The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

Ed Nisley's Blog: Shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, laser cuttery, and curiosities. Contents: 100% human thinking, 0% AI slop.

The New Hotness

  • Kinesis Freestyle 2: Steel Tactile Bumps

    Adding tape bumps to the worn Kinesis keyboard demonstrated I really need tactile home keys, so I popped the tops and fired up the Sherline mill:

    Kinesis keyboard - 2 mm drilling
    Kinesis keyboard – 2 mm drilling

    That’s a genuine 2 mm carbide end mill, poked 1 mm into the key cap, snuggled right up against the front edge.

    Two epoxy dabs and some wiping later:

    Kinesis keyboard - 2 mm tactile bearings
    Kinesis keyboard – 2 mm tactile bearings

    The careful alignment on the F key tells you I did it first; obviously, I should make better fixtures.

    The holes could be slightly larger and maybe slightly deeper, but the bearings feel just right.

    Indeed, they work so well a ball now distinguishes the far-flung Delete and Backspace keys:

    Kinesis keyboard - 2 mm bearing - Delete key
    Kinesis keyboard – 2 mm bearing – Delete key

    Now, to see how long the epoxy lasts …