A "fully" custom mechanical keyboard. A while back, I was reeled in by the popular mechanical keyboard hobby and community. I was intrigued by the lengths hobbyists would go for in customizing and modding their keyboard to their own aesthetic and ergonomic preference. Traditionally, building a mechanical keyboard is simple as buying its designated parts (ex. case, PCB, plate, switches, etc.) and assembling it like LEGOs. However, I wanted to make my own parts, specifically designing a custom PCB and case.

I was really inspired by keyboard builds featured on r/mechanicalkeyboards; in fact, I have at least +200 different keyboard posts bookmarked 😁. Despite being broke to buy them all, my custom keyboard was based on incorporating design aspects from all these posts. I decided on a "raw" look for my design where all the electronic components were exposed similar to the DISCIPLINE V2 and the Nibble keyboard. For makers, this keyboard is as custom and modular as it gets. No restrictions on the layout your PCB, plate, or case supports as it can be simply modified by you.

I designed the dream keyboard with EAGLE and Fusion360. The PCB was manufactured by JLCPCB while the acrylic case was laser-cut. The PCB is embedded with an ATMEGA32A-PU MCU for flashing firmware for keystrokes and an ATTINY45V MCU for flashing firmware for controlling the NeoPixel LED underglow.