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<figure>
<img src="https://f000.backblazeb2.com/file/bsag-blog-imgs/corne%5Fboth%5Fhalves.jpeg"/>
</figure>
<p>I managed to build my own keyboard!</p>
<h3 id="the-backstory">The backstory</h3>
<p>As you may know, I&rsquo;ve been using an <a href="https://www.rousette.org.uk/archives/ergodox-ez-keyboard/">ErgoDox EZ</a> keyboard for a while now, and I
have come to love both the ortholinear split layout of the keys and the ability to
completely customise the key layout. They recently also enabled you to set up a
layer to work with the open source stenography software called <a href="http://plover.stenoknight.com">Plover</a>. This was
fabulous, and I have been playing with learning stenography using this layer.
I&rsquo;m sure I&rsquo;ll be writing much more about this at a later date, but &mdash; briefly &mdash; stenography
requires you to hit multiple keys together (like a chord on a piano) in order to
output words phonetically. This means that it is easier to do if your keys are close
together and don&rsquo;t require too much force to press, otherwise your fingers are
effectively bench-pressing a couple of kilograms every paragraph! Since my
ErgoDox has hot-swappable keyswitches, I did a little experimentation, buying
some Gateron Clear switches (linear, 35g switches). They definitely solved the
force problem, and I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed typing on them for
ordinary typing. As an aside, I think my love for the Happy Hacking Keyboard
switches made me think that I could only love tactile switches, but now I think
that they have their own special properties, and that I generally prefer linear
switches.</p>
<p>Going down a bit of a rabbit hole while on holiday (as I am prone to doing), I started looking
around to see if there might be some low-profile keyboards with key
arrangements which might be better for stenography so that I could play with it
further. Luckily, stenography requires very few keys, and I quickly found the
<a href="https://github.com/foostan/crkbd">Corne or crkbd</a> keyboard, which is split, ortholinear, and has a layout well
suited to stenography (as well as conventional QWERTY layouts). You can buy them
assembled from various places, but it is much cheaper to buy a kit or components
and make your own. This obviously requires soldering. I had never so much as
picked up a soldering iron before this point, but I had always wanted to learn.
As another aside, one of the consequences of coming out the other side of the
menopause seems to be that I am much less worried about failure. I feel much
more confident about trying things, even if they might be a bit challenging, and
I might crash and burn. Perhaps I worry less about what other people think. I&rsquo;m
finding this new state of mind hugely enjoyable (which is good, because going
<em>through</em> the menopause was hell, physically and mentally, so it&rsquo;s nice to find
something positive on the other side). So, why not learn how to solder and go
for it?</p>
<h3 id="the-practice-project">The practice project</h3>
<p>I was feeling confident, but I didn&rsquo;t want to waste money or get frustrated by
going straight into a complex/more expensive project like building a keyboard. Instead (after
watching a lot of YouTube videos of soldering tutorials, and buying a £15
basic soldering kit), I got <a href="https://thepihut.com/products/adafruit-conways-game-of-life-kit">this cheap kit</a> to build a little game demonstrating
Conway&rsquo;s Game of Life. It was fun to put together, and I was amazed when it
<a href="https://micro.rousette.org.uk/2021/08/24/guess-who-taught.html">worked first time</a>.</p>
<p>I enjoyed the soldering a lot, and since I had already succeeded in the kinds of
techniques I would need to build the keyboard (like &lsquo;through-the-hole&rsquo;
soldering), I had the confidence I needed to go ahead with the bigger project,
without worrying that I would mess it up completely.</p>
<h3 id="the-corne-keyboard">The Corne keyboard</h3>
<p>After getting hold of all the components I needed, I got stuck in. There are a
lot of &lsquo;build logs&rsquo; out there where people document what they have done and problems
they have encountered, so I had a reasonable idea about where the difficult
spots might be. I took my time, trying not to spend too long soldering in one
stretch, because it&rsquo;s when you get tired that you tend to make mistakes (as I
have found repeatedly while sewing).</p>
<p>I used a Corne Light v2.0 PCB, which enables you to use a wide variety of
switches, but doesn&rsquo;t support LCD lighting or hotswap sockets for the key
switches. Both of those would be nice to have, but doing without them made the
project much simpler and cheaper. I did however choose to use two OLED displays
and two Elite C micro-controllers (which are USB C) rather than the standard Pro
Micro controllers which are micro USB. I went for Kailh Choc Blue
switches, which are low-profile 25g linear switches. The case is a simple FR4
plate case, and the keycaps are <a href="https://keycapsss.com/keyboard-parts/keycaps/169/mbk-choc-low-profile-blank-keycaps">MBK Choc low profile key caps</a>.</p>
<figure>
<img src="https://f000.backblazeb2.com/file/bsag-blog-imgs/corne%5Fswitches.jpeg"/>
</figure>
<p>The whole thing went remarkably smoothly. I decided to socket the micro
controllers and the OLED units so that I could remove and replace them if they
went wrong, or if I wanted to salvage them for another project. I was a bit
worried about doing this for the OLEDs: they had header pins already soldered
on, which meant doing some desoldering, which I hadn&rsquo;t practised. Again, it
turned out to be a bit easier than I feared, so I was able to make longer header
pins from the diode legs I had already trimmed, and plug it into the socket
header I soldered in to the board.</p>
<p>Once you have the diodes, the controllers, and the reset switches and TRRS jacks
soldered, you can try shorting out the sockets of each of the keyswitches in
turn to make sure everything is connected up properly. I was holding my breath
for this step, but it was a great feeling when all the keys reported back
properly. From there, all I needed to do was insert all the keyswitches and
solder them, then assemble the case and keycaps and try it all out.</p>
<figure>
<img src="https://f000.backblazeb2.com/file/bsag-blog-imgs/corne%5Fdiodes%5Fcontrollers.jpeg"/>
</figure>
<h3 id="the-end-result">The end result</h3>
<p>I&rsquo;m so happy with the end result. The keyboard feels comically tiny compared the
ErgoDox, but with the reduced number of keys, every key is only one unit away
from your fingers on the home row. They Kailh Chocs feel lovely, and the whole
thing has a solid and good quality feel. It has probably taken me longer to
wrestle with <a href="https://docs.qmk.fm/#/">QMK</a> to get the layout right (and the Plover stenography layer
working) than it did to physically build the keyboard, but having done so, I am
really enjoying typing on it.</p>
<figure>
<img src="https://f000.backblazeb2.com/file/bsag-blog-imgs/corne%5Fright%5Fhalf.jpeg"/>
</figure>
<p>When using QWERTY, it takes a little while to get used to the fact that there is
no number row, so you need to use one of the layers to enter numbers and
use function keys. However, once you have adjusted to this, it is no more
inconvenient than using a shift key, and means that you can arrange characters
wherever feels most ergonomic. I have learned from using the ErgoDox what
arrangement of symbols etc. works best for me, so that influenced my choices
heavily. I thought I would miss all those extra keys, but
actually it doesn&rsquo;t feel limiting.</p>
<p>Now that I have got my Plover layer working, it is a joy to be practising
stenography on this board. The finger placement and the lighter keys make it
much easier to type the chords needed accurately. For some sounds, you need to
press several adjacent keys with one finger, and that&rsquo;s much more comfortable on
this board. I&rsquo;ve got it set up so that I can activate the Plover layer from my
&lsquo;Adjust&rsquo; layer, then exit Plover back to QWERTY by pressing another key.</p>