Sometimes you just have to throw your hat in the ring, and throw it hard. Here is [mkdxdx]’s rockin’ EVH 5150-esque take on the keyboard business. The Mriya foldable keyboard aims to be and sport a number of things, and it does all of them in great style. I could totally see my fingers flying over this thing somewhere in the wild, with robots fighting in the distance.

I have to say I really like the fact that [mkdxdx] uses thumb keys here for what I can only assume are Enter, Space, and Backspace. It’s a nice compromise between compactness and ergonomics. I also really like the totally impractical but quite cool-looking connector that runs between the top and bottom.

If the color scheme looks familiar, you’re probably remembering [mkdxdx]’s first-place-winning entry into the 2023 Cyberdeck Contest. This RP2040-based keyboard might just end up as part of a larger project, but it’s already an outstanding peripheral. We can’t wait to see the next phase, should there be one for this keyboard.

A Passion For Collecting Typewriters

It started with an idle thought that Mehedi Hasan Faud expressed aloud to his girlfriend one day. ‘If I had a typewriter, I would write you letters,’ he told her.

That was in 2017. Now, Faud’s collection has grown to over 60 machines, most of which are in working condition. Did he ever start writing those letters to his girlfriend? You bet he did, and that’s what ignited his passion for typewriters.

Prior to typewriters, Faud collected old cameras and telephones. And rather than have these things all over the house collecting dust, Faud plans to one day open a museum. “If the opportunity arises, I want to create a space where people can come and explore the history of typewriters,” he said. But for now, the museum is in his bedroom. Sounds familiar.

The Centerfold: Killer Whale Is a Thriller In Mint

[Gypsy-hymn] says their Killer Whale is finally finished, and that’s no small feat. This Raspberry Pi Pico-driven keyboard is sold as a kit, and between the geometry of the thing and the choose-your-own-adventure-style build guide, it’s and undertaking that isn’t for the faint of heart.

As lovely and matchy-matchy as this all looks together, the macro pad — Mech Wild’s Murph Pad — is a completely different animal. The Killer Whale itself is even sold singly, so you must by two to make a split keyboard. But that just doubles your options for pointing devices. So why does this look so good? All the plastic matches, and the Magical Girl keycaps from Mintlodica really tie it together.

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: Bar-Lock 4

This particular beauty is named after the those things hiding just behind that large, baroque hunk of copper. Far from just being beautiful to behold, the bar-lock as it was called comprised a series of pins that guide and then lock each type bar as it arrives at the platen. This was supposed to allow for more accurate striking.

Like many machines of the time, the keyboard was doubled — one set of keys for lower case, and another for upper case. Unlike many typewriters of the time (1895), the typist could see what they were typing on the Bar-Lock 4 as long as they sat up straight enough to see over the shield.

The Bar-Lock was invented by Charles Spiro, who apprenticed at his father’s watch shop. Spiro also invented the Columbia index typewriter.

ICYMI: the Zerowriter Gives You Zero Excuses Not to Write

In a perfect world, one could procure a small word processor here in 2024 without breaking the bank. But that ship has sailed, at least commercially speaking. But that’s okay, because this is Hackaday, and we make our own toys around here.

It’s really never been easier to whip up your own little on-the-go writing machine, and the Zerowriter proves that. Built on the Raspberry Pi Zero 2W, this little machine is a fairly inexpensive foray into the territory of writer’s cyberdeck.

It is, after all, essentially a Pi Zero, a Vortex Core 40% keyboard, and an E-ink display. The most expensive bit is that prefab keyboard, so figure out a way to roll your own and you might get there a bit more cheaply.

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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.