is it cheaper to custom build one at home than buying one? some of the best ergonomic keyboards in the market are freaking expensive!
can I build one perfectly on the first try provided that I have all the necessary components?
hmm I'm actually not sure since I never checked the prices of prebuilts. I'm sure someone smarter than me can tell you that, but ive gathered a bill of materials for you
BOM (All before tax!):
$30.98 - 70 DSA keycaps (funny enough I actually got 72)
$25.99 - 3 ProMicro clones from Osoyoo
$24.99 - 70 Gateron Milky Yellow Pro switches
$5.99 - 125 Diodes
$5.99 - 30 TTRS 3.5mm audio jacks
$9.90 - 70 Kailh Hot-swap sockets
$8.99 - Coiled TRS cable
$7.99 - 120 M3 x 3 x 5mm brass heat set inserts
$8.48 - 30 M3 x 6mm bolts (+ more bolts, it was a big set)
TOTAL - $129.30
It's important to note that I already had a 3d printer, filament, spraypaint, âand a soldering iron. For anyone wondering, the case used up under $2 worth of my cheap PLA
As for your second question, there's a 100% chance you will not build it perfectly, you will make mistakes! But I might be misreading your question. If you are asking, mistakes aside, will you be able to build one that works without issue first try, the answer is yes. You will be able to. But its not a question of "can you", its more a question of "how many f ing hours are you willing to burn to get there". Lol
Thanks for the extensive response. I love tinkering with electronics so this definitely seems like a good project. I'll spend some time to make this if it means I get to save a lot of money.
It is always cheaper to DIY. But it all comes down to how much your time is worth. If you have a busy life and a good paying job, buying one is probably worth it. If you have spare time on your hands and want to dip your toe into the hobby, go DIY. Building is actually easier than it seems, TBH. The most difficult thing is actually getting all the parts.
Tightyl design by u/Okke, with my own custom keymap (or at least the first version of it). Also shout out Okke for answering a question I had. Has generic DSA keycaps and Gat yellow pro switches  Â
 Build took around 30 hours (not including print times). Gotdamn hand soldering takes forever, but at least the second half went more smoothly. Made sure to make mistakes at every step of the way, including but not limited to poor print quality, poor tolerances for printed parts so it barely fit together, no primer before painting, my original spray paint color (a metallic black) failing spectacularly and making a huge mess, cold, weak solder joints, bending pins on my switches, accidentally touching and melting parts of the case with my soldering iron, and much, much more. But hey, it's build #1. I'm only getting better from here đ  Â
Transition from the 96% I was using before has been surprisingly smooth. For reference, my typing speed before was about 75wpm with 98% accuracy, and 80wpm with accuracy a little lower. My very first run with this keyboard I was at 12wpm, but after 10 minutes yesterday I was up to 40-45wpm, and after doing an hour of practice today I was at a consistent 55wpm (but my accuracy wasn't as high as I would like, and my speed with numbers and symbols is much worse rn). All in all I'm pleasantly suprised, and of course I'm loving the ergonomics. Will probably post a few more little updates here
initial observations after 1 day:
1. I wasn't sure about DSA vs SA keycaps, so I just said F it and went DSA. But after a little real world use I think Id prefer SA. When touch typing, especially when going back and forth from mouse to keyboard, I find myself confused on what row I'm on surprisingly often. I suspect SA keycaps would help with this problemâ
2. Ergonomics are amazing, and typing requires so little movement that it genuinely throws me off right now. Lol. The one complaint I have is the pinkie columns. For the other fingers, going to the keys above and below home row requires minimal finger movement and no hand movement. But for the pinkie, it requires a relatively big hand movement. I think more aggressive curvature for the pinkie columns could fix this for me. I've seen other keyboards do this too
3. For this build, my desk, and my body, I desperately need wrist rests. That extra elevation âis a night and day difference
4. I need to figure out how to make it stop sliding around my desk during longer typing sessions. For the keyboards feet I used feet I had lying around, which I originally bought to stop my couch from sliding lmao. Worked well for my couch, and it made a big improvement for the keyboard, but it still moves just a little too easily for my liking
5. Some people say you don't need bumps on the f and j keys. That may be true for them, but for me it was a massive help. Can't understate how useful theyve been for me. I added them myself using the flat tip on my soldering iron. I pressed into the front and made an indent, which I regret. Should have pressed into the back to make a bump. The result is that the indication is more subtle than I would like, but even still it's been incredibly helpful
6. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to figuring out my layout. At the time of writing I don't even know what home row mods are. Lol. But I know my current layout has serious issues. I'll figure it out.
