Interest CheckKeyboards

mod_ - Fully Modular Keyboard 65% → 110%

by chatter_box

$800.00

geekhackenriched

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Description

mod_
The fully modular, fully customizable, hot-swappable keyboard you've always dreamed of.

1. Introduction

Hey everyone! I'm chatter_box, I'm an electronics design engineer living in the U.S. who's had a growing obsession passion for keyboards for a couple years at this point. I've designed and made two different keyboards before for myself and a friend, but this will be my first actual production-run keyboard, and I've really put all my heart and soul into making it live up to the vision that I have for it.

The core tenant of mod_ is of course, modularity. That primary design principle is expressed by trying to suit the widest range of preferences, without losing any sense of identity or direction, and without becoming needlessly complicated.

This ethos is achieved by having the following features:

2. Features

One unified keyboard, or being able to be split apart into two halves
Hot-swappable* modules:

Numpad that can be connected on either side (traditional or southpaw)
Function row
XT double column that can be connected on either side

Top plates with different colours, materials, and styles (similar to Protozoa Studio's Foundation)
Magnets on the modules to enable the hot-swap
Two sideways and ergonomically positioned rotary encoders for left / right handed users
Wireless via BLE 5.3, or wired** via USB-C 2.0
Easy charging via one-wire, just connect the two splits together and plug in the left one***

* What I mean here is that you can connect these elements to the left / right split while the keyboard is powered on and running, and they will seamlessly connect
** The primary split (left), which houses the USB-C 2.0 port, can connect via USB, but all other splits communicate via BLE 5.3 to the primary split
I know that this compromise is unappealing to most, but it's the only viable solution if I still want to have the keyboard be able to be wireless with ZMK
*** Only the left and right splits have batteries (rechargeable Li-Po) in them, all the other elements simply magnetically connect to a given side and are powered by said side

IC FORM

3. Design

I've always been fascinated with electronics, and I knew before I even started designing this board that I wanted it to have them be prominently displayed. So, I added acrylic windows to the left and right splits (along with designing the PCB so most of the components would be visible from there) to show them off!

But the main aspect of the design that got me excited was being able configure the overall layout exactly how you wanted; you can have the keyboard be one piece, or split into two separate halves (splits), you could have a numpad on the right per tradition, or have it on the left, or not have it at all, and the same goes for the XT (extended) function column, and the function row itself.

As for the rotary encoders, after some back and forth and a few experiments, I decided that placing horizontal ones in the middle and on the edges would be the best ergonomically for the most amount of people.

Unfortunately I don't have renders yet (coming soon) for what the keyboard will look like with different face plates, but to get a good idea I suggest checking out Protozoa Studio's Foundation, as it will be pretty much the same, just with a separate face plate for each module.

4. Specifications

Layout: 65% → 110% (optionally split)
Mounting: Top mount
Typing Angle: 6°
Materials: Aluminum (top frame, switch plate), poly-carbonate (bottom frame, switch plate, top face plate), and stainless steel (top face plate mounting)
Front Height: 20mm
PCB: 4-layer FR4
Firmware: ZMK

5. Layout

6. PCB
Here's some images of the PCB(s) along with some mildly scuffed renders in Fusion 360 that show the battery placement.

7. Disclaimer

The design is almost entirely completed, the case itself is missing a few finishing touches and some tolerances, and the PCB is almost fully routed.
However, the two biggest issues with this project are the following:

Missing vendor to manufacture and assemble case & PCB
There is no prototype

And one thing I'd like to make crystal clear to everyone is that I will NEVER ask for a single CENT of anyone's money before I have a fully functional and demonstrable prototype.
I will NEVER take someone's money to manufacture a product that is not proven to be viable.

Since everything is still in progress, the all the details, including potential colourways, kitting, and even the price itself are subject to change (hopefully for the better!). I'll add any updates / details to this post.

8. Availability

Pricing: $800 → 1000 USD* depending on the kitting (i.e. all modules included, or just the main split)
Sales Method: Group buy
# of People: 300 → 500

* I know this will likely be the biggest factor for why someone might not want to participate in the group buy, but I'm not sure there's a way around a steep price given how complex the keyboard is, both in terms of the number of physical components (all the case parts), and the amount of components needed for the electronics (battery management system, soft on / off, various voltage converters, wireless microcontroller, RGB indicator LEDs etc.).

9. Proof of Concept (sort of)

As I mentioned before, I had previously designed and manufactured a few different keyboards for me and my friends, and one in particular was definitely a strong inspiration for mod_, that being the MMKB (Modular Mechanical Keyboard). It effectively acts as a proof of concept for some of the features of mod_, but the design philosophy is very similar between the two, it's just that one is significantly more ambitious than the other.

To be clear, it's by no means a prototype, but I thought I'd include it in the IC to show people that I've done something like this before, and it's performed better than I could've ever hoped, in fact I'm using it to type this sentence right now! There were definitely a few mistakes I made (as shown in the pictures below, some bodge wires, super glue, and using a separate antenna), but I learned a tremendous amount through doing it, and I never would've had the confidence to design mod_ if I hadn't made MMKB first.

10. Changelog

10/23/24 - Cleaned up some clunky wording, consolidated the features section, added the PCB section, and updated the disclaimer section
10/24/24 - Added "proof of concept" section, implemented changelog for transparency, fixed picture in PCB section, and added layout section
11/10/24 - Added project "updates" section
01/14/25 - Changed the GB "# of People" section from 30 → 50 to 300 → 500 in order to keep price within an appropriate range

11. Updates

11/10/24 - Fully finished PCB design (routing and layout), moving onto finishing case design
01/14/25 - Had to take a break for a while due to the holidays and an unforeseen medical emergency, progress will resume shortly

IC FORM | DISCORD | INSTAGRAM

Thank you so much to anyone who took the time to read this or to fill out the form, it really means a lot to me, I hope to make this project a reality soon!

Special thanks to Max Voltar, for being such incredible help, and for just being an awesome person.