After Open Sauce 2025, I wanted to build something I would use every day, so I dove into custom keyboards. Instead of buying a pre-made PCB, I chose full hand-wiring so I could understand every electrical connection from the ground up.
Project Photo
Design and Hardware Choices
I used a Raspberry Pi Pico as the controller and spent weeks designing the case in Onshape. The layout was split to keep my hands apart and included function keys in the center column for my coding and gaming workflow. I also selected silent tactile switches so the board could be used in a dorm without driving my roommate crazy.
Hand-Wired Matrix Build
To avoid running out of GPIO pins, I wired the switches in a row-column matrix so the Pico could scan intersections rapidly. The rows used solid copper wire, which gave the interior a clean industrial look but required over one hundred precise solder joints.
Firmware Bring-Up
On the software side, I configured KMK firmware and mapped each key manually. The Python-based workflow made layout iteration fast once I understood the logic, and keymap tuning became one of the most satisfying parts of the project.
Outcome
The keyboard became my daily driver and survived my entire sophomore year. Beyond functionality, it gave me the specific kind of pride that only comes from typing on hardware you designed, wired, and debugged yourself.
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