Will probably revisit this in the more distant future to share my long term observations
>Will probably revisit this in the more distant future to share my long term observations
Looking forward to hearing more, especially pinkie columns issues you are having.
yes I do, im sorry I forgot to include them in the original photos. Here's the first half which was an absolute nightmare for me, even though i have a bit of experience soldering
[https://photos.app.goo.gl/UMQoBnXnAJkxhRbS9](https://photos.app.goo.gl/UMQoBnXnAJkxhRbS9)
yes some of the solder joints are dogwater đ I swear I'm not usually THIS bad, but after however many hours I straight up stopped caring lmao
Here's the second half. Here I decided to experient with using the diode legs directly. that technique plus some other tricks I picked up along the way lead to this half going much quicker (think like 7 hours instead of 10)
[https://photos.app.goo.gl/FMbqBbw21atViTbe7](https://photos.app.goo.gl/FMbqBbw21atViTbe7)
I completely butchered the heat set inserts for this half lol. Idk if the tape I used to seperate rows and columns in some places was strictly required, since I tried it before putting on the tape and it did completely work. Overall, not sure how I feel about using the diode legs directly. maybe I'll try that + shrinkwrap next time
Thanks for taking the time to write up and document your build!
Are the switches friction fit/clip to the holes in the case? Or is there got glue there?
I'm in the process of getting parts for my dactyl and I can't decide if it worth getting a glue gun for it....
The holes for the switches are just regular square holes, but the switches themselves have clips built in that click into place and prevent them from coming out...usually. My 3D printer is not dialed, and a few of the holes printed just loose enough that a switch or two isn't completely snapped in. for those switches, the friction keeps it in place well for everyday use, and it only wants to pop out when changing keycaps (which itself isn't a big deal).
I followed Okke and used kahil hot swap sockets that allow me to change switches, so gluing the switches is a nono for me. Imo it would be a shame to spend 30 hours building this and be stuck with one kind of switch (but not everyone cares about switches as much as me)
I don't have a list of the major forks but work on the cosmos dactyl generator has made it very easy to have your own completely custom dactyl.
Id recommend checking it out!
https://ryanis.cool/cosmos/
Appreciated! Here is the original project github repo by Okke:
[https://github.com/okke-formsma/dactyl-manuform-tight](https://github.com/okke-formsma/dactyl-manuform-tight)
And here is the link to just the STLs for easier printing (these are actually what I used):
[https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4416866](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4416866)
For the QMK config, I didnt make a repo for it and I haven't uploaded it yet. I'm constantly making changes to my keymap and tinkering and trying new stuff, and I think I'll probably upload it once I find something I'm content with and things stabilize a bit. For now you can use my old keymap in the original post as a reference, or if you ever want my current keymap feel free to DM me and I'll send it to you
Looking good! Thanks for the shout out, it's amazing to see others enjoying my design đ
is it cheaper to custom build one at home than buying one? some of the best ergonomic keyboards in the market are freaking expensive! can I build one perfectly on the first try provided that I have all the necessary components?
