The Problem
I wanted a keyboard with a few features that don't seem to come with DIY keyboards together. These are
- ISO 105 Full-size layout: I am Hungarian. I am the kind of an IT guy who - opposed to all others - didn't learn to type properly even on my own language's layout. So this one is important for me. While I'm at it, the keyboard I want is a full sized one
- Wireless: I really don't have high standards when it comes to keyboards. I don't care how it sounds as long as it is reasonable and not rattling a lot. I'm not keen on having sub-ms latency. One of the first reasons I decided to choose this path is because I often sit on the couch and play on my PC which is sitting next to the TV. I don't want a 5 meter cable on the floor (anymore)
- Backlit: This is actually a functional thing for me since I didn't learn to type without looking. I'm basically lost at night. It's getting better already, but I am far from confident when not loking at the keyboard directlly.
- Mechanical: maybe even hot swappable.
- Cheap: ...
I found the logitech K800 to be almost perfect but it's not a mech and it's impossible to source with a Hungarian layout. Even if I found one, they usually cost around 100-150€. Since we are in this price range anyway, I thought it could be a fun project to do it myself.
Questions
I started some research trying to find the points of failure. Problems along the process which I can not solve myself.
These are control, keycaps, and case.
For controls, I can always use an existing wireless keyboard's control circuit, right? It may mean some tangled mess of wires when trying to reproduce the keyboard matrix, but how complicated could it be? Alternatively, there is a project for the ESP32 to act as a Bluetooth HID device. That also looks promising. Have a look here
Keycaps. Backlit Hungarian keycaps. They are basically non-existant. I could order some custom made, but then again: it would cost about 70 $ plus shipping which is way out of budget if you ask me. I could maybe order blank ISO keycaps and use my 3018 CNC to cut the letters, then fill the letter-shaped holes with some epoxy. We'll see when we get there...
Case? Wood. Some pretty hardwood would do fine. I found a seller for mahogany and walnut planks, I could use the aforementioned CNC router to form a case.
The result
We'll see... so far nothing has been materialized, but I'm working on it.
Bottom note: some of my writings may look educational. While I'm mostly sure what I write is technically correct, my intention is to document the thought process. So maybe someone would spot some errors and steer me in the right direction.