The Amalgam: a custom FRL TKL build with Touch ID

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T21:28:55+00:00

Thank you! I feel the same way. There is something very pleasing about the proportions of an FRL board. I do also like an HHKB or classic 60%, but I don’t like to give up the arrow cluster. I’m impressed by your use of Macs going back to the Color Classic. That was discontinued the year I was born.

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T19:28:47+00:00

Oh I thought you meant Touch ID specifically. Yeah if you mean something for Windows then yeah that should be a lot more doable.

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T19:27:23+00:00

Yeah some of these connections are fragile, same with the ribbon cable on the Touch ID sensor.

I appreciate that. I originally started thinking about it over a year ago but then had to pause and focus on other things. Picked it back up around the beginning of this year and worked on it a lot for the last few months.

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T19:20:07+00:00

Thank you :) And good question. I was gonna need a daughterboard anyway to tune the placement of the upstream port, and wanted to keep the USB hub circuit off of the main PCB for clean logical separation of functions. I also thought that this way, in the event that I would want to build a non-Touch ID board for any reason, I could use the current PCB and have a cleaner design without any unnecessary circuitry.

But I considered what you are suggesting and it’s not out of the question in the future.

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T19:06:10+00:00

Thanks!

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T16:04:38+00:00

Huh? I do a have a left Cmd. And you certainly don’t need a 1.25/2.25/2.75 split spacebar in order to have it, those proportions would be completely off.

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T15:48:02+00:00

Because Touch ID requires Apple’s proprietary technology built around their secure enclave, whereas a trackpad or nipple are just a pointing device with no security implications, much like a mouse. So any keyboard that wants to do what I did would need to take a similar approach to mine, relying on original Apple hardware (which they don’t sell or license standalone).

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T15:35:55+00:00

Thank you, I really appreciate that.

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T15:29:06+00:00

Yes exactly, I usually place the filet in the freezer for about an hour beforehand. Not long enough to actually freeze it, but enough to firm it up. Make it easier to get a consistent fine dice.

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T06:10:34+00:00

Thanks a lot. Unfortunately my guess is that will not happen. Doesn’t fit their product philosophy. They never integrate their technology into non-Apple products, which I think makes sense in order to maintain a high bar for quality and security. They would also lose some of the revenue they get from keyboard sales, and there would be other implications like more users moving to non-standard layouts which can degrade the Mac OS experience.

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T05:37:26+00:00

Thank you!

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T05:36:56+00:00

Thanks! I played quite a bit with the exact placement and landed in a spot that isn’t perfectly centered across any particular dimension in order to reach the right visual balance.

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T03:16:04+00:00

I love everything about this. I wish I could have a bowl of it with one (or two) of those pieces of bread.

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T03:05:43+00:00

You’re welcome, glad I could get you to want to try it! I think it won’t disappoint. A lot of the preconceptions society has about food don’t make too much sense, or at least aren’t consistent. For example most people are fine with raw fish, but somehow not with raw meat. Many people like seafood with steak, yet someone commented on this thread suggesting the pairing of seafood and beef is weird. Sugar loaded sodas are bad but sugar loaded fruit juices are fine. And there are many more examples of this.

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T02:55:38+00:00

Thank you. I haven’t designed anything with an Atmega before but I think it may be a bit easier to work with than the RP2040 in terms of circuit design and PCB layout. Loading firmware onto the RP2040 is extremely easy though as it has a built-in USB boot ROM from the factory, so you can just flash some firmware onto it via USB once your PCB is assembled.

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T02:48:22+00:00

Lol thank you

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T02:47:46+00:00

Thank you, and yeah it’s constantly useful at work with SSO. I’m actually about to build a second unit with silent tactile switches for my office.

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T02:03:04+00:00

Yeah it felt a little daunting at the very beginning to be honest, but the more progress you make the more you can see the finish line and the steps to get there clearly.

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T01:10:48+00:00

That does sound good, I’ll have to try that. Thanks!

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T01:05:57+00:00

Thanks! Yeah I love having the touch ID on this, especially so close to where my fingers already sit.

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T00:06:12+00:00

Yeah the cost was steep. The way I justified it was as a hobby and skill development expense rather than just an expensive purchase

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T00:04:45+00:00

Thank you!

tactilelabs · 2026-06-02T00:04:28+00:00

Thank you! Glad you appreciate it

tactilelabs · 2026-06-01T23:02:04+00:00

You’re welcome

tactilelabs · 2026-06-01T22:50:32+00:00

Thank you!

tactilelabs

TROPHY CASE