pling! is a custom low profile wireless split keyboard designed around a few ideas:
- optimize the layout for my skinny long fingers
- embrace the internals instead of hiding it
- keep the structure and build process minimal (no hotswap, no headers, no jumper pads)
The pling! features:
- Gateron KS27 Low Profile switches
- 54 key layout with 3 keys in the thumb cluster
- Xiao BLE microcontorller (nrf52840) runnign ZMK firmware (indicator LEDs too)
- Flippable PCB
- Long ass 250mah battries
- Acrylic + 3D Printed body
- No hotswap sockets, no headers for the microcontroller. Set it and forget it, for good or for worse.
Images are up in the images folder. I'd like to create a prettier gallery sometime.
btw did i tell you how pretty the indicator LEDs look through the frosted acrylic?
BOM and Build Guide can be found here.
The PCB is flippable without needing any jumper pads (like the corne, which are a nightmare to figure out). The KiCad source files and gerbers can be found here.
Do note that the source KiCad files are a mess and I've yet to clean them up. But the gerbers zip is perfectly adequate and I used the same to order pcbs from jlc.
The firmware I use can be found in my zmk-config repo. It doesn't yet support zmk studio because I prefer to use keymap editor, but I plan to add support for zmk studio soon.
This is the default colemak layout I use with additional layers for special characters, numbers, etc.
The stl files for the 3d printed case and the dxf files for the acrylic cutout can be found here.
As flawless as I'd like to claim my design is, this version has some issues that I noticed while building it. Please keep them in mind:
- The screw placements are a bit weird. The ones for the acrylic plate are very close to the switches (just barely fit) and don't look symmetric. There aren't properly spaced screw holes for the body either, I use two of the acrylic holes for the body in my personal build.
- no hotswaps and no headers. I added this in features but ofcourse there are downsides, I just find this way more straightforward and there's much less room for error. And I'd rather build a new one than changing the switches on these. You could still desolder them :).
I actually built half a split keyboard 4 years ago. It wasn't that good. I have been planning to design and build a better once since then but I've kept putting it off due to multiple reasons. Thanks to these mentions for helping me finish this keep.
- The Ergonaut One keyboard has been a huge inspiration for the design and the pcb layout.
- My friends at college for moral and technical support.