Keygen

Keygen

A wireless split ergonomic keyboard with a custom two-layer PCB designed in KiCad 10.

Keygen is a one-off build: 66 keys over two column-staggered halves, a 2 × 2 thumb cluster, a rotary encoder and a 0.96-inch OLED on each half, and per-key RGB lighting. Each half has its own nRF52840 controller hidden on the PCB underside, and an optional printed wedge tents it 13°. The keyboard reaches the host over Bluetooth or USB-C, and the halves talk to each other over Bluetooth.

The schematic, placement and most of the routing are generated by the Python scripts in tools/, and so are the switch plate and the 3D-printed case. tools/regen.py keeps every generated file current with its sources. The name and the silkscreen artwork come from Martin Garrix's track Keygen (STMPD RCRDS); see Silkscreen artwork. tools/check_mechanical.py checks the plate, case and component clearances, including the battery stack at full gasket travel.

To build one, follow INSTRUCTIONS.md.

Specifications

Gallery

The lit pictures are Cycles renders of the Blender scene, which is rebuilt from the board and the case on request; the case layers and the PCB come from KiCad.

Documentation

Firmware

Keygen runs ZMK, one build per half on the nice!nano v2 target, with the left half as the central. The configuration builds; it has not yet run on the boards. GitHub Actions builds the UF2s on every push that changes firmware/. The keymap, the build and the flashing steps are in firmware/README.md.

Repository layout

keygen/
├── INSTRUCTIONS.md Build guide
├── pcb/            KiCad 10 project: schematic (generated), PCB, plate, project footprints and 3D models
├── tools/          Python scripts that generate, route, check and export the design
├── fab/            Assembly BOMs and ordering notes (the Gerbers are in the build release)
├── case/           Plate ordering notes (the case, wedge, plate and foam files are in the build release)
├── bom/            Bill of materials with sources (bom.csv) and the shopping checklist
├── plan/           Build plan and parts list as HTML
├── docs/           Datasheet index (the PDFs are in the datasheets release)
├── assets/         Keymap pictures (the renders are in the media release)
├── blender/        Blender studio scene with the materials and the lit LEDs; it links the generated parts
├── notes/          Design notes, hardware reference and build pipeline (Obsidian Markdown)
├── firmware/       ZMK configuration: shield, keymap, builds
└── lib/            Git submodules: marbastlib and Keebio-Parts footprint libraries, KeyV2 keycaps

Project status

• Layout and schematic, ERC clean
• PCB placed, routed, DRC clean with schematic parity
• Datasheet audit with no failures
• Manufacturing files and assembly BOM
• Parts sourced and priced
• Boards ordered and assembled
• ZMK firmware builds
• ZMK firmware tested on the boards
• Switch plate, gasket-mounted case and tenting wedges designed, fit-checked against the PCB
• Case and wedges printed

Credits and licenses

• Footprints from marbastlib (CERN-OHL-P v2) and Keebio-Parts (MIT), included as git submodules.
• DSA keycap models generated with KeyV2 (GPL-3.0), a git submodule.
• MX switch 3D model from kiswitch (MIT / CC-BY-SA 4.0); see pcb/lib/keygen.3dshapes/NOTICE.md.
• Datasheets in the datasheets release belong to their manufacturers.