ErgoMechKeyboards
Ergonomic, split and other weird keyboards
Rules
Keep it ergo
Posts must be of/about keyboards that have a clear delineation between the left and right halves of the keyboard, column stagger, or both. This includes one-handed (one half doesn't exist, what clearer delineation is that!?)
i.e. no regular non-split¹ row-stagger and no non-split¹ ortholinear²
¹ split meaning a separation of the halves, whether fixed in place or entirely separate, both are fine.
² ortholinear meaning keys layed out in a grid
No Spam
No excessive posting/"shilling" for commercial purposes. Vendors are permitted to promote their products/services but keep it to a minimum and use the [vendor] flair. Posts that appear to be marketing without being transparent about it will be removed.
No Buy/Sell/Trade
This subreddit is not a marketplace, please post on r/mechmarket or other relevant marketplace.
Some useful links
- EMK wiki
- Split keyboard compare tool
- Compare keycap profiles Looking for another set of keycaps - check this site to compare the different keycap profiles https://www.keycaps.info/
- Keymap database A database with all kinds of keymap layouts - some of them fits ergo keyboards - get inspired https://keymapdb.com/
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You can put clear finger nail polish over the pins you are afraid of touching. The higher quality polish, the longer it will last. If you ever need to rework it then the soldering iron will burn through the polish and create extra smoke. Conformal coating is what the industry uses to protect boards from chemicals and moisture, but is more expensive and harder to rework.
Flux comes in many varieties. Rosin or No-clean are most likely what you have. Rosin should be cleaned off with rubbing alcohol and a toothbrush if you want the board to last decades. No-clean can stay on the board, but can also be cleaned off in the same manner. If you have water-soluble flux then you must clean the board thoroughly with water to prevent future damage from the aggressive flux.
So. This is the solder I have https://www.jaycar.com.au/lead-free-solder-1mm-15g-hobby-tube/p/NS3092 I tried to check the facts sheet on the downloads section but couldn’t find any info on the flux used there. I’ll see about buying the clear nail polish.
The description says “resin core” which is a misspelling of rosin core. It is just pine tree sap that can be cleaned off if you want with alcohol with a toothbrush and then wiped with something absorbent so it doesn’t evaporate on the board and leave a haze.
Tin, copper, and rosin sound pretty safe to me but I’m no doctor. Just try and avoid any fumes from the resin while soldering.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosin
Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer :)