Hey HN,<p>I built a wireless, split, ultra-low profile keyboard from scratch called Bayleaf. As a beginner I learned all things electronics, PCB-building, designing for manufacturing, and many other hardware-related skills to put this together.<p>This case study dives into the build process and of course the final result, hope you enjoy!
This is the keyboard I’ve been hoping Apple would make for years! I’ve currently got a UHK 60 but would probably switch to this if I could buy it. Especially if it had the standard Apple keyboard layout so my fingers don’t need to relearn things like arrow keys and cmd like when I switch between the UHK and MacBook keyboard.
Bravo! You have elevated a honed tool to a truly engaging artifact! I think the large challenge in design is mitigating the breaking point between ruthless efficiency and endearing novelty.<p>I picked up a Let's Split v2[0] when it came out years ago and never soldered it up.. maybe it's time!<p>[0]<a href="https://shop.beekeeb.com/product/lets-split-v2-keyboard-pcb-kit/?srsltid=AfmBOoqSnweOL2oUq39ST7nfdU0dlVJflhWocliGm2S4aNoTssoexW4y" rel="nofollow">https://shop.beekeeb.com/product/lets-split-v2-keyboard-pcb-...</a>
For next iteration, consider integrating trackpads?<p>Moving to the mouse and back is pain enough that people go all-in on keyboard-only interfaces.<p>I velcroed a trackpad to the middle of a Kinesis Advantage. Now I use either hand for the mouse, and even stretch a finger or thumb to the pad without leaving the keys. The movement is little different from using the keyboard.<p>But for split keyboard, you'd need one trackpad for each side, and in dimensions not readily available. hmm.
Personal opinion, but I really don’t get low-profile keyboards. I always need a foam cushion for my palms, which means that a normal profile always feels best for me. Low feels too low with a cushion, and yet still feels too high without one.
Fantastically beautiful keyboard!<p>Keyboards are such a good hobby project. The scope is comparatively small, yet within that scope you get in contact with many different and highly interesting subjects and challenges. And you can more or less pick and choose, which ones you engage with (wireless vs wired, soldering vs hand-wired, custom firmware vs. ZMK/QMK, split vs. traditional).
This is so funny, I dived into the custom keyboard rabbit hole just 3 weeks ago. Never thought this would be so intriguing and time consuming.<p>Did you consider Mill-Max Sockets?<p>My personal favorite are 80% TKL ISO low profile keyboards, which is quite uncommon and I've not found much except the<p><pre><code> Keychron K1 Max
</code></pre>
having this layout. Unfortunately, the integrated Gateron brown/red/... low profile switches are not my thing - my favorite ones would be Lofree Kailh Ghost, but these don't fit the keyboard, although it is hot swappable because low profile switches are non standard (at least 2 different layouts I know of).<p>So I also thought about a custom solution. I found pretty impressive open source firmware and pcbs [1], but I noticed that I just didn't have the time to do all this. Since keyboards are so an individual device, manufacturing bigger batches is risky and manufacturing smaller batches is expensive... so pretty much no choice than waiting for someone having the same dream as I have or do it myself after shoving free enough time.<p>1: <a href="https://github.com/4pplet/waffling80/issues/1">https://github.com/4pplet/waffling80/issues/1</a>
OP, congrats on the product and effort. _NOTHING_ beats prototyping and building.<p>For other split-mechanical keyboards check out:<p>ZSA Voyager<p>Moergo Glove 80
My ideal keyboard would be taking a Magic keyboard (in black or space gray) and splitting it into two. This is the closest I have seen. I'm too committed to a standard layout to go ortho linear at this point, but I admit it looks the most sleek and modern for sure.
Criticism:
- Non-standard layout
- Where's the arrow keys block? Insert/delete/home/end/pgup/pgdown block?
- Non-staggered keys makes it hard to type due to mistyping on the wrong row<p>Questions:
- Do you have nkey rollover?
- Would you accept "optional" wires? Note: gaming requires fast response times. Hell even programming/writing sucks when there's key lag.
Nice write-up.<p>For something so thin, your soldering woes aren't surprising. The standard way to manage that would have been to solder everything in one go on a hot plate (reflow soldering).<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QarizoUnRfk" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QarizoUnRfk</a>
I love this.<p>Totally have been here done that. While my aesthetics are a bit different than yours, the core idea is very similar. I just imagined if Nuphy and Planck would have a twin and come up with this. I was on a budget so I basically said fuck it to the thickness and just kept the size small. Everything was FDM and I even had a 3d printable pcb-not-so-pcb if you can’t wait at all. This runs zmk for full wireless experience, uses an nrf controller and have a battery life of over a month. I even had custom keycap with stickers on it so I can lookup rarely used keys.<p>PS. The only cons or why I am not running this for everything is that you kind of need 2 hand to do certain things like pause the music or adjusting volume.<p>Photo: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZwvTO3jMyY0JBKoYrA88sJk-7SXsDCc0/view?usp=drivesdk" rel="nofollow">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZwvTO3jMyY0JBKoYrA88sJk-7SX...</a>
The grid layout makes this look so futuristic (and anime [1]). It looks very cool, though I wonder how long it'd take to get used to one, having only ever typed on staggered layouts.<p>[1] <a href="https://gifer.com/es/BFCV" rel="nofollow">https://gifer.com/es/BFCV</a>
This is beautiful. I'm a "Let's Split" style keyboarder as well so this made me giddy! There's a distinct lack of solid cases out there for this layout style.<p>You mention possibly mass producing the next round. Please add a notify email list or something. I'd be all over this.
I've wanted this for years. I've tried so many "ergonomic" mechanical keyboards, but the huge key travel (even if very soft switches), tends to always give me finger/wrist issues over a few weeks.
The unsung hero here is probably the nice!nano. Such a good little board. I've made my own split keyboard around them and it just makes so many things I thought I'd have to think about Go Away.
Why do no split keyboards have symbols on the keycaps? What happens when you forget where a key is that you don't use often, do you just have to press keys until you find it again?
Hey, this is awesome. I also have been building my own keyboard. I wanted something that others where making. Split, low profile, hotswappable, supports Kailh v1 and v2, Vertically staggered ortholinear, wireless, had more than 60 keys, closer to 68 or 75%. I had an ErgoDash before, but didn't like the high profile, and modding it to be wireless was a bit finicky.<p>I had already used and made my first prototype and realized my thumb cluster was not positioned right and not comfortable for use. So I have the PCBs for the Prototype 2 where the entire bottom row is shifted in. I learned a lot about PCB design and MCUs through this. Yours looks SOOO much better laid out compared to mine too.<p>Old pictures of prototype 1: <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/VhqQmjGyzTeBbKFQ9" rel="nofollow">https://photos.app.goo.gl/VhqQmjGyzTeBbKFQ9</a> ( have top and bottom plates, i just never used them because i found the thumb cluster issue quickly) (there is an ErgoDash pictured too that I used previously, modded to be wireless)<p>Life, becoming a father, moving to a different country, and so many things have put this project on hold, but I will finish it soon.
I’m currently using the kinesis advantage. It’s a great keyboard but I’ve been hoping to find a wireless split keyboard for a while. This one looks great.
I like your design choices.<p>Putting the micro-controllers at the far ends means the rest of the board can be lower, meaning less need for palm supports. Also I like you NOT having OLED screens - they're toys at best and one more thing to break at worse.<p>As for Ortho VS Staggered, ortho has the great advantage of things like WASD just being usable out of the box, and also flexibility with things like numpad layers. I've printed paper cut outs of things like the ferris sweep to see if pinky stagger would be comfortable for me, and the answer was negative. Probably very hand dependent.<p>Curious why aluminium and not steel? Steel is a heavier, and also has less of that pingy noise, though I have no idea about machining so perhaps it's a no go.
