Well, it was bound to happen at some point. [sporewoh]’s bunchiez40 keyboard for ants is made of mouse switches, which of course begs for a mouse made of keyboard switches.

[sporewoh]’s keyboards have been steadily shrinking, and they built this in order to get the smallest possible form factor for the number of keys. Surprisingly, since the mouse switches have an actuation force similar to some heavier MX-style switches (~70 g), [sporewoh] is able to squeeze 85 WPM out of it, albeit with some argument from the wrists.

If you want to build a bunchiez40, everything is available on GitHub, including the CAD files for that lovely anodized aluminium case. The typing video is coming soon, and I’m taking bets on whether it’s as quiet as a mouse, as one redditor joked.

A Biblically-Accurate Keyboard

Well, color me sacrilegious or just plain stupid, but I didn’t quite get the name of [hllhvnd]’s Biblically Accurate Keyboard at first. If you’re familiar with the concept of ‘biblically accurate angels’, well, you get the picture. If you’re not familiar yet, well, then I’m sorry.

By the way, this devilish thing isn’t a keyboard at all, as in, it’s not an input, at least not yet. It’s basically a fidget toy, and although it has linears (eww!) at the moment, it will soon have greens or maybe box navy switches.

You know, I think I need one of these to adorn my desk, and definitely in a clicky version. Fortunately, [hllhvnd] plans to make the STLs available in the near future.

The Centerfold: A Turn At the Tern

This clean little number is [zyumbik]’s remix of the Tern, which is a remix of the Hummingbird. [zyumbik] has been using this awesome Skull keyboard they made as a daily driver, but wanted something like the Hummingbird.

The main differences are support for an on/off switch, a JST battery connector, and a XIAO BLE battery pogo pin. The Tern BLE also has tighter switch holes, so no plate is necessary. Everything you need to spin a Tern BLE is available in the GitLab.

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: A Grand Collection Indeed

No matter what my husband says, I really don’t have that many typewriters in my collection. But you know who does? [Martin Howard] of the Antique Typewriters website, where I pull a large percentage of the Historical Clackers that adorn these pages.

[Martin]’s collection is focused on machines from the 1880s and 90s, before the typewriter really became standardized. Be sure to explore the dozens of different typewriter and index typewriter designs, which range from wild to beautiful to both at once.

In addition to buying and selling typewriters, [Martin] also does restoration and repair, displays his collection at events and exhibits, and even loans machines out for film, television, and theater. And keep a lookout for [Martin] in the 2016 film California Typewriter.

ICYMI: Num Pad Reincarnated As Stream Deck

In a stroke of luck, [dj_doughy] happened upon a clicky number pad in a recycle pile with what turned out to be white ALPS switches. It was only a matter of time before it became a stream deck.

The only problem was that it had a PS/2 connector. Well, and the fact that there is no datasheet for the controller. Determined to make it work, [dj_doughy] took to Discord and was advised to set the thing up to use extended keys (F13-F24) and wire those up as shortcuts in OBS.

Then there was the whole PS/2 thing still. In the end, [dj_doughy] used an Arduino Beetle, which fit perfectly inside the case. Unfortunately there were software issues with double key presses being sent, but there were just a few missing variables.

---

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.