view the rest of the comments
ErgoMechKeyboards
Ergonomic, split and other weird keyboards
Rules
Keep it ergo
Posts must be of/about keyboards that have a clear delineation between the left and right halves of the keyboard, column stagger, or both. This includes one-handed (one half doesn't exist, what clearer delineation is that!?)
i.e. no regular non-split¹ row-stagger and no non-split¹ ortholinear²
¹ split meaning a separation of the halves, whether fixed in place or entirely separate, both are fine.
² ortholinear meaning keys layed out in a grid
No Spam
No excessive posting/"shilling" for commercial purposes. Vendors are permitted to promote their products/services but keep it to a minimum and use the [vendor] flair. Posts that appear to be marketing without being transparent about it will be removed.
No Buy/Sell/Trade
This subreddit is not a marketplace, please post on r/mechmarket or other relevant marketplace.
Some useful links
- EMK wiki
- Split keyboard compare tool
- Compare keycap profiles Looking for another set of keycaps - check this site to compare the different keycap profiles https://www.keycaps.info/
- Keymap database A database with all kinds of keymap layouts - some of them fits ergo keyboards - get inspired https://keymapdb.com/
You and another have suggested this. It may be the way to go. Any resources you'd recommend to get me started?
Hard to say, I would start with a macropad. There are a lot of project out there so you can browse around until you find something you like.
Here is a recent one: https://hackaday.com/2024/10/21/zero-to-custom-macropad-in-37-easy-steps/
It requires quite a bit of skills and tools, although jlcpcb can solder on the components for you so you can focus on only designing if you wish.
I would use Kicad to make the schematic and pcb, and Fusion 360 for any 3d modeling. Fusion has a free non commercial version, you just have to find it. They kind of hide it on their main website.
I like phils lab on YouTube for pcb design stuff but he isn't exactly beginner friendly and mainly focuses on audio related things.