I'd definitely buy this to try if it works for me.<p>> Typing on the keyboard is very comfortable due to it’s low height. No more wrist arching.<p>Fully agreed. I went through many keyboards, from very expensive to very cheap, until I found the one my joints were okay with, and I think it was the lowest height of all. A cheap no-name, straight from Aliexpress. I think it's even lower than yours - hard to measure, but looks like ~4mm from table to top of keys. You can tell from the size of the USB-C port [1].<p>[1] <a href="https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/Sffc2751fa6184967aaa16f2a629ca1669.jpg" rel="nofollow">https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/Sffc2751fa6184967aaa16f2a629ca166...</a>
This is really impressive, especially considering the complexity of designing a wireless split keyboard from scratch! Having built my own mechanical keyboard before (though not wireless), I know how much goes into PCB design, key switch selection, and firmware development.<p>One challenge I’ve seen with wireless keyboards (especially splits) is managing synchronization lag between halves. Some DIY split builds struggle with Bluetooth interference, while others use NRF-based communication. What approach did you take to keep latency low and ensure reliable keypress synchronization? Also, how does the power efficiency compare to something like a ZMK-powered split?
Awesome! Looks like it accompanied an apple trackpad, super sleek.<p>I'm also using nice!nanos in my projects, and they're great little devices. At this point I'd love there to be a good alternative using a dongle, though... I have a desktop PC that I want to use them with, and since they can't connect via Bluetooth at boot time, I always have to connect them to select a boot option and unlock my ZFS drive.<p>Having an affordable or open source controller that can do split as well as nice!nanos, but also switch between Bluetooth and a dongle is like the holy grail to me. I'd instantly buy 10.
Very cool. Goes well with your Ghost S1 as well I see in the background. I love mine, though I will say it's getting harder and harder to find decent 2 slot GPUs.
Looks really nice. I do have my doubts about the ergonomics of it though. Once you've had a taste of concavity and column-staggering nothing else feels the same.
Ever since I saw this video[1] by Dave2D I have felt the need to move away from my regular mechanical keyboards to Ortholinear keyboards. Non split keyboards seemed too much of a hassle and Bayleaf looks like something I can totally switch to. If only someone built a DIY kit that I could buy off shelves.<p>1: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVfB_0s470I" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVfB_0s470I</a>
First time seeing a low profile keyboard on par with a magic keyboard. Actually would fit in a bag :)<p>Usually "low profile" is used generously in mechanical keyboard land
Looks awesome! This with a small carrying case would be amazing. Maybe the space next to the keys could be a kind of small touch pad used for scrolling?
The part of my brain that never stopped playing Tetris notices that if you had striped the color variations left to right instead of top to bottom you’d have a more uniform color variation. And if you’s put half the dark and half the light on each side then the gradient would look more purposeful.<p>But you also probably should have printed 2x as many keys and split them up for making two copies.
I feel the large spaces in the middle could instead be for a trackpad. One side only of course, the other would have keys up to the edge. I often long for the convenience of the inbuilt mac trackpad when I'm using an external bluetooth keyboard and trackpad. Unfortunately the edges and the location of the trackpad charging port make it not ideal.
This looks incredible, I was hoping when I clicked that it would be ortholinear, pleasantly surprised it is! Probably about four years ago I bought a ZSA Moonlander, and started learning Vim keybindings right at the same time. My words per minute dropped to 20 or something before climbing back and passing what it was before. I couldn't ever go back.
I once did a ton of research and settled on an ergonomic split keyboard. I ended up using it for a while but never fully got used to it enough to actually type well with it. In fact, it screwed up my typing and now I make more mistakes than I used to years later. I regret it so much. I don't understand split keyboards.
First it looks amazing. Honest question, why do all of these keyboards never have an extra column on the right. Standard querty layout has a lot of coding related extra keys to the right than the left. Similar with the ergodox ez and moonlander. Hard to break a years long habit of going up for a curly brace or bracket then down.
