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title: Custom Keyboards, Sully and Pok3r
tags: keyboards technology qmk hardware 100daystooffload
date: 2021-02-15
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Intro
Working in the tech industry and having geeky hobbies; I’ve always
taken my tools, both hardware and software, seriously. For some reason
I never thought about the keyboard itself though, and was content with
using the bundled membrane boards. A few years ago though this all
changed which I discovered the deep rabbit hole that is both
utilitarian and vain world of custom keyboards.
Sully
Back in 2013 I convinced my boss that I needed a high-end mechanical
keyboard to help with some recent hand pain (almost entirely due to
Starbound at the time). I purchased a Coolermaster CM Storm with
Cherry MX Green switches. It was my first “small” keyboard in a sense
that it was a ten-key-less (TKL) and the green switches were clicky
and stiff, exactly what I wanted in a keyboard since it reminded me of
the electric typewriters I learned to touch-type on.
After spending some time on r/MechanicalKeyboards I got the itch to
customize it and bought some blank PBT DSA keys in teal and purple,
calling it “Sully”.
[r/MechanicalKeyboards]: https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/
[Sully]
[Sully]: /assets/images/posts/sully.jpg
Sully
Sully was a fantastic board and I used it up until 2019 when I
discovered even smaller form factors like 60%. It’s still used in our
house, but mostly as a kids toy, demostrating just how well-built it
is.
Vortex Pok3r
The idea of a smaller, 60% board was appealing in with having the same
functionality but in a more compact form. Removing some of the less
used keys to provide more desk space and limit finger stretch. I also
just liked the way it looked, more compact and different than the
standard 101 keyboards. I put the Pok3r on my wishlist because it was
“programmable” and I had all sorts of ideas on ways I could customize
shortcuts and other functions.
It came as a Christmas present in 2019, with Cherry MX blue switches
and stock keycaps. I immediately started using the programmable PCB,
but found it was much more difficult to do since it involves putting
it into programming mode and then keying in what you want to setup.
Just remapping some keys, like making CAPS-LOCK -> Escape was an
exercise in frustration, but it did what I wanted eventually, with the
process meticulously detailed in a .txt file. It also has different
layers that could hold different keymaps, but I just stuck with a
single layer.
## Caps-lock as ESC
FN+R_control
CAPS_LOCK
ESC
PN
FN+R_control
## HJKL Navigation
FN+R_Control
FN+H FN+J
FN+J FN+K
FN+K FN+I
PN
FN+R_Control
Sample of how to program the stock pok3r firmware
Pok3r Revived
Eventually I started getting annoyed with the default keycaps, which
were a thin cheap ABS plastic and would squeak. Just over a month of
use the legends also starting to wear off. This started me down a dark
path, first looking into how to stop the squeaking, but then lead to
going back to r/MechanicalKeyboards and following the white rabbit,
and making a wish list to customize the board and make it fully mine.
- Thick PBT Keycaps
- Tactile Switches
- Keyboard Foam
- QMK Programming Support
[QMK Programming Support]: https://qmk.fm
/dev/tty
The first item on the list was easy enough to do, just scour keyboard
stores and find a keycap set. I went through various postings,
storefronts, and group buys, eventually landing on /dev/tty by matt3o.
These were particularly attractive because of their story; inspired by
IBM Beamspring terminals and the /dev/tty name.
[/dev/tty by matt3o]: https://matt3o.com/about-mt3-profile-and-devtty-set/
[IBM Beamspring terminals]: https://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?t=8539/
MT3 is inspired by old terminal keyboards; TTY was used to refer to
“teletype” or “teletypewriter” but it has come to refer to any type
of text terminal. As a linux user the temptation to call the set
/dev/tty was simply too strong to resist.
The MT3 profile is also extremely high, and the deep dish and feel of
PBT makes the keys almost “cuddle” your fingertips. Typing on them is
an absolutely joy and because of their thickness they sound amazing
even on just a stock board.
Holy Pandas
Next on the list was replacing the switches with something less clicky
and more tactile. The original “Sully” board had MX Greens which were
extremely clicky and I wanted something different with MX blues in the
pok3r, but wanted a change of pace from the last few years. While
reading through keyboard sites, the phrase “Holy Panda” kept coming up
and how they were fantastic tactile switches. Eventually I came across
one of the original post that described the origins of the Holy Panda
and found that it was an entirely custom switch, made from two
different switches.
