Open-source ergonomic wireless mechanical keyboard packs Lenovo-style track point and efficient ZMK firmware
Split mechanical keyboards are designed to offer ergonomic and efficiency benefits, both thanks to their split layout that allows you to open your shoulders and improve hand and wrist positioning. While there is a lot of variety in the ergonomic mechanical keyboard scene, especially with ambitious community designs like the low-profile wireless Beekeeb Toucan we recently reported on, these were apparently not enough for a YouTuber who goes by Tinker & Hack, who has just posted about the PSKeeb 5 — his take on a split wireless mechanical keyboard that integrates everything from a Lenovo ThinkPad-style track point to dual knobs, and a travel case with a built-in laptop stand.
PSKeeb 5 split wireless mechanical keyboard details
The PSKeeb 5 is a split wireless mechanical keyboard that is designed around portability, comfort, and utility. It features a 36-key layout, which means there are 5 columns, three rows, and a three-key thumb cluster for each hand, and the keys are laid out in a columnar stagger, which should make it easier for each finger to rest on its respective key in the home row without having to hold your hands in an awkward position. As he explains in the project build log, the PSKeeb 5 is the fifth iteration of the project, and it initially came about as a way for its maker to address RSI symptoms, although it quickly morphed into a race towards ever-more efficiency, portability, and comfort.
The cases of the PSKeeb 5 are 3D printed, and they integrate quite an aggressive tenting angle with built-in feet. The left half of the split wireless mechanical keyboard integrates a small OLED display to keep track of things like the keyboard configuration and status, while the left half uses that space for a Lenovo ThinkPad-style track point, instead. Next to each thumb cluster, there is also a programmable rotary encoder, which we have found to be very useful in reviews of keyboards like the Keychron Q13 Max and Iqunix Magi65 Pro. The build even includes a fairly compact travel case that doubles as a laptop stand to raise the laptop to eye level and increase the entire setup's ergonomics.
In the name of portability and ease of setup, the PSKeeb 5 uses ZMK firmware to enable wireless connectivity both between the two halves of the keyboard and to the host device itself. Traditionally, split mechanical keyboards, like the Corne V4 (available on Amazon for $89) use either a USB-C or TRRS cable to connect the left and right halves of the keyboard, but with ZMK, these cables are only needed for charging. The creator hasn't published the source code or build guide for the PSKeeb 5 just yet, but he has announced an intent to open-source the design in the near future., which would allow just about anyone with enough determination to build their own version of the keyboard and even iterate on the design if they so desire. When it is eventually published, the PSKeeb 5 split wireless keyboard will likely be available on the creator's GitHub page, where he has published previous versions of the PSKeeb keyboard series.
The ZMK firmware that powers the PSKeeb 5 is known to be efficient for wireless use, with some manufacturers claiming thousands of hours of use from as little as 2,000 mAh, and it allows for in-depth configuration of the keyboard's functionality via the ZMK Studio web interface, even wirelessly, which is still fairly rare, even in custom mechanical keyboards.
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