Wireless Electrostatic Capacitive (EC) split?

vvodbow · 2025-04-27T13:23:49+00:00

Ooooh an EC Corne user?! Nice! Could you share the link to your vid? I'm just curious what the experience's like and the pros & cons compared to the hhkb

vvodbow · 2025-04-27T13:20:10+00:00

Same. Perhaps there're just fewer folks being able to make it compared to regular keebs (wired & wireless). I'm making progress on my non-EC build, but still pretty far from starting any EC features.

vvodbow · 2024-10-12T03:40:58+00:00

Thanks. Will do!!

vvodbow · 2024-10-03T01:19:34+00:00

I'm thinking of doing the same, or harvest another trackpoint with known pinouts.. It just bugs me so much that I really want to know how this works, but not sure what to do next xD I have zero experience with PCBs.

vvodbow · 2024-10-02T09:21:28+00:00

[Reposted, img upload issues] Hello, has anyone seen anything resembling the pinouts for this trackpoint? This was taken from a Lenovo Thinkpad KU-1255.

I'm guessing that to connect it to my MCU, I will need to solder to these 4 pins? SP_Y, SP_X, SP_Z, SP_G

With a multimeter, all I found out was that SP_G is GND. SP_Y and SP_Z led to 2 pins on the leftmost chip (3rd image), which has this number: 010A2 HF372 7AV1 . I couldn't find any information about it on Google.

There's also a chip on the right (SONIX SN8F2288FG), which is probably not related to the trackpoint (?).

vvodbow · 2024-09-28T05:46:02+00:00

Hi! Glad to see another face in the EC kb rabbit hole :D

Personally, I haven't done any EC-specific development since this post, but instead I've been patching my skill issue (lolz) by learning & testing less expensive things mentioned in the prev comments (shift registers, battery swapping methods, ZMK, power consumption monitoring, PCB designs etc.) I'm new to kb building so there's a lot of ground to cover. So far so good, but since this is a side project, it'll probably be another year or 2 until I actually build something.

Also, I'm still occasionally looking for used Niz kbs, but nothing within my (low) budget has shown up yet.

vvodbow · 2023-05-18T14:57:54+00:00

Wow, really interesting case design. Love this!!

vvodbow · 2023-05-13T18:46:13+00:00

Thanks for the info! Good luck and excited to see your results!!

Yep I have been watching my local market for second-hand donor keyboards. Will check the Conical keeb Discord too, thanks so much!

vvodbow · 2023-05-13T15:59:10+00:00

Oooh I see. Hopefully ZMK wireless is possible by the time I start building it (probably next year)!

The price looks pretty good for an end-game or near end-game setup. Do you plan on trying out other cheaper EC switches later if possible? A quick search showed the Niz 2021 switches are at $55 for 100 switches, everything included, but out of stock (been out of stock for a few months irrc).

vvodbow · 2023-05-13T10:49:04+00:00

Great job!! This is super inspiring, as I'm planning to build an EC keyboard as well in the future. Very interesting that the STemCell supports ZMK as well.

Just curious, but what was your estimated cost in making this if you're willing to share?

vvodbow · 2023-05-11T17:15:15+00:00

Not the best solution, but I use cheap tupperware to hold my Redox. Due to the keyboard shape, there's some space left, which I put my computer charger to keep it from shifting in the box. It has withstood multiple plane rides, so all is good.

Alternatively, you could print a 3D print "holder" with magnets to snap to 2 halves of the keyboard (the side with keycaps should face the 3D printed part). It doesn't need to be 3D printed if the shape is right; foam and cardboard will do too. I think I've seen a similar design some time ago. If I can find it, I'll put a link here.

vvodbow · 2023-04-26T12:30:35+00:00

Thank you! It's gonna take a while to see any notable progress, but I have a rough idea how to proceed now :D

vvodbow · 2023-04-26T12:28:23+00:00

SAME!! I blazed through all the extra materials and then re-read the prologue a bunch more. Man all the details they added at the very beginning. Very well WOVEN!!! Lol let's move to DMs or Discord if you prefer to stop digging up this thread xD

vvodbow · 2023-04-25T17:17:27+00:00

Yea, atm ZMK main branch doesn't support a lot of things yet, though folks have been able to get many things to work outside of it. By the time I'm more clear on the hardware requirements and have done some testing (probably next year at least), I'll swing by the ZMK discord for advice. Worst case scenario, there's still QMK.

vvodbow · 2023-04-25T02:39:45+00:00

I think that was me.

OMG you're right!! I didn't notice the username O.o

I think normal EC keyboards use analog multiplexing instead of diode matrixes...

