Split Keyboard Uses No PCB

When [daniely101] wanted a split keyboard, he decided to build his own. It wound up costing $25 to create a wireless board with no custom PCB required. Each half has …read more

Jun 18, 2025 - 21:20

When [daniely101] wanted a split keyboard, he decided to build his own. It wound up costing $25 to create a wireless board with no custom PCB required. Each half has its own microcontroller, and the whole thing connects via Bluetooth. While we don’t mind making a PCB, we can appreciate that you could change your mind easily with this wiring scheme.

The 3D printed case holds the keys, and then it is just a matter of carefully soldering the keys to the microcontrollers. Of course, each side also has to have its own battery. The ZMK firmware is split in half, one part for each side of the keyboard. The nRF52840 CPUs have plenty of wireless connectivity. The keys are set in rows and columns, so the amount of soldering back to the controller is manageable.

While we applaud the wireless design, it does seem odd that you have to charge both halves and turn them on and off separately. But that’s the nice thing about a design like this — you could modify the design to not have a split. Or, you could allow one flexible wire pair to run across for power. Of course, you could modify the layout, including adding or deleting keys.

You might consider adding a pointing device. At least you don’t have to pull out a saw.