yes, budget is doable. you could do a budget build right around that number, depending on what parts you pick. (i've done a couple)
if you are just starting to dip your toe in the ergo pond..... (as well as mechanical).... welcome, the water's great!
mechanical is definitely the way to go, the biggest difference is on rubber domes you HAVE to bottom out to activate the key press. with mechanical, the actuation happens when the key is depressed about half way, BEFORE you bottom out. letting you type lighter and not banging on the keys as much. (though you can still bottom out as you normally do, it won't affect anything)
- some mechanical keyboards are actually quieter than most rubber done keyboards
- handful of different switch styles - clicky, tactile, linear (if you want quiet, obviously avoid the clicky ones)
- there are also dampened versions of tactile & linear switches (even quieter)
split is definitely the way to go, getting hand separation is probably the biggest improvement you can make.
- tenting can also help, but it can feel very awkward till you get used to it.
- consider thumb keys - why the most used modifiers (ctl, shift, tab, etc..) are on the outside edge used by your pinkies is NOT the most convenient or ergonomic.
ortholinear (usually all 1u keys, no large keys) they are not as difficult to get used to as you'd think. i thought the same thing when i was switching from staggered to ortho. but the transition was easy & now i don't know why i was even worried about missing the larger keys.
since you are coming from a standard staggered 104 type layout. i'd suggest a larger 5x7 ortho board. (keeb.io - viterbi, ergodash, or similar)
- this allows you to keep a normal number row with minimal movement of key placement compared to a standard staggered layout that you're used to.
- most ortho boards are grids of 5x6 or smaller
- the smaller you go, the more layers you have to use to get all the keys you have on a full size layout. (look at the corne keyboard)
my suggestion would be to play with
keyboard-layout-editor.com and replicate some of the keyboards you're looking at, put legends on the keys and decide what you can & can't live without. doing this will quickly show you how many keys you want and if you have any layout requirements.
- do some searches for ergo keyboards, split keyboards and see what strikes your fancy
- there's a pretty good list on
https://golem.hu/boards/for parts/kits:
i would start with keeb.io. they have a bunch of budget options for split ergo boards in both staggered & ortholinear styles. you can build up your board however you like with whatever switches & caps you want.
you'll need
- pcbs - diodes, controller (promicro or similar), probably a TRRS cable (4 conductor audio cable)
- case - probably a simple spaced plate design (switch plate, pcb, bottom plate
- switches
- keycaps - if you can touch type, go with blanks, it's a lot cheaper.
switches, caps, etc..
- novelkeys
- kbdfans
- kprepublic
as well as many others
when looking at kits, look for PCBs that are either already populated with components or use a promicro as the controller. (you don't want to have to track down & try to solder SMD components for your 1st board, stick with all through hole components)
most kits are super simple to build. keeb.io's stuff, ergodash, let's split, etc.
couple questions for you...
- do you touch type (not look at keys at all)?
- are you handy? have you ever soldered before?
