Designing and Building Custom Keyboards ⌨️ with Python
summary
History of QWERTY leads to redesigns and a working build shows the payoff: a pivoted Liy58 58-key build with hot sockets, Pro Micro/RP2040 controller, OLED and wireless that flashes via QMK and fits in a backpack. Python generates practice text from a code folder and a Pygame tester measures speed. PCB ordering from PCBWay and Kicad/GDSFactory for cases avoids first-time design pain. Battery with OLED lasts ~1–2 days; recommendation is to start with open PCBs, solder practice boards, then customize.
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chapters (15)
- 0:00Introduction and speaker background
- 1:06History of keyboard layouts
- 3:17Keyboard size variations
- 5:00Ergonomics and ortholinear keyboards
- 6:44Thumb keys and custom layouts
- 8:12Building a custom keyboard
- 10:22PCB and electronics basics
- 11:25Popular keyboard layouts
- 13:33Flashing firmware with QMK
- 14:37Customizing layouts in QMK
- 15:59Designing layouts with Python
- 17:03Python typing practice tool
- 18:27Keyboard switches and keycaps
- 20:13Practical benefits of custom keyboards
- 21:15Conclusion and legacy of QWERTY
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