Orthograph - 75% split keeb with hot-swap sockets & RGB

This keyboard was designed to maintain a familiar layout, while being a split ortho keyboard - something that I haven’t seen on the market.

It features a slim height of just 11.5mm, per-key RGB lighting, hot-swap switches, and a bezel-less look on the outer edges.

I’ve been daily driving the prototype for a couple of months, and I think it is pretty darn close to my own personal endgame keyboard.





Layout:
36 keys left half, 46 keys right, for 82 keys total. It was designed to be familiar, while maximizing compatibility with existing keycap sets.
Needs an ergodox set (for the 1.5U keys on the sides & thumb keys) plus one of 75% / 1800 / etc.

http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/gists/42d33c206b55fc8938cc24da61229e0a




Why split keyboard?
Comfort and posture. With a split keyboard, the shoulders don’t have to be rounded, and easier to “sit up straight”.



How does this differ from Ergodox?
A standard, familiar key layout. Transitioning back and forth from a regular layout doesn’t take long
Slimmer, coming in at 11.5mm, compared to Ergodox’s 19mm
Metal case
Hot-swap sockets
Dual microcontrollers. This speeds up matrix polling, making this keyboard better for gaming
There is individual RGB lighting for every single key
Ortho - makes gaming with WASD more comfortable



Kit contents / What’s included?
Two assembled PCBs, two metal plates, four metal spacers, two base plates, screws, and silicone feet.
It does not include two microcontrollers (preferably Elite-C), switches, or keycaps. The case can be either aluminum or steel.

You need to supply your own split cable and two microcontrollers.








Usability
Here’s a typing demo - The prototype build doesn’t have lubed stabilizers, stab dampening, etc.

With the current setup, the keyboard feels fairly rigid - there’s no flex. If there’s interest, the spacer plates can be optionally modified to reduce rigidity.



Weight
Fully assembled, with switches and SA keycaps, the aluminum version is 460g (16oz) for the left side and 487g (17oz) for the right side. The total is just shy of 1kg (2.2lbs).

With steel, those weights would be around 1kg (2.2lbs) for the left side and a bit more for the right side - 2kg total (4.4lbs).



Pricing estimated at $290, very roughly. Depends on interest, extra features, and further communication with vendors.


PCB comes with all the diodes, LEDs, and hot-swap sockets pre-soldered. Requires an Elite-C or another thin (<3.6mm) flat-mounted microcontroller.



Additional Potential Features

The current prototype is made from anodized brushed aluminum sheets. There’s an option to get different colors or to get steel.

Switching from Elite-C microcontrollers to built-in electronics. This could take quite a bit of time, and it only really makes sense if there’s strong interest.

Removing RGB. This is fairly straight-forward, and would reduce cost.

Adding a rotary encoder between backspace and F12. This would take a bit of time and testing.

Damping. To dampen the keyboard, the mid-layer sheets could be swapped for a more flexible material. Requires quite a bit more time & research, the keyboard feel is not guaranteed. I could also leave a bit more material out of the mid-layers.



Status
The first prototype works well. I got preliminary pricing from suppliers. Still need to figure out shipping, QC, assembly, and other design tweaks. Currently looking for feedback.






More images



Interest check form. There are questions about customizations, features, and pricing. I would really appreciate any feedback.

https://forms.gle/fVj7hCMCCr5nhy1G7