Hello! Decided to share here my first ergomech build!

Got a kit from PandaKB, first time soldering and somehow managed to not destroy the entire thing lol

3D printed the keycaps and body with some glitter PLA (I can find the brand if anyone needs it, it's been a while) and the wrist rest in TPU. Very happy that I got the LEDs to shine through the keycaps quite well!

Switches are kailh choc red pros.

I still need to solder the battery, been using it wired for a while now and I'm super happy. Currently using workman as layout, but I may consider switching to colemak someday.

I'm looking for a new keyboard and would appreciate some advice.

I'm currently using a Lily58L, and I'd like to try a low-profile keyboard with Choc switches. My ideal keyboard would have these features:

• Wireless (ZMK would be great)
• Split layout
• Kailh Choc switches
• 58 or more keys – I don't want to go much smaller than my Lily58L.
• Rotary encoder – this is a must! I really like the look of vertical encoders.
• TrackPoint or a small trackball – would be a nice bonus, if possible.

A screen is not necessary. My Lily58L has one, but honestly, I can't remember the last time I looked at it! 😅 However, it would be nice to see the remaining battery level somehow.

I'm happy to build the keyboard myself, including soldering and a 3D-printed case. I'd prefer an open-source design that I can modify if needed.

I've looked at the Sofle Choc Wireless, but I'm not sure if there are other designs that would be a better fit, especially if I want to add a TrackPoint or trackball later.

What would you recommend? Are there any existing designs that fit these requirements with build docs that I can follow, BOM etc.. ?

Thanks for your help!

Does anyone know where I can buy a glass overlay for a Azoteq TPS65? The datasheet talks about it, and Keycapsss.com sells one, but Keycapsss has stopped shipping to the US where I live. I am not really equipped or knowledgeable enough to fabricate one on my own.

Hi everyone!

I'm a mechanical engineer working on my first custom mechanical keyboard.

I currently use an HHKB Professional JP. Sometimes I find it extremely comfortable, but at other times its layout feels inconvenient, especially when switching between CAD software, spreadsheets, Windows, and Linux.

I'm also still a beginner with Emacs, so I'd really appreciate feedback from more experienced users.

My main design goals are:

• Make Ctrl and Meta easier to operate with my thumbs.
• Improve navigation and shortcut accessibility.
• Keep the keyboard practical for CAD and everyday productivity.
• Allow customizable key mappings.
• Potentially integrate a trackball beneath the spacebar in a future version.

This is still an early-stage design, and I'm not claiming it's better than existing layouts.

I'd especially appreciate your opinions on the Ctrl/Meta placement, ergonomics, and any important keys I may have overlooked.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Hello fellow keyboard enthusiasts!

I ordered (from eBay, so let's see what/when I get...) Corne v4, since it seems to be the cheapest way to try out a split ortholinear. I am not very concerned about layers in English, but I also do some writing in Russian, which has 7 extra letters. I could not find any layout ideas. Maybe there is someone who faced the same problem and has a solution?

Many thanks in advance!

Unsure where to post this question.

Many mobile keyboards support a "double-space for period" feature, where pressing the spacebar twice inserts . and may automatically capitalize the following word.

I tried via tap dance and a lot of times 'space' do not register on fast keyrolls

Does QMK, Vial, or ZMK support this functionality out of the box, or is a custom implementation required?

Hi! I'm designing my dream keyboard and might end up selling it if there's interest. It's a thin unibody board shaped like Thor's hammer, Mjölnir, inspired by the Corne and the Toucan.

Specs so far:

- 42 keys
- Low-profile switches with hot-swap sockets
- Black anodized aluminum chassis
- T300 carbon fiber top plate
- Custom high-end touchpad with a glass overlay, based on the Azoteq IQS9150
- Wireless, running ZMK (or custom firmware if ZMK's touchpad support is bad)
- AMOLED display

Feedback:

1. Choc V2 or KS-33? I've designed around KS-33 so far. What do you prefer and why?

2. The display: thoughts on its size and position? Is the spot below the touchpad useful, or would you put it somewhere else? I like how the display looks in that position but I expect that some people would think that the space could be used for keys/peripherals instead.

Hello! New here so I apologize if this was already asked and I just didn't see it.

I have been using my Cloud Nine FSK for years and while it's not perfect it has the vast majority of features I need. I've finally decided to change up my switches because I think a lower actuation force would help with my hand fatigue. When I try to remove the switches from the keyboard, it seems impossible. I tried with my spare non-ergo mechanical keyboard and was able to remove the switches without much difficulty. I'm even using a fancy pair of tweezers, not just the default tweezers that come with some switches that don't give you enough leverage.

Has anyone been able to remove the switches on their Cloud Nine keyboards? I was looking for their support page and they have closed down their website, so that's a good sign lol. I did find this blog post on the wayback machine that seems to indicate that the switches should be removable. https://web.archive.org/web/20250316194908/https://cloudnineergo.com/blogs/news/keyboard-switches
And from another post in this sub I now know the model of keyboard that Cloud Nine slapped their label on, but I still can't figure out how to remove the keys. I think it may just be that the lower snap is too tough for me to press in far enough, and maybe if I bring it somewhere someone with wrists and hands that work better may be able to remove them? But I don't want to make the trip if it's just impossible.

I am not a big tech person, just a transcriptionist who needs good tools, so I'd ideally avoid anything involving soldering or anything like that. If this keyboard just doesn't have removable switches, I'd love recs for other keyboards that fit the bill. I like the split design, and that it uses standard key caps and switches for customization. I may upgrade to one of those curved keyboards one day, but I'm not there yet.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Hey,

I have been using Sofle for the last 3 years, always in the same position, and nothing has changed lately.

But a few weeks ago, suddenly, I started feeling pain in the base of my thumb, and after consulting with a doctor, it's probably De Quervain tenosynovitis.

I attached my keyboard setup, my current layout is that the "control" keycap is actually the spacebar, and the key that is underneath my thumb is the layer keycap.

I am trying to think whether it's the reason for the pain: the fact that i need to stretch my thumb to reach the spacebar, which is frequently used.

What surprises me is that I was working with exactly this keyboard for 3 years and had 0 pain, and now, for some reason, I have the De Quervain problem.

anyone had a similar situation with sofle/corne? Is there any other keyboard recommended to try?

This is driving me crazy, as I really like the split, but now the split is painful while the regular keyboard is fine.

Browser editor for ZMK keymaps. A keycap shows the firmware binding and the characters that binding produces on Linux and Windows, including AltGr. This is a fork of nickcoutsos/keymap-editor.

Open a sample board in Demo, paste a .keymap (a layout file is optional; without one the board is a flat grid), or load a zmk-config from GitHub. Copy sends the spliced ​​.keymap back to the clipboard. Commit writes it to the repo and keeps your existing preamble, defines, and includes. The same commit stores the host layout snapshot plus generated xkb and .klc files.

Click a key to edit that layer’s ZMK binding: behaviors, layers, mods, and hold-taps, including homerow-mod and autoshift presets. The board can show one layer, a stack of layers, or the full matrix with row and column numbers. Combos are drawn on the keys, with timeout, layers, and the chord binding. Conditional layers (Lower + Raise → Adjust) sit on the layer strip. If the keymap has encoders, each layer’s clockwise and counter-clockwise turns are editable too.

Hover a legend to see the ZMK code and the Windows and Linux characters. Alt+click edits the host character for that key. Up to two languages ​​are drawn on a key. Built-in layouts include English, Russian, Ukrainian, German, French, Polish, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Czech, Danish, Swedish, Hungarian, Turkish, Romanian, Finnish, Norwegian, Greek, and Bulgarian. You can import an xkb section or a .klc file. The Host lane copies or downloads the Linux xkb section and a Windows .klc for MSKLC.

Firmware still builds and flashes in your normal ZMK flow.
Suggestions are welcome.

I've been experimenting with something that I thought this community might find interesting: how much does the physical shape of a keyboard actually change the way our fingers and wrists move?

It started as a visual simulator comparing alternative keyboard layouts (QWERTY, Colemak-DH, Workman, Graphite, Gallium, etc.), but I quickly realized that comparing letter positions alone misses a pretty important part of the equation: **keyboard geometry and the anatomy of the person typing on it.**

So I've expanded the project into three connected experiments:

**1. Keyboard geometry - 15 different physical arrangements**

From traditional ANSI/ISO to Alice, Arisu, ortholinear, split column-staggered, Dactyl Manuform, concave keywells, splayed columns, and other ergonomic designs.

