Okay, so you built a macropad or even a keyboard. What now? Well, most people use some kind of mouse to go along with it, but no one uses a mouse like this creation by [Joe_Scotto].
This is the mouse no one asked for, and yet I think it’s pretty awesome for something that’s supposed to be a joke. Maybe it’s in the great execution, I don’t know. I will ignore the suggestion that MX Browns are part of the joke, however. *cries in OG tactility*
Essentially, this is a macropad that uses QMK mouse keys to emulate a mouse. The build itself couldn’t be more straightforward — it’s six MX browns wired up to six pins on a Pico, and they all share a common ground. Keep the joke going by commissioning one from [Joe] or building it yourself.
Via [r/cyberdeck]
News: Microsoft Discontinues Natural Keyboard
It’s often people’s first ergonomic keyboard — some variation of Microsoft’s Natural keyboard, that 90s split that took up so much real estate on the desk with it’s built-in wrist rest.
I’ll admit that despite using one for years at the office, I went back to whatever clicky rectangles I could get from the IT department. Then came the pain, and I got a Logitech Wave. Then came the surgery, and the Kinesis Advantage.
Well, now it seems that after 30 years and several ergonomic models, Microsoft are exiting the keyboard game. While I don’t personally understand why when there are so many fans, [Jeff Atwood] believes it’s because keyboards are exploding in popularity and tons of people are building their own. While that may be true, there are legions of normies trying to stave off carpal and cubital tunnel syndrome and have absolutely no interest in building anything, much less a keyboard. So, get these things while they’re hot, I guess.
The Centerfold: Hobbies, a Family Photo
Sometimes one expensive hobby leads to another, and other times they just happily co-exist in people’s lives from some early point. One such Venn diagram centers on mechanical keyboards, headphones, and nice pens, and of course there’s a subreddit for that particular trinity. That’s where this is from.
Although there isn’t a lot of detail, I can tell you that that is an Alice-like keyboard called the Jabberwocky from [nopunin10did]. And that’s an iPod classic 5/5.5 with some kind of mods. And don’t those headphones look comfy, whatever they may be?
Look, it’s a centerfold. Do you really need a lot of detail, or can you just appreciate it for what it is? I sure would like to know what desk pad that is, though.
Do you rock a sweet set of peripherals on a screamin’ desk pad? Send me a picture along with your handle and all the gory details, and you could be featured here!
Historical Clackers: the Hall Braille Typewriter
Once upon a time, Braille typists used a stylus and a writing board to impress dots on paper. The page would then have to be flipped over to read.
Then, in 1892, Frank H. Hall, superintendent of a school for the blind, invented a Braille typewriter that would change everything. It had six keys that could be pressed in any combination, and the paper was embossed from the back, meaning that the typist could read what they’d written as they went along. Typists could now average 30-60 words per minute, a drastic improvement over the stylus and writing board.
Hall’s typewriter buoyed along the six-dot Braille scheme, eventually replacing the eight-dot Kleidograph system. Never intending to profit from the invention, Hall didn’t patent it and charged $1 over the manufacturing cost of $10.
ICYMI: Dyeing for the Right Color Keycaps
It seems like there are a literal ton of keycap colorways out there, but there will probably never be enough to please everyone. So why not dye your own keycaps? It’s really not that difficult, and only takes a minimal setup. Just be sure you have a sacrificial pot to dye them in.
All it really requires is Rit dye in whatever colors you need to make up the right shade, some PBT keycaps, and some dish soap. I am very interested to see whether they darken over time from finger oils, so I’ll probably have to make some of my own.
Got a hot tip that has like, anything to do with keyboards? Help me out by sending in a link or two. Don’t want all the Hackaday scribes to see it? Feel free to email me directly.
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- Source: https://hackaday.com/2023/06/19/keebin-with-kristina-the-one-with-the-mouse-cropad/
