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1mo ago

I 3d printed a custom sized keyboard using open source software and hardware designs.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/45765963

The design is based on the excellent Dactyl keyboard, generated with https://ryanis.cool/cosmos/ and it runs the excellent qmk firmware. It is handwired:

and I have also made a palm support using inkscape and openscad

All printed on a reprap prusa i3 derivative.
This helps me use my computer with less pain, so I want to call out all the wonderful projects and people who contribute to them which made it possible.
Total cost? $60 aud, amortised filament ~15 bucks worth maybe? and a lot of my time haha.

Mechanical Keyboards @programming.dev

Crosspost

I 3d printed a custom sized keyboard using open source software and hardware designs.

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3D Printing @lemmy.ml

I 3d printed a custom sized keyboard using open source software and hardware designs.

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74 comments

I will always upvote split ergo (column staggered) keyboards. Nice stuff, looks much much cleaner than the one i made and threw out 😂
- I have improvements I will make on my portable keyboard for lappy, but I'm never going back.
  They're a lot more comfortable.

Man, 3d printing is punk as fuck, I love when people post bespoke shit.
- Tinkering with electronics alone indoors is like the opposite of punk.
  
  Don't tell me that you're one of those people that think punk is all about attitude and loud music. DIY and community building is punk af.

Okay, Star Platinum.

Very cool! Can I crosspost to [email protected] ?
- Nobody needs permission to post a link to something somewhere. What horror happened to you?
  
  Oh, I've seen it happen before, such as here: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/45667427?scrollToComments=true
  Thanks anyway, I'll post right away
- Holy cow! I didn't know about that community, thank you!

I love those keycaps 😍
- https://www.printables.com/model/396950-xda-keycap-set

Super neat. What are those knobs for?
What kind of switches did you choose?
- Knobs are for knobby things. QMK is extremely configurable. Sometimes they are volume, sometimes seeking, sometimes mouse x and y, sometimes scroll wheel, sometimes keyboard arrows, mostly decorative.
  MX browns. I am distinctly not obsessed with keyboards. I just like being able to use computers in postures that don't hurt.
  
  sometimes mouse x and y
  The anti-trackball.
  
  What did you program your knobs to do? All of the above?

Very cool!
Honest question, does using a keyboard like this make you forget how to use a standard one?
I know op did it for the pain, so it's a moot point. But if I did it just because it's cool, and to avoid injury in the future, would I mess up my normal keyboard abilities?
- I also switched to colemakdh with a series of layers and qmk tricks. My typing is quite slow so far, around 30 wpm, I was never an amazing typist but I haven't noticed difficulty with standard qwerty layouts.
  It's not like you get confused between a harp and a guitar, or a spoon and a knife.
  
  I see you've played knifey spoony before
  
  for me, switching to dvorak about 10 years ago has made me absolutely useless at typing qwerty… i get used to it after 5min, but much slower than i used to be and wow is it paiiiiiin (both literally in my wrists - the reason i switched, and figuratively in that i feel like im fighting the keyboard for every word)
  … or perhaps you mean the differences in physical layout
- As someone who runs an ergodox ez with a custom key layout and who goes in to work from time to time using normal QWERTY keyboards (both English and German configuration), you do not lose anything. It's incredibly easy to switch between every config you have.
  I also think most people would appreciate a split keyboard setup because it's so much better for posture and health and comfortability. Would highly recommend.
  
  Oh now this is different than I've heard, some others have had issues switching back and forth. So maybe I will give it a try, once I've got qwerty up to a decent speed and I feel comfortable with it.
  Right now it's a problem because if I'm in a hurry, I'm tempted to type the old way, or a broken mixture of the two that messes with what I've learned. Not good. Gotta slow down and do it right, bah..
  Thanks for the recommendations, I'm gonna put a 3d printed split board on my list of things I'll definitely get to some day and totally won't get pushed off the back of the furthest back burner lol
- I use Colemak on phone and Qwerty on desktop, and never think about it.
  
  Interesting 🤔 why? Just curious
- I normally use a Kinesis Advantage 2 (but in qwerty, unlike OP), and I can go back to a standard layout qwerty board with just a small adjustment period - I keep hitting "x" when I mean to hit "c", sort of thing. But it's an adjustment I can make "mid-stream" so to speak; I just use the board and get used to it again as I go.

Purple dactyl represents
- How is trackball? I wasn't sure how easily layering would work giving up easy access to half the thumb cluster.
  
  Sadly I couldn't get a bearing/ball mix that wouldn't feel "gritty".
  Otherwise the hand position is nice and layering is easy to use even with the ball. Overall nice to use and great setup for CAD software.

Respect for your tism.

Very nice! That's a pretty big boy ;)
- I don't have particularly large hands, but they're not small either. Most peripherals appear to be made for short people, but we grow tall under the searing sun of the land downunder.

AFAIK you shouldn't need wrist rests, dactyl should allow you to rest on table nicely!
(I have a Scylla)
- I'm sorry I made my custom keyboard wrong.
  
  I don't think that was meant as criticism, it seemed like they were trying to be helpful.
  Awesome keeb, BTW!

Way cool. That looks really professional, too.
- Thank you, if I have produced anything decent it is entirely owed to those who went before and were selfless enough to leave directions.

Looks so good. One day I will build a Dactyl as well, one day.
- Pretty easy with that cosmos thing I linked. you can literally drag and drop buttons and shit. Pretty neat!
  The most time consuming part was cleaning up the keycap prints as that involved removing support material and a brim for each. Soldering was around 4 hours work.

What the hell is this madness?

I moved to Germany and had to sell my 3d printer for the move, but when I pick up a new one finalizing a custom dactyl keyboard will be one of my first projects. I use an ergodox ez right now (they're amazing do check them out if you want a pre built solution), but I want as many thumb keys as I can possibly handle so I want to upgrade to a custom solution.
This is really cool to see, thanks for sharing!

On another note cause there are already a lot a good responses here and there :p.
How are your beavers doing? 😀
- Never ask a lady about her beaver(s).
  My beavers have wet fur, and a variety of things to play on.
  
  🤣 !

Dactyl! I've really wanted to build one and embrace the Coleman. How was the build?
- I strongly recommend checking verticle clearance for the microcontroller if you angle it.
  I also strongly recommend living somewhere where asking for enameled wire with an enamel that can be burned off with solder doesn't get you blank stares.
  If you can't do the latter Livingston sells scapels which work well to remove insulation in the middle of wires.

reminds me of naked lunch

Did you print your keycaps, too??

Reminds me of something from the Neverhood Game.

Too many keys
- The funny thing is that it's not even enough keys, you need to use layers
  
  Yeah that was part of the joke. Guess it didn't leave well.
- Found a Planck user
- Sorry your childhood sucked and you never learned how to talk like a decent human being.
  
  Lol ok. First off, that wasn't mean.
  Second, it was an opinion.
  Third, it was a joke.
  To explain the joke, keyboards with less keys than this exist and it's a common meme for people to comment "not enough keys" when people share images of them.
  Thought this was a keyboard community. Didn't realize it was 3d printing.

Can I have one?
- If you need stuff printed I, or someone more local, would be more than happy to help. Otherwise all the knowledge and tools are available for free.

74 comments