So 40% low profile keyboards with PCB artwork and a magnetic cover are a thing. I love how aesthetics go beyond the usual here, and how a cover makes sense with the thin form factor and the split layout.
@ice Wow, this looks amazing!! How do you even build such a thing? Piece by piece?
Can I ask what's the white circle in the middle?
@croqaz Yeah, it's a kit, so you need a bit of time and patience, and a little dexterity with a soldering iron. This one looks a bit more complicated than the usual but it's not hard if you have the right tools and take your time to read the guide.
I think the circular part in the middle is a magnetic ring and is used to hold the cover closed (but anything is possible, there are also keyboards with rotary encoders, OLED displays, speakers...)
@ice Thanks for the links! I discovered a lot from the links and now on youtube!
Awesome! :)
@croqaz Many community projects and DIY keyboards like this one run on QMK: https://qmk.fm/
It allows for an incredible amount of customization, you can create your own layout and make any key do anything (but you need to learn how to flash your board and dive a bit into code).
60% keyboards are a great entry point, it's how I started. If you want to learn how everything works, I'd recommend trying to build a Sweet 16, it's cheap and great learning material: https://www.1upkeyboards.com/shop/keyboard-kits/macro-pads/sweet16-macro-pad-white/