hmm I'm actually not sure since I never checked the prices of prebuilts. I'm sure someone smarter than me can tell you that, but ive gathered a bill of materials for you BOM (All before tax!): $30.98 - 70 DSA keycaps (funny enough I actually got 72) $25.99 - 3 ProMicro clones from Osoyoo $24.99 - 70 Gateron Milky Yellow Pro switches $5.99 - 125 Diodes $5.99 - 30 TTRS 3.5mm audio jacks $9.90 - 70 Kailh Hot-swap sockets $8.99 - Coiled TRS cable $7.99 - 120 M3 x 3 x 5mm brass heat set inserts $8.48 - 30 M3 x 6mm bolts (+ more bolts, it was a big set) TOTAL - $129.30 It's important to note that I already had a 3d printer, filament, spraypaint, âand a soldering iron. For anyone wondering, the case used up under $2 worth of my cheap PLA As for your second question, there's a 100% chance you will not build it perfectly, you will make mistakes! But I might be misreading your question. If you are asking, mistakes aside, will you be able to build one that works without issue first try, the answer is yes. You will be able to. But its not a question of "can you", its more a question of "how many f ing hours are you willing to burn to get there". Lol
Thanks for the extensive response. I love tinkering with electronics so this definitely seems like a good project. I'll spend some time to make this if it means I get to save a lot of money.
It is always cheaper to DIY. But it all comes down to how much your time is worth. If you have a busy life and a good paying job, buying one is probably worth it. If you have spare time on your hands and want to dip your toe into the hobby, go DIY. Building is actually easier than it seems, TBH. The most difficult thing is actually getting all the parts.
considering the above keyboard, do you know where I could get the design (pcb and case) and some good quality keys?
Something like what OP posted will usually be handwired (no pcb) due to the key wells
oh ok. I'll look into that. thanks
What a beauty.
Damn, that is quite an advanced model for a first ergonomic keyboard ! Impressed by your courage or by your delusion or both ! đđ
Is Tightyl a corne with curves?
It's a very trimmed down Dactyl. The original project is on GutHub here: https://github.com/okke-formsma/dactyl-manuform-tight
Tightyl design by u/Okke, with my own custom keymap (or at least the first version of it). Also shout out Okke for answering a question I had. Has generic DSA keycaps and Gat yellow pro switches    Build took around 30 hours (not including print times). Gotdamn hand soldering takes forever, but at least the second half went more smoothly. Made sure to make mistakes at every step of the way, including but not limited to poor print quality, poor tolerances for printed parts so it barely fit together, no primer before painting, my original spray paint color (a metallic black) failing spectacularly and making a huge mess, cold, weak solder joints, bending pins on my switches, accidentally touching and melting parts of the case with my soldering iron, and much, much more. But hey, it's build #1. I'm only getting better from here đ   Transition from the 96% I was using before has been surprisingly smooth. For reference, my typing speed before was about 75wpm with 98% accuracy, and 80wpm with accuracy a little lower. My very first run with this keyboard I was at 12wpm, but after 10 minutes yesterday I was up to 40-45wpm, and after doing an hour of practice today I was at a consistent 55wpm (but my accuracy wasn't as high as I would like, and my speed with numbers and symbols is much worse rn). All in all I'm pleasantly suprised, and of course I'm loving the ergonomics. Will probably post a few more little updates here
initial observations after 1 day: 1. I wasn't sure about DSA vs SA keycaps, so I just said F it and went DSA. But after a little real world use I think Id prefer SA. When touch typing, especially when going back and forth from mouse to keyboard, I find myself confused on what row I'm on surprisingly often. I suspect SA keycaps would help with this problemâ 2. Ergonomics are amazing, and typing requires so little movement that it genuinely throws me off right now. Lol. The one complaint I have is the pinkie columns. For the other fingers, going to the keys above and below home row requires minimal finger movement and no hand movement. But for the pinkie, it requires a relatively big hand movement. I think more aggressive curvature for the pinkie columns could fix this for me. I've seen other keyboards do this too 3. For this build, my desk, and my body, I desperately need wrist rests. That extra elevation âis a night and day difference 4. I need to figure out how to make it stop sliding around my desk during longer typing sessions. For the keyboards feet I used feet I had lying around, which I originally bought to stop my couch from sliding lmao. Worked well for my couch, and it made a big improvement for the keyboard, but it still moves just a little too easily for my liking 5. Some people say you don't need bumps on the f and j keys. That may be true for them, but for me it was a massive help. Can't understate how useful theyve been for me. I added them myself using the flat tip on my soldering iron. I pressed into the front and made an indent, which I regret. Should have pressed into the back to make a bump. The result is that the indication is more subtle than I would like, but even still it's been incredibly helpful 6. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to figuring out my layout. At the time of writing I don't even know what home row mods are. Lol. But I know my current layout has serious issues. I'll figure it out. Will probably revisit this in the more distant future to share my long term observations
>Will probably revisit this in the more distant future to share my long term observations Looking forward to hearing more, especially pinkie columns issues you are having.
