Another new guy, starting my first build

[Skandocious]

Hey folks-- glad to be onboard. I've been using an ErgoDox with MX clears for about a year now (wedding gift from a friend, very generous) but have yet to build my own setup.

I'm a SW engineer and over the past several months the ErgoDox has started to create a lot of fatigue in my hands, so I'm on the hunt for the perfect keyboard for me. I started the hunt by looking for the right switches-- my first thought was that less force would be better for fatigue so I picked up a MagicForce with Gateron Browns (supposedly 5g less than MX browns) to try out these switches for a few days on the cheap. I really disliked how light they were, I was constantly bottoming out and hitting adjacent keys accidentally. So I picked up an 8-switch sampler board with a variety of MX switches, and I think I actually do prefer the clears for both their tactile bump and having the right actuation force (or at least in the ballpark). So the obvious step-up for me from MX clears was Zealios 65g, and I've just placed an order for a bunch of those

On to the build! I found a post on Reddit from a guy that did a split-space bar build on an OLKB Atomic and I love this setup. My basic requirements:

- fully programmable
- dedicated arrows
- dedicated numbers across the top
- split-spacebar so I can use Backspace on the left and Space on the right (ala ErgoDox)

After using the ErgoDox (ortholinear) for a while and then going back to the MagicForce (staggered) I think I prefer the OL, but this is not a strict requirement at this point.

Seems to me that the Atomic fits the bill here-- so I picked up a PCB from the OLKB website, but since he's discontinuing this model there are no case parts available... I'm now on the hunt for case parts and if I come up empty handed I might have to get my own manufactured, luckily Jack has CAD files posted on his github

Any tips or advice is welcome here! Excited to get my first build underway.

[eksuen]

Just so you know, 65g Zealios are very different from MX Clears. Clears actuate at 65g and bottom out at around 90-95g. Zealios are rated for bottom out force so 65g Zealios bottom out at 65g, which is only slightly heavier than Browns (around 62g). Zealios do have a more pronounced bump compared to Browns due to the stem design.

[Skandocious]

Just so you know, 65g Zealios are very different from MX Clears. Clears actuate at 65g and bottom out at around 90-95g. Zealios are rated for bottom out force so 65g Zealios bottom out at 65g, which is only slightly heavier than Browns (around 62g). Zealios do have a more pronounced bump compared to Browns due to the stem design.

Yeah I did read about this-- unfortunately I haven't been able to try the Zealios myself yet. And actually I did misspeak a bit, incidentally the clears are bit a heavy for me so I'm looking for something *between* browns and clears. And I think one thing that contributed to me not liking the browns was that they didn't have a pronounced bump which made it easier to bottom out on those. These 2 things combined made the 65g Zealios sound like the right switch for me-- we'll see!

[eksuen]

Ah okay. 65g Zealios are definitely between browns and clears and they are, I believe, the most popular Zealio variant. I also like clears but wish they were a tad lighter. I want to try 78g Zealios, but for now, I am happy with the 67g variant. Hope you enjoy your build. And welcome to GH, btw.

[itbesandrodoe]

My first hand-made board was a Planck! I did not use it as much as I wanted to because of the layout but it was an extremely fun build and I was very proud of it! I wish you luck finding a good case!

[Skandocious]

Thanks man! The OL layout is definitely challenging at first-- learning it on my ErgoDox was way harder than learning the unconventional thumb usage (I figured that would be a lot harder). But now that I'm proficient on the Ergo I'm feeling like OL might be a better choice for me, really interested to try it on the Atomic form factor.