Heyo

I want to switch to a split keyboard setup, but I really don’t want to spend $400 only to end up hating it. Are there any cheaper options that I can get as a temporary board while deciding?

EDIT: Massive thank you to all the replies I got. All of the suggestions and advice are great and have been very helpful. That being said, I will likely be going for the Momoka Ergo due to it having free shipping to South Africa and includes switches and keycaps. (Switches are extremely expensive here (around $250 for a set of Cherry switches for example))

  • WASTECH@lemmy.worldEnglish
    9·
    1 year ago

    The Corne is a very popular split keyboard that is very cheap. It requires some level of DIY, but the main board can be had for $33. It can also be made Bluetooth with the nice!nano. You will still need switches and caps, but depending on what you’re after, those can be cheap as well.

    • TroggoMan_@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      3·
      1 year ago

      I’m obviously very new to the fancy shmancy keyboard world. Do I need to build this thing completely from scratch? Or do they sell ready made ones? The site is a bit intense haha

      • WASTECH@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        1 year ago

        Hey, we all start somewhere! I ordered mine from keyhive and made the mistake of ordering the DIY version. I usually like to do things myself, but had a hell of a time soldering the SMD diodes on. I would recommend the partially assembled version. Keyhive also lists the other parts you will need. If you order the partially assembled version, you will only need a microcontroller, switches, and caps for a complete keyboard! Keyhive also lists the microcontrollers you can use. Personally, I love the nice!nano. It ads BLE and the battery lasts for quite a while. You will need to solder the microcontroller, but it’s easy to do assuming you have an iron. Let me know if you have more questions!

        • TroggoMan_@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
          1·
          1 year ago

          Ah I see all the Corne kits are sold out. But anyway, I was hoping for a more robust thumb cluster too. The Momoka looks like exactly what I’m looking for, only thing missing is tenting. Thanks for the help though!

          • Corr@lemm.eeEnglish
            2·
            1 year ago

            There are a bunch of DIY tenting solutions out there, one of the more popular ones include using magsafe stickers and tripods (tho it can be a bit pricier) link here

            I bought laptop risers like these to figure out tenting was something I wanted first