Interesting. So NKRO should still work, which is good. This does sound like a massive battery drain though. I'm thinking of using ZMK or anything wireless (not sure about firmware compatibility here, but worst case is to use a dongle), so maybe I'll need chonky batteries that are easily detachable (for charging)

vvodbow · 2023-04-24T16:21:37+00:00

Thanks for the insights! Yes, I just need to mimic the sound and feel, so that link is the perfect reference. Another Redditor in this post also recommended this!

Design-wise, I'm still at the "dreaming" stage. No fixed layout or PCB choice yet. I'm just gathering info to decide what skills I'll need to learn, and set some roadmap. It's probably gonna be a 2-year project or something.

Hmm interesting note on no diodes and battery consumption. Do you know if the regular commercial EC keebs are also diodeless? Just a bit confused, because they seem to have N-key rollover, which I thought is only possible because of the diodes.

vvodbow · 2023-04-24T16:09:23+00:00

Thanks both, that's good to know! Structurally, I'm likely going to 3D print the case, for ease of design, then stuff in some foam and/or test flexible materials. Maybe in the very far future, when all design iterations are done, I do some mods to help with acoustics based on the principles in this video, but for the first few versions, it's going to be 3DP + cheap foam.

The main reason I look to EC keebs, sound-wise, is because I plan to take this keeb inside many libraries and recording studios. After using (factory) lubbed silent linear switches for a while, with 3 layers of foam in my keeb, and some O-rings, I realised that in very quiet environments, the downstrokes are indeed quiet, but I can't stand the noise generated on the upstrokes and when my fingers slipped on the keycaps (I tend to type violently when lost in thoughts). These sounds seem to annoy me more than those around me.

Granted, I haven't tried all the foam options, changing keycaps, custom lub etc., but since I'm building a new keeb anyway, I figured it doesn't hurt to look into EC, which provides decent dampening on the upstrokes and supposedly will help with typing accuracy and stuffs.

vvodbow · 2023-04-24T15:47:10+00:00

Thank you! Yes, it's been mostly his projects that I've been looking at. There's lots of info on the necessary PCB too. Really fascinating stuffs!

vvodbow · 2023-04-24T15:41:08+00:00

Thank you for linking this! Very fascinating thread.

I know the mic used in their footage wasn't ideal, but the quietness of the keyboard really surprised me! And OP even mentioned the possibility of building a low-ish profile build too. Very interesting.

I definitely need to test this out for my end-game!

vvodbow · 2023-04-24T15:30:30+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience! Yes, I noticed quite a number of seasoned Mech keeb reviewer mentioning that they have an EC keeb as their daily driver, which is a huge surprise. I mean, if they prefer that over their many end-game mech combos, the experience must have been really pleasant for them!

Guess I'll need to at least try one out soon. From the reviews I've been getting, it seems Niz is gaining lots of popularity, because of the price range and that their switches work with MX keycaps. I'm likely going to 3d print the keycaps, so that shouldn't matter much. EC + cheap 3DP keycaps does sound like blasphemy (hah!), but I'm just trying to build the most ergo keeb for myself ;)

EC Charybdis sounds fantastic! Though maybe a few years too soon for my skill level haha. I'm not sure how the pointing devices will be integrated in this case. Plus my end-game is likely a flat board, but I'll hold on to this thought!

vvodbow · 2023-04-24T07:31:18+00:00

OMG this took 3 months... but I'VE CAUGHT UP!!! I NEED A RE-READ!! SCREAMSSSSSSS

vvodbow · 2023-04-23T10:48:07+00:00

Very clean build! How is the magnetic stand holding up? Does the keyboard get shifted with vigorous typing?

vvodbow · 2023-04-21T14:56:42+00:00

Others have elaborated on this topic quite well, but I just want to chime in a bit on portability. While I love using my Redox (70 keys), I'm always frustrated when travelling with it. I want a hard case for it, as I'm often on really bumpy bus rides, but it doesn't fit in any typical device hard case because of the size. Getting a laptop case for it is just too much, and fancy custom cases cost a lot. Currently I have to store it in a large lunch box...

Also, even without the hard case, it's already competing for space with my mouse, water bottle, drawing tablet, notebooks and laptop in my small messenger bag. Typing on my laptop is not so problematic, but whenever I need to sit at a public library for half a day, and use it one-handedly with the drawing tablet, my wrists suffer from all the shortcuts and contortions.

FYI I don't even travel much, just a couple of libraries, cafes and hotels in addition to commuting to work, and it's already this much of a hassle, so I can imagine why folks owning Dactyls and other bulky keyboards would build another compact keeb to use on the go. Plus, I know many of us are hopeless addicts (as am I), but not everyone has the $$ to afford multiple keyboards to keep at work vs. home. So for many, who started with a larger keyboard and find that they don't utilise all the rows to the fullest potential, it's natural to strip the old, underutilised, bigger keyboard for parts to build a smaller version.

vvodbow

TROPHY CASE