[origins of the Holy Panda]: https://topclack.com/textclack/2018/12/19/holy-panda-switches-new-and-old-by-quakemz
The Holy Panda switch is the combination of the stem of a Halo True
and the housing of a Invyr Panda. The result is the Holy Panda
hybrid, one of the snappiest tactile mechanical switches available.
[Pandas]
[Pandas]: /assets/images/keyboards/pandas.png
YOK Polar Panda(left) Holy Panda(center) Halo True(right)
The idea of building my own switches really resonated with me since it
gave me, giving me more ownership of what I was building. Holy Pandas
also sound amazing when typing, not clicky or loud, but thunky and
tactile. Pairing them with a thicker PBT keycap set made perfect sense
as well.
Luckily I found some YOK Polar Panda switches in-stock and ordered
them and some Halo Trues from drop, which created “Polar Holy Pandas”
with a distinctive blue housing and a salmon stem.
[Building Holy Pandas]
[Building Holy Pandas]: /assets/images/keyboards/IMG_4665.png
Building Holy Pandas
Lubing is also a thing when it comes to building custom switches, and
these were lubed with Krytox 205g0, to give them a smoother tactile
bump.
Foam
Did you know you can put foam in a keyboard to help dampen the sound?
I had no idea this was a thing, but it is, and it completely changes
the sound profile of a keyboard. So if you’re into how a keyboard
sounds, and are willing to spend 15$, foaming a board is a good
investment.
[PCB Foam Sandwich]
[PCB Foam Sandwich]: /assets/images/keyboards/IMG_4706.png
PCB Foam Sandwich
I opted for foam from MKUltra, which I originally thought would go in
the bottom of the case. When it arrived I discovered it was plate
foam, which goes between the top plate and the PCB, making a sandwich.
Even though it wasn’t my original choice, it worked much better since
now the entire board is a solid piece with exceptional dampening
sounds. Combined with the Holy Panda tactile and /dev/tty thickness,
it makes a satisfying THUNK with every keypress.
[MKUltra]: https://mkultra.click/secret-file-cabinet/60-foam/
QMK Programming
The last item on the list was improving the programming of the board.
I’m planning to write up a more extensive article on QMK, and the
pok3r can run QMK, but requires unlocking the board which is risky and
even then will use a fork or QMK and not upstream. While tempted to
try this, I found that YMDK makes a drop in replacement YD60MQ PCB
that you can buy for under 30$. This also gave me an excuse to get a
de-soldering iron to quickly de-solder the switches and not risk
damaging them by using a solder sucker or wick.
[QMK]: https://qmk.fm
[pok3r can run QMK]: https://github.com/pok3r-custom/qmk_pok3r
[YD60MQ PCB]: https://github.com/ecliptik/qmk_firmware/tree/ecliptik/keyboards/ymdk/yd60mq
[Replacing pok3r PCB]
[Replacing pok3r PCB]: /assets/images/keyboards/IMG_6453.png
Replacing old pok3r PCB (red) with new YD60MQ PCB (black)
The PCB was replaced about a year after the board was first built,
months after I started using QMK on my other boards (more on those in
Part 2). The custom keymap flashed on it is similar to the other
boards I have, so combos and layers are consistent across all my
boards.
[custom keymap]: https://github.com/ecliptik/qmk_firmware/tree/ecliptik/keyboards/ymdk/yd60mq/keymaps/ecliptik
Final Product
[pok3r Final Form]
[pok3r Final Form]: /assets/images/keyboards/pok3r.jpg
pok3r Final Form
With all these features checked off the list, the pok3r is is my daily
driver for work and pleasure. It’s a dream to type on with the
tactility of the Holy Pandas, and the sound alone is worth the
investment. Having the full power of QMK in the board greatly expands
it’s capabilities and gives me full ownership and pride in both the
hardware and software aspects of it.
Granted it’s borderline Ship of Thesus, with the only original parts
the aluminum case and stabilizers, but that makes it a fully custom
board that no one else has or could come close to replicating.
[Ship of Thesus]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus