Really nice! I've had my eye on the Dactyl Manuform for years and keep putting it off. Seeing what a lovely job you did on your build has inspired me to get off my arse!
if you use flux and some ventilation, you can just use the soldering iron to burn insulation away as you solder multiple connections on a single wire like that. The flux and heat will keep it from contaminating the solder joint.
I agree that prints need sanding to get the finish complete. I think it compliments the CAD and handwiring. Just like you said in the video, you're already doing the work, might as well do it too. Great build, your keyboard looks hella nice
Nice build ! I made the exact same keyboard some time ago. TBH I loved it but the downside is that it takes a lot of effort to produce a key layout .. I was pretty new to custom keyboards so I needed to change it all the time and this alone made me go to another keyboard that had an easier/faster software to flash. I wish QMK developers would work on a way to have a fast and flexible reprogramming experience (if possible of course).
Amazing work. I would love a follow up on your useage. On my ErgoDox, I feel that the number row keys requires to much finger stretching to reach. Having a number layer is easier. Would you add LEDs to this build? They really help me remember what layer I'm on.
Instead of the sanding you can also use wood filler. Not the one you spray but the stuff you put on with a spatula. It fills all the gaps and little pockets. You have to send it afterwards to get rid of edges and such but that’s pretty easy and fast But nicely done. Looks all tidy and cleaned up on yours. Mine doesn’t look nearly as good inside though I work in the electronics field, did studied it and whatnot. I am more of a ‚as long at is works‘ kind of person
Nice quality :) Check out the nrfmicro for DYI bluetooth support. I myself have the "original" dactyl lightcycle (the smaller one), I think it looks better than any other version, but is also harder to print. Mine was printed by someone with not so good 3d printer and I'm using it still after 2 years :)
I wanted to thank you because I rectently got into keyboards and been eyeing this for a while but this is what i need to jump in an build it. I wanted to ask, where did you get your keycaps from?
I was looking to get a 5x6 dactyl, but I didn't trust the math on 2*5*6=60 so I counted the slots on the picture and I'm sure glad I did. There was a few additional keys below the 5x6 rows, I guess for programming layer keys.
Great job with print post processing. I'm always too hesitant to do sanding and painting. Insane amount of work. Does the paint hold well? Also I'm laughing at those ridiculous bottom plates.
Hey great video, thank you for sharing your experience. I am building a dactyl manuform right now and I was wondering what would you do differently if you were to rebuild it? Also I am thinking about getting the water jet cut metal base to hold the keyboard in place, do you think 5mm is too much weight? I was thinking 3mm could do as well.
I have to ask. I've built a redox keyboard and love it, but the itch to make a new one like yours is building. So the Question of how much was the metal work?
Hello. Thank you for great video. Can you give me advice? I gonna build splitted keyboard with 109 (50 + 59) keys + 4 encoders. The question is: Can I use only single Arduino Pro Micro microchip? Is it enough contacts for all those keys?
I'm working on a Dactyl Manuform 5x6 and I want to do a 3mm stainless steel base build. I found a CNC machine place. They offer Laser, Water and Plasma cutting, and a few other things I think. I'm not super familiar with all this stuff. Do I need a special file like a .STL file to show them? Can you give me more information on this? @User 5
The video was well done. 👏 Never failed me: ATRr Assume nothing Trust no one Re-Check everything Repeat and use the time and energy you save with things you LIKE.
Man I wanted to make one, but my printer isnt very good and the moonlander worked out as a solid alternative. Just wish I had the concave shape on the moonlander
I googled for stainless steel water jet cutting and sent out a few emails. Only one place got back to me with a quote. I can’t remember the name but they were a small-ish business in Brisbane
I don't know if I should build one. I currently own a crkbd and it's comfortable enough for me. But this one should in theory be more comfortable right?
If only these could be bought ready for $100 or $150. The only bowl shaped ready keyboards on market currently are Maltron and Kinesis Advantage, which are priced as $600 and $350 respectively.
I know you commented over a year ago but I figured someone out there might find this useful. A Kinesis can be had for about $150 on eBay if you are patient and set up alerts for when one goes up for sale. It will probably be the original instead of the Advantage2 and you may have to wait for the exact color you want but it’s doable. I’ve gotten 3 this way. If you are not as patient they can be found for about $200ish, which there are several of for sale right now.
I built a dactyl manuform but I have a problem. The right side of my keyboard acts as if its the left side. Does anybody have a idea of how I can fix this?
I may like in "backwards society" but at least I have a lifetime supply of cat 5 cable and screw terminal adapters to never be plagued by crossover cable trolling 9:20
Nice build man, very clean wiring. Did you have to use wires for the horizontal rows in addition to the diodes or were the lenghs of the diode legs long enough to bridge the gap between switches?
I hear there is this resin goop stuff that you can put on to help fill the ridges, its fairly cheap too. for the future, i might recommend putting some of that stuff on first and then sanding to cut your sanding time by a lot. Also legit want to design a similar board to this one, just a little more subdued, and i would wanna print it in copper infused pla for that heft!
We're NOT backwards. We just haven't pulled our collective head our of our ass. That's all. ;o) I'm learning to think in metric so I can work in Fusion 360 (thank you Adobi for the hobby class license) and then 3D print.
brits call imperial measurement neanderthalic when their society is the one that came up with it, hence why its called imperial, as used by the british empire. It wasnt until some frenchie made the metric system, and believe me, Britain was at plenty at odds with France until the recent couple centuries.
@@fluffypinkpandas True, but let‘s be honest: It would be even better if we would use base 12. More fractions could be written down without repeating digits since 12 has more divisors than 10, we have twelve tones in music and twelve hours on the clock, and numbers would be even be a bit shorter.
10:46 Like i thought. Thumb keys too far back. The tip of your left thumb goes beyond the main thumb key. On your right hand, you are not using the main thumb key (what i think is supposed), and your fingers are not arched on the keys like hammer and nail. That causes more fatigue over time. Are your fingers straight against the keyboard? When you press the “M” key, do you need to move index finger or the wrist sideways? Just like my Redox. On the Redox when i put hands and fingers straight, the tip of my thumb goes WAY beyond the inner corner alpha key. Truely, 0.5u-1u beyond the corner. Ergodash, Lily58 (and derivatives), Iris (1 thumb key variant), have thumb keys that go beyond the corner, but not much, barely 0.25u. About layers, it is _inefficient._ You make a single key, into two keys. Is that efficient? You don't need to move your hand off the home row, but what is actually scientifically better? Single key > Key sequence > Key chord/Key combination (Ctrl-C) Note that key chord is the worst, it is multiple aspects (hand health and amount of combinations for commands). Try this test: Hello! Good day to you, good man! I am alright. Hello! Good day to you, good man! I am alright. Hello! \Good day to \you, good man\! I \am alright. Now pick a different key, F key and Control key combination, the result will be different. The amount of strain, depends on the keyboard. For example, on Mac you press Command key with the thumb. All of this info, i am speaking of Xah Lee writings. Search “Xah Lee keyboard” and you will find his articles on his website.
3:05 "they should just clip right in"
*thunderous snap*
ahahahahah
Hey great work! I'm working on a dactyl as well after watching Zac Freedman.
It’s definitely a statement piece!
Zac freedman is under rated
I'm still waiting for his fata Morgana cyber deck build using his mirage keyboard. Zac freedman should sell his pcb's
That's insane, well done!
Really interesting design overall but well executed
Zack: "...or a pound, for those of you living in backward society."
Americans: 😔
they should be ashamed of themselves.
And inhabitants of Liberia as well!
Really nice! I've had my eye on the Dactyl Manuform for years and keep putting it off. Seeing what a lovely job you did on your build has inspired me to get off my arse!
if you use flux and some ventilation, you can just use the soldering iron to burn insulation away as you solder multiple connections on a single wire like that. The flux and heat will keep it from contaminating the solder joint.
I love tree supports for this application. I'm working on a dactyl as well and the supports came out in one or two pieces without too much effort
Looks gorgeous, great work on the finish of it.
I agree that prints need sanding to get the finish complete. I think it compliments the CAD and handwiring. Just like you said in the video, you're already doing the work, might as well do it too. Great build, your keyboard looks hella nice
Nice build !
I made the exact same keyboard some time ago. TBH I loved it but the downside is that it takes a lot of effort to produce a key layout .. I was pretty new to custom keyboards so I needed to change it all the time and this alone made me go to another keyboard that had an easier/faster software to flash.
I wish QMK developers would work on a way to have a fast and flexible reprogramming experience (if possible of course).
This was really cool. Thanks for sharing.
Great video! You narrate quite well. Btw I was inspired by Zack Freedman as well, I’m so deep in the keyboards rabbit hole 😬
Nice work! Lots of attention to details! Absolute overkill on that bottom plate there :) Next step is going wireless!
Amazing work.
I would love a follow up on your useage.
On my ErgoDox, I feel that the number row keys requires to much finger stretching to reach. Having a number layer is easier.
Would you add LEDs to this build? They really help me remember what layer I'm on.
Instead of the sanding you can also use wood filler. Not the one you spray but the stuff you put on with a spatula. It fills all the gaps and little pockets. You have to send it afterwards to get rid of edges and such but that’s pretty easy and fast
But nicely done. Looks all tidy and cleaned up on yours.
Mine doesn’t look nearly as good inside though I work in the electronics field, did studied it and whatnot.
I am more of a ‚as long at is works‘ kind of person
those keys are really slick. very very clean
How does this man not have more subs
wow, just found out aboutt this channel! super cool build and super practical!
Thank you this is what I was looking for
well done! awesome project
Nice quality :)
Check out the nrfmicro for DYI bluetooth support.
I myself have the "original" dactyl lightcycle (the smaller one), I think it looks better than any other version, but is also harder to print. Mine was printed by someone with not so good 3d printer and I'm using it still after 2 years :)
Very nice. I always dreamed of a Manu but never attempted it because I find the hand wiring so messy in general.
I wanted to thank you because I rectently got into keyboards and been eyeing this for a while but this is what i need to jump in an build it. I wanted to ask, where did you get your keycaps from?
7:25 Well damn, I didn't even know soldering a whole keyboard manually was possible, lol.
Wait, this only has 4.5k views??? nice video ur underrated
I was looking to get a 5x6 dactyl, but I didn't trust the math on 2*5*6=60 so I counted the slots on the picture and I'm sure glad I did. There was a few additional keys below the 5x6 rows, I guess for programming layer keys.
awesome work!!
Great job with print post processing. I'm always too hesitant to do sanding and painting. Insane amount of work. Does the paint hold well? Also I'm laughing at those ridiculous bottom plates.
Hey great video, thank you for sharing your experience.
I am building a dactyl manuform right now and I was wondering what would you do differently if you were to rebuild it? Also I am thinking about getting the water jet cut metal base to hold the keyboard in place, do you think 5mm is too much weight? I was thinking 3mm could do as well.
so grate! incredible are you superman!
What are those connectors you used to attach the wires to the posts on the controller?
I suspect the switches are Gateron Aliaz silent *tactile* switches (*clicky* would haven't with an audible click, the opposite of silent)
I have to ask. I've built a redox keyboard and love it, but the itch to make a new one like yours is building. So the Question of how much was the metal work?
Hello. Thank you for great video.
Can you give me advice?
I gonna build splitted keyboard with 109 (50 + 59) keys + 4 encoders. The question is: Can I use only single Arduino Pro Micro microchip? Is it enough contacts for all those keys?
Do you have a link to the guide? Great video!
I'm working on a Dactyl Manuform 5x6 and I want to do a 3mm stainless steel base build.
I found a CNC machine place. They offer Laser, Water and Plasma cutting, and a few other things I think. I'm not super familiar with all this stuff. Do I need a special file like a .STL file to show them?
Can you give me more information on this?
@User 5
Can you post a link for your usb connectors and RJ9 connectors?
a lb is 454 grams. You were right about saying you should double check. You're off on your math by 3 quarters of a lb.
Yeah wow i was way off. I must have based it off 2lb being a little under 1kg but just gone awry
@@The5thUSER Now whos backwards/??/!?
**absolutely bonkers with british accent**
Most british intro
Great video! thinking of doing this soon. Where did you get your keycaps?
Pimpmykeyboard because they had a really good range & I had to mix-and-match to get the sizes I needed
The backward society part killed me😂😂😂😂.
Amazing
The video was well done. 👏
Never failed me:
ATRr
Assume nothing
Trust no one
Re-Check everything
Repeat
and use the time and energy you save with things you LIKE.
Man I wanted to make one, but my printer isnt very good and the moonlander worked out as a solid alternative. Just wish I had the concave shape on the moonlander
how can I get the bottom part?
Ah mate, great job!
Nice clean build, ever thought about selling the keyboard?
when theres more support than the actuall print:
Yeah the boys, loving the language. Coming from Melbourne
what company did u get the steel from
Hi what about the wrist rest? How can we build one that has a wrist rest? I feel I really need it.
Where did you get the steel base
I googled for stainless steel water jet cutting and sent out a few emails. Only one place got back to me with a quote. I can’t remember the name but they were a small-ish business in Brisbane
Can i have the 3d print file?
Great video, what keycaps and switches did you end up using?
DSA-profile PBT key caps from pimpmykeyboard
@@The5thUSER Perfect, thanks so much!! :)
IM YOUR 100th SUBSCRIBER! :D
I don't know if I should build one. I currently own a crkbd and it's comfortable enough for me. But this one should in theory be more comfortable right?
The dactyl manuform is pretty tall compared to the crkbd. Might take a bit of getting used too.. You can always print the body and give it a dry run!
If only these could be bought ready for $100 or $150. The only bowl shaped ready keyboards on market currently are Maltron and Kinesis Advantage, which are priced as $600 and $350 respectively.
I know you commented over a year ago but I figured someone out there might find this useful. A Kinesis can be had for about $150 on eBay if you are patient and set up alerts for when one goes up for sale. It will probably be the original instead of the Advantage2 and you may have to wait for the exact color you want but it’s doable. I’ve gotten 3 this way. If you are not as patient they can be found for about $200ish, which there are several of for sale right now.
I'm doing this the cheaty way with a foldable silicone keyboard
If you need to sand it anyway why not flip the case to print with way less supports?
Did you put in the steel plates? Were they worth it?
+1 to this question. I like steel and I think a case for this model would be hard to order.
@@Zeioth Steel plate definitely worth it to prevent slipping around. Once this bad boy(s) is on a table it's going nowhere fast.
I built a dactyl manuform but I have a problem. The right side of my keyboard acts as if its the left side. Does anybody have a idea of how I can fix this?
There should be an option in the header files that you can set if I remember correctly.
I may like in "backwards society" but at least I have a lifetime supply of cat 5 cable and screw terminal adapters to never be plagued by crossover cable trolling 9:20
3:49 yeah thats fair
Hello borther, will you please help me to make one of these, i have all the parts i am strangle to make it help me !
A lb is about 453g.
i got killed so many times on this situation 9:53
Nice build man, very clean wiring. Did you have to use wires for the horizontal rows in addition to the diodes or were the lenghs of the diode legs long enough to bridge the gap between switches?
The diode legs were long enough to cover the gap. Thankfully I used insulated wires for the first columns so there was less chance of shoeting
fingees
I hear there is this resin goop stuff that you can put on to help fill the ridges, its fairly cheap too. for the future, i might recommend putting some of that stuff on first and then sanding to cut your sanding time by a lot.
Also legit want to design a similar board to this one, just a little more subdued, and i would wanna print it in copper infused pla for that heft!
We're NOT backwards. We just haven't pulled our collective head our of our ass. That's all. ;o) I'm learning to think in metric so I can work in Fusion 360 (thank you Adobi for the hobby class license) and then 3D print.
*so* ugly.
I love it!!!
1k likes!
brits call imperial measurement neanderthalic when their society is the one that came up with it, hence why its called imperial, as used by the british empire.
It wasnt until some frenchie made the metric system, and believe me, Britain was at plenty at odds with France until the recent couple centuries.
That is true. Yet still the Brits managed to get past it, while in the US people did not go along with the development to a better system.
@@hdbrot i do admit metric is better since its rules are straight forward. 1s 10s 100s 1000s and so on. "Add a zero".
@@fluffypinkpandas True, but let‘s be honest: It would be even better if we would use base 12. More fractions could be written down without repeating digits since 12 has more divisors than 10, we have twelve tones in music and twelve hours on the clock, and numbers would be even be a bit shorter.
@@hdbrot so we need like. The best of both imperial and metric is what you are saying
10:46 Like i thought. Thumb keys too far back. The tip of your left thumb goes beyond the main thumb key.
On your right hand, you are not using the main thumb key (what i think is supposed), and your fingers are not arched on the keys like hammer and nail. That causes more fatigue over time. Are your fingers straight against the keyboard? When you press the “M” key, do you need to move index finger or the wrist sideways?
Just like my Redox. On the Redox when i put hands and fingers straight, the tip of my thumb goes WAY beyond the inner corner alpha key. Truely, 0.5u-1u beyond the corner.
Ergodash, Lily58 (and derivatives), Iris (1 thumb key variant), have thumb keys that go beyond the corner, but not much, barely 0.25u.
About layers, it is _inefficient._ You make a single key, into two keys. Is that efficient? You don't need to move your hand off the home row, but what is actually scientifically better?
Single key > Key sequence > Key chord/Key combination (Ctrl-C)
Note that key chord is the worst, it is multiple aspects (hand health and amount of combinations for commands).
Try this test:
Hello! Good day to you, good man! I am alright.
Hello! Good day to you, good man! I am alright.
Hello! \Good day to \you, good man\! I \am alright.
Now pick a different key, F key and Control key combination, the result will be different. The amount of strain, depends on the keyboard. For example, on Mac you press Command key with the thumb.
All of this info, i am speaking of Xah Lee writings. Search “Xah Lee keyboard” and you will find his articles on his website.
backwards society, LOL its an INCH MATE, it's a 1/16 of an inch, the ruler doesnt need to be perfect
like 😍
u
Backwards society? Oof.