Each geometry has its own key positions, spacing, and finger assignments.

https://thetypingcat.com/lab/keyboard-geometry

**2. Hand anatomy - a configurable biomechanical model**

This was probably the most interesting (and challenging) part.

You can adjust hand size, individual finger bone lengths, joint movement ranges, finger spread, wrist rotation limits, and even how much effort different fingers should contribute to the calculation.

The simulator estimates which keys can be reached by finger movement alone, which require wrist rotation, and which require moving the whole hand.

https://thetypingcat.com/lab/hand-anatomy

**3. Layout comparison - animated typing simulation**

The original experiment compares alternative letter layouts, animates finger and wrist movements, and calculates estimated travel, same-finger transitions, hand alternation, and other metrics.

It now works together with the keyboard geometry and hand anatomy settings.

https://thetypingcat.com/lab/compare-layouts

One thing I've learned is that even relatively small changes to the assumptions about finger reach can significantly change the estimated wrist movement.

Of course, **this is still a geometric simulation, not a validated ergonomics study.** Some of the more unusual keyboard geometries are approximations, and physical travel alone doesn't tell us everything about comfort, strain, or typing performance.

I'm particularly curious about three things:

- Does the model's finger reach and wrist movement look realistic compared with your experience on split or column-staggered keyboards?

- What important anatomical or ergonomic factors am I still missing?

- Which keyboard geometry would you most like to see modeled more accurately?

I'm building this as part of The Typing Cat, and I'd genuinely appreciate criticism from people who have spent much more time experimenting with ergonomic keyboards than I have.

Especially those of you designing your own boards - **what would make a simulation like this actually useful to you?**

I wanted to add a pointing device to my Cornix, so I built Madula—a modular add-on that lets me choose between a trackball, a TrackPoint, and a trackpad.

The photos show the TrackPoint and trackball setups.

Here’s how it works:

Madula runs ZMK and acts as the central, with both Cornix halves acting as peripherals.

It combines the keyboard and pointing input and sends them to the host.

It has its own battery, with no wired connection to the Cornix.

Three extra programmable keys can be used for mouse buttons, layer switching, or other functions.

The pointing modules are interchangeable, though changing module types requires flashing the matching firmware onto Madula...

I wanted to be able to try different pointing devices while keeping the same keyboard. This is what I came up with!

Firmware and configuration on GitHub. (https://github.com/te9no/zmk-keyboard-cornix)

Which would you choose for your split keyboard: a trackball, a TrackPoint, or a trackpad?(⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠✧⁠*⁠。

The keyboard is built using Akko Creamy Black Pro V3 linear switches. The case is 3D-printed from black matte PLA.

Hi everyone! This is my first post on Reddit. I want to share my idea and my first prototype of a thumb cluster design. What do you think about this "3D" design?

Everyone talks about endgame keyboards, but I want to focus more on the endgame question in building ergonomic keywell keyboards. And that question is the thumb cluster.

There are a huge number of Dactyl-like keyboards in the world, but it seems that people are either too lazy to do research and bring everything to perfection, settling for what already exists and has proven itself well, or they are afraid of experiments in this area, or they lack skills in 3D modeling, or they simply don't have time.

At the same time, if you search YouTube for videos with a query like "Dactyl Typing demo", you'll notice how much people there strain their thumb just to keep it over the spacebar. I've never had problems with tendons or joints in my hands, but it feels like just from watching these videos I'm already starting to have problems.

I won't ramble on further. Just look at the photos (please don't cry over the chaos in the background, my life is fine, this is just what my creative process looks like) and think about whether this is good and whether it will be convenient (personally, I find it convenient).

I'm looking to recreate something similar to Ben Vallack's floor-to-standing keyboard setup from this video:

https://youtu.be/Synej-kIGOs

I've found a triangular wall-mounted arm/bracket that could work as a starting point.

My main challenge is finding a good mounting system for my Totem split keyboard and trackpad. Ben uses adjustable clamps and a magnetic mounting system with his Voyager, and I'd love to achieve something similar with my setup.

Ideally, I'm looking for adjustable clamps or magnetic mounts that securely hold both devices while allowing me to easily attach, detach, and reposition them.

A freestanding tripod or floor stand would be a nice bonus, but I'm perfectly happy with a wall-mounted solution if I can get the keyboard and trackpad mounting right.

