Mechanical Keyboards

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Help me make a "MechaMatrix" 2030 #keyboard, please? (jlai.lu)

submitted 6 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Hello to all keyboard enthusiast here on the Fédiverse.

For the longest time, I have used a TypeMatrix 2030 as my daily driver, most of which was spent daydreaming of finding a close approximation that would be mechanical. Failing to find one, I procrastinated in researching how I could build my own, which was an error.

Now, my good old TypeMatrix is showing signs of dying, and I still don't have even started on its mechanical replacement. So, I would like help and counsel on how to make one.

I don't need it to be identical, (I don't need the rightmost column on the actual TypeMatrix, for example) but I DO need the middle column with "del", "backspace" and "enter" keys.

Would anyone be willing to help me, please?

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[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

I used to have a TypeMatrix around 15 years ago and really enjoyed it, but the rubber domes wore out on me. Happy to hear that yours survived that long!

There is a commercial product with big keys in the middle - the Truly Ergonomic, which I got afterwards. The new version has optic switches, and you can reprogram the middle keys. I also had the Cleave and have to say, those switches are damn smooth, but I prefer the layout I set up on my Moonlander.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Going completely in the other direction from the "lazy" side, you could recreate the layout in the KLE keyboard layout editor, have a top and bottom plate cut at xometry or another vendor, either handwire or design a PCB and have it made by JLCPCB or another vendor, and use blank keycaps or see about making/procuring custom legends. 5u spacebars are a rarity (and 5u x 1.25u are basically not a thing), but if you're willing to split it into a 2.75u and 2.25u, then you could use the shifts from any random 104-key XDA set. Don't quote me on this, but glancing at the 2030 there, I think a non-sculpted blank 104 set would work fine if you did that. 4@2u, [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected] once you bump the f-row up to being proper 1u keys. If you wanted to go half measures, you could get a cheap dye-sub XDA set as well as some blanks, and have your most of your 1u keys be accurate and maybe even a couple of the larger ones.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

If you need some inspiration on existing boards: https://golem.hu/board/ --> set the filter on "ortholinear" for "matrix style" boards.

First you need to find a board, then we can help you to build it.

(You COULD build a board from scratch, but if you have not built a board yet, or have no background in mech. / electr. engineering, this me a bit too much at first.)

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

Lazy path: just buy an remap a Kinesis 360 Pro. It's perfectly fine to just go with some off-the-shelf perfection and procrastinate all the time you've saved.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

at the maximalist end of things – Ergodox form factor – ZSA Moonlander or Ergodox EZ
middle road – Promenade (formerly Boardwalk) – fits into 60% case, uses Ergo keycap sets
minimalist route – lose out on center columns – Lumberjack – fits into 60% case
micro path – Lesovoz – fits into Minivan case

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

Hm… I might go the Promenade way, as it seems to corespond to what I want, but I need to study the question more. Thanks for your help.