I love this. Well done. I've looked in the past for an ultra portable full sized keyboard (with a nice aesthetic) that I could throw in my pocket. I wonder if I could actually do any real work (not coding, of course) at a coffee shop with my iPhone in a stand and with a keyboard like that.
Yes. Shut up and take my money!
This is exactly what I've been looking for and couldn't find.
Seriously, can I just give you money and take the prototype right now?
Wow, it looks amazing!<p>I needed an enclosure for a project recently and went with modifying a stock ABS enclosure - but I'd love to use machined aluminium! You mentioned you're in the EU - did PCBway deliver from the US, or from closer to home? Also, how much did the enclosure cost please?
I have been working on a very similar build.<p>One feature I decided was a requirement is holding me up. I really want pogo pins on the sides of the keyboards, so that they magnetically attach and the left will charge the right.<p>How do you charge the left and the right since they require separate cables?
It's a very impressive accomplishment. Nice job and you should be proud.<p>My main reaction when seeing this was "this is not for me." In terms of the layout, no labels, etc. I'm actually surprised to see how many people seemingly have no problem with this.
This is so pretty. I’ve been playing with a used Ergodox and this is so close to what I feel like I’d build if I made my own from scratch. The main difference is that each half is a 6x5 grid instead of 7x5, and me being fine with a wired keyboard.
The link when you mention Mikefive's post only goes to the subreddit, not a specific post. Searching for "Mikefive" on reddit yielded a lot of results. I'd love to see the specific post you were referring to.<p>Beautiful keyboard.<p>Sent from my Allium58 Low Profile :D
That's insane, nice work!<p>I know quite a few people who would buy if you ever produced even 10 of them. Part 2 having charging magnets would seem good. Me personally, I don't have 2 usb-c ports lying around that aren't already used :P
Fantastic write up and beautiful design decisions. Really remarkable work! As another market data point, I would definitely pay a premium price if you were to go to market with it.
Looking forward to stagger/more thumbs in the next one! magnet batteries also sound very cool. and if they could sandwich eachother protectively for packing/traveling wow
sensational. well done!<p>one feature I would really like to see is multi-device connectivity/switching like the Logitech MX Keys. Outside of that, this keyboard is my grail board. Looking forward to keeping up with this project!
Beautiful design, great execution. All-in-all this is a wonderful project.<p>However... ever since transitioning to an ergonomic/curved keyboard I don't think that I could ever go back to a traditional layout, even moreso for ortholinear.
Unlike the author, I consider wireless to be a dealbreaker. Technology barely works, no way I am letting radio quality stand between me and the computer. Same reason I require a wired microphone.<p>Also add the atrocious security record of HID, and I assume wireless typing is easily intercepted.
I always wanted Apple to make a split keyboard.<p>Then I realized I could just buy two Magic Keyboards and use them at the same time -- typing on the left half of the left one, and the right half of the right one.<p>After all, the proper ergonomic position is for your forearms to be parallel (not angled inward), which means the keyboard halves you're using should be approximately shoulder-width apart, so there's <i>tons</i> of room to use both without them colliding.<p>Once I figured it out, I felt like an idiot for not figuring it out a decade earlier. I'm never going back.
Beautiful!<p>I have these ultra thin bt keyboards that came in a leather ipad case from Restoration Hardware... SUPER THIN.<p>These bitches better have a lot of magnets! (oh saw that in future. and the LED thingy -- if you can have a display in the side panels, that would be nifty - and a second BT object? Whereby the display in the side panels is BT to phone and thus get distractions.<p>my problem with small super thin BT keyboards is that the materials are too slippy -- so a tacky-ish finish so they dont slide around when on a surface such as a pant leg or so...<p>also, a curved version of this would be great for a sleave version - with magnets so that you slap one on your fore-arm. could even have power/connectivity coming from wires in the garment that they attach to.<p>Magnets basically. Need lots.<p>--<p>what if... since the thing is so small, the actual object is the mouse? So you can choose l/r object and then just grab it and mouse about?