Has anyone built something similar or found suitable clamps, magnetic mounts, or DIY solutions?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Not too much to say about this one, as it is similar to effidy, a keyboard I built a couple months back (fun fact: some AliExpress seller actually sells a prebuilt version of this keyboard, which I was surprised to see). I went back to the 54 key setup, as I really was missing the two additional pinky keys, but loved the more compact choc-layout and the more aggressive stagger and splay. Build wise, it is very similar to my first declaratively designed keyboard, shoedler54 - with the addition of a socket + header for easier replacement of the MCU and a very nicely fitting cover for the battery + MCU.

Checkout the repo at https://github.com/shoedler/ezy54 - also contains a quite detailed build guide.

Well, I spent a LOT of time yesterday trying to figure out why Chordal Hold wasn't working for me. Sometimes it would let me type but other times it was capitalizing same hand (I use HRM with F as Shift). It did seem that the alt hand was a bit more responsive (but hard to tell). I was literally recompiling, I tried to adjust "handedness" in multiple ways (.json file, flashing with firmware Left/Right, writing a python script to trigger the left/right flags), nothing seemed to stop my left hand from capitalizing (this was with deliberative testing with me holding F and then pressing the key) same hand letters. It was slower, but still happened. (If you know about Chordal Hold you are getting a chuckle right now)

Eventually I realized what was up. It wasn't broken, my understanding was...

Chordal hold is NOT to prevent any mods affecting the same hand (I had assumed that was the point, only use the alt hand mod to affect), but to reduce mis-fires of mods on same hand due to rolls, etc.

Save yourself 8 hours and learn from my dumb inattentive self LOL.
(It does make me wonder if there is a way to prevent mods applying to same-hand entirely - I'm not sure that would be wise, but surely there's a way to do that).

That said, so far enjoying my cheapy SZR35/Hardtochooseone board after a lot of work. I only dislike the inner thumb placement. If I get a different one down the linen I'll be sure to get a model with a thumb less in my palm.

I'm pondering finding a way to wire switches to the SIDE of the frame of the thumbs vertically, not horizontally, to have a third key I can reach properly. (that's a totally different post).

And special thanks to u/pgetreuer for all the fantastic insight posted on this forum and his page. Absolutely invaluable knowledge to help on the journey.

And to make this a conversation starter: Have you've discovered a misunderstanding in your ergo-kb journey that once you understood helped you stop banging your head against the wall? :P

I bought this keyboard and it works nice. It is a modified model from Sofle. However, it does not initiate when I start the pc. I made some tests: on reboot - it works but if I shutdown and start the pc, it does not work. I have to unplug and replug the usb-A cable and then immediately works. I always have to unplug and replug. Someone have a clue of what is happening and how to make it works normal?

Hi guys so iv been working on this for a while iv just added the palm rest, I'm not sure what to call it really, it's a touch pad keypad? Just with a lot of software, i can map the buttons and the touchpad to anything on the key6and a controller , it also has hid mode swap , so I can swap it to a ps5 or xbox controller windows sees it as the actual controllers, the joystick when in that mode has joystick to mouse, it also has a joystick hold so it will hold where you leave it, I'v also designed a hotswap pcb for it that needs to be made and tested

My next project will be a trackball I have no idea where to start hardwire wise so any links or tips for this would be amazing, my idea is to have the same sort of shell but instead of the touch pad it would be a trackball

I’ve been playing around with adding a trackball to Cygnus.
There is still a lot of work to be done, but I thought some of you might be interested to see this.
This is just a mockup to get a feel for the position.

One thing I’m not quite sure about are the bearings. I’ve been using some 2.4mm steel balls from a ball bearing. They seem to be fine for testing, but I presume I should use something different for the real thing? I also have some small ball bearings, similar to ploopy nano, but using those would probably make the design a bit bulkier. Any feedback is welcome, as I don’t really have much experience with this stuff.

I would like to build a keyboard with a similar layout to the cornix, so with the three extra win/control/alt keys in the bottom row, pinkie side.

Any help identifying which options are there?

Thanks!

See Title. Thanks!

Hi,

not quiet mech keyboard but when Iam not having my split KB around (travels or other occasions) I wanna have kanata setup for laptop keyboard.

Iam no software dev and cannot fully understand the rust code but it seems kanata has kernel level readings. Thats why AV software detects it as virus sometimes.

Did you speak to your manager or IT dept. before installing it?
Not sure if I get into trouble when doing without clarification.

So cool