r/HandwiredKeyboards

After 100+ hours, 3 AIs, many failed attempts, a lot of resoldering, and almost giving up, I finally built my handwired 40% ortholinear Choc keyboard with a ThinkPad TrackPoint module.

I had built three Corne keyboards before, but this was my first fully custom handwired board. At some point I bought a 3D printer and realized I could design and print a keyboard case exactly how I wanted it. I used Flatboard Generator from GitHub to make a compact ortholinear layout, with the Choc switches as close together as possible so the MBK keycaps would fit nicely, while still keeping the case small enough to fit on my printer.

The first version worked as a normal keyboard after a lot of trial and error with the wiring and QMK firmware. I actually used it as my main keyboard for about two weeks. But I still had the itch to build a keyboard with a TrackPoint.

So I bought two used ThinkPad keyboards and salvaged the TrackPoint modules from them. That part was much harder than I expected. The pins are extremely small and close together, and I destroyed the first module while trying to solder to it. For the second one, I used a multimeter and a lot of help to identify the correct pins.

Getting the TrackPoint working was the hardest part of the whole project. I had many failed QMK builds, wrong wiring, unstable behavior, and moments where I thought the module was dead. Things started improving only after adding the right capacitors and resistors, cleaning up the wiring, and testing again and again.

One of my biggest mistakes was the diode wiring. In the first photo, you can see that I wired the diodes incorrectly. I basically made a chain where one diode leg was soldered directly to the next diode leg, instead of having each diode connect properly to a straight row/column wire. I was very close to stopping the project there, but I removed the bad wiring and redid it using a straight copper wire.

The final result is not the cleanest keyboard in the world, but it works. The switches are Choc, the layout is 40% ortholinear, the case is 3D printed, the firmware is QMK, and the TrackPoint actually works.

This project taught me a lot: handwiring, matrix wiring, diode mistakes, QMK debugging, TrackPoint pin identification, soldering tiny pads, and how many times you can redo the same thing before finally getting it right.

It was frustrating, but now I have a small custom keyboard that I designed, printed, wired, flashed, repaired, and modified myself.

Video: https://imgur.com/a/f0MOF6i

Definitely not perfect, but I’m really happy with it.

Someone over at r/mechanicalkeyboards directed me this way.

I'm such a newb I'm pretty much completely clueless, but I'm trying to learn.

I don't know exactly why this doesn't work, even though people have very patiently tried to explain it to me.

I'll keep watching tutorials.

So, the keyboard is completely custom I designed the frame and 3d printed it, bottom of it is made out of 2mm plexiglass.

The switches and keycaps for this keyboard are from anather, cheap keyboard I took apart. As a controler I use arduino pro micro and programmed it useing ardiuno language.

This keyboard is actually meant almost exclusively for gameing, that's why the key layout is so strange.

Vertical keys: 8 - tab, 5 - shift, 2 - ctrl

arrow keys: left - 6, up - space, right - 7

The rest of the keys have correct keycaps.

I hope you like it.

Arduino Pro Micro
Cherry Max Blue keys - keyring
And ugly wires

Lack of 3D printer so bought a keychain with mechanical keys, applied with some brute force to make this.

Well, works like a charm!

Used NRF52840, low profile switches, harvested vape batteries, and 4 pin oleds.

3 part sandwich case.

laser cutting went extremely well and got a very good looking plate and case!

first ever time handwiring was a very fun process, but also a painful one that took a long time.
- basically fully handwired it with very bad copper wires that oxidized and broke off with no force at all.
- decided to desolder all the wired connections and use single strand wire instead which is way stronger!

you may have noticed the missing keys! just have t printed them out yet is all so just imagine it with them!

as for the arkwright scholarship application, didnt get in ☹️
as for the d+t coursework however.. i got full marks!

so voila here is the (sort of) final look at my finished keyboard!

Hi, absolute beginner here. Can I handwhire like this? Should I change something? I want to do it with a raspberry pico