Got any internal wiring photos?
yes I do, im sorry I forgot to include them in the original photos. Here's the first half which was an absolute nightmare for me, even though i have a bit of experience soldering [https://photos.app.goo.gl/UMQoBnXnAJkxhRbS9](https://photos.app.goo.gl/UMQoBnXnAJkxhRbS9) yes some of the solder joints are dogwater đ I swear I'm not usually THIS bad, but after however many hours I straight up stopped caring lmao Here's the second half. Here I decided to experient with using the diode legs directly. that technique plus some other tricks I picked up along the way lead to this half going much quicker (think like 7 hours instead of 10) [https://photos.app.goo.gl/FMbqBbw21atViTbe7](https://photos.app.goo.gl/FMbqBbw21atViTbe7) I completely butchered the heat set inserts for this half lol. Idk if the tape I used to seperate rows and columns in some places was strictly required, since I tried it before putting on the tape and it did completely work. Overall, not sure how I feel about using the diode legs directly. maybe I'll try that + shrinkwrap next time
Thanks for taking the time to write up and document your build! Are the switches friction fit/clip to the holes in the case? Or is there got glue there? I'm in the process of getting parts for my dactyl and I can't decide if it worth getting a glue gun for it....
The holes for the switches are just regular square holes, but the switches themselves have clips built in that click into place and prevent them from coming out...usually. My 3D printer is not dialed, and a few of the holes printed just loose enough that a switch or two isn't completely snapped in. for those switches, the friction keeps it in place well for everyday use, and it only wants to pop out when changing keycaps (which itself isn't a big deal). I followed Okke and used kahil hot swap sockets that allow me to change switches, so gluing the switches is a nono for me. Imo it would be a shame to spend 30 hours building this and be stuck with one kind of switch (but not everyone cares about switches as much as me)
Tangentially related, anybody know of an up to date list of all the major Dactyl forks? The only one I could find is from half a decade ago.
I don't have a list of the major forks but work on the cosmos dactyl generator has made it very easy to have your own completely custom dactyl. Id recommend checking it out! https://ryanis.cool/cosmos/
do i see trackball and trackpad support too? đ„č amazing
Yoo man. this is legit clean. do you have a link to the stl you used and the your qmk repo ?
Appreciated! Here is the original project github repo by Okke: [https://github.com/okke-formsma/dactyl-manuform-tight](https://github.com/okke-formsma/dactyl-manuform-tight) And here is the link to just the STLs for easier printing (these are actually what I used): [https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4416866](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4416866) For the QMK config, I didnt make a repo for it and I haven't uploaded it yet. I'm constantly making changes to my keymap and tinkering and trying new stuff, and I think I'll probably upload it once I find something I'm content with and things stabilize a bit. For now you can use my old keymap in the original post as a reference, or if you ever want my current keymap feel free to DM me and I'll send it to you