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Just built my first ortholinear keyboard!
(lemmy.ml)
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this post was submitted on 26 Apr 2025
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What does the Ortho moniker actually mean? ( Yes I am embarrassed I don't know). This looks extra cool to me because I am terrible at soldering, and would like to improve. Can you post some pics of your switch recepticle solders?
Ortho linear means all the keys are arranged vertically and straight, with no key offset like you'd find in regular keyboards. The idea is you can type faster (after getting used to it), and offset keys are no longer necessary since we don't use typewriters anymore.
Just to expand a little,
ortho-, as a prefix, means:
As in orthogonal, or orthographic.
Or sometimes just "straight", or "corrective"(?), like in "orthodontist" or "orthopedic", I suppose.
https://www.rctech.net/forum/radio-electronics/336870-how-solder-correctly-not-so-brief-lesson.html
This is the guide I read when I first got into building fpv drones and it helped me a lot
What kind of iron are you working with? What kind of solder are you using? Those 2 things alone can make a big difference. Practice is necessary too, of course--but if you're trying to work with inferior equipment and/or solder, it may be harder than it should be...
It has more been an issue of my not understanding exactly where and how the solder is supposed to go on hotswap sockets
Ooh, i see. Unfortunately i don't have any experience soldering these...just pcbs, wires, etc. Hopefully someone else here can help out!
@Reverendender @mechanicalkeyboards Funnily enough, I haven't got round to soldering in the mill-max sockets I'm using yet. I put them in the PCB and they're a tight enough fit that all the keys work purely through the contact the socket makes with the PCB. When I get it soldered I'll send a photo though.