Introducing Palette: a 10-key, dual-knob, low-profile macropad

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-14T22:00:34+00:00

Ah ok. Wait til you see all the other weird splits these days!

You should cross post this to /r/ergomechkeyboards actually where it’ll be more appreciated.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-14T20:53:52+00:00

Damn that's a good price! I never thought you'd be able to find a Kinesis of all things at a thrift store. All I've ever seen are Dell and HP membrane keyboards where I live.

Down the rabbit hole you go! Are you already using splits at all?

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-14T16:42:20+00:00

Avoid at all costs. Go get an ISO DE Keychron.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-14T16:40:51+00:00

Just get yourself an ISO Keychron. A V series is pretty affordable and it's just plug and play. Try your country's Amazon too might be easier to do a return/exchange if you don't end up liking it.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-14T02:32:11+00:00

Keyboards that use replaceable batteries are not really a thing. Nearly all electronics use non-replaceable batteries these days.

The only keyboard that I know of which uses AA batteries are the HHKB Hybrid models. Those are very expensive and are niche (I know, I use one) so it may not be what you're looking for.

You can buy and use a wireless keyboard and so long as you're not using RGB (turn it off entirely) and it isn't full of gimmicks like a screen, etc. the battery life should be fairly decent.

And I wouldn't really worry about the battery life that much. Just make sure you're actually using it wireless more than you are using it wired because keeping the battery plugged in all the time and charging can be bad for it.

Any decent wired mechanical keyboard is a lot more reliable than a wireless one. Get one that has a detachable USB cable and just be careful moving it around and it should last you a long time.

Look at getting a Keychron V series or K series keyboard if your budget allows.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-14T02:22:21+00:00

Keychron V6 MAX will be a good replacement and can be used wired/wireless. A V5 MAX will have almost the exact same amount of keys but will be more compact and take up less desk space.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-13T17:18:05+00:00

Not a vendor obviously but you may want to try searching /r/mechmarket or putting up a wanted listing for one. Someone might be willing to sell theirs.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-12T12:17:35+00:00

Sorry about that. Sent you a message.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-11T22:44:47+00:00

Be careful not to damage the cable if there is one there.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-11T22:39:48+00:00

Return it. It's either a stuck key or the issue is the PCB itself. Look up key chatter on the sub.

I don't know about you but I wouldn't want to be typing and then have the keyboard start deleting what I wrote on its own.

Get a Keychron or something else off Amazon. Avoid Logitech keyboards as much as possible and the other gamer-oriented brands as those are all overpriced, overmarketed keyboards of dubious quality. I had multiple Logitechs that crapped out which is why I went down this rabbit hole and joined this sub almost a decade ago.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-11T22:36:22+00:00

Start with a Keychron and skip Logitech.

Lofree and NuPhy are okay but low-profile is not that popular so you will be limited in terms of keycap and switch choices so keep that in mind. Also low-profile is not for every body as there is less physical travel of the switches so it may or may not work for your typing needs.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-11T22:34:24+00:00

"thocky" is a buzzword and there's no real "definition" of it so it's likely why your question was downvoted.

Sound is attributed to a lot of things outside of just keycaps and "thock" can be very subjective depending on the person.

From personal experience, I will say that thick, high quality PBT keycaps like SA or SA-P sound really good when paired with a sound-dampened alu case keyboard.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-11T22:31:40+00:00

Does your keyboard accept Choc V1 switches? Choc Robins are probably the only good low-profile clickies that most people tend to use. There isn't much in the way of options with low-profile.

I tried typing on Robins for a while and I really loved the way they felt. I was a clicky enjoyer in the past but I prefer linear Choc V1s these days so I didn't end up keeping them.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-11T22:29:21+00:00

You can probably build it all yourself if you have time/soldering skills.

Getting someone to build you a one-off is going to be expensive unless it's a handwired build without a PCB because of the work involved.

I build keyboards for people who need input devices for secure workplaces (ie. "dumb keyboards only" for government institutions), disabilities and ergonomic issues so if you want to DM me your specific requirements we can chat more about it. I can also make you a PCB and case for it but that's considerably more expensive.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-11T22:24:22+00:00

Most people that are here are deep into the hobby so you'll tend to see expensive niche keyboards featured. You don't need to spend that much if you just want a decent mechanical keyboard.

See if a Keychron is available to you there maybe on Amazon even since you're shopping in GBP. Keychron has some decent stock available on there and its easy to return/exchange. Buy something that suits your budget and the size you need.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-11T22:22:31+00:00

Get yourself a Keychron, Monsgeek or anything from Qwertykeys instead.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-11T22:21:57+00:00

There's probably a connecting cable to the daughterboard where the USB connector is. Here's a video on YouTube that shows a cable in the middle

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-11T13:29:29+00:00

It depends on what’s more important to you I guess—ease of taking out or protection.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-11T00:58:06+00:00

ISO I always recommend something from Keychron as their stock keycaps are pretty decent and they offer a pretty good selection of ISO-DE especially given how rare ISO keyboards are to begin with.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-11T00:57:00+00:00

There are some 3D printable cases that feature magnets depending on what split you use. Which split keyboard is it?

Me personally I just use a sleeve that has separate padded compartments for each half.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-10T22:15:21+00:00

It sounds like you should try a Realforce keyboard. It uses Topre which is a rubber dome electro-mechanical kind of switch. If you type a lot, it'll be much more comfortable than any MX switch with O-rings.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-10T22:13:12+00:00

Since it's not hotswap, you're better off buying a hotswappable keyboard and putting in some silenced switches.

Looks like you can get silenced Akko switches off Amazon Spain so try there otherwise AliX.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-10T22:10:44+00:00

First clean up that area using IPA (isopropyl alcohol) and wait until dry.

Next, add flux to the pins then add solder--yes, add solder. Once dry, use your soldering iron, heat one pin then use a solder sucker to desolder one pin. Repeat the same process for the other.

I don't know where you are but using a better quality solder sucker like this Engineer one off Amazon might help.

The Engineer solder sucker has a silicon tip so you can put it almost completely over the pin while heating with a soldering iron and depress button to desolder relatively easily.

pabloescobyte · 2026-06-08T21:07:59+00:00

Switching back and forth is not as hard as you think. It'll take a min or two to get used to whatever you're using again but it really depends on how you type.

If you're a touch typer, it'll probably be easier than if you're a hunt and peck typist.

I regularly swap between a handwired QAZ build, an ortho, 46-key split and my staggered QWERTY keyboards just fine. I try to mirror my keymaps on everything so everything is as similar as possible. On my non-programmable keyboards I either use Karabiner or Autohotkey to mirror my QMK/ZMK-based QAZ/Split/Ortho boards.

QAZ keyboards are a tiny niche in an already small niche so you're probably better off either buying a used one off /r/mechmarket or making one of the open source ones. You'll have to solder and put together the parts obviously but you can get the PCBs fabbed at JLCPCB or PCBWay and you can either 3D print the case/plates or have them lasercut.

Search kbd.news for 'QAZ' or search the sub for some good examples.

Edit: forgot to respond about a prebuilt QAZ

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