABS keycaps, an aluminum plate, a cavity inside that’s maybe only 1/2" thick, full of wires and with more aluminum on the bottom. Oh, and a typist who pretty much ALWAYS bottoms out keypresses. Whatever that adds up to. :-)
Spacebar is a little hollow sounding, and despite a little bit of silicone on the stabs, the one on backspace is a bit rattly (pretty sure that’s the one from a batch I used to fill out an AleExpress order minimum, where the other two are durock). So, in the end, it’s… fine? It’s not quiet, but quieter than my Box Navies, which I will probably go back to in future builds because I need MOAR CLICKY.
Probably like this
Video is probably private or something. Can’t see it
Edit: got it working. It opens in Grayjay
