Developer Severin Meyer has designed an impressively slick open-hardware ergonomic ortholinear mechanical keyboard, primarily based round a 3D-printed chassis and a versatile sectioned PCB — and powered by a Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller board.
“Chrumm is an open-hardware ergonomic keyboard, fabricated from a 3D-printable physique, a bendable PCB, and customized firmware for the Raspberry Pi Pico,” Meyer explains of the machine. “Chrumm includes a column staggered structure with easy thumb clusters. The precise facet has a further column, to higher approximate the usual ANSI structure, and to supply devoted arrow keys. A central encoder permits for rotational enter.”
This Raspberry Pi Pico-powered keyboard’s modern design belies its 3D-printed nature. (📷: Severin Meyer)
That is already a formidable record of options, however Meyer’s venture has extra behind it. The 3D-printed shell assembles right into a single block with no seen screws, 3D printed utilizing STL recordsdata generated from a Python package deal. “Most components are printed sideways,” Meyer explains, “to provide a clean floor with out the necessity of post-processing. Customized helps reduce the print time and filament price.”
Contained in the housing are a pair of PCBs designed to host the keyboard’s switches, cut up into sections linked by versatile bridges with a purpose to permit the PCBs to adapt to the curved form of the case. A small companion PCB homes the rotary encoder, used to rapidly regulate quantity, whereas one of many two essential PCBs performs host to a Raspberry Pi Pico because the keyboard’s controller.
The wrist-rest is upholstered for consolation, whereas the principle keyboard physique is assembled right into a single piece with no screws seen from the highest. (📷: Severin Meyer)
Even then, that is not the total extent of the venture: to complete the keyboard, Meyer designed an identical wrist-rest which extends out at both facet of the keyboard’s angled entrance — then completed it in artificial leather-based to supply a softer, extra cushioned really feel.
Meyer has launched the supply code and design recordsdata for the Chrumm on GitHub beneath the CERN Open {Hardware} License Model 2 — Weakly Reciprocal; “I share these recordsdata within the hope that they’re helpful,” the maker writes, “or at the least attention